Fifth Wheel Towing & Hitch Questions/Help/Info

yay · #1 (**permalink**) 02-22-2002, 08:51 PM

i would like to know who is towing horses w/ their tundra and in what knid of conditions? climate road what kind of trailer and oh yeahwhat kind of horses do you own? YAY!

MustangSally · #2 (**permalink**) 02-24-2002, 09:10 AM

Welcome to Tundra Solutions, Renee! I remember seeing several posts on the old TS from members who tow horse trailers. Where are you guys/gals? This lady needs an answer. Tell her how easy it is to tow with the Tundra.

~MustangSally, Moderator

BTW... My horse is a '66 Mustang!

yay · #3 (**permalink**) 02-24-2002, 02:38 PM

Thanks Sally. I appreciate your reply. Sally, i will go back and check old sights and continue to enjoy of your ride. I will only need the two horse trailer and wil continue to research the Tundra. Its hard to find alot of people w/ Tundras here in FORD country that's why i was counting on some info from the tundra owners..not just dealers. yay!

Lazy Ace · #4 (**permalink**) 02-24-2002, 03:12 PM

You can easily haul a standard two horse trailer. I have done so myself, up steep grades on gravel roads, but loaded with Black Angus, not horses. The Tundra will handle this load easily, as noted before, however, you must keep in mind that the Tundra is only a half ton pick-up. For larger and more demanding tow jobs I would suggest you opt for at least a ¾ ton. You would probably be happier.

Rooster · #5 (**permalink**) 02-24-2002, 09:48 PM

Yay, what is the total weight you will be towing? I don't tow horses with mine, but I tow things that are probably as heavy or heavier, such as tractors. I've pulled two tractors at once one time, one was 4,000 lbs and the other was 3,000. Went to a tractor pull. Otherwise I normally only tow one at a time. Also tow ATV's when we go trailriding, but that isn't as much weight as a tractor and trailer. The Tundra handles it all great, but if you have a lot of tongue weight you might want to help out the back leaf springs.

Squido · #6 (**permalink**) 02-24-2002, 10:10 PM

Hey YAY! I don't tow horses, but I do tow a 16' enclosed trailer filled with motorcycles. I've gone from Seattle, WA to Monterey, CA in 36 hours with 7200 pounds of bikes and trailer hooked to a load balancing class 3 hitch, and another 700 pounds of motorcycles in the bed of the truck. The truck pulled fabulously through the Siskayous (sp?) and had no trouble with steep grades. It would hold 50+ mph in 2nd gear, but was turning higher revs than I liked. But when I'm towing 6000 pounds or less, the truck will pull nicely in whatever gear it wants to be in. I think it tows great. If you ever plan on towing closer to the 10K mark, I'd suggest going for a 3/4 ton truck though.

jsimpson · #7 (**permalink**) 02-28-2002, 06:18 AM

I use the Tundra to tow locally, but when I take my horses on the road, I use the Dodge Cummins. The Tundra spends so much time shifting between third and fourth, that I just leave it in third., and I live in pool-table flat South Florida!!! The Dodge just hums along in fifth, regardless of grade!

KLS · #8 (**permalink**) 02-28-2002, 08:29 PM

Towing in 3rd (O/D off) really does work out best. I installed a Jordan 2020 electric brake controller in my Tundra, and I really like that controller--smooth, fully proportional brake control!

http://www.jordanbrake.com/id20.htm

Ken

MustangSally · #9 (**permalink**) 03-01-2002, 12:17 AM

We towed a '57 T-bird on a U-Haul trailer over 1200 miles from central Washington to Los Angeles and were able to do at least 65mph on the freeway. We turned overdrive off which eliminated the frequent shifting between third and fourth. It did great. The mountain passes were a breeze. Our mileage dropped to around 10mpg when we were in the mountains, but otherwise it was around 12mpg with the A/C running the whole time.

~Sally

Altered4X · #10 (**permalink**) 03-13-2002, 10:28 PM

So the best way to tow..say a 5k load is with the OD off?? Even at 65MPH??
Thanks

Indy · #11 (**permalink**) 03-14-2002, 08:14 AM

Towing with the OD on??? Whether towing horses, travel trailer, tractors......neigh, neigh Yay ...would NEVER. I've known several people who tried to tow things (with different makes of vehicles) with overdrive on. Why, I'll never know because it ruined their trans. Sure, it might help the gas mileage but why take a chance? I've towed 4500# travel trailer always with OD off. Doesnt make that much difference in rpms. And really, even at 70mph is not straining the engine a bit and much safer on trans. Even my old GMC Safari with a 6 cyl pulled the trailer at 70 without any problems on the engine (with OD off)..though have to be carefull on the swaying. A trailer with couple horses shouldn't be over 6000#s should it? (using a lightweight as long as you don't overdo the bed payload with grain, hay, extra tack, extra water, etc....thus adding more weight than you might think). We plan to get a horse trailer and couple horses but plan to use a lightweight and to be very carefull in our weight management.

Rebels6 · #12 (**permalink**) 03-14-2002, 09:27 AM

Before I spent the time to actually read all the owner's manual, I turned off my OD when towing.

However, the owner manual says to leave the overdrive ON. If I was travelling in the hills, I might consider turning it off. Other than that, I follow what the manual says.

KLS · #13 (**permalink**) 03-14-2002, 10:01 AM

My Tundra's Owner's Manual, "Automatic Transmission (h) Good driving practice," pg. 100, says to tow with O/D off, "When towing a trailer, in order to maintain engine braking efficiency, do not use overdrive." It also says, "If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down between third gear and overdrive when climbing a gentle slope, the overdrive should be turned off." So, I always tow with O/D off. In any case, driving in 3rd is no problem. The engine is just humming along around 3000 rpm at highway speed. The Owner's Manual only gives gear and speed limits for 2nd and "L," and the max allowable speed for 2nd is 75 mph! Some folks who've checked their gas mileage towing have said that they get better mileage with O/D off. Maybe the excessive shifting between 4th & 3rd, and the driving in 4th with the torque converted unlocked is the reason.
Ken

5thwheeler · #14 (**permalink**) 03-14-2002, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by KLS:
My Tundra's Owner's Manual, "Automatic Transmission (h) Good driving practice," pg. 100, says to tow with O/D off, When towing a trailer, in order to maintain engine braking efficiency, do not use overdrive. It also says, "If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down between third gear and overdrive when climbing a gentle slope, the overdrive should be turned off."

I tow with O/D on and I only turn my O/D off when I get to an incline. In the mountains, I tow in second gear going up and down the mountain. If your pulling a trailer with any significant weight, engine braking in third gear, as refered to in the manual, is almost useless. It says nothing about the life of the transmission. If your looking for a great brake controller, get the Prodigy by Tekonsha. It is the most advanced controller on the market and it has made all other controllers obsolete. No need to hook ugly cables to the brake pedal (like you have to do with the Jordan Ultima 2020), and it makes for a clean installation. Mine sits in that little cubby hole right under the ignition switch. It is easy to read and very reachable. My Prodigy is gray and matches my dash perfectly.

KLS · #15 (**permalink**) 03-14-2002, 05:17 PM

I agree that Tekonsha's Prodigy is an excellent trailer brake controller. But, hey, The Jordan 2020 works equally well. The cable to the brake pedal isn't even visible without laying on your back on the floor and isn't ugly. I haven't driven with a Prodigy, as I expect that you haven't driven with a Jordan. The Jordan does it's job perfectly for me.
Ken