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Dave's Towing Blog ★★★★★
Getting started
Since I'm totally new to towing I thought I'd turn this into a blog-style post about towing with my 2009 Tundra in hopes that it'll help some other folks in the same boat in the future (as well as help me our as I run into questions and ask for help / search for answers). I'm likely to make some mistakes as I go, with both self-created issues, concerns that don't really matter or things that happen to other people I talk to / read about that don't really apply to me.
I picked the Tundra for a capable towing vehicle with 1) reliability and 2) daily driveability if needed. I don't plan to tow over 75 - 80% of the max rated capacity of this truck and hope to equip it appropriately to learn how to tow safely for me / my passengers / others around me.
Current towing-related equipment list updated July 6, 2009
2009 Tundra DC SR5 with 5.7l, 6 speed
OEM Tow package
OEM Tow mirrors
Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller
Avic-F90BT linked to OEM backup camera (very handy for hooking up trailer)
CrossContact LX e-rated tires
Reese Weight-Distributing Hitch setup
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First Test
We installed our Prodigy controller over the weekend and wanted to make sure it worked before going to pick up our trailer tomorrow. A buddy of ours volunteered a tow of his car trailer to do a test run tonight and we just got back. Sorry for the rambling post, we're new to towing and trying to learn all we can.
Since he's got a lot of towing experience (I don't yet) I let him drive - his trailer is a 24ft Pace enclosed car hauler and he had a fairly heavy car inside (a BMW 5 series). I'd guess this combination was about 7,300 - 7,500 lbs. We used his hitch which was height-adjustable but had no other bells and whistles. His usual truck is a 3/4 ton Dodge 2500 with the smaller non-Cummins diesel engine.
We did a 10 mile or so loop including both highway and in-town driving with four of us in the truck. Observations:
Power
- Absolutely no issues with power, he thought that it pulled as well or better than his truck
- Pulled up to 80 mph on the highway, plenty of pep for passing including inclines
Handling
- truck was a tad sloppy with lane change manuevers at highway speed (65). Didn't feel out of control and didn't get significant sway, but felt like the trailer and Tudra were fighting against each other a bit. He thought he'd be concerned in a high wind situation
- thought that another contributing factor was that the suspension felt fairly soft compared to his truck. We realized that we also didn't up the tire pressure which could have been a factor here.
- my primary handling question is how much the stiffer e-rated tires will impact the highway feel (and how much the lower inflation would have impacted the handling)
Braking
- when we first left his house he tested the brake controller to see if it would lock up the trailer brakes at full boost (going about 15 mph) - it did not. Said may be time to get some work done on his trailer brakes.
- leaving his neighborhood there are a lot of stop signs and speed humps.... after about a mile of driving I smelled brakes and we stopped and got out and checked the wheels of both truck and trailer - no obvious issues and no smoking, but definitely a heavy smell from the drivers rear side. Smelled them once we returned and still had a fairly strong brake odor across all brakes.
This was my biggest concern of the drive - any ideas?
- on the highway (this is w/ absolutely no-other-traffic around) he did some fairly heavy braking stop tests and truck hauled down 'OK' but not great.
- the front wheels did lock up a bit during the heavy brake test (it was slightly damp out) which surprised me and made me wonder if there wasn't too much weight on the rear lifting up the front wheels more than it should. I would have expected ABS to engage. Would something like Firestone air bags help address this concern?
Our future setup:
- Our trailer will likely be a bit lighter than his (it's smaller 22 ft vs 24 ft and my wife's car is lighter).
- I've already ordered e-rated tires which will arrive tomorrow.
- Our trailer does come with weight distibution connections which I haven't inspected / don't know they'll fit yet (we'll replace them if they don't). Couple of pics below if anyone can help identify them and if they're appropriate for our truck setup. We're told they are Reese.
I know from my research here and elsewhere my truck isn't fully setup for towing significant weight for any distance and obviously still learning. We won't tow anything other than our empty trailer until I get some more components of the setup in place.... just wanted to get a test of the Prodigy and drive with someone more experienced in the truck with before hooking up our own. We did borrow his Sherline trailer tonuge weight scale to test our setup when we get it home.
Any thoughts on my rambling diatribe and questions above appreciated.
