Fifth Wheel Towing & Hitch Questions/Help/Info

[Imdone]

I frequently tow a 4000 lb boat during the summer and have found that on incline I take the o/d off but when I get back up to speed I turn it back on. This way I can regulate how many shifts the tranny makes. With the a/c on full up a hill with 4000 lb and the o/d off the tundra just cruises. And thats hear in AZ.

[Rebels6]

Ok, I stand corrected...I read my manual again last night. It does say to keep the OD OFF while towing to maintain braking efficiency. The manual is misleading because on the next page it changes to a section which looks like it's still part of the good trailering practice section. The new section deals with gas mileage, not towing. It states to ALWAYS keep the OD ON. I thought the section still applied to towing.....very misleading to the casual reader! Now, to me, ALWAYS means ALWAYS which is why i posted my previous post. It appears that the only reason to keep the OD OFF is for braking. I tow a bass boat and have a lot of highway/interstate travel on the way to various lakes. I don't really need any extra braking help while travelling 60 or so miles on the interstate. I keep my speed between 65 - 70 mph. So the question is, will towing with the OD ON hurt anything? I don't have a need for additional braking efficiency....so do I leave the OD on or off?

[Larry Lawton]

Rebels6,
As I understand it, your tranny will lock up the torque converter in 3rd about as soon as you turn the overdrive off. That will mean the transmission will generate less heat. On the other hand, if you got the trailer towing package, you already have an extra transmission cooler in front of your radiator and A/C condenser, so transmission heat MAY not be an issue with a bass boat. (I'm assuming you're not testing the 7,000 pound limit of a Tundra's towing capacity.)
Another issue is the extra heat and wear generated if the transmission begins to "hunt", or shift frequently between third and fourth. Like the extra heat generated under load without the torque converter locked, that too can generate heat, wear, and lessen transmission life.
Since you're not really gonna get high milage while towing anyway, why take a chance by pulling in fourth? At normal freeway speeds, your Tundra V-8 ain't even breathin' hard in third.

[KLS]

In addition, more ATF is being pumped through the cooler when the engine and input end of the transmission is turning faster.

Ken

[Iron Horse Herb]

I am planning to tow a 32 ft. Holiday Rambler travel trailer from Indiana to Fla. One way I am not bringing it back. My friend who has a half ton Chevy says I am nuts to even try and use the Tundra. It seems I have read somewhere on this forum that others have towed much more than this RV with their Tundra. What do you all think?

The thread "My friend says I am crazy" merged with the thread "Fifth Wheel Towing & Hitch Questions/Help/Info" as they are the same subject. ~MustangSally

[Altered4X]

I actually towed for the first time in my Tundra. It was a 3200k lbs car + supplies which equaled to about 5000 in payload. It handled it great. Most of the driving was in the city, which didnt exceed 50MPH. I towed with the OD OFF. It did help with braking and the extra power was there without waiting for the downshift @ about 50 MPH, the engine RPM was a little over 2k. It would seem that if I would of left the OD on, it would put too much stress and the 4th gear and the overdrive. Some peeps where saying that towing at 65mph with the OD OFF, they were pushing past 3k RPMs. Thats seems like a high amount of RPMs to be at for long distance driving. Im sure MPGs would suffer eventhough Im sure that the 4.7 can handle those high RPMs. In conlusion and from what I gathered from past posts, I think it would not be a bad idea to keep the OD OFF while towing at speeds up to 60MPH and on up hills, But keep the OD ON on long flat stretches of road while towing at speeds past 60MPH Is this a good conlusion?
Thanks

[muck]

If its more than 7200lbs, you are beyond the manufacturers limit. a 32 footer is most likely way beyond that. You can find out by finding a sticker which says how much the rig weighs dry.. its usually up front near the propane tanks or in a cabinet inside. I certainly wouldn't do it. Sounds like a bad accident waiting to happen. If its close to the 7200lbs limit, I'd hook it up to your truck ahead of time, and drive it around town... and see how it handles. You will definitely be putting more wear on your engine than you should, but thats up to you.. just don't go out on the road with an unsafe setup that will kill someone

[Iron Horse Herb]

I guess I was sounding crazy, when I bought the 32 footer I brought it home with a Nissian 4 cyl. 4x4. I will check the weight of the rig and probably just buy one in Fla.
Thanks
IHH

[Larry Lawton]

You buddy has reached the correct conclusion, but for the wrong reason. The Tundra is a half-ton truck. No comparable half-ton truck can tow that much safely. The Tundra certainly has the power to handle as much or more than any similar pickup.

The torque number is what counts for towing. It’s 315 for the Tundra 4.7 V-8, 285 for the Chevy 4.8, 293 for the Ford 4.6 and an even 300 for the Dodge 4.7. Tundra wins, but that’s an empty victory. Engine power ain’t the limiting factor here.

It’s the towing capacity that tells the tale. Without an equalizing hitch, the Tundra is 7,100, the Chevy comes close at 6,800, but the Ford is 2,300 and the Dodge is only a bit better at 4,200. The big three jump up to 8,000 to 8,800 if you add the extras, but for some reason the Toyota stays at 7,100.

The Holiday Rambler web site says a 32 ft towable weighs 14,215. That means it just can’t be safely towed with any half-ton pickup.

[Mike in LA]

Herb, I just looked on a map and it's downhill all the way from Indiana to Florida. You shouldn't have any problems. Just remember to give yourself more room to get the thing stopped.

Mike
In all sincerity, if you do this please be careful. Do you have the proper hitch and electric brake hookup on your Tundra?

I just read all of Larry's post. 14,000 + pounds? There aint no prober hitch for the Tundra.

[Iron Horse Herb]

Thanks everyone, after the first post I already pulled the plug on this trip. I did like the down hill theory. Just wondering now what do people that travel with these 32 ft. and larger rigs pull them with. It seems to me nothing short of a Peterbuilt would be save to pull this thing.

IHH

[muck]

You aren't too far off believe it or not... I was looking at towing a 14,000 trailer using a Chevy 2500HD. While it was (just barely) within the specs, everyone said not to do it.. the people who pull a lot recommend using a Medium Duty Truck (MDT)... its between a One ton truck, and a tractor truck. I don't personally think its necessary, but you will definitely find people who say you should use an MDT The important thing is to make sure you have some weight up front, the torque, and a good brakings system.. and if you plan on doing it a lot, a good transmission (allison!), and a diesel engine... It was wise to trash the idea of pulling it with your tundra.. Our tundras are perfect for towing a boat, a moving trailer, a car, or something like that, but not a home on wheels

[Yellbird]

I never saw anyone get killed going up hill but a lot going down hill, that's why they have runaway ramps. You also have to go up a hill before you can down!

[Hogman]

I need a little help from you camper experts. I just purchased a 30' Trail-lite camper in Richmond and pulled it the 50 miles to my home. I ran along about 65-70 mph and the thing pulled GREAT!! It has a dry weight of 4010 lbs. and the hitch weight is 520. They installed a Husky weight dist. hitch and the back end hardly moved at all. Now for the down side... my Tundra mirrors are not going to cut it. Half is camper and half is passing lane. GVW is 5500 lbs which should not be a problem for the Tundra, but I did not get the sway control attachment which is something I feel I might need to add in the near future. I went with this trailer mainly because I plan to split my camping time between the beaches in N. Carolina and S. Carolina which is a fairly flat drive from my home, but I also plan on heading into the mountains of W. Virginia and did not want to be going up the mountains at 10-15 mph with 30 cars all trying to get around me. Does my reasoning sound right, and do you feel that I've not put my Tundra at risk by buying to large a trailer. Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings if you feel I'm a total idiot!!! As always, thanks for all input.
Hogman

The thread "Going Camping!!" merged with the thread "Fifth Wheel Towing Questions/Help" as they are the same subject. ~MustangSally

[KLS]

There are two major problems with towing that 32' trailer with any 1/2-ton pickup. No 1/2-ton pickup can control a trailer that long and heavy. The length is prohibitive even if the weight is OK. When a gust of wind hits the side of that long trailer, and the trailer moves sideways, you'll have to be real lucky to keep the truck on the road. You'd have a 32' lever pushing the rear of the truck to one side or the other. Toyota says that the Tundra can tow 7100#, but Toyota also gives a Gross Combined Weight Rating of 11,800# for everything--truck, driver, passengers, luggage, factory options, additional equipment, full fuel, dogs, hitch, trailer, etc. With any kind of a normal load, you can't tow 7100# without exceeding the GCWR. Bottom line, there's no way any 1/2-ton pickup, Tundra or others, can safely control any 7000# travel trailer.
Ken