I need to finish reading before I reply... my Bad.
I think I have my answers... Thanks. Who makes a convienent Towing mirror setup? The Burban had ones that where plastic the slipped around the factory mirror and didn't block it at all(i.e. straps) Thanks. Is 6600# too much to pull? I am a worry wart I know.
Your truck won't sag at all when you correctly tighten the weight distributing spring bars. You don't need extra leaves in the springs. Before you hitch, measure from the front and the back of your truck to the ground. Hitch up and tighten the spring bars until both ends of the truck sit lower than they did unhitched. If the front is high, tighten the spring bars one more link. If the rear is high, loosen one link. You won't wear out the springs. If you find the stock shocks are not firm enough or if they wear out, you can get a set of superior heavy duty Bilstein shocks for about $300.
Your towing mirrors have to be wider than your trailer. Roll down your cab windows and measure across the cab from the inside edge of one mirror to the inside edge of the other. It has to be 96" or more. Washington State law requires that your mirrors be far enough out to the side so you can see a State Patroller standing centered 200' behind your trailer brushing the donut crumbs off his tie. I don't think you'll find any clip-on mirrors that have enough outreach.
6600# is a LOT to tow for any 1/2-ton rig. Your Tundra should tow a lot like your 'burb unless the 'burb had a huge engine.
Naw thats not to much to pull with a Tundra. I got a 92 layton thats 29ft long and it pulls pretty dang good. As for mirrors ive got some that you put on the truck mirrors and has ruber straps that go around the back of the mirror thing so that it dont scratch anything . Not the best looking mirror but they get the job done.Anyway good luck in towning.
I've read your posts during the past few weeks about 5th wheel hitches. I'm still looking for the right 5th wheel trailer, but still have some questions regarding the hitch.
The hitch: I understand the principle behind the sliding hitch, but is it worth it? I've only checked with one dealer, but he is quoting an installed price of $2695 for the Pullrite 16K superslide. The installed price of a Reese 4-way 16K is $795. Is it worth the difference?
The hitch location: Will the Reese 16K mount in a position far enough forward in our Tundra beds to allow towing and manuvering (assuming I use an extended pin box)? Will the range-of-position be limited?
Load leveling: Are airbags generally the best bet? What is the approximate cost of a set? Do you inflate them just when you are pulling the trailer? If so, how does this affect the brake proportioning valve calibration?
My Tundra is not a full time tow vehicle; it also spends 90% of it's time as a general purpose truck and as a passenger vehicle. Consequently I'm wondering if it's worth the expense and other trade-offs going to a 5th wheel set-up, even though I know a 5th wheel will handle much better than a conventional trailer. Your thoughts/opinions?
I'll answer a couple of your questions and let Bill cover the rest.
Yes, the Pullrite is gold plated. A manual slider works fine if you're willing to do the work when it's needed. If you like Reese, also check DrawTite. They're the same company, and maybe you can dicker for a better price. Do you need a slider? It's not far from the axle to the cab on our trucks. Pick out a likely trailer and get out your tape measure.
Air bags work very well. Yes, just inflate them when you need them. You won't be able to easily recalibrate the rear brake proportioning valve each time you switch. For less money, some folks have been giving good reports on the Roadmaster Active Suspension. http://www.activesuspension.com/
A travel trailer can be just as stable as a 5th wheel trailer. If you can find a used Hensley Arrow hitch in the $1600 range, grab it. Far better than the usual sliding friction sway damper is the "Equal-i-zer" brand hitch. http://www.hensleymfg.com/whatisthearrow.html http://www.equalizerhitch.com/
Hi, I'm new here and bought an '02 Tundra Limited in January. It replaced an aging Ford Ranger. Love the truck! I'd just like to verify a couple of things about towing:
I have a 7x14 enclosed trailer, tandem axle, which I load with 2 motorcycles, a scooter, and gear. The total weight of the trailer and stuff is still probably under 5000 lbs. The truck seems to sag a bit in the rear when I hitch the trailer. I read that you can adjust the weight distributing spring bars? I have Bilstein shocks. Are these spring bars on the truck, and how would I adjust them?
Right now the bikes are loaded in front of the axles. Should I repostion them so that they are over the axles? I'd like to avoid purchasing the weight distributing hitch, as it seems like overkill. But, if I need it, I'll get it.
Thanks!
Does anyone have a recommendation on where in the Midwest I can find a really good deal on a covered, 6X10 cargo trailer?
Since I have no local dealer, I will have to drive some distance to get it and for any related service, which I am not likely to do unless it is a MAJOR problem, I am looking more for the best price, than I am the best service department. (Boy that got to be a long-winded sentence!!)
Does anyone have experience towing this size trailer?
I have a 26' Springdale that tows at around 6300 lbs Loaded. The Tundra pulls it GREAT! I am headed to the mountains next weekend to the Highland Games in Boone, NC. I live in Raleigh/Wake Forest and it is a 4 hour trek with a camper. I will let everyone know how the Tundra does in the mountains because I know of a few 7% grades.
BTW - Had my rear brakes replaced under the TSB and the shimmy is almost gone
Hello KLS - sure appreciate your excellent advise on towing. I just towed a 7' x 16' trailer from Kansas City to Houston, and the truck did great with the exception of gas mileage going from 15MPG down to 10 (driving 70mph). The trailer was towed empty, and did fine, but it is obvious I will need to upgrage from the OEM shocks on my 2001 V8 Access Cab - SR5. I am seriously concedering either the the red/blue bilsteins with existing coil springs or the HD yellow/blue bilsteins with Progressive Products progressive rate coil springs. I do not do any offroading but will be towing extensively into central Mexico (bad roads). Your expertise would be appreciated. I have had several people tell me the red/blue bilsteins will be too harsh in day to day commuting.
The red/blue TRD Bilstein shocks are the same thing as Bilstein's HD yellow/blue---except for the price. Well...TRD has very slightly different damping rates for red/blue 2wd. The TRD red/blue 4wd shocks are the same as the Bilstein HD shocks listed for both 2wd and 4wd.
I've had the HD bilstein yellow/blue for about two weeks. They are just slightly harsh--not bad at all--and they'll break in a bit and get slightly smoother. In any case, my truck with these shocks rides more smoothly than my Volvo station wagon!
If you need the high damping rate, you won't regret the HD shocks. You've already got progressive front springs and medium damped Bilstein shocks with your TRD package.
I'm about to head off on a week long towing trip. I won't be on any really bad roads--I'm not driving into Idaho this trip--just Washington and B.C.
Thanks for the quick info. Just one clarification - are the HD Bilsteins (yellow/blue) available through Toyota dealerships? They are having a local promo offering 25% off TRD products, but I'm unsure if they will sell me the standard yellow/blue Bilsteins instead of the HD version. Is it correct that the numbers for the HD versions are Front: BE5-6024 and Rear: BE5-6025.
Thanks for your patience - have a safe trip up north.
Tom
CIPA makes a Universal Towing Mirror that straps onto your truck mirror with a ratcheting mechanizm. I get very little if any vibration and it can be installed or removeded within 30 seconds. So far, this is the best clamp-on mirror I have every used.
I installed the Roadmaster "Active Suspension" on my Tundra in addition to the Hellwig body sway bar, and when running sole, I get almost no sway around corners and its about as close to a sports car in a truck that I have every seen. When I hitch up my fifthwheel, my truck is very close to level but the rear was still slightly high. I had straight axles installed on the trailer and switched the springs. Now the trailer is rides level. I have 9 inches of clearance between the bed rails and the bottom of the fifthwheel trailer. Boy do I got ground clearance. I have to use three steps to get into my fiver.
I got my loaded rig weighed at a Flying J Travel Plaza this past week and the numbers does not surprise me one bit. Doing our homework and asking a lot of questions to the right people did the trick. We had a full tank of gas, one EU 2000 generator, and a spare deep cycle battery in the bed of the truck, plus the weight of the hitch, nerf bars, sway bar, active suspension, spare tire and 100 pounds of toolbox full of tools, and wood for leveling and some for burning. Add two fat bodies and two 35 pound dogs in the cab. Now hitch up the fifthwheel and add another 1100 pounds of pin weight and our 1/2-ton Tundra was maxed out.
As far as the trailer goes, both our black and gray tanks were empty and we had almost a third of a tank (~10 gallons) of fresh water, full propane tanks, and two t-105 batteries. When we did the weigh in we where fully stocked with food and bottled water for a 10-day stay. Add all the other lug-a-longs and we were loaded.
Our weights were as follows:
Front axle 2880 lbs.
Real axle 3840 lbs.
Both fifthwheel trailer axles 4540 lbs.
Total gross combined vehicle weight 11260 lbs.
We were just under the front and rear axle ratings, and the GCWR for the rig. We were several hundred pounds over the GVWR of the Tundra though. Not good!
We went to Jackson Meadow reservoir for the week. Jackson Meadow is located about 40 miles north of Lake Tahoe and we had some pretty tough inclines to traverse. One was so bad that we had to use “L” to maintain 25 miles per hour. I am sure glad I installed that extra trans cooler. Coming home, we took 395 through the high desert and the outside temp was about 105 in the shade, (there is no shade in the desert) with strong blast furnace winds, Of course the air was on full all the way, but the engine temp held solid.
Hello.
We are considering a Tundra 4X4 for our next vehicle purchase.
Also, an RV (full size or pop-up) is in the near future for us, so towing will be a consideration for the Tundra.
How does the Tundra(V8) handle towing an RV?
Does a supercharger limit the towing of the vehicle?
What size RV are you currently pulling?
I have tried doing a search on this subject, but did not find the right information.
Thanks for your replys!!!
The thread "Towing an RV?" merged with the thread "Fifth Wheel Towing Questions/Help/Info" as they are the same subject. --- Possum
I need to finish reading before I reply... my Bad.
Towing
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