Toyota Tacoma 4WD as TV?

Greetings,
As prospective owners of a TrailManor--probably 2720SL, possibly 3124KS--we are grateful for all the information and advice available on this site.

We have a 2001 Toyota Tacoma 4WD Extended Cab, with a V6 engine and automatic transmission, which we have used to haul our Four Wheel (brand name) pop-up camper. Pushing into our mid-70's now, we'd like more space and comfort than the popup offers, and the TrailManor products have caught our interest and attention.

Will the Toyota Tacoma 4WD be an adequate tow vehicle? We live in western Washington state, and will be visiting high altitudes and crossing mountain passes, so we need a good margin of towing capacity.

I've read these forums carefully, and suspect our current 4WD Toyota will be adequate, but would appreciate experienced judgement and comment.

Thanks very much.

Dick Behan
Lopez Island, Washington

[fcatwo]

Hi Dick

We live in Anacortes so you pass our way getting to and fro. We have headed N, E and S from here and have had no problems with either the Odyssey minivan or our current Tundra. RMRay, our most gifted expert, may do an analysis for you but since he doesn't always have time I'll venture my opinion that you'll be OK. I'm assuming that you are not in a hurry, have the tow package, and have checked your tow rating and GCWR and will be within them. Also, if you are lucky enough to catch Ray's attention, keep in mind that he lives at 6,000' and plays at 12,000' -- he sees the world a little differently than us sea-level folks. He even deals with snow much of the year. I don't think you'll see a pass much over 5,000' unless you intentionally head his way or visit some of the other high places.

We have a Toyota 2001, double cab and are about to use it for a tow vehicle, too (2619). I am most interested to hear answers to your (our) questions. Our truck didn't have a tow package to get that we know about. The top weight to tow was 5000. Sales and service departments I have asked say not to worry about the manual that says we shouldn't have a WDH. I am still concerned as we will have one.

I'd also be curious to hear if anyone has any experience towing with one of the new, bigger Tacomas.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by rwbehan

Greetings,
As prospective owners of a TrailManor--probably 2720SL, possibly 3124KS--we are grateful for all the information and advice available on this site.

We have a 2001 Toyota Tacoma 4WD Extended Cab, with a V6 engine and automatic transmission, which we have used to haul our Four Wheel (brand name) pop-up camper. Pushing into our mid-70's now, we'd like more space and comfort than the popup offers, and the TrailManor products have caught our interest and attention.

Will the Toyota Tacoma 4WD be an adequate tow vehicle? We live in western Washington state, and will be visiting high altitudes and crossing mountain passes, so we need a good margin of towing capacity.

I've read these forums carefully, and suspect our current 4WD Toyota will be adequate, but would appreciate experienced judgement and comment.

Thanks very much.

Dick Behan
Lopez Island, Washington

As Frank (fcatwo) notes above, I am indeed quite busy these days and don't have the time I used to have to research these towing questions. And it's sometimes a bit hard to find info on models that are more than a year or two old. That being said...and since the question regards Toyotas (Tundra owner here ) , I did find this set of specs for the 2001 V6 Taco. The key numbers are (1) the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR-which is 9000 lbs) and (2) the weight of the empty truck (~4000 lbs) from which Toyota, like most OEMs, calculated the "tow rating" of 5000 lbs.

Since it's highly unlikely you'll go on camping trips with an empty truck (driver only, no passengers, no gas, no cargo), your real towing capacity is determined by subtracting the actual go-camping weight of the truck from the GCWR. I'll assume 2 people, full tank of gas, and a bed full of stuff (plus more in the cab)...probably bringing the the actual weight of the truck up to around 4800 lbs. That means your real tow capacity is around 4200 lbs.

A loaded for long trip 2720SL will weigh around 3600 to 3800 lbs; a loaded 3124KS will be in the 4200 to 4500 lb range. Keep in mind that towing right at the GCWR will involve sluggish acceleration on level roads at sea level and very slow climbs (around 35 to 45 mph) even on the relatively low elevation mountain grades (altitudes of 5000 feet and lower) you'll encounter in Washington. If you head into the higher altitude states (like Colorado and parts of Wyoming/Montana/Utah) where the elevations rise into the 10000 and up range, your poor Taco will be struggling at 15 to 25 mph on most of the steeper (6% or higher) grades.

The bottom line is I basically agree with Frank's assessment...with a 2720SL you'll do pretty decently at 5000 feet and below. A 3124KS will take you right to the GCWR and performance will be pretty marginal even at lower altitudes. Towing a 2720SL in the really high mountains (elevations of 10000 and up) will be rather painful, trying that with a 3124KS would be excruiatingly painful.

If you get the 3124KS...or tow either at very high elevations, I predict you'll be trading in the Taco for a much more powerful vehicle within a year.

[fcatwo]

cochalet

You may find quite a bit of towing info on the new Tacoma in the forums at http://www.tundrasolutions.com. It's a membership site like this one but well worth your time and money if you are a Toyota truck owner.

Gentelmen-

Thanks very much for your time, attention, and knowledge. You've been a huge help to this

We were leaning heavily toward the 2730SL anyway, and your suggestions have clinched the decision.

I hope our trails will cross somewhere, some time. (Ray, we may get back to Colorado. Lived in Flagstaff for 18 years--and knocked off one of your 14'ers, anyway--and are planning a trip down that way again soon.)

Thanks again,

Dick