BoulderG

Hello,
I'm trying to get real-world information about the towing capability of my stock 1989 Toyota Pickup with 4x4, 5-speed, and 22RE engine. 150K miles, very good condition. Stock tires.

Are there effective low effort/cost methods to increase towing capacity? (I suspect it will still be incredibly slow, just tow more.)

I'm at 5,500' ASL, with big mountains around.

My tow hitch is part of the rear bumper - is this stock? (No receiver) It's stamped 3,500 pound capacity.

Thank you.

thook

Without some serious engine/gearing modification you'd have a hard time pulling more than 1000lbs including the trailer. It would help some with intake/exhaust modifications. Decreased intake/exhaust restriction helps the motor work less to breath and more power to get to the drivetrain. A motor has to push exhaust out by force of the pistons expelling. Higher flowing exhaust allows it to do so with less effort. This increases the ability to take in more air for combustion at the same time. So, you have to create a way for that to happen with opening the intake with a high flow air filter and shortening the intake tube. However, it doesn't produce "a lot" of results (relative to the application) without also increasing displacement....meaning motor work. Costly.

The intake/exhaust is comparitively inexpensive, though. Not to mention, it affords you the ability to make use of advancing the ignition timing a bit. This means running higher octane possibly because there is a chance for spark knock, but some have done it (advancing the timing) without that problem. You should read Mudhippy's thread on advancing timing. That will give you something to chew on.

I mentioned gearing. Regearing would help on the low end torque, but that gets costly. Just run the smallest tire you are comfortable with and that will solve that.

About your bumper hitch. It's stock and it's fairly tough, but it just depends on what you plan to haul. I scrapped mine and had a 4x4" square steel tube bumper fabricated and a reciever welded on. I can haul atleast 1200lbs not including the trailer. BUT! That much weight on hills is murder on the clutch (a stock clutch) and actually quite hard for the 4cyl. With your altitude and geography, I wouldn't tow that much weight.

Have to face it. The 22re stock (including the stock intake/exhaust and gearing) is not meant for heavy towing.

Oh, say good bye to good gas mileage when towing.

Dare44

i bent the stock bumper towing a 2000lbs trailer and blew my clutch and i only pulled it 15 miles

deserttoy84

You want real world information... My friend pulled 2000 pounds(buggy and trailer), 4 people(it is a 4runner), and turned 33 inch tires no problem up hills(45mph+). He is just re-geared to 4:88 and has stock motor with 5 speed tranny. You should have no problem towing a couple thousand pounds.

CJM

If you have a real hitch then your good to go but you dont. Dont tow it with the crappy bumper, it will rip apart and bend.

Jay351

Dont trust the stock bumper for a second. Mine has bent so easily that the only place it belongs is in the trash.

thook

Once you are going is not the problem...really. It's the starting out that can be tricky. And if this is a 22re, I find it hard to believe "no problem". And was this before or after he regeared?

Not to really argue, but I've been towing and hauling for a long time in this area. My engine and drivetrain are healthy and still find it a challenge to pull that much weight for a 4cyl. Besides, you have to think of the long term effect it has if one is to regularly do this. It does wear heavily. Just ask my rear differential. I did put in a Marlin HD clutch and found it helped...some...but not a lot. It's a half ton vehicle. The axles and bearings and drivelines and frame and blah are only rated/designed for so much.

idanity

anyone going to chime in on the most important part (braking)

thook

Unless he's hauling more than what's been mentioned, if he's going slow enough and staying in the lower gear range....as in downshifting or engine breaking....it shouldn't be a problem. It gets tricky when it's wet, but using wisdom is the thing to do there. Engine breaking is hard on the clutch, though.

rdlsz24

I pull a trailer with two 770cc jet skis on it with mine and I wouldn't want to go much heavier lol.

Rob

Flash319

I don't see why you would have a problem getting going. The trans is geared very low (numericaly high), and with stock 4:10s and normal sized tires (under 31's) you can crawl that thing around no problem. I think this is where you will get into trouble about the brakes. I have found that the truck will pull anything (89 22re extra cab 5 speed) but try stopping the bitch. If you got electric brakes you will be okay though.

digdug

I've never towed anything with my 91. But a friend of mine tows his 24' pontoon boat with his 94 and the only mod he has is 4.56 gears and 31x10.50 buckshots.

BigWavePaul

iTrader: (1)

With your bumper, it should do fine

Read On
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...railer-126937/

Djlarroc

I think thook is right. I bought a snow plow in Nebraska last year. I rented the smallest U-Haul trailer to go pick it up. I have the stock hitch and it did fine, but then again the trailer maybe weighed 400lbs? and the plow another 350lbs? Either way, Nebraska is flat but there were some hills that no matter what, I couldn't get over 60. I'd definitely say 1000lbs is THE limit with stock equipment, especially in the area you are in. You will kill your truck.

NaeSLaS

I pulled my friend's 240SX (3300ish lbs??) about 4 miles up New Mexico hills with no problem, but I was on public roads going no more than 35mph. 33" tires on stock gearing. Third gear, 1/4 throttle.

Then again, my truck struggles on the freeway, so if you don't plan on going fast, you should be ok.

Belize Off Road Team

that must suck, i have hit i don't know how many things with front/rear bumper on my surf and i just can't seem to bend it!

BoulderG

Thanks, all.

So, it looks like:
The stock truck is not good for towing more than 1,000 pounds TOTAL, and the stock bumper won't handle much more anyway.

Not going to tow my race car on trailer, then...

I love the 22RE, and it's great for a daily driver, camping, Home Depot, etc., but I guess it can't be everything... Although my friend did drive it 15 miles with 2,600 pounds of sand in the bed.

thook

When I said 1000lbs, my thought in mind is more than that is a strain.....pushing the vehicle to and beyond the limits of what is a "comfortable" weight. Especially on a regular basis. When someone says "towing", that's what I have in mind......because I tow a trailer quite a bit.

I carry, at times, up to 1600lb loads in the cargo bay and in some instances it's very difficult for the vehicle. If you have to stop and start on a steep hill, for example. But, I find it even harder for the vehicle when a trailer is thrown into the equation. Think about this.... do you ever see people who haul or tow for a living use anything less than a full size truck with a V8? I never see anyone pulling a vehicle (even just to the track) with less. More often they're using a 3/4 ton. A trailer is a lot of stress on a vehicle. So what if it "can" do it, but over time is it something you "should" do. Probably not. I have put stress fractures in the frame and ruined springs from doing what I shouldn't be doing. It did pull the weight, though!

The other thing to think about is the heat created in the process. The more effort that is required to pull something, the more heat is created. Full size trucks are designed for that kind of work. The little suvs and mini trucks we drive don't have the size of components that those trucks do. They can break more easily. That's probably why a lot of serious offroaders use beefier equipment. Maybe I'm wrong?

My neighbor/friend who is a contractor had a Nissan V6 pickup for several years that he used regularly for towing and hauling equipment and supplies. I watched the process has his little truck showed eventual signs of the stress. Last year he sold it as was and got a 3/4 ton Suburban. As soon as I can get the V6 4rnr running again, I plan to use my 4cyl for lighter loads and use the V6 for the heavier stuff.

RustBucket

iTrader: (1)

Another idea is to upgrade your cam. Buy a mild mid-range cam like Engnbldr's 268. Get the rockers reground and put it in and, especially if you do some intake/exhaust mods, you should see some benefit. I am running stock intake/exhaust but a 268 cam and the engine really opens up between 3k and 4.5k. Unloaded I can pull pretty steep grades quite quickly, like 70+ (which is about as fast as I ever go on the highway) with 4.88's and 33's.

You might even look into an oil cooler if you're going to be asking alot of the 22re and they may even offer a trans cooler, I'm not sure.

linuxrunner

I have a question...

I often pull two motorcycles a little over 500lb's each, and a trailer about 350lb's.

and i notice NO diffrence with the trailer on or off, (with the exeption of starting off on a really steep hill)

by my calculations that is about 1400lbs, is this correct? Are you talking about how much the trailer + load weighs? or how much force it takes to pull the trailer forward?