This is my first post and I'm completely new to towing so please help me out.
I am trying to tow a rather large wood chipper my father-in-law rented over to my house across town. I've been running around all day trying to find a "tounge"(?) I can bolt onto the chipper's neck (the company took their's when they dropped it off). Then I can attach the tounge to a 2" ball, right? I was going to borrow my friends Toyota but he finally asked me why I don't go ahead an attach a ball on mine myself.
My 2003 Extended bed (8ft.), v-6 Tundra does have what looks to be a 'pop-out' hole in the center of the bumper. I bought it used and never put a "tow package" on it, but if the bumper has that feature, can I just pop it out, put a ball in there and tow?
My friends said thats exactly what he did with his older Toyota and he's been towing his canoe around. I'd check the manual but my wife took the truck to work (night shifts at hospital). Trying to get this done tomorrow. ANY help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Last edited by TheConstantGardener; 12-09-2008 at 06:08 AM.
And make sure you have lights for the trailer. Since you don't have a towing package you may need to purchase an adapter for the trailer light harness.
I can't believe I've had the truck for almost 3 years and never knew.
Come to think of it, I think there are some wires on the bumper for the light situation. Maybe they all have that in case a towing package is ever added.
Nah don't even screw with it. Those bumper tow hitches are garbage and dangerous. All they weight of the trailer is on the bumper and not the frame of the truck (like with an installed trailer hitch). So basically you're pulling a lot of weight with the bolts that hold the bumper on to the truck bearing all the weight.
Bad Business. A wood chipper weighs a lot more than a canoe. You're likely to hit the gas and leave the wood chipper and your bumper behind. Or if it happens on the freeway then you'll have a pretty bad accident.
I've towed a 5x8 u-haul trailer (loaded to the ceiling w/all my crap) multiple times with a Nissan Frontier several thousand miles with no problems. If you are only going across town and take it easy, I don't think you'll have any problems, unless your bumper is all rusted out and about ready to fall off. Toyota puts the hole in the bumper for thid reason, to tow. As long as your not towing more than the recommended weight, you'll be fine. Have fun splitting logs
I like this answer also. Rest assured I'm doing my own research as we speak (while I should be studying) and I hope to be very safe.
These answers are VERY much appreciated. I'd love to hear more thoughts too.
I'll find out tomorrow when my owners manual gets back, but anyone know the towing capacity of the 2003 long-bed V-4 Tundra?
To follow-up, the I am pretty confident that I found the towing capacity my Tundra (2003 RWD V-6) to be 5000lbs. I'm still not sure if using a bumper ball hitch set-up decreases that number, but....it appears to be of no consequence.
Once I had the capacity I searched for a similar looking chipper to see if I could find its weight. It looks to be around 5500lbs. I'll check my manual and the chipper tomorrow but it doesn't look like it will work.
Thanks to all for your help! I think I'll be getting a ball hitch anyway and maybe even a trailer now that I know I have the capability.
Please check the bumper towing capacity, I may be wrong but I believe that the 5000 lb towing capacity is with the use of a frame mounted reciever hitch. Good luck and please be safe, saving a little money is not worth an accident.
Nah don't even screw with it. Those bumper tow hitches are garbage and dangerous. All they weight of the trailer is on the bumper and not the frame of the truck (like with an installed trailer hitch). So basically you're pulling a lot of weight with the bolts that hold the bumper on to the truck bearing all the weight.
Bad Business. A wood chipper weighs a lot more than a canoe. You're likely to hit the gas and leave the wood chipper and your bumper behind. Or if it happens on the freeway then you'll have a pretty bad accident.
No reason it'd be unsafe with the bumper on the Tundra. While I agree a hitch will be a better idea (and I installed one on my own), the bumper on the Tundra is rated at 5000lb load 500lb tongue. Which is the rating on a class V hitch. So I don't think the bumper is just going to flop off like a tin can and crumple. And no, it's not capacities out of the owners manual. That's what is stamped into the bumper on my 2001.
To follow-up, the I am pretty confident that I found the towing capacity my Tundra (2003 RWD V-6) to be 5000lbs. I'm still not sure if using a bumper ball hitch set-up decreases that number, but....it appears to be of no consequence.
Once I had the capacity I searched for a similar looking chipper to see if I could find its weight. It looks to be around 5500lbs. I'll check my manual and the chipper tomorrow but it doesn't look like it will work.
Thanks to all for your help! I think I'll be getting a ball hitch anyway and maybe even a trailer now that I know I have the capability.
If you think you may need to tow something like this in the future, you may be well served to have towing package added to your truck. Your local toyota dealer can do this or you may find the local U-Haul place to be cheaper. Then you can go to your local Farm and Fleet, tractor supply, wal-mart even and get the right ball for the hitch on the chipper or what ever else you decide to haul. This is a far better way to tow. If you are not careful when bumper hauling you can really mess up your bumper if you cut too hard while backing up. But if you think this is a one time event check the max weight and drag it across town.
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I'm not a pilot, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night!
For occasional towing, I wouldn't be all that concerned with it, unless you're going to end up very close to the ratings. I haven't seen the underside of a Tundra without the towing package, but on mine, (05 DC with towing package) the middle section of the bumper is bolted to the frame. My reciever is bolted directly to the bottom of the bumper, right underneath that hole. When I looked just now to refresh my memory, I can't imagine the bumper being constructed differently on a truck without a towing package, ezpecially if Toyota says you can tow with a bumper mounted ball. So the receiver will distribute weight a little better on the bumper, but unless you're coming close to the capacities, I wouldn't be worried about it.
If you're going to tow with any frequency, I'd just mount a hitch.
VERY dumb Towing ?: 2003 Tundra (pls. help!)
Re: VERY dumb Towing ?: 2003 Tundra (pls. help!)
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