Tow vehicles for a 2720SL

All,

Have been lurking for awhile and would like to purchase a 2720SL in Spring 2009. I need to know if the vehicles we currently have will pull the tm. According to the TM website, they should, but I know the marketing department probably had their hands in the website.

We have a 2002 4Runner & a 2003 Tacoma double cab.
Both are SR5 with Tow packages (2" receivers, class 3 right?) don't know if they have the extra tranny coolers or not and don't think they are pre-wired for the BC, but do have trailer wiring for lights. They are both 3.4L V6, from what I could find on line (and please correct me if I'm wrong), the 4Runner has about 180hp, and the Taco has about 190. I know the newer V6's are 4.0L and have around 240hp. From the forums, it looks like a lot of people have bigger V6's or V8's.

Any inputs appreciated.

Thanks.

D.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Dilbert

All,

Have been lurking for awhile and would like to purchase a 2720SL in Spring 2009. I need to know if the vehicles we currently have will pull the tm. According to the TM website, they should, but I know the marketing department probably had their hands in the website.

We have a 2002 4Runner & a 2003 Tacoma double cab.
Both are SR5 with Tow packages (2" receivers, class 3 right?) don't know if they have the extra tranny coolers or not and don't think they are pre-wired for the BC, but do have trailer wiring for lights. They are both 3.4L V6, from what I could find on line (and please correct me if I'm wrong), the 4Runner has about 180hp, and the Taco has about 190. I know the newer V6's are 4.0L and have around 240hp. From the forums, it looks like a lot of people have bigger V6's or V8's.

Any inputs appreciated.

Thanks.

D.

Trailer towing safety is more about the ability to stop rather than the ability to pull. If the vehicle fails due to a lack of HP or cooling ability, it is a mechanical hazard and normally not dangerous to the occupants of the vehicle or others. If the vehicle is unable to stop due to the load carrying capacity of the TV, that puts the occupants and others at risk.

That being said, what you need to do is find the GCVWR (Gross combined vehicle weight rating) on you TVs. Subtract the total weight of your loaded trailer and your loaded TV (Combined weight) and you should have some weight left over. If you have a minus, it is not safe. It's as simple as that. If you get in an accident and there are injuries, the Highway Patrol (and your insurance company) will use that formula as part of there investigation. If that formula is exceeded, you may find yourself facing criminal negligence charges and your insurance company bowing out on your claim.

There are other factors to consider as well. your axle weight ratings etc but that is the basics of knowing what is safe.

Never use the TV towing rating as a guideline especially if it is marginal. Of course, a TV with a tow rating of 6500# should not be an issue (unless you are carrying 3,000# of passengers and cargo). A tow rating of 5,000# could be an issue, especially when you are carrying a lot of camping gear, passengers, full tank of water, propane and gas. You will find that most vehicles are max rated with the tow vehicle empty.

HP has little to do with your towing capacity but it is factored in on your TV's GCVWR. A lack of HP will make your tow slower but can be safe and doable if your not in a hurry and you're not having over-heating issues.

A lack of stopping ability can be deadly.

BTW.....my S-10 is 180HP and it tows my TM2720 like it's hardly even there. It has a tow rating of 6400# but it is just border line when I add my GVWR of 4600# and my trailer GVWR of 4200# I am right at my GCVWR of 8990#. I just tow with no water in the tanks and watch what we take with.

Originally Posted by Dilbert

We have a 2002 4Runner & a 2003 Tacoma double cab.
Both are SR5 with Tow packages (2" receivers, class 3 right?) don't know if they have the extra tranny coolers or not and don't think they are pre-wired for the BC, but do have trailer wiring for lights. They are both 3.4L V6,

I Currently Own A 2008 2720, It Is Towed By My Wife's 2007 FJ Cruiser And I Am Currently Setting Up My 2003 S10 Crewcab To Tow It.

We Used The FJ Cruiser To Tow It Back From Ohio (We Are In Virginia) About 7 Hour Ride. No Problems Yet And We Don't Expect Any, The FJ Tows It Just Fine.

I Believe The FJ Cruiser Is Based On A 4Runner Frame So I Wouldn't Expect Any Problems Using That Vehicle.

Jeff

All,

Found the published GCWR for the Taco (9000), but can't find it for the 4Runner.
Anyone know if there is a calculation for it? Or maybe I'm not looking in the right places.
Tried this for the Taco and it doesn't work: GVWR (5250) + Max tow (5000) = GCWR (10250).

Any ideas?

Thanks.

D.

Try the sticker on the drivers door where you find the recommended tire pressure. It should be there by law.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Dilbert

All,

Found the published GCWR for the Taco (9000), but can't find it for the 4Runner.
Anyone know if there is a calculation for it? Or maybe I'm not looking in the right places.
Tried this for the Taco and it doesn't work: GVWR (5250) + Max tow (5000) = GCWR (10250).

Any ideas?

Thanks.

D.

If the GCWR for the Taco is 9000# and your Taco Curb Weight is 3475#(?), that leaves you with 5525# for Trailer, passengers and cargo.

The TM2720SL is 2865# dry. Lets say you put 800# of accessories, fluids and camping gear inside. That gives you 3665# (well below the 4075# GVWR for the TM2720SL).

Curb weight of Taco 3475#(?) + loaded TM 3665# = 7140#. That leaves you 1860# for passengers and cargo in the Taco. As long as you and your passengers don't weigh over 500#, you have it looks like you can carry 1360# worth of camping gear without exceeding your GCVWR on the Taco. If you throw a couple of dirt bikes in the back of the Taco, you could have a problem.

Again, I will say, "Forget the Tow Rating". It is a useles # except for the fact that it must not be exceeded it by what you are towing.

Now, having said all that, you need to make sure that you don't exceed the GVWR or the GAWR (rear) on the Taco. Be sure to add in about 400# of tongue weight from the trailer tongue weight when you do that math. I can't imagine that you would exceed it though.

I think that your Taco looks pretty good if all those #s are correct.

Rumbleweed,

I found the GVWR for the Taco on the sticker (5100#).
Will need to check the sticker on the 4Runner tonight.

Thanks.

D.

harveyrv,

Checked the sticker and the GAWR (rear) is 2800#.
Also, the dry wt on the Taco is published as 3705#.

How is the loading calculated for the GAWR (rear)?
Just a guess here...
.5(dry vehicle wt + payload wt) + 400 (tongue wt max) + ? = X
Fyi, I was planning to probably use a WDH on whichever vehicle used,
so that should shift some of the load to the front.

I don't think I'll exceed it on either vehicle, but curious how it's all figured.

Thanks.

Btw, I think I'll start another thread on brake controllers after doing some research...
I'm getting alot of good info from the forum, thanks again all.

D.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Dilbert

harveyrv,

Checked the sticker and the GAWR (rear) is 2800#.
Also, the dry wt on the Taco is published as 3705#.

How is the loading calculated for the GAWR (rear)?
Just a guess here...
.5(dry vehicle wt + payload wt) + 400 (tongue wt max) + ? = X
Fyi, I was planning to probably use a WDH on whichever vehicle used,
so that should shift some of the load to the front.

I don't think I'll exceed it on either vehicle, but curious how it's all figured.

Thanks.

Btw, I think I'll start another thread on brake controllers after doing some research...
I'm getting alot of good info from the forum, thanks again all.

D.

You're close.......

You should have the dry weight for your frt & rr axle. It won't be .5 each.

It looks like you are in the ball park without problems. However, you can't really "Calculate" any weights that are not affixed to your vehicle. It is particularly difficult to calculate frt & rr axle (Loaded) weights, particularly when using a WDH. All you can do is "Ball park" it and hope for some cushion. If there's no cushion, you may not have a good fit.

Technically, the formula would look like this:
Axle dry weight + all loads = GAW and that should not exceed GAWR. If you exceed the GAWR it could effect braking efficiency and suspension part reliability.

I really don't know what % of the tongue wt is transfered to the front on different models of WDH. It all depends on how it is adjusted also. I would imagine that it would be somewhere in the ballpark of 50% of the tongue weight. It's best to work with real #s on that one.

I can't emphasize enough that the critical # is your GCVWR......All the other stuff just has (mostly) to do with wear & tear on your TV. What the law requires is that your TV is capable of stopping the total pkg within a certain guideline.

Once you have the trailer loaded and hitched up, you can take it to the scales to see what reality is. Until then.....it's mostly an estimating game, to some degree.

Dilbert,

Since you plan to purchase a TM it would be a good investment for you to become a Site Sponsor. That opens up the forum to all kinds of information that you cannot access as a Trial Member. For instance, you mentioned Brake Controllers: you'll find tons of previous posts on this subject and your questions will likely be answered without needing to start a new thread.

Wishing you the best as you enjoy your future TM.

Bill