The way your post was worded I thought you were going on vacation.

Not dragging a camper to Alaska to live in.

Quite a big difference.

Most every one I know in the Pipe line and Powerplant building is using a 3/4 ton pickup if not one ton.

If your living in this you want Comfort at least these people do.

I would look long and hard at a full size truck.

 

Ditto that, never caught that either. If you will be living in it long term, a larger truck and trailer are virtually a must IMO. The 4runner is ok for a 1 time deal.

 

We are planning on living there from May 15 to Sept 15.

The guy who is hiring me has a friend with a 5 acre lot where he has full hook ups for us for $150/month which is an incredible deal to have a size lot like that to ourselves. Its on a creek and borders wilderness so we will definitely have to be bear aware.

Unfortunately it's just completely out of our budget to get a bigger truck and a bigger trailer. I have worked at a public school for the last three years. We will have to just look at small trailers and decide from there. If we think it will be miserable, we will just rent a place and skip the trailer idea.

At least my girlfriend and I are on the small side...hehe

 

It is one thing to put up with a small trailer for camping quite another to come home to a long day of work.

I wish you the best good luck

 

Where on a Gen 3 4Runner are you mounting your transmission cooler???

 

Somewhere up front as it must have air flow. I put mine between the AC condenser and radiator personally.

 

I think I understand your post better as well. Along what has been mentioned, make sure the tires are not dry rotted. These campers are made of fiberglass and when a tire blows it does damage. Campers being considered a luxury toy you get to pay luxury price for repair. The tires can have alot of tread but be bad.

West of the Mississippi River to the west coast, fuel stops can be far and few in between so pay attention to your fuel. These 3rd gen runners fuel gauge do not go down at a steady rate. I cant get 25 miles on the 1/4 mark to empty on the guage. I fill up at 1/4 tank just to save wear and tear on the fuel pump anyways.

Spend the extra on the towing accessories as a trailer can boss the truck around get you in a bad situation quickly. Work on your route and when fueling make sure you can always pull forward with no backing. I try plan my stops at truck stops when possible. They usually have easy access to the roads.

 

Please explain this logic.



Andreas

 

Fuel is actually what helps keep the pump cool. I burnt a couple of pumps up running them on empty as I dont care to pump gas.

On the other end of the spectrum on these 3rd gens, I would fill it all the way up to the gas cap and learned another hard lesson. When you do that, you flood the charcoal canister and get several P044X codes.

No more max filling for me and running them as low as I can go now.

 

What would be a good truck to trade for my 4runner? I would like to stay with a Yota but haven't found many good options... seems like all the Tundras are 2wd and I also would like to go with a diesel..

I have a 2001 runner with 140K miles, 4wd, tow package, been very well maintained (timing belt, water pump, etc.)

Thanks for any ideas!

 

For towing you want American 100%. They are just better built for it.

Far as a good trade, it depends on your budget. I am a ford guy personally, a good trade would be basically anything with the 7.3l diesel, they last darn near forever. But Chevy will work fine as well as Dodge.

Basically get on Craigslist and see what you can find.

FYI, NEVER trade in a car, you get penny's on the dollar. Instead sell it privetly and buy whatever it is you want.

 

Well I looked into Ford F250s and other Fords for towing... on consumer reports it says they aren't very reliable.

I have been looking more into Tundras, Sequoias, and Land Cruisers. Any of those you'd recommend for the job? We're thinking a 3500lb trailer plus gear. Hopefully a Hi-lo so the resistance isn't too bad.

 

1st gen Tundra FTW! '04-06 are best because they have a stronger 5spd auto trans and VVT-i engine. 4wd models are rated to tow 6500 lbs if I'm not mistaken.

 

Here is a stupid question.
Can you find a suitable camper to buy anywhere near where you are going to stay?
Maybe sell it when you leave? Have your friend with the deal before you get there?

 

No, those are all not even close to what you need. The tundra is the most unreliable thing toyota has made int he last few decades by far (got a friend that works at a dealer, oh the stories...) and the others are no better then your 4runner other then being a little newer.

Either keep the 4runner or get a full sized truck. There is no middle ground here. It is a waste of money to get anything inbetween.

Doesn't have to be Ford, although tons of 500k+ miles trucks say they are very dependable, they last longer then our 4runners on average. The difference is that in there old age they tend to rattle and things stop working (power windows, cig lighter, that type of thing). Still gets you from point A to point B fine though.

Like I said, get a full sized American truck, preferably a diesel. Put simply this is one of the few things that Americans still do best.

It sounds like you really want an SUV, I suggest a Surburban from the 90's when they still offered them with a Diesel. You get all the benefits of a truck with the Cab of a SUV. FAR better option to anything Toyota makes.

If you can Afford it an Excursion with a Diesel is another options but a bit pricy even though they are a decade old as they are quite sought after.

 

Really? A diesel? For 3,500 lbs? That is way overkill. A 1/2 ton pickup truck should do just fine.

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Keyword there is "should". A 1/2 ton has the power to pull it, but a larger truck will handle, stop it better. I could have settled for a 1/2 ton for my towing needs though I chose a Duramax diesel. Overkill? Yes.

 

Well in that case, maybe the OP should look into an F550 for this whopping 3,500 lbs. trailer.

All kidding aside, I don't see why the additional cost and upkeep of a diesel is needed when the OP hadn't indicated a continued need for a tow rig once he completes his trip.

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First off I said "preferably" a diesel. It IS the preferred engine when towing by a long shot.

Secondly I am not sure why people think diesels cost more or take more upkeep. In reality they take less then most gas engines and last darn near forever.

In most cases change the oil and you are good for 100k+ miles like any gas engine before needing things like timing belts ect.

A gas will work fine as well, just needs to be a ful sized truck for that kinda of distance and trailer IMO.

3500lb is not much by itself but with wind resistance added in it can get hairy with an undersized tow rig in a hurry. Particularly if it is not loaded perfectly.

One of the scarriest trips of my life was in a situation like that. Little bit of wind and we got that trailer sway going, anything over 50mph and it would do it again. Staying on the road was hard enough much less our lane. Something I never intend to repeat.

 

Good Luck