Thanks for taking the time to reply and think about our situation!
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Are you sure? That seems REALLY high! I know TMs have a higher tongue weight because the axle is so far back to prevent sway, but still.
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I know, right? I looked at several blogs to learn how to weigh at the CAT scales. You weigh once with each of the three axles on a separate scale pad, then drop the camper and take just your tow vehicle on. From there it's just calculations. I know we did one thing wrong: my husband was standing on the first scale pad instead of sitting in the driver seat (the scale guy was a bit quicker than we anticipated). That might throw off the axle weights a bit, but I can't imagine it skewing the tongue weight that much.
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Is the camper level front to rear when towing?
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It looks good to us, and a level on the tongue seems to agree. We do have to use a 2 inch rise to achieve this, as the back of the 4Runner drops 2.5-3 inches.
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Move as much gear inside the camper behind the axle, or as far back as possible.
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We don't have much in the camper to begin with. Bedding, some plastic dishes, a few pots and pans, three camp chairs. Most of the drawers and cabinets are empty. When we weighed, I had the two removable cabinets as far back on the floor as they could go. Nothing on the floor to the right of the door. I can't move the water tank. I feel like there's not much I can do here. I guess I could stuff things a few things into the bathroom, but it doesn't seem like it would make much difference.
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Does the 3023 have the outside accessible storage compartment under the bed? Maybe relocate the batteries back there
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This is a very interesting idea. We do have an exterior compartment on the back, but it's pretty shallow. Maybe a foot deep? I could probably figure out how to reroute the wiring. But it seems like the TMs that come with factory rear batteries also have a vent back there. Yikes - I'm not keen on cutting a hole in the wall.
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Before getting too nutty though I would go back to the CAT scale and completely disconnect the camper from the truck with one axle on one pad and the tongue jack on another pad, and level it out.
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Do you think this is more accurate than the calculation method? Our local scale is kind of intimidating - it's a busy truck stop with tractor trailers zipping all over the place. We definitely felt pressure to get on and off the scale as quickly as possible.
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Draw-Tite makes a direct mount hitch kit.
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Thank you for this idea! I thought changing the hitch out would be an expensive custom job. Didn't realize there was a plug and play solution. However, if I'm really looking at this ridiculous tongue weight, I'll be over my TV's GVWR and axle limits even without any cargo. Shifting the weight around doesn't change that fact, does it?
We will recheck our weights at the next opportunity and see what we can achieve with some tinkering. I'm really disappointed though. One of the big reasons we went with the TM was to keep our tow vehicle. I knew TMs are heavier than dry weights suggest. But everything I read prior to purchase indicated that the 4Runner should work. It seems to tow and handle fine - now I'm almost sorry I took it to the scale, because I can't unsee these numbers.
I'd still love to hear from anyone else towing a 2720 or larger with a 4Runner. What are your trailer and tongue weights? Are you able to carry any water? Are we just an anomaly?