I am looking at buying a 24ft travel trailer. I have a '96 4runner 5speed manual with tow package. The trailers dry wieght is 4100lbs. Anyone pulling something similar? Please post pros and cons and experience.

Thanks

 

I wouldn't.

Towing capacity for a '96 is 5K. If you're already at 4100 dry, once you load up with supplies, you're gonna be very close to or exceeding your GVWR. In addition, tongue weight should only be 10% of the trailer weight. My guess is that a 24' trailer might be a bit more that 500 lbs on the tongue (I could be wrong though).

 

Not a good idear as sais in last post. I would think twice if I were you. Also, what type of engine do you have?

 

I have the 3.4l with 5 speed manual trans.

 

I have a 24ft toy hauler and both my dads 4x4 f150 and my brothers 2wd ram 1500 felt scary to tow it, both had the v8's, towing bags and brake controllers. If you think about just the 50 gallons of water alone is another 400 pounds. So honestly i think its a big risk and might end up hurting your 4runner...

 

I agree.

 

4runners are very tough vehicles. You have the tougher 5spd so your not likely to damage that. I have towed in excess of this weight with mine. If u do just take it slow start slowly stop early and make sure your in control. I think id be more worried about controlling the load then damage to your truck. Also depends on if ur towing through the flat plains, or up through the rockies. O yeah my load was a flat bed 16ft trailer and my 85 truck which by itself without the trailer is supposed to be 4000+. good luck though.

 

I would think twice about towing with that particular combination. Setting aside the weight issues, I would also be concerned about the wind loading presented by a 24 foot trailer: You could easily end up with the proverbial "tail wagging the dog" situation.

I tow an 18 foot travel trailer with a 2000 4Runner and ended up spending a fair amount of cash to upgrade (supercharger, add-ons, WD hitch, etc). and even now, I would not want to tow anything longer than 20 feet. You can spend more cash and get something called a "Hensley" hitch which allows you to minimize the tail concern but then you are still left with the weight issue.

Please note that the above comments are based on towing in the mountains. If I would be towing on the flat, then frankly I may not have upgraded the 4Runner and just been careful. Keep us advised; I am always curious about other's towing experiences.

James

 

I just bought, on 6/20/07, a 26 ft Trail Cruiser with a rear slide. Dry wt 4011 lbs. I added the tranny cooler and an Equalizer weight distribution/stabilizer hitch. No problems with tail wag. Only issue so far was with the camper the axles were bent. Dealer and RV.net said not necessary to travel with full tanks, just a little in the black tank.

Yes, I did know it was there, but so far no ill effects to the 4Runner. Even spoke with other 4Runner owners at the camp sites before buying, and they had had no problems. Only recurring issue was maintaining a 50+ mph speed on the highway through the mountains.

 

I towed about 8000lbs once. It was very, very slow back to my house. I truley found the limits of my 4runner.

 

once i towed a 92 camaro for about 50 miles... does that count as heavy?

 

97T4RNR alluded to a good point: If you are primarily staying in organized camp sites, then you can run a lot lighter than if you were heading out in the bush.

Because I tend to hate the majority of people, I like to get out in the mountains away from civilization so I'm loaded with extra water, fuel, and other items such as generator, chainsaw, chains, etc... It just depends on your camping preferences.

Regarding the length vs wheel-base issue, here is a link which provides some information

http://www.rvtowingtips.com/how-long.htm

Be careful about the rv forums and the advice you get on them: When I was reseaching my travel trailer options, I had folks tell me that I could "easily" tow up to 7,500 lbs and that the GVWR's and Tow Ratings were only "suggestions". However, I also had people tell me that I would need a 1 ton to tow my 18 foot trailer in "true safety" in the mountains. The truth ended up in the middle.

Have fun and stay safe;

James

 

There's no way I'd pull a 24ft trailer w/ the 3.4, it's enough of a turd when the thing is loaded down with gear. I really want to get one of the Fleetwood Evolution pop-up trailers that has the 8 foot cargo deck on the front, it's below what the 4Runner is rated at, but with my experiences with towing it's not worth it. The dilemma I have with the 4Runner is the fuel economy sucks so I might as well have about 200 more HP and about 300 ft lbs more torque.

 

Old thread yes....

The real issue is how much weight is being transferred to the truck. For example, if it is next to nothing-and it had it's own brakes....easy as can be.

If the trailer is dependent on your stock suspension, be prepared for fun.