Well I'm glad to say for my first somewhat heavy tow the truck did great. I was a little skeptical at first, people saying it did better than my diesel truck.. Hmm well ok, the numbers for HP/TQ seem to be better than some older diesels, even the 97 dodge 2500 I had. So we sold that truck last year and got a 08 Tundra Crew in Dec 08. Wondered how well this would pull compared against what I had. I don't tow that often but when I do I need a good tow rig. Well earlier this week was the test. I normally tow a compact tractor weighing about 4000lbs; with the trailer your looking close to 6k. The dodge did well however I thought it should do better, it was in stock configuration no fuel plates or crazy mods.
So I bought a 94 4Runner off CL, has some issues. Weight for it is around 4k, great test comparison. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it did and it did tow better then my old diesel. Not by leaps and bounds but noticeably better, much smoother/comfortable ride. In tow/hual mode in 5th gear (using the select a shift gear) I was pulling 1900rpm at 55mph, I thought it was great. I did not try 6th as I figured it would flip flop between gears. Going up hills (Mt. Weather route 7 N.VA if you know of it) the truck shifted down to 4th, but held it good and steady. I typically run a normal "Valley" antisway bar on the passenger side and it does a good job.
Overall I was pleased at the performance and now know I made a good decision moving away from the diesel truck. For others that read this forum and are thinking about switching, I think you will be surprised.
Things I would change is get a different hitch, I have a 4" drop, a bit too low for me, I think a 2" or less would fit better, possibly move to airbags if I were to tow more frequently, but only to raise rear frame height and for no other reason.
Here are a few pics
94 4runner on trailer picture by KiotiCK25 - Photobucket
94 4runner on trailer picture by KiotiCK25 - Photobucket
Thumbs up for Towing
Re: Thumbs up for Towing
Linear Mode
