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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)
Who said confidence? I missed that.
You make your living driving gigantic loads in a higher risk environment , the mountains, then speak of your alarm? When the very size of your load, and proximity to others, causes alarm to everybody within sight of you? Okie dokie.
You have this to say - "Towing is inherently higher risk (but can be mitigated)" Yet that is what you do for a living.
I've driven a million miles myself. I've only seen one RV driver that caused me alarm. RV drivers are some of the more safety conscious drivers on the road. Professional truck drivers that caused me alarm? Hundreds - I have steel plates in my neck from an 18 wheeler that was not in control. I turned in another 18 wheeler just a couple weeks ago.
A lot of 18 wheelers and large truckers are bullies. Using their gigantic truck for bullying. I've never seen an RV being used for bullying.
You make your living driving gigantic loads in a higher risk environment , the mountains, then speak of your alarm? When the very size of your load, and proximity to others, causes alarm to everybody within sight of you? Okie dokie.
You have this to say - "Towing is inherently higher risk (but can be mitigated)" Yet that is what you do for a living.
I've driven a million miles myself. I've only seen one RV driver that caused me alarm. RV drivers are some of the more safety conscious drivers on the road. Professional truck drivers that caused me alarm? Hundreds - I have steel plates in my neck from an 18 wheeler that was not in control. I turned in another 18 wheeler just a couple weeks ago.
A lot of 18 wheelers and large truckers are bullies. Using their gigantic truck for bullying. I've never seen an RV being used for bullying.
I'm an RV owner and have towed all sizes of trailers both for work and for pleasure and can say with confidence that many RV owners have NO CLUE as to how to safely tow a trailer.
I've seen some ridiculous loads being pulled that made me cringe when I came upon them. I've seen F150s towing 34' 5th wheels with the headlights pointed into the sky, small trucks towing 30' TTs with the nose so high it looks like their front tires are bouncing, I've seen 5th wheel trailers with the roof peeled back because the driver didn't know the height of their rig, sidewalls with gashes from taking a turn too sharp and snagging street signs, etc.... it's embarrassing.
People that pull heavy loads for a living have safety requirements to meet in order to keep their CDLs. In most cases they are not going to take a risk that is illegal and chance their livelihood. There are always a few bad apples, but that would be the exception and not the rule. RV owners pulling large trailers aren't required to have a CDL so they haven't taken safety courses to learn how to handle the load. Big difference there. They assume that the RV dealer gave them good info and go with it, often times white knuckling the entire time.
The proper thing to do is to a) find the trailer you want to tow and spec a truck to pull it or b) spec a trailer that fits within the limits of the truck. You need to use the actual calculated weights of both truck and trailer and make zero assumptions based on the advertised weights and tow ratings. They are never accurate.
Thank you all for the advice in this thread. My fiance and I have been discussing it for a long time now, and we've recently decided to pull the trigger and go all-in when our apartment lease is up after the end of November.
We are fortunately being gifted a 2008 Toyota Tacoma in a few months, so our start-up costs are cut down tremendously. However, with it being a smaller truck, we won't be looking at larger units (I believe the V6 can tow up to 6500 lbs). We'll look at settling on a cheap used camper/5th wheel at that time (should be by August), that way 1) we don't sink a ton of money into a configuration and find out we don't like it and 2) we'll have time to practice living in it before ditching our apartment later in the year. It will stay parked most of the time (so we'll have to find a campground/spot that allows us to do so - potentially at a friend's house), but it'll be taken with us on frequent weekend trips. Eventually changing jobs to something WFH-friendly so we can move anywhere. One of our biggest challenges is going to be our pets - one cat and one snake - and keeping them comfortable.
We like the idea of towing a camper, rather than driving a motorhome, as you don't need to take your "house" everywhere for errands or local entertainment. We'll be checking out a lot of units in-person over the next few months to get a feel for what we like/dislike so we'll know what to look for when it comes time to actually purchase a used one. This thread is giving some good insight
Just make sure you actually understand what your Tacoma can safely tow and spec your trailer accordingly. There's a lot of math to familiarize yourself with in order to make a safe and informed decision as to what to buy.
Here's some info on the 2008 Tacoma Double Cab V6 (making the assumption on what you have for numbers):
Curb Weight: 4090 (includes 1 150 lb passenger)
Gross Weight: 5,450 lbs
Maximum Towing Capacity 6,500 lbs
Gross Combined Weight Rating with the tow package (total weight of truck and trailer - not to exceed): 11,950 lbs
Let's assume 1 more passenger at 150 lbs and no additional cargo (luggage, etc...). Adjusted weight is 4,240 lbs so your adjusted payload is 1,210 lbs.
You'd be looking at a reserve cargo capacity of ~ 900 lbs on the truck itself and the trailer couldn't weigh more than 7,400 lbs total (on paper). Real world that would be difficult to tow.
However, your hitch is more than likely a Class 3 hitch, which is rated at a 5k lb carrying capacity with a 500 lb tongue weight. So you will have to find a trailer that doesn't exceed the 500 lb tongue weight. Take the gross weight of the trailer you like, and multiply that by 15% (tongue weight should be 15% of the gross weight) to see what the tongue weight of the trailer will be. In reality to stay below the 500 lb tongue weight your trailer probably shouldn't exceed 3,300 lbs gross weight.
Just make sure you actually understand what your Tacoma can safely tow and spec your trailer accordingly. There's a lot of math to familiarize yourself with in order to make a safe and informed decision as to what to buy.
Here's some info on the 2008 Tacoma Double Cab V6 (making the assumption on what you have for numbers):
Curb Weight: 4090 (includes 1 150 lb passenger)
Gross Weight: 5,450 lbs
Maximum Towing Capacity 6,500 lbs
Gross Combined Weight Rating with the tow package (total weight of truck and trailer - not to exceed): 11,950 lbs
Let's assume 1 more passenger at 150 lbs and no additional cargo (luggage, etc...). Adjusted weight is 4,240 lbs so your adjusted payload is 1,210 lbs.
You'd be looking at a reserve cargo capacity of ~ 900 lbs on the truck itself and the trailer couldn't weigh more than 7,400 lbs total (on paper). Real world that would be difficult to tow.
However, your hitch is more than likely a Class 3 hitch, which is rated at a 5k lb carrying capacity with a 500 lb tongue weight. So you will have to find a trailer that doesn't exceed the 500 lb tongue weight. Take the gross weight of the trailer you like, and multiply that by 15% (tongue weight should be 15% of the gross weight) to see what the tongue weight of the trailer will be. In reality to stay below the 500 lb tongue weight your trailer probably shouldn't exceed 3,300 lbs gross weight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nalabama
Nlambert , where did the value for reserve cargo capacity come from in the example above?
You have to know the numbers to get the capacity and plug them in to a few fairly simple formulas (or use an online towing calculator if need be). (I goofed on the curb weight above and caught it later in the math)
First, find out the base weights from Toyota:
GVWR (Gross Weight of the truck) - 5,450 lbs
GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating - Truck + Trailer) - 11,500 lbs
Curb Weight (no passengers) - 4,240 lbs
Initial payload capacity = GVWR-Curb Weight = 1,210 lbs
Initial GTWR (Gross Trailer Weight Rating) - 7,260 lbs (GCWR - Curb Weight)
This is where most people stop because these base numbers are what the manufacturer tells you. But the fine print tells you how they determine these numbers.
Now, you need to make your adjustments to the curb weight to include all cargo and passengers. I only assumed 2 150 lb passengers with no cargo.
According to the basic math you could potentially pull a trailer that's almost 7k lbs. BUT.... in reality you can't because 15% tongue weight (needed for a stable load) of a 6,960 lb trailer is 1,044 lbs. The Class III hitch is only rated for 500 lbs, so you would be overloaded on the hitch. The receiver hitch is the limiting factor in this equation (aside from the V6 struggling with that much weight). To stay within the ratings you could only safely tow a trailer with a maximum weight of around 3,300 lbs.
According to the basic math you could potentially pull a trailer that's almost 7k lbs. BUT.... in reality you can't because 15% tongue weight (needed for a stable load) of a 6,960 lb trailer is 1,044 lbs. The Class III hitch is only rated for 500 lbs, so you would be overloaded on the hitch. The receiver hitch is the limiting factor in this equation (aside from the V6 struggling with that much weight). To stay within the ratings you could only safely tow a trailer with a maximum weight of around 3,300 lbs.
Excellent posts. It took me a long time (weeks of reading and sorting through online BS) to teach myself what you wrote above. Any newbie would do themselves a favor to read that information closely.
I would just like to add that even if the vehicle in the above example has a class 4 hitch, it likely requires a weight distribution system if tongue weight is above 500 lbs. Only 3/4 ton or greater trucks have a higher dead weight capacity.
Information regarding Class III hitches found online:
Class III hitches are weight carrying (WC) and also are weight distributing (WD) depending on the vehicle and hitch specifications.
Not all Class III hitches are rated to be both. See the specific hitch for that information.
Class III hitches used as weight carrying are rated up to 6000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 600 lbs.
Class III hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 10,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1000 lbs.
A Class III hitch usually has a 2" square receiver opening.
A higher class drawbar does not increase the towing capacity of the hitch. To use this class of hitch for weight distribution requires a weight distribution system.
Class III hitches attach to the vehicle frame only.
That's good general information but actual capacities for weight carrying vs distributing depend on vehicle make and model. Folks need to do their homework to read owners manuals and towing guides for their specific vehicle. Model, trim level, and sometimes optional equipment configuration can all affect hitch capacity numbers. With regards to GVWR and payload capacity, those numbers can only reliably come from the Tire and Loading Information placard that is often in the driver's door sill of the specific vehicle.
Information regarding Class III hitches found online:
Class III hitches are weight carrying (WC) and also are weight distributing (WD) depending on the vehicle and hitch specifications.
Not all Class III hitches are rated to be both. See the specific hitch for that information.
Class III hitches used as weight carrying are rated up to 6000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 600 lbs.
Class III hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 10,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1000 lbs.
A Class III hitch usually has a 2" square receiver opening.
A higher class drawbar does not increase the towing capacity of the hitch. To use this class of hitch for weight distribution requires a weight distribution system.
Class III hitches attach to the vehicle frame only.
I've never seen a Class III hitch rated for a tongue weight of 1,000 lbs... I guess they could possibly exist somewhere but all that I've ever seen are 500 lb TW ratings. If using weight distribution it increases in some cases to 550 lbs.
How many people can weigh their hitch weight? Not sure if I've seen a 750 pound scale outside of industrial circles. Are cops going to start pulling people over and weighing their hitches? How about SWAT raids for people that are suspected of contemplating it? Thought crime division attack!
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