New 4.6L Dbl cab with tow pkg towing rockwood 2701ss

[jarod]

Hello

Just about to pull the trigger on a Rockwood 2701ss and want to make sure I can pull this thing safely. I will install an EQ hitch and a brake controller, please weigh in with your opinions. The specs on the trailer are as follows:

Dry Hitch Weight602 lb. (273 kg )Unloaded Vehicle Weight4,951 lb. (2,246 kg )Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)6,602 lb. (2,995 kg )Cargo Carrying Capacity1,613 lb. (732 kg )Exterior Length32 ft. 6 in. (9.9 m)Exterior Height9 ft. 4 in. (2.8 m)Exterior Width96 in. (2.4 m)Fresh Water Capacity37 gal. (140 L)Gray Water Capacity76 gal. (288 L)Black Water Capacity38 gal. (144 L)Awning Size19 ft. (5.8 m)


Thanks Jarod

[Tankerhank]

I don't know the towing limits of the 4.6 V8, gotta figure it is close to what the 4.7 could pull which is around 8,000 lbs. so you should be okay.

The Toyota website states you can tow 8,600 lbs. with a 4X2 DC 4.6 V8 with towing pkg, 7200 without towing pkg.

[jarod]

Hank,

I have the Double cab 4x4 trd with tow pkg and it is rated for 8300 pounds. I messed up on my earlier posting as i quoted the specs of a 2010 rockwood 2701ss, but i am buying a 2008 and it is a bit lighter than the newer floorplan. The specs on the 2008 are as follows:

Classification Ultra Light WeightLength 32'6"Width 7'6"Height 6'4"Interior Height 6'6"Hitch Weight 437 lbsDry Weight 4,734 lbsGross Weight 6,437 lbsAxle Weight 4,297 lbsFresh Water Capacity 31 galsGrey Water Capacity 25 galsBlack Water Capacity 25 galsFurnace BTU 30,000Sleeps 8Tire Size 14Slides 1

[Tankerhank]

Still looks like you have weight to spare, grab a slab of ribs on the way up for the BBQ!

[MTeator]

I suspect the 4.6L has a lower towing capacity than the 5.7L only for marketing reasons. Other than the label on the door if it has the same hitch set up it should tow at it's max capacity of 8300lbs or more just fine, you just can't climb hills at 90mph like we can

[Tankerhank]

Ya, everything between the two trucks should be the same except motors. The 4.6 could pull 10,000 lbs without exceeding the basic trucks ability, but the motor would struggle.

[jarod]

Hi

I took a look at my actual manual and the GCWR is actually 14,000 for my truck which does improve the picture somewhat. With both the trailer and the truck fully loaded i come in 663lbs under the 14,000 limit. According to my manual the truck definately is rated for 8300lb as long as you have the tow pkg which i do. I think i will be approaching capacity but should be fine if I take it easy and get the proper hitch etc. I have also confirmed in the manual that the truck does indeed have 4.10 gearing ...another plus that came with the towing pkg. I should have just gone to the manual in the first place...web info is sketchy at best it seems.

Never realized there was this much to learn about towing!!!

Thanks again.

[tomhole]

I have that same trailer. It will weigh 5,800 lbs with no liquids with a hitch weight of 750 lbs. Should be a nice match with your truck.

Tom

[Tankerhank]

Originally Posted by jarod

Hi

I took a look at my actual manual and the GCWR is actually 14,000 for my truck which does improve the picture somewhat. With both the trailer and the truck fully loaded i come in 663lbs under the 14,000 limit. According to my manual the truck definately is rated for 8300lb as long as you have the tow pkg which i do. I think i will be approaching capacity but should be fine if I take it easy and get the proper hitch etc. I have also confirmed in the manual that the truck does indeed have 4.10 gearing ...another plus that came with the towing pkg. I should have just gone to the manual in the first place...web info is sketchy at best it seems.

Never realized there was this much to learn about towing!!!

Thanks again.

Now ya know why a cooler of beer is so important ... this towing stuff will drive ya to drink!

(as yes the other difference 4.10 vs 4.30)

[07DCwhiteSR5]

the way i look at my 4.7, is....its got plenty of power for almost anything i'd throw at it. the new 4.6 isnt much different, just a little better than my 4.7. BUT, if you look back 10 years or 15 even, they had people pulling heavy *** fifth wheel trailers and slide in campers and all sorts of stuff with "heavy duty trucks" with big block motors that were putting out less HP and Torque than our smaller motors are putting out. for example, my PD has a 1994 3/4 suburban with a big block 454 that was rated, i believe, at 230HP ("jumped" to 290 in 96 with the addition of the vortec heads, etc). that truck was the heaviest duty gas engine suburban available at the time and is used to tow 10,000 lb trailers and more.... my little 4.7 V8 puts out, what, 40 more hp? i think, i cannot recall. even the big block's torque (i dont recall and am too lazy to google it) cant be all that great for its time.

my point is, if the platform itself can be rated at 10,000 lbs, then i think we have a little more room to play with than our 7500-8000 ratings on our 4.7s. sure the axle ratios and transmissions are different but as far as "heavy duty"ness...i think we are equal and can handle it. as stated above, we may not be able to win a sled pull but we can get the job done.

the trailers and such that people towed back then were just as heavy or heavier and alot of them were less aerodynamic and they did it with 3 and 4 speed trannys....i strongly feel our newer powerplants, although physically smaller, put out more power and torque and are better used with more speeds in the tranny...so i say load the truck up and go for it hahaha tow whatever u want as long as it will pull and stop it. (within reason of course)

[music]

I'm in a similar situation, only my truck is a 08 GMC crew 4x4 w/ the 5.3L/4-spd/3.73-axle. The travel trailer is about 7k lbs loaded, and fully ready for camping the combined weight is about 13k lbs. Payload is right at the limit, and the truck has an "as shipped" payload of 1600 lbs. I haven't had any situations where I couldn't pull the load comfortably. With a 4-spd, I pull steeper/longer inclines at 55 mph in 2nd @ 3600 rpm, but it's nowhere near full throttle. Otherwise, I pull in 3rd over most terrain @ 65 mph/2600 rpm. The newer 6-spd may pull the same hills in 3rd in the range of 3100 to 3400 rpm... but with more throttle. The Toyota 4.6L is very similar in power/torque to the 5.3L, so I'd expect it to pull very similar to the 5.3/6-spd combo. You would probably be a little happier on steep climbs with the 5.7, but you should never "need it" with the load you're considering. The 6-spds get you up to speed better, but once there, each (4, 5 or 6 spd) will each have their "sweet spots" for power vs load vs speed. You'll just need to find yours and drive accordingly.