Modifications and equipment for my T-100

We just purchased a 1988 Trailmanor 26 (3023 equivalent) and will be picking it up in California and driving it to Oregon.

We will be using our 1997 Toyota T-100 to tow it.

I know I need to get an electric brake controller installed with a 7 pin connector.

Toyota has recommended that I get an after market transmission cooler.

The seller says that a weight distributing hitch may not be necessary. From all of the discussion in the forum it seems like weight distributing hitches are pretty much a must. Is that true?

Can anyone recommend a WDH brand? Does anyone have experience towing with a T-100, if so, how do they perform? Also, is the transmission cooler necessary with this trailer?

Thanks Blake in Oregon

[Bill]

Blake -

Which engine does the T-100 have?

I think you will be very disappointed if you omit a WDH. Most any WDH will work fine. Get one rated 800-1000 pounds. Most are not wildly expensive - you do not need a Helmsley (VERY expensive) or even an Equal-I-Zer. A unit from Reese or Draw-Tite, for example, will be fine, and will cost about $250. There are others, too.

Bill

Bill,

Thanks for your reply and advice. I will definitely get a WDH.

My T-100 has the 3.4L dohc V6. It's a 4wd with the 4 speed automatic transmission.

Blake

I first started towing mine without a WDH and was pleased with the way it handled. Concerns about the squatting of my TV and concerns on the emergency handling "should" an accident occur (some would contend when not if) lead me to go back and put on a WDH. The difference is notable and all for the better. I am now a firm believer in using a WDH. The increased safety warrants the price (I got the equalizer ~$600 installed) when you consider the cost of an accident.
Go for it.
Bill

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by heyokasni

We just purchased a 1988 Trailmanor 26 (3023 equivalent) and will be picking it up in California and driving it to Oregon.

We will be using our 1997 Toyota T-100 to tow it.

I know I need to get an electric brake controller installed with a 7 pin connector.

Toyota has recommended that I get an after market transmission cooler.

The seller says that a weight distributing hitch may not be necessary. From all of the discussion in the forum it seems like weight distributing hitches are pretty much a must. Is that true?

Can anyone recommend a WDH brand? Does anyone have experience towing with a T-100, if so, how do they perform? Also, is the transmission cooler necessary with this trailer?

Thanks Blake in Oregon

I heartily concur that you need a WDH...I have a Toyota Tundra (the successor to the T100) and I consider a WDH absolutely mandatory even with this truck. So definitely support your decision to get a WDH...but a basic Round Bar WDH (w/out sway control) is all you need.

As for performance from the 3.4L V6...that is a very good engine and, IIRC, Toyota put either 4.10 or 4.30 axle gearing in the truck. If...big if...you keep your weights down on the TM26, you'll do OK towing it at elevations under about 4000 feet and grades of 5% or less. Not great, but OK...you'll be able to more or less stay with traffic. Your truck definitely has enough wheelbase to control a TM26/3023 so weight will be the primary concern.

So, yes, you'll definitely need a tranny cooler. The tranny experts over at Tundrasolutions.com strongly recomment those made by Long/Tru-Cool as they use the better "stacked plate" design and have an excellent reputation. Here's a link to get you started.

One challenge you'll have is the TM26/3023 is a very spacious trailer with lots of storage...hence it's quite easy to get the loaded weight up around 4500 lbs. If this happens, your T100 is going to be working very hard even at near sea level altitudes and you'll be down to 45 mph on even the easier grades.

And in any case...loaded lightly or not...that trailer is going to really make your truck's engine work very hard if you head into real mountains (elevations over 6000 feet and grades over 6%). The engine is tough and will survive the inevitable flogging it will get...but you'll be down around 25 mph more often than you'll like.

I don't remember anyone reporting towing a TM with a T100 before, but we have had at least one or two who tried with a Tacoma with same engine you have. Their experience was that they did Ok to "fine" at low elevation but their truck struggled a lot (with a smaller 2720SL) on even the moderate climbs on US395 up to the Mammoth Lakes area in Calfornia (elevation around 8000 feet). Eventually they upgraded to a V8 powered Tundra and were much, much happier with the performance.

So I recommend you go ahead and get the trailer...and know that you'll be able to tow it whereever (albeit quite slowly in the mountains) with your T100. But also start budgeting/saving now for a higher powered tow vehicle...like a Tundra.

Thanks very much!

It sounds like our truck is going to be challenged in the mountains towing our Trailmanor 26. The truck's current towing capacity is 5,200 pounds.
I notice in reading the forum that some folks have changed headers and mufflers to increase performance. Is this an option fo the T100? If so, how much improvement could I expect to get? I don't think I can do anything that would raise emissions as Oregon has pretty strict clean air regulations. I also wouldn't want to jeopardize the long term life of the engine and drive train.

We're going down to Northern California in January to pick up our 1988 TM.

Thanks,
Blake

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by heyokasni

It sounds like our truck is going to be challenged in the mountains towing our Trailmanor 26. The truck's current towing capacity is 5,200 pounds.
I notice in reading the forum that some folks have changed headers and mufflers to increase performance. Is this an option fo the T100? If so, how much improvement could I expect to get? I don't think I can do anything that would raise emissions as Oregon has pretty strict clean air regulations. I also wouldn't want to jeopardize the long term life of the engine and drive train.

We're going down to Northern California in January to pick up our 1988 TM.

Thanks,
Blake

Simply put, the small amount of torque gain (probably around 5% to 7%...maybe 10-15 ft-lbs) from a header install on your V6 is barely going to be noticeable. Worse, it is so minimal that it's not worth the cost (likely over $1000 for quality headers (with installation)....if you can even find quality headers for a truck as old as yours). And taking the low cost route...replacing just the muffler...is unlikely to give you anything but a bit more noise (not good when towing) for the very simple reason that Toyota properly designed the exhaust to begin with.

Unlike domestic trucks that often respond very well (from a performance perspective) to bolt-on aftermarket parts, Toyotas seldomly do...the reason is that Toyota does a much better job of engineering the vehicle from the get-go. That's not to say that some performance gain can be realized but the bang for the buck isn't very large. It cost me, for instance, close to $4000 to get a relatively small 20% torque increase (compared to stock) out of my Tundra...but that 20% gain was just the what I needed to go from "OK" to "good/great" towing behavior here in Colorado.

Quite frankly, I think you'd be a heckuva lot better off trading up to a newer (not necessarily brand new) Toyota with a V8...a Tundra (2003 or newer used model will work well) if you want to continue to have a truck, the Sequoia, Land Cruiser, or even V8 4-Runner if an SUV would do.

But before you spend any money upgrading your truck...or upgrading to a more powerful vehicle, just go get the trailer next month and bring it home. After you tow it a few times, then...and only then...will you be sure that you have to spend some serious $ for a new tow vehicle. In the meantime, you can be saving up for a new tow vehicle...and if it turns out that the T-100 will be sufficient, then you'll have some extra $ for other uses (like bringing the various components in the trailer up to date).

I absolutley recommend the E-Qualizer. Having been in a sever accident with a brand new TT, we always overkill on the safety stuff, but I believe in being able to handle (as best as one can) the vehicle(s) in an emergency situation. Spend the extra and get the good stuff. GOod luck! Happy camping! Queeniereads aka Judi

My wife and I took turns towing the 3124KS we just bought about 900 miles when we picked it up. The Prodigy brake controller worked beautifully and is very easy to adjust. It was my first experience with an electronic controller and I can definitely recomment it.

I have a 98 Chevy Tahoe with towing package that includes the additional cooling options and from past experience would recomemend those packages in any event if you tow any distances. With the Tahoe, power and weight are not a real issue but our mileage varied anywhere from 13 to 17 mpg with the 13 being in the Smokey mountains and the 17 being on relatively flat roads. There is a significant mileage increase of 2 to 3 mpg if we set the cruise control at 65 instead of 75. There was no sway and no issues with towing this trailer at any speed and it pulls easier than my boat which weights about the same but has less tongue weight.

The only gotcha we saw was that the tongue weight is fairly high due to the single axle. This caused the Tahoe to drop down in the rear but not to much to drive and not enough to bottom the suspension. Our solution after we got home was to get a WDH. A good one costs about $250 or so and is easy to instal. It leveled the rig just fine with no noticeable changes in the way it tows. It does add about 70 to 80 Lbs to the weight equation when you are loading the Tahoe and trailer and of course, shifts some weight back on the trailer axle and you need to consider that when loading the trailer.

I got mine from this dealer who also pays freight and will answer questions by phone if you need help. www.homestead.com/kearbey/wtdisthitch.html. There are many others available.

Hope this info helps.

jpatrick3