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Hold on AlaskaErik - most pop up campers carry a recommendation for a 3/4 ton truck. I'd say the average weight (empty) is 1500 pounds and it may be closer to 2000 pounds. They are generally not "light truck" territory.
I have 290 hp and it works quite a bit harder with the weight and wind drag.
I'm not familiar with the Tacoma but pulling 5000 is likely much easier than carrying 1500. Plus trailer brakes can be a very, very good idea. That usually takes a brake controller in the truck. Easy to do? Maybe. Depends on what the Tacoma is equipped with - for one thing.
My 3.3 Dodge Caravan is a trailer pulling beast by the way. Many loads have been pulled over Colorado passes with nary a hiccup due to the load. Minivans are modern day station wagons and station wagons were the go to vehicle for pulling trailers - back in the day. Yet nobody else seems to pull loads with their minivans.
Everybody towing has an SUV or a truck - it seems.
I think he is referring to a pop up camping trailer,, not a truck camper. He is right about getting educated regarding tow capacity, tongue weight, gross combined vehicle weight etc. It happens often enough where someone ends up having to buy a new truck for their new trailer after the fact.
I think he is referring to a pop up camping trailer,, not a truck camper. He is right about getting educated regarding tow capacity, tongue weight, gross combined vehicle weight etc. It happens often enough where someone ends up having to buy a new truck for their new trailer after the fact.
Maybe - yesterday I was scolded for not knowing that campers sit on trucks and trailers are pulled. I suspect it is a gray area for many.
Thank you guys for the towing advice. I should've specified in my earlier post that I had no intention of getting close to that 6500 lb tow rating. I was mistaken in mentioning 5th wheels; I came to find out that most of those are way too heavy. I've been reading up on towing capacities and GCVW's - things can really add up! Not surprisingly, the folks over at tacomaworld seem to have a lot of great info.
We don't need a large amount of space, but if we're finding our options are too limited by weight (factoring in the appropriate math), we may go the route of a motorhome instead of a trailer.
One can put air bags on a 1/2 ton truck. But a V6 would be working overtime with a real load. Especially with the 75mph speed limit in many places.
Floridians will run you off the road if you aren't flying down the interstate in a torrential downpour.
Air bags can help level a truck but they do not increase the weight capacity. That's made abundantly clear by every manufacturer. They are great for keeping your low beams from blinding oncoming traffic at night.
Air bags can help level a truck but they do not increase the weight capacity. That's made abundantly clear by every manufacturer. They are great for keeping your low beams from blinding oncoming traffic at night.
Never said they did. One should obviously have a fairly level truck for driver safety issues. Better handling - probably better braking with more weight up front.
I have three trucks and seven trailers and hundreds of pulled loads over thousands of miles. More to it than headlights.
Never said they did. One should obviously have a fairly level truck for driver safety issues. Better handling - probably better braking with more weight up front.
I have three trucks and seven trailers and hundreds of pulled loads over thousands of miles. More to it than headlights.
I only brought it up because someone new to towing may not understand that.
Sway bars (on tow vehicle and hitch) are an advantage.
Brakes... a must!
I much prefer tandem trailers (and dually tow vehicles).
A dually really isn't necessary for a smaller trailer like the OP of this sub-thread is considering. His Taco simply isn't going to be able to pull much more than a tiny trailer. A Ford F-150 or Chevy/GMC 1500 with the Max Tow package is what he really needs. The new ones are very tow-friendly and have all kinds of technology, including extra TPMS sensors that can be put in the trailer tires and will display pressure and temperature on the driver information center. I tow a 19 foot trailer and I can't even notice the difference with and without the sway bar, so I don't even use it anymore. My trailer tracks straight and true at any speed. Towing with a Taco, a sway bar will be needed, as it's a much lighter vehicle and won't have trailer sway control technology. I agree with the tandem axles. A trailer with them will be much less susceptible to swaying. Also important is a weight distribution hitch. Gotta have one with the Taco. I imagine max tongue weight without one is 500 lbs or less. And a 7 pin connector and brake controller are mandatory as any travel trailer will have brakes, almost certainly the electric shoe type in the lighter weight catagory.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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The comment on Air Bags and extra weight caused my concern. (They do not add towing stability or capacity). But can add 'confidence'
Do NOT over-stress your tow vehicle (whatever your choice of trailer is).
There is no 'towing' case where it is acceptable to cause yourself or others additional risk.
Towing is inherently higher risk (but can be mitigated).
I tow triples (semi trailers) in Mtns, and I am a bit jaded (often alarmed) in what I have experienced in the RV realm.
Be careful!
Be wise.
Be considerate (of the risk you MAY be causing others, such as commercial drivers and families traveling together)
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