Will I have any problems towing this Travel Trailer?

[qwestman]

I drive a 2003 Access Cab 2wd toyota tundra with the tow package. The manual says the towing capacity is 7100 and the GCWR is 11,800. We just bought a 25' travel trailer. It's a 2004 KZ 2505. I've done some checking and i get mixed info on the actual weight but I believe the dry weight is around 4800 lbs. I'm in the process of getting a set of LT tires to handle the load. I also have the prodigy brake controller and weight distribution hitch. We live in Boise ID. I think the elevation is around 3000 ft. Will we be ok towing this? Any advice for a first time RVer?

[Only Toyota for me]

Originally Posted by qwestman

I drive a 2003 Access Cab 2wd toyota tundra with the tow package. The manual says the towing capacity is 7100 and the GCWR is 11,800. We just bought a 25' travel trailer. It's a 2004 KZ 2505. I've done some checking and i get mixed info on the actual weight but I believe the dry weight is around 4800 lbs. I'm in the process of getting a set of LT tires to handle the load. I also have the prodigy brake controller and weight distribution hitch. We live in Boise ID. I think the elevation is around 3000 ft. Will we be ok towing this? Any advice for a first time RVer?

I think this is the exact same trailer my brother used to tow with his 02 tundra. If i remember right, the tongue weight was 500lbs or so.

If it's the same one, it's a really nice trailer.

I think you'll be fine, especially with the way you're planning for it. Good work for a first timer.
My bro's tundra did just fine with this load, and i don't forsee any problems for you. I think the water tank is right up front, if i remember right so you'll need to watch this & plan on towing with little to no water. Otherwise, you'll be riding on the bumpstops. Airbags would be nice for you to have.

I'm going to dig up some pics for you. I am almost positive it's the same trailer.

[Only Toyota for me]

Don't know why i thought it was a KZ. Probably cause we now own a KZ fifth wheel. It was a Kit companion. duh.

[tomhole]

Originally Posted by qwestman

I drive a 2003 Access Cab 2wd toyota tundra with the tow package. The manual says the towing capacity is 7100 and the GCWR is 11,800. We just bought a 25' travel trailer. It's a 2004 KZ 2505. I've done some checking and i get mixed info on the actual weight but I believe the dry weight is around 4800 lbs. I'm in the process of getting a set of LT tires to handle the load. I also have the prodigy brake controller and weight distribution hitch. We live in Boise ID. I think the elevation is around 3000 ft. Will we be ok towing this? Any advice for a first time RVer?

Depends.

Do you have a family of 5? Do you plan to load firewood, 4 bikes, genset, gas, lawn chairs, dog fence, blue tote, etc.. in the bed of the truck?

Look inside the trailer. On the inside of one of the cabinet doors, there should be a weight lable that says what the trailer weighed from the factory. Let us know what that says. If it's not in there, hook the trailer up and go weigh it. Then we can give you the answer.

Tom

[qwestman]

ok I checked in one of the cabinents and the dry weight is 4800 and some change. I think 4816 if I remember right. the gvwr is 7000 lbs. here is a picture of the same model:
Google Image Result for http://www.gagscamperway.com/rv/used/Pictures/60147-1e4.jpg

I plan on buying a 4000 peak watt generator. It will be me, the wife, and my 2 year old boy for now. I imagine we will only have 4 people in the truck at any given time. I want to be able to haul my 220 lbs xr250r in the bed of the pickup but I would understand if that would be too much. I would appreciate any advice.

[qwestman]

any other information or opinions would greatly appreciated. I've towed it around town and don't seem to have any problems but I'm worried about going up long grades. by the way, as long as my rear end is not lower than my front end, is my weight distribution hitch installed correctly? My rear end still drops a bit from stock height but it appears to be level with the front end.

[qwestman]

bump..eagerly waiting for a reply

[Herbicidal]

I've been towing a 26' Outback travel trailer with the rear slide (like yours) for almost 6 years now. The 'scaled' weight (very little water in the fresh water tank) was 5,600 lbs. This was with all the stuff in the trailer before heading out on a camping trip. Before I put on a 6" RCD lift and re-geared, I had stock gearing (with tow package) and it towed just fine. We are a family of four and I toss in a Yamaha 3500 watt generator for those trips that need it. I certainly know the trailer is back there and I drive conservatively while towing. Keeping extra distance between us and the vehicle in front. I stongly recommend getting your truck and trailer weighed, then you will know exactly how much it weighs, don't rely on the stickers and guesstimates.

I too have a Prodigy brake controller and W.D bars. With W.D bars hooked up, a very general rule of thumb is to aim for having your truck and trailer level. This is accomplished by adjusting the chains at the end of the bars. Typically referred to as the number of links 'hanging'. I have 5 links hanging or dangling free on my setup. The more links hanging, the more tension is applied to the bars and more down force on your truck. It is important you understand this relationship. I would suggest taking your truck and trailer out to a nice flat location, along with a measuring tape. Unhook your truck from the trailer, then measure all four corners of your truck and jot it down. Typically the distance from the ground up to the top of a wheel well. Now hook up your trailer with the W.D bars and measure the truck again. If the bars are adjusted correctly, the truck should 'drop' an equal amount on all four corners, say 1 inch as an example. If the rear of the truck drops more than the front, then not enough weight is being transfered via the bars to the front of the truck. So, increase the number of links hanging and remeasure. An excellent mod to your trailer is an Atwood power jack. After doing the above process a few times to dial in your W.D bars, you'll see why!

If you are concerned about long grades, I would suggest installing a transmission temperature gauge. The BEST location for the sending unit (translates the temp of the oil to the gauge readout) is in the tranny pan. But that takes some work. I bought a second pan, had a friend weld in a bung for the sending unit, then swapped the pans when I had the time and wired it all up. I bought the gauge and A-pillar pod from Summit Racing (pics in my gallery). The other alternative is to install the sending unit in the rubber line that runs just below the radiator. Just remember to use a ground wire attached to the sending unit or it won't work. This is easier than the tranny pan, but the engine compartment heat will affect the readings, especially in stop and go traffic or long climbs, otherwise it works pretty well. For added protection I bought a larger tranny cooler from these guys: IPT Performance. Scroll all the way down to the bottom section titled 'Other for tranny coolers. They also sell an Autometer tranny temp gauge and sending block. I also bought and installed an in-line filter. All of this is on the same web page.

From a safety perspective, I would highly recommend one of these: Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems by Doran. With a dual axle trailer, you may not know you have a problem with a tire until it's too late! I've been using one for about 3 years now and they work great!

I've towed our Outback from where I live in California to Yellowstone, the coast of Oregon and California, central Oregon, Yosemite, Death Valley, southern California, and Nevada. The hottest temp I've ever seen on the tranny temp gauge was pulling a 9% grade near Death Valley, it hit 250 degrees. I believe a tranny temp warning light comes on at 270. I'm also running Amsoil synthetic tranny fluid. My Tundra now has 126,000 miles on her and I have a ten day camping trip planned for June that will take us up to Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainer in Washington, then over to the Washington and Oregon coasts for the return leg. Overall, I'm very happy with my setup.

Good luck, get camping and feel free to ask more questions as they come up. It is much better to ask than not.

[droolingmess]

"I plan on buying a 4000 peak watt generator. It will be me, the wife, and my 2 year old boy for now. I imagine we will only have 4 people in the truck at any given time. I want to be able to haul my 220 lbs xr250r in the bed of the pickup but I would understand if that would be too much. I would appreciate any advice."

A 4k generator is nice but how much does it weigh and does it provide filtered power? Something to think about is 2 Honda eu2000i generators with a transfer cable. Together they weigh less and take up less space than most 4k generators and only need to be run together when the A/C is needed, otherwise only one needs to be run to handle everything else and a will run about 8 hours on a tank of gas.

"any other information or opinions would greatly appreciated. I've towed it around town and don't seem to have any problems but I'm worried about going up long grades. by the way, as long as my rear end is not lower than my front end, is my weight distribution hitch installed correctly? My rear end still drops a bit from stock height but it appears to be level with the front end."

Don't worry about long grades. Just take your time. If you gotta slow down to 45 who cares. But be considerate. If you are on a two lane with a line of cars behind you use the turn outs. Trip planning really helps and I will gladly drive an extra hour if it means not going over a bunch of mountains. For over 20 years I had a job that was 100% travel and now I RV full time. The most important lesson learned, don't rush. There is nothing wrong with being a "Weekend Warrior" but trying to do too much, go too far with too little time just sucks the fun out of a trip, for everyone. With that said it is now time for me to plan the next leg of my trip. Have fun, be safe.