If you have some time, you should PM RockyMtnRay. He is very knowledgeable about Tundra towing. Let him know about this thread and I'm sure he'll be happy to respond with EXCELLENT information.
I wouldn't be too concerned towing a popup "tent trailer" with your vehicle.. you have plenty of capacity with room to spare.
To answer your questions though...
GVWR is the total amount the trailer can "haul" .. trailer weight + gear
GVW is the total weight of the trailer "dry" meaning no gear, no water, no propane etc...
For the trailer you're looking at you have a GVW of 2900 with a GVWR of 3750 which means you can load the trailer with 850lbs worth of additional gear, water, propane, etc... Keep in mind that water is 8.33lbs per gallon and this trailer holds 19gallons or aproximately 159lbs.
The tundra you own has a tow rating of 6900lbs which is more than double what this trailers maximum weight can be. However you will also have a GVWR on the tundra which is the weight of the vehicle + occupants + gear plus total trailer weight. You can not exceed this weight as well so if you plan to load the truck bed with gear and carry a full load of passengers you actually cut down the amount of your total towing ability because you push the limits of the overall load capability of your vehicle. I wouldn't worry too much about that with a tent trailer unless you're going to haul rock and a couple of 300lb passengers. If you were towing a travel trailer though you begin to push your limits quicker.
Hope that helps... may be a little confusing... these web sites for more information.
Considering that a "slider" 5th wheel hitch (see Issue 2) will weigh around 300 lbs, you should assume that your truck will have around 2700 to 3000 lbs on the rear axle before you hook up the trailer. That means that the most hitch weight you can handle is 1000 lbs and 700 lbs is more realistic.
Those hitch weights translate into 5th wheels that have maximum loaded weights between 3500 and 5000 lbs. All RV manufacturers only publish the "empty" weights for their trailers...and those empty weights do not include any factory or dealer options, nor do they include the weights of any water/propane/food/clothing/camping gear you will be putting into the trailer.
Issue 2: Trailer/cab clearance when cornering.
So if the 21' fifth wheel I'm looking at has a GVWR of 5860 lbs, a pin weight of 780 pounds, and I use a slider hitch (plus the trailer pin sticks out in front of the trailer as shown here, I should be OK, right?
Probably. Tell the trailer dealer you want actual truck scale weights on that trailer complete with battery, full propane cylinders, etc., add 500-1000# of personal stuff (we all end up carrying more than we plan on), and get the actual weight of your truck. The dealer must have a truck he can use for the weighing.
Why 5er? A travel trailer tows fine, and gives you more trailer choices due to the lighter tongue weight. An "Equal-i-zer" brand hitch or Drawtite/Reese/HiddenHitch dual cam hitch, both with built-in sway damping, works very well at minimizing sway.
Ken
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Towing a 21' Bigfoot trailer using a Hensley Arrow hitch, Jordan brake controller, McKesh mirrors
Why 5er? A travel trailer tows fine, and gives you more trailer choices due to the lighter tongue weight. An "Equal-i-zer" brand hitch or Drawtite/Reese/HiddenHitch dual cam hitch, both with built-in sway damping, works very well at minimizing sway.
This will be my first RV (used) and I'm trying to get bang for my buck. I'm looking at used travel trailers as well, because I like the idea of being able to go bigger for cheaper (that's how the new ones are priced), but I haven't found any yet that I actually liked that were within my price range. I'd like to buy sometime soon (next week or two), and this 5er is very clean, has the amenities I want, seems safe on the weights, and has a good price tag on it. It's from a private party, so there's no dealer to put it on the scale for me. I called the mfg and got the specs from them (and the GVWR matched the label inside the trailer). I'm looking at 2 more TTs tonight, and maybe a few more tomorrow. Hopefully one of them will be just what I'm looking for.
Just signed up for this site. Saw the postings on pulling 5th wheels. I have a 2000 SR5 and I have pulled an Aerolite 28 footer for over 50,000 miles. The trailer has a big slide-out, but is very light for its size (5,800 lbs dry and about 7,000 ready for travel).
I live in New Hampshire and have taken it to the Florida Keys, Arizona twice (over a dozen passes higher than 10,000 ft. and a 17,000 mile trip through upper Canada and Alaska. The only mod to the truck is air bags. I'll have to say I never felt like I didn't have enough power or that the truck was really over stressed. Maybe I'm very lucky or maybe we have better trucks than we think we have.
I agree with Ron p, I currently have a 00 sr5 ext cab. I tow a flagstaff 831qbss that has a dry weight of 5921 lbs and a hitch weight of 1006 lbs. i estimate that i add around 1000 lbs of gear, food and propane to the rig when traveling. I never travel with the waste tanks and water tanks full. I also use a load leveling hitch and brake controller. I know the trailer is back there, but its not to bad. So far as long as i have the load leveling hitch set right i still have quite a bit of play in the rear suspension. I can jump up and down on the bumper with my two german sheppards in the bed and still not hit the rubber stops. If i put the trailer on without the load leveling hitch on it would most deff bottom out my suspension. I dont really like towing it like this, because i am worried about premature part failure more than anything. Cant wait for the 07 tundra!!!!!! I know i am pushing the limits on my tundra, but so far everything seems fine. oh, i also load the back of the trailer with all the heavy stuff to off set the hitch weight. I try to put everything i can fit in the back.
I agree with Ron p, I currently have a 00 sr5 ext cab. I tow a flagstaff 831qbss that has a dry weight of 5921 lbs and a hitch weight of 1006 lbs. i estimate that i add around 1000 lbs of gear, food and propane to the rig when traveling. I never travel with the waste tanks and water tanks full. I also use a load leveling hitch and brake controller. I know the trailer is back there, but its not to bad. So far as long as i have the load leveling hitch set right i still have quite a bit of play in the rear suspension. I can jump up and down on the bumper with my two german sheppards in the bed and still not hit the rubber stops. If i put the trailer on without the load leveling hitch on it would most deff bottom out my suspension. I dont really like towing it like this, because i am worried about premature part failure more than anything. Cant wait for the 07 tundra!!!!!! I know i am pushing the limits on my tundra, but so far everything seems fine. oh, i also load the back of the trailer with all the heavy stuff to off set the hitch weight. I try to put everything i can fit in the back.
What is a load leveling hitch for a 5th wheel
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SOLD April 24,2006 02 Tundra V8 2WD, Bilstien Shocks, RAS, Cyberdyne Transmission Gauge, Tekonsha Prodigy Brake controller, Hijacker 5th wheel hitch, OEM Mask, Torza top bed cover, Linex Bed Liner, Magnaflow Muffler & Tip welded to stock pipes, Roto Tech cross drilled rotors
I am starting to look at the 2007-2008 Toyota Tundra's. I have a 5th wheel horse trailer (empty 6000lbs, loaded ~9000lbs). The max towing capacity advertised is 10,000 lbs which leads me to believe the truck could handle it, but now after reading all of these entries I don't think this is the right truck for me. I am looking at the double cab - not crew cab. I know this is only a 1/2 ton truck, can it handle it?
I am starting to look at the 2007-2008 Toyota Tundra's. I have a 5th wheel horse trailer (empty 6000lbs, loaded ~9000lbs). The max towing capacity advertised is 10,000 lbs which leads me to believe the truck could handle it, but now after reading all of these entries I don't think this is the right truck for me. I am looking at the double cab - not crew cab. I know this is only a 1/2 ton truck, can it handle it?
Is the trailer a 2 or 3 horse?
I've pulled ours (photo), and it's an aluminum 4-horse that weighs 4500 dry, and about 9000 loaded with lots of tack & 4 quarter horses.
I am very pleased with the tundra's performance & stability pulling this trailer. It is such a joy to tow, and even on the hills i have yet to go under the speed limit ever. And most hills, i can easily go over the speed limit if i want.
See if you can get the tongue weight empty, and loaded. If that weight is between 1200 & 1500 lbs, i say go for it. The truck won't let you down.
Last edited by Only Toyota for me; 12-01-2007 at 02:41 AM.
I hate to throw yet another option at you guys, but Hensley also makes a 5th-wheel to gooseneck adaptor with or without air-ride. We got a lot of feedback from guys who wanted to free up their truck bed or also towed a gooseneck trailer. The adaptor just bolts onto the face plate of your fiver. It's been thouroughly tested and, though I hate to admit it, seems to ride better than our air-ride 5th wheel hitch (which has a slider option by the way).
Our hitches are on sale for December. We only have one sale a year. Here's a link if anyone is intersted.
By the way, we get a lot of feedback on tow vehicles from our customers. Rest assured that the Tundras are one of the best out there and we hear of very few problems. Don't be afraid to push these trucks.
It's an open trailer but I don't haul anymore than 2 horses in it, normally just the one though. Thanks for the picture, like they say, pictures are worth a 1,000 words. I was still a little uneasy even after talking with the dealership this past weekend, I know the towing capacity is 10,000 lbs but towing a 5th wheel trailer is a bit different. A couple of the salesmen there didn't know what they were talking about so I wasn't very confident with their answers. I did end up talking with someone that knew something about the truck so I felt a bit better. Does your truck have the off road package? Is it a 4X4? The tongue weight of the trailer is around 900 lbs. Thanks again for the response!
It's an open trailer but I don't haul anymore than 2 horses in it, normally just the one though. Thanks for the picture, like they say, pictures are worth a 1,000 words. I was still a little uneasy even after talking with the dealership this past weekend, I know the towing capacity is 10,000 lbs but towing a 5th wheel trailer is a bit different. A couple of the salesmen there didn't know what they were talking about so I wasn't very confident with their answers. I did end up talking with someone that knew something about the truck so I felt a bit better. Does your truck have the off road package? Is it a 4X4? The tongue weight of the trailer is around 900 lbs. Thanks again for the response!
Yeah, salesman don't know much anymore. Pretty sad when i know more about the truck i'm buying than the salesman does.
A 5er is a bit different, but as long as you're within your weight ratings (or close) you're fine.
Toyota recomends you don't tow a 5er unless you get the long bed. They are just trying to cover their a$$ here.
Yes, it does have the trd & 4x4. 900 lbs tongue weight is no problem for the truck.
My dad has been a chevy man his whole life, and always talked about his big heavy duty 3/4 ton trucks. Well, he just bought the same truck as mine, and will be towing a Durango 5er house trailer that weighs 8000 lbs & has a pin weight of about 1500lbs. This is only because he has been with us while towing our horse trailer & house trailers, and knows how well the truck performs. The only weak link is the springs, which can be taken care of fairly inexpensively. The rear end is being considered as a 3/4-1 ton unit with 36 spline shafts & is about the same size as the dana 80, which is put in several 1 ton trucks. It also is a semi-floating type.
Trust me, this truck is very impressive & handles the weight well, & is NOT overbearing on the truck at all. Thanks to the impressive drivetrain.
Where there's a Ray, there's a will.
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