Towing Package 2003 Tundra Access Cab

[misterdf]

Hi all. I'm new to the forum and have a question about towing capacity in the '03 Tundra. I have the Access Cab Ltd with 4wd and the factory installed "towing package" with xmission cooler, hvy duty alt, receiver, 7 pin connector etc. But nowhere does it give the class rating of the hitch. I'm about to purchase a new boat with a tandem axle trailer. total tow weight will come in around 5500-6000 lbs. That's below the tow capacity of the truck but not sure about the hitch. Any ideas?

[H2O_MAN]

Welcome.

Click HERE for great towing information.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by misterdf

Hi all. I'm new to the forum and have a question about towing capacity in the '03 Tundra. I have the Access Cab Ltd with 4wd and the factory installed "towing package" with xmission cooler, hvy duty alt, receiver, 7 pin connector etc. But nowhere does it give the class rating of the hitch. I'm about to purchase a new boat with a tandem axle trailer. total tow weight will come in around 5500-6000 lbs. That's below the tow capacity of the truck but not sure about the hitch. Any ideas?

A 6000 lb boat/trailer is actually right at...or slightly above...the upper edge of a Tundra AC 4X4's real world towing capacity. Reason: A typically loaded AC 4X4 (with family, cargo, full gas tank, etc.) is realistically going to weigh somewhere between 5800 and 6200 lbs. If you subtract the max truck weight (6200 lbs) from the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) of 11,800, that leaves you with just 5600 lbs as the maximum weight of the boat. Only if you pack/load the truck fairly lightly and get its ready to roll weight down to 5800 could you safely pull a 6000 lb boat. The Tundra's so-called Tow Rating of 7200 is measured with a empty, no-options, no-gas truck that only has a 150 lb driver aboard. It's a totally unrealistic and misleading number. (FYI, my '03 AC 4X4 with just me (~190 lbs) in the cab, a full tank of gas, and just a couple hundred lbs of camping gear weighs 5400...add a couple more people and a bit more cargo and you'll easily be around 6000 lbs.)

As the hitch, it's essentially a Class IV with some limitations. First, if you don't use a Weight Distributing Hitch, the maximum tongue weight is 710 lbs. If you do use a WDH, the maximum tongue weight is 1065 lbs according to my '03's owner's manual. The manual suggests 10-11% of the trailer weight on the tongue for a non-WDH hitch so you would be near the upper limit but still OK. If you use a WDH, you could go higher.

The bottom line is your truck could safely pull this heavy a trailer if you

• Keep the weight of passengers and cargo to a moderate level...about 5800 lbs total for the truck.
• Stay at low elevations and off mountain roads. If you do high elevation or mountain driving, you really should derate the truck's tow capabilities by about 20%.

Ray
Towing Moderator

[edit]
P.S. In addition to being very close to exceeding the GCWR, you'll likely be very close to (or exceeding) the Gross Axle Weight Rating (Rear) with this combination if you don't use a WDH. The GAWR (rear) is only 3760 lbs.

[misterdf]

Ray:
Thanks very much for the information. I'm going to fill the truck up, pack up the wife, dog and a 3 or 4 cinderblocks for ballast and head to the weigh station to get a more realistic idea of "ready to roll" weight. Then I'll see what the boat package comes in at and do the math.
In the short term I'll only be trailering a short distance (about 2 miles from the house to the ramp) so I'm not too worried about the weight at that distance. But I'd really hate to be locked into my own backyard when there's so much water out there to explore. I guess I pick up about 500 lbs with gas and water tanks on the boat empty (or nearly so) and that puts the trailer weight to around 5800 lbs and gives some breathing room. Also planning to be there when the trailer is set up so I can check the tongue weight/balance etc. I really appreciate your insight and the great information. Thanks again.

[KLS]

That boat trailer has brakes, right? Essential.

The "Equal-i-zer" brand weight distributing hitch is highly recommended for both sway damping and the way it works well with surge brake equipped trailers. ($400 from http://www.rvwholesalers.com/)
http://www.equalizerhitch.com/faq.html

If your boat trailer has electric brakes (a few out there do), Ray and I both like Tekonsha Prodigy brake controllers. I like the Jordan slightly better, but it is a bit more work to hook up. The Equal-i-zer hitch is still recommended with electric brake trailers.
www.jordanbrake.com


Ken

[misterdf]

The trailer has surge brakes. Coincidently, I have been looking at the equalizer hitches so the links you passed really helped. It appears that it provides both sway control and weight distribution. Is that correct? Just wondering about installation. Is it something that needs to be done at a shop or can it be done by a "diy'er"

[H2O_MAN]

Originally Posted by misterdf

Any ideas?

Check THIS out!

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by misterdf

Ray:
Thanks very much for the information. I'm going to fill the truck up, pack up the wife, dog and a 3 or 4 cinderblocks for ballast and head to the weigh station to get a more realistic idea of "ready to roll" weight. Then I'll see what the boat package comes in at and do the math.
In the short term I'll only be trailering a short distance (about 2 miles from the house to the ramp) so I'm not too worried about the weight at that distance. But I'd really hate to be locked into my own backyard when there's so much water out there to explore. I guess I pick up about 500 lbs with gas and water tanks on the boat empty (or nearly so) and that puts the trailer weight to around 5800 lbs and gives some breathing room. Also planning to be there when the trailer is set up so I can check the tongue weight/balance etc. I really appreciate your insight and the great information. Thanks again.

Most welcome. First, let me say that I heartily second Ken's (KLS) remarks about WDH and brake controllers. My travel trailer only weighs about 3800 lbs loaded...and has about a 500 lb tongue weight...but I wouldn't tow without a WDH. Because it distributes about a third of the tongue weight to the truck's front wheels, it not only reduces the overload/sag at the rear but puts more downforce on the front wheels...and that improves steering/braking and helps level the truck. WDH are wonderful and the model that Ken recommends is also excellent for sway control...very important with a large heavy trailer.

Incidentally, if you don't use a WDH, hooking up a trailer actually adds more weight on the rear axle than tongue weight alone. Reason: Through a fulcrum action, putting weight well behind the rear axle actually unweights/lifts the front of the truck...typically the weight on the front wheels decreases by about 200 to 300 lbs. Since the total weight of the truck didn't change, the weight removed from the front wheels is now on the rear wheels. Thus putting a 700 lb tongue weight on the trailer hitch actually can increase the weight on the rear axle by 800 to 900 lbs!

Finally, I congratulate you on your decision to get the truck weighed before towing. One suggestion: get the front axle and rear axle weighed separately...that way you know exactly how much margin you have left on the rear axle if you don't use a WDH.

As for installation, yes a DIYer can easily install a WDH...there are two brackets that clamp on the tongue and that's about it for stuff that has to bolt on. Following the directions it's about 10 to 15 minute job.

[misterdf]

The info just keeps getting better and better Thanks Ray and I'll be sure to get the weights on each axle separately. Next thing I'll have to check is whether or not Load Rite has any problems with WDH for their trailers with surge brakes. Trailer is brand spanking new and don't want to mess up any warranty stuff. Equalizer recommends checking with trailer/surge brake manufacturer for compatibility. Heck, once I get all this done I may have to rename the boat to "Pushin' a Tundra".

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by 7.62mm

Check THIS out!

Actually air springs are a bad idea to counter trailer induced rear sag...a WDH is a much, much better solution!

Here's why:

When you put a heavy hitch weight on the back of the truck, two things happen...the rear goes down and the front goes up. The reason the front goes up is the weight on the hitch has a teeter-totter effect (with the rear axle as the fulcrum). There is actually one gain by having the rear go down...it causes the Brake Proportioning Valve (BPV) to open more which means the rear brakes will be doing a higher percentage of the stopping...and the front brakes won't have to take all the increase in stopping from the additional load. But taking weight off the front wheels is just plain bad....there's less downforce so steering and braking are simply not as effective...and the front wants to bounce around a lot more.

If a WDH is used to counter this, then both ends of the truck go down equally because the WDH distributes about a third of the tongue weight to the front. This is a good thing...the front gets more steering/braking effectiveness and the rear BPV opens so there's more rear braking power! All is good.

But if an air spring kit is used to raise the back of the truck so it's level with the front, there are two big problems. First, just because the back has been raised doesn't mean any additional weight was put back on the front...it's still several hundred pounds lighter than it should have been...and typically an inch or so above stock ride height. So the problem of reduced braking/steering in the front is still present. Second, because the rear was raised, the BPV is now closed...actually closed more than if no load was on the truck because the rear is higher than when unloaded (to match the raised front). So the rear brakes are now doing even less work than they did with no load...and the front brakes are doing nearly all the stopping.

Air springs are a great idea for managing loads in the truck where the weight is above or ahead of the rear axle...but they are, IMHO, downright evil for loads that are applied well behind the rear axle (like a heavy trailer tongue weight).