apc

Hello,

This trailer weighs 2600lbs and will probably weigh close to 3000lbs once fully loaded with water, equipment, and cargo. It is about 17.5 foot long. My 2nd gen 4runner is a 5 spd with the V6. 3000lbs is pretty close to the max 3500lbs Toyota limits.

What do you think it would be like towing something like this on mostly flat terrain and some mountain passes? The most I have ever towed with my Runner is a patio/deck project with a utility trailer. That was about 1500lbs and it wasn't a problem.




Thanks for your replies.

khaug

My experience is 25K miles of towing a 4,000 lb trailer with a '98 4Runner.

Be very, very careful descending grades. Go slow and shift down so the engine helps slow you down as much as possible. My '98 would lose its brakes going down long steep inclines in second gear in spite of my trailer having 4 wheel brakes.

Be sure that your brakes are in excellent shape before you start your trip: nearly-new pads and shoes, brake fluid recently flushed and replaced with high-temperature DOT 4 stuff like Valvoline synthetic, rear drums properly adjusted.

There's little more terrifying than feeling your brakes begin to lose effectiveness as you start to descend a long downgrade! Good luck.

Mossback74

Sure the downhill is scary but you gotta get up first.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

You're gonna need a bigger boat...

You can do it but you'd be much better off with a nice big...dare I say...F350 pulling that sucker...or at least a V8...IMHO



Brian

SLC Punk

With the 3.0, you are going to be in the slow lane a lot. Do you have aftermarket rear springs? I would be more concerned with bottoming out the rear end..
*Edit*
I noticed that you have PP rear springs. You should be fine, you will get there, but not quickly!

KING

I'd be more concerned with the engine temperature.

Bumpin' Yota

Shouldn't be too bad, other than excruciatingly slow, and you may want to stay out of O/D...

I agree with khaug 110%! Get those brakes in tip top condition first.

Also get a GOOD braking system for the trailer so that you can activate its brakes without hitting the truck's own brakes. A good trailer braking system will also have an adjustment that will allow you to adjust the sensitivity/strength of the rear brakes.

It's obvious, but do not ride your brakes down the hill. Hit em hard, slow waaaaaaaaaay down, then get off em. Down shift to 2nd if you have to. You will be rpm limited in 2nd gear to 70mph, so try not to exceed that. 1st is rpm limited to 35mph I think. (If you have a 4.11 and 235s on)

Steve

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Yo Bumpin Yota?



Brian

Bumpin' Yota

LOL why do I keep hearing that Weird Al Yankovic song in my head?

hehehe

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

jay-q

just yesterday i towed a ~2000lb 12'x6' uhaul loaded with furniture about 100 miles (from san diego to orange county) in my '93 automatic v6. it is the most i've ever towed and also the farthest.

although my 4runner did struggle especially on a couple steep grades on CA-73. it did OK. im sure it will struggle a lot more though pulling close to capacity @3500. one thing to note is that i ran on o/d off the whole way to keep the tranmission from searching between 3rd and 4th gear. as a result, i reported crappy mileage at ~10-11mpg freeway.

wish you a happy and safe trip.

Forerunner

Can you tow it? Yes, but very, very carefully. In your case, going from 0 to 60 is not an issue, you will get there. I would be more concerned in going from 60 to 0 mph.

I have towed a 2000 lbs trailer with a 4 cyl 5 speed 88 4Runner for 2700 miles.. It is a common misconception that you need a super duper powerful V8 to tow. Sure, if you want to be able to do 70 up a hill you need a big engine, but if you can get up that hill with your engine at 45-50mph, whats the rush? You are towing, not racing. In short, your truck can handle pulling it, even if you may have to take it slow up steep hills.

Brakes brakes and more brakes is what I would be concerned about. The best semi metallic pads and shoes and the rest of the braking system should be in perfect shape, especially if the trip involves mountains.

As already mentioned by others, engine braking should be fully utilized, just down˟˟˟˟ and take it slow, using main brakes to help the engine.

Cooling is also important. At the very least, you should have full fluid and dirt free system.A slightly restricted radiator may not cause any problems when you drive the truck alone, but, when towing, it will make your engine overheat. If your temp needle goes past 50% to anywhere near the right side of the gauge, you could have a problem (but that's hard to say, as those gauges are not all equal or very accurate). As a precaution, if your thermostat hasnt been replaced in a long time, I would put a new one in just in case. A thermostat that is slow to open or does not open enough can make your engine overheat. For towing on hot summer days, one could take thermostat out all together. A transmission cooler for automatics is not a bad idea either... U haul installs those for under $100

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Yep, his brakes mess up and he's going to "down˟˟˟˟" in a hurry...





Brian

Faded

Or ceramic/cerametalic pads. Not sure if anyone offers something like this for a 4-Runner but it's worth looking into.