Question Towing - help!!!!

[camjes]

Hello!
We are looking at a 2007 Jayco JayFlight 27BH and are not sure if our truck can tow this ok. The trailer specs
Dimensions and WeightsOverall
Height (ft/in)10' 6"
Trailer Length (ft/in)29' 1"
Interior Height (ft/in)6' 9"
Gross Vehicle Wt Rating (GVWR)7500
Unloaded Curb Weight (lb)4890
Max Cargo Carrying Capacity (lb)2610
We have a 2006 Tundra 4wd 4.7L V8 double cab and are having trouble figuring out if this is going to work. Of course the dealer tells us we'll be fine with it but we are not sure whether or not we should trust them (heard some bad stories).

We have figured the family of 5 will add 600lb, cargo around 300-400lb.

Can anyone help us figure out if this trailer will work for our truck?


Thanks for your help!

[mxsjw]

Moved to Towing section

[Only Toyota for me]

Originally Posted by camjes

Hello!
We are looking at a 2007 Jayco JayFlight 27BH and are not sure if our truck can tow this ok. The trailer specs
Dimensions and WeightsOverall
Height (ft/in)10' 6"
Trailer Length (ft/in)29' 1"
Interior Height (ft/in)6' 9"
Gross Vehicle Wt Rating (GVWR)7500
Unloaded Curb Weight (lb)4890
Max Cargo Carrying Capacity (lb)2610
We have a 2006 Tundra 4wd 4.7L V8 double cab and are having trouble figuring out if this is going to work. Of course the dealer tells us we'll be fine with it but we are not sure whether or not we should trust them (heard some bad stories).

We have figured the family of 5 will add 600lb, cargo around 300-400lb.

Can anyone help us figure out if this trailer will work for our truck?


Thanks for your help!

What is the unloaded tongue weight?

Just looking at a 4800lb UVW; this will quickly turn into 6klbs mostly loaded. I beleive your truck has a tow capacity of 7100lbs, if i remember correctly.
You should have a tongue weight of 500-750lbs, if the trailer is setup properly.

My brother towed a 25' trailer that weighed the same as this one you're looking at and his 02 tundra did fine. You have more power, and an extra gear so you should be fine IMO.

Just be sure you have a weight distrbution hitch and it's setup properly. I recomend a good brake controller (prodigy p-3) or just the prodigy.

[camjes]

According to the specs we have it shows the "hitch weight" at 630 and our truck has a tow capacity of 6600.
Thanks for the quick response!

[tomhole]

Short answer: maybe (my initial input was no, but I decided that maybe would be easier to explain). I speak from a lot of experience with my lighter 2005 Tundra DC 4x2. You will exceed the hitch rating (750 lbs), the GVWR (6,600 lbs) and be close to the GCWR (12,800 lbs) with that trailer and the amount you plan to have in the truck. That's the no part of it.

The maybe part involves a lot of careful packing, weighing and your experience level with towing and setting up a trailer of this heft. The biggest concern is the amount you plan to have in the truck and the very high hitch weight a trailer like that can get up to.

Some things you can do to make this trailer work:

1. Load nothing extra in the truck. All cargo should go in the trailer. Just the weight of your family and the hitch weight will put you at the GVWR of your truck.

2. Get a Sherline hitch scale and keep your hitch weight under 750 lbs. On a trailer like this, it is easy to load up that front storage and add fresh water and send the hitch weight soaring over 1,000 lbs.

3. Do not overload the trailer. By that I mean keep the overall weight down so you can keep the hitch weight below 750 lbs. If you load up the trailer to 7,000 lbs and keep the hitch weight at 750 lbs, you will experience sway. Bad.

4. A good WDH and brake controller are a must. Both must be set up properply. This is easy to do but also easy to screw up.

5. Replace any P rated tires with LT tires (load range C work very nice on a legacy Tundra).

6. Consider adding airbags (not required, but helps with the heavy cargo load)

If you love this trailer, you can make it work and it will tow very well. The power in the 2006 will be fine. I towed my current trailer with my 2005 and it was almost too much for that truck. I made it work, but always worried about managing the weight (cargo and hitch weight).

Let us know if you decide to get the trailer. Lots of smart folks on these fora.

Tom

[Geodude]

That setup you describe is very similar to ours, except we're pulling with a shorter wheelbase Sequoia. The power is the same, the trailer weights are the same, and our trailer is a 32 footer.

Our loading strategy is to load everything but people in the tow vehicle, except for my mountain bike. On local trips we'll throw in a box of firewood. I have plenty of room left on my rear axle ratings when loaded with the wood.

We try to tow with the trailer's tanks empty, but will tow home with the black tank full. Power out of that 4.7 is not an issue.

My web site has more details about our setup, if that would be helpful.