3124KS Tongue Weight

[hillbillyhotel]

joe
Like dave , for yrs i run without wdh or even brake controller, but the more i hung out here and learned , the more i realized we could be safer. and protect #1 my family,#2 our investment, just made common sense
I seem to push the weights to limits sometime, try to load most in tv when i can. being able to level tv and tm and move the weight sure make for a more stable ride. and it's not like i am worried about what i load, we have 12000 tow rating,
But i can say from towing both ways i will try not to tow without one from now on if i can keep from it,heck it even feels funny now when i load the mower on the trailer and tow.

[Cmd1v3r]

I am brand new to the TM forums and learning, so bear with me please. I am currently looking for a 3124KS also and concerned about tongue weight. I have a 2004 4Runner, SR-5 V6 with a weight bearing class III hitch. My owners manual indicates a towing limit of 5000 lbs and tongue weight limit of 500 lbs. Shouldn't be a problem on the towing limit, but as mentioned earlier in this post once the 3124KS is loaded, it will far exceed the dry tongue weight of 490 lbs, and the limit of 500 lb tongue weight on my vehicle. So 1) can I install a WDH using the receiver on my existing weight bearing hitch, and 2) if I can, does this mean that I can safely tow a loaded 3124KS that has a tongue weight of over 500 lbs., because due to the weight distribution I will actually carry less than 500 on the rear axle? Am I understanding this correctly? Thanks in advance for any help.

[Redtail Cruiser]

Hi Cmdiv3r,

Welcome to the forum. I think you would be stretching the limit of safety to pull a 3124 with that tow vehicle. Even with a WDH with a trailer brake controller you would be right at the limit of your TV. You might get by with it, but in a panic stop or tire blow out situation you might not be able to control the vehicle or stop in time

A better choice of TM's might be the 2720 or the 2619. With either of these you would have a little more margin of control in an emergency situation.

[davlin]

Cmdiv3r,

Welcome to the forum! There's really two different issues at play here: the tow capacity of a vehicle, and the tongue weight (TW) rating of the hitch.

Toyota says your 4Runner has a tow capacity of 5,000 lbs. My 3124KS fully loaded (no water!) comes in around 4,000 lbs. That means that you can tow a 3124KS with a 4Runner. Like Redtail Cruiser, however, I would like to have a little more capacity than that, so while it's possible to do so, you may not be happy with it. I believe the forum has several threads about towing with the 4Runner. I would pay the $12 and become a full member. Then you could see how people who actually tow with your vehicle feel about it.

The second issue is the tongue weight capacity of your hitch. This is something many trailer owners overlook. Even if you have a big diesel dually with 10,000 lbs of towing capacity, if the tongue weight capacity of your hitch is less than the tongue weight of your trailer, you need a WDH. Most receivers have the ratings stamped somewhere in the metal of the receiver. There should be four different numbers: the Weight Carrying capacity of the receiver (WC), the Tongue Weight capacity of the receiver (TW), the Weight Distribution capacity of the receiver (WD), and the Weight Distribution Tongue Weight capacity of the receiver (WDTW). If you can't find these on the receiver itself, or in the owner's manual, I would try to contact Toyota for the information.

Dave

[Redtail Cruiser]

Dave's right, and if your boondocking you have to take water with you, so now your towing 4300 to 4500 lbs. depending how much stuff is in the back of your truck. Even if you upgraded to a class 1V hitch added the WDH with a trailer brake control, you would still be at the UPPER end of the vehicles capacity.

We will all have to rethink our knowledge on this subject, when they publish and adopt the "National Standard" that was put together by a panel of engineers and auto makers in the past couple years. Seems many different standards are used when etablishing these specs on vehicles.

I also agree with Dave, in that a $12 investment in membership will pay you back ten-fold in the wealth of owner knowledge found here.

Good luck in your search,

[Cmd1v3r]

Redtail Cruiser and davlin, thank you for the feedback. I know my TV performance wouldn't be the greatest with the 3124KS, but if it comes down to a safety issue, I am going to error on the side of safety. My biggest concern was exceeding the tongue weight and whether or not I could get by with a WDH distributing the weight to safely connect it to the existing weight bearing hitch on the TV. I will look a little closer at the hitch tomorrow and see if I can locate the numbers you spoke of.

I have looked at the other models, but being 6'4" I definitely want the king beds. Plus I like the extra elbow room of the slide out models, so the smaller models are of no interest to me. I plan on replacing the 4Runner in a few more years, but it just wasn't in the cards at this time. Although I hate to even think about it, maybe I should delay my purchase of a TM for a few more years as well. I guess I'll have to toss this one around a bit.

I just found out about the Trailblazers membership, but had no idea that there was so much more information out there. It definitely sounds like a good investment. Thanks for the heads up.

[countrygirl]

Joining Trailblazer and Trailmanor Owners Forum are two different things. Trailblazers is more like a club of owners that sometime camp together. $15.00 I think.

Trailmanor Owners Forum where you are reading this is the website where owners post about many things including fixes and updates to their campers. It is also where people ask for help. There is even a forsale by owner section. $12.00 a year. Link to paypal etc is at bottom of forum. I will try to post alink here.

Maybe you should check out the 2922. King bed and slide available on a smaller lighter camper.

Originally Posted by Cmd1v3r

Redtail Cruiser and davlin, thank you for the feedback. I know my TV performance wouldn't be the greatest with the 3124KS, but if it comes down to a safety issue, I am going to error on the side of safety. My biggest concern was exceeding the tongue weight and whether or not I could get by with a WDH distributing the weight to safely connect it to the existing weight bearing hitch on the TV. I will look a little closer at the hitch tomorrow and see if I can locate the numbers you spoke of.

I have looked at the other models, but being 6'4" I definitely want the king beds. Plus I like the extra elbow room of the slide out models, so the smaller models are of no interest to me. I plan on replacing the 4Runner in a few more years, but it just wasn't in the cards at this time. Although I hate to even think about it, maybe I should delay my purchase of a TM for a few more years as well. I guess I'll have to toss this one around a bit.

I just found out about the Trailblazers membership, but had no idea that there was so much more information out there. It definitely sounds like a good investment. Thanks for the heads up.

I was shocked to read that some folks have towed without a brake system for the trailer. There is NO Trailmanor that is light enough to not need one. I do not know of ANY state that does not require electric brakes for any trailer of this size. IT IS A LAW AS IT IS THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO TOW A HEAVY TRAILER!!!!! Come on people, save money somewhere else. It doesn't matter if your driving a tank for a tv, in an emergency or breakaway you need those extra brakes. It is not an option, it is the LAW! (sorry for yelling but I feel better now.)

Dave

[hillbillyhotel]

mybe i should not be so honest. Had nothing at all to do with the money,had to do with the lack of knowledge.
But that is what i am here for and to share what i have learned also.
Guess i was just lucky the first 35 yrs of towing,