Towing with 4Runner or Tacoma

BurbanAZ

Explorer
We just bought a Jayco travel trailer that weighs around 3000 fully loaded that were going to start using on trips where we don't plan on going too remote. We have a 2004 4Runner sport with the v8 that has been our expo rig for the last few years and we have a 2015 Tacoma TRD sport.

I'm not sure which vehicle I want to tow with. The 4Runner has the v8 but it's also loaded all the time with all our gear plus winch bumper, roof rack, fridge, drawers, etc.. Plus the 4runner has around 200k miles on it. So I'm not sure how the weight in the vehicle and mileage will effect towing. The Tacoma has about 15k miles and is just stock but I worry that towing a lot will be though on the truck.

I don't have a lot of experience towing travel trailers and main thing I'm worried about is the wear and tear on my Tacoma since its newer and I need it to last me a long long time. The trailer isn't even half of the tow rating of either vehicle.

What do u guys think?
 

ol' scott

Adventurer
We just came back from a trip pulling our A-frame in the N. Georgia mountains. The camper weights about the same as yours when we load it up. My '02 Tacoma with the V6 and 140k could pull it alright, my wife's 2013 4Runner Trail Edition pulls it even better. A few steep grades but I wasn't worried at all.

You should be fine towing with either vehicle. Regular maintenance will make the biggest difference of course, transmission cooler if you don't have one already. Also, trailer brakes are a God send. I see Toyotas pulling trailers all the time, a lot of them have high milage. Three thousand pounds should't over stress either of your vehicles so long as you do it right. Will it increase wear and tear? Of course. But it shouldn't do so at such a high rate that you'll experience a premature failure. I'd tow with the Tacoma if it was me.
 

BurbanAZ

Explorer
Thanks for the reply. Both vehicles have the tow package and trans coolers. The trailer has brakes and both trucks have the wiring but I still need to buy a controller.

I'm mainly wondering if with all the weight always in the 4Runner if it would be better to pull with the Tacoma mainly. The 4Runner is basically just a trip vehicles so I don't want to unload everything when we pull the trailer.
 

vicali

Adventurer
We pull a 19ft hideout that ends up around 5k when we are headed out. Tacoma does fine.

We have a prodigy t2 brake controller and a scanguage to watch the transmission temps.

It goes doen the highway just fine- not passing or speeding, and the mileage is pretty low.. But it beats driving a huge truck the other 360 days a year.
 

Pax2525

Adventurer
I have 2004 4Runner v6 and towed a trailer about that large and it pulled just fine. Get the brake controller and you should be good to go. Just be aware of your speed and how your pushing it. Either vehicle should be fine to tow.
 

Climberclimb

Observer
I tow a 3500 lbs trailer with my 2015 Tacoma and it does just fine. We don't push it too hard on steep grades. As vicali stated, rather pull with Tacoma and have a fun vehicle to daily drive. Cheers
 

shauniscndn

Adventurer
Wife & I just picked up an Rpod 176 to tow with my tacoma and her Fj cruiser trailer unloaded 2200 lbs.. So both trucks can be tow vehicles. Towed it home w my Tacoma and towed no probs, have an eq and sway controller so all is good
 

BurbanAZ

Explorer
Whichever vehicle I pull it with I definitely won't be trying to push it hard on the climbs. I usually just cruise around about 65-70 regardless even when I'm not pulling. I like knowing our truck isn't working hard on the grades and the way I see it, I'm in no crazy rush to get anywhere if I'm on a trip anyway so I just slow down a little and enjoy the scenery.
 

Dalko43

Explorer
Either one should work fine with 3,000lbs. FWIW, the 4unner's v8 is much more capable at long term towing than either the old 4.0L v6 or the newer 3.5L v6 used in the Tacoma. But with 3,000lbs you should be fine using either vehicle.
 

eugarps

Active member
FWIW, from a long time trailer tugger, use the one that has the longest wheelbase and use a sway control hitch like Anderson makes. It's a peace of mind thing with me.

Bill


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Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
I spent all of last year pulling a ~2000lb T@B all over the country with a 2007 V6 4runner SR5. Our longest trip was a 5000 mile journey up through the Dakotas, across the Northern part of the country including the UP of Michigan, then into Canada and around the East side of Lake Huron and over to Niagara Falls, all the way across New York to NYC and then back to Denver. Our last trip was a Thanksgiving trip from Denver down through New Mexico to Big Bend National Park.

On our Canada trip I made the mistake of trying to keep the transmission in D in an effort to get better MPG. That was a bad call - keeping it in D meant it kept trying to go into OD and that resulted in higher transmission temps (I have an SGII to monitor trans temps) and abysmal MPG (going across ND in heavy rain I got about 9mpg!)

By the time we got back from Canada I had resolved to put the 4runner up for sale and get something with a V8 and something with a longer wheelbase. Although I would rate the 4runner as "adequate" IMO it's just that - adequate.

Keep the transmission in 4 and it will run cooler and weirdly enough, you'll actually get better MPG than if you keep it in D. Not sure why this is but it is something I noticed. I also would manually shift the trans when going up a steep hill. Even with this, it wasn't unusual for me to see trans temps in the 220 range going up a hill (the worst was coming out of Death Valley in 2014 with a smaller trailer - we hit 260 at one point! :Wow1: )

I think given the choice between the two it's a tossup - the Tacoma being newer and having a longer wheelbase probably has more usable power, but the 4runner has the V8. Keep an eye on your trans temps on both and you should be fine.
 

BurbanAZ

Explorer
FWIW, from a long time trailer tugger, use the one that has the longest wheelbase and use a sway control hitch like Anderson makes. It's a peace of mind thing with me.

Bill


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I was wondering about how big a difference the wheelbase would make. The 4Runner has always felt like it had a short wheelbase to me which has always been really nice offroading.

I think what I'll do is so short trips with both and josh see which I like better. First couple trips I'll probably pull with the 4Runner cause it has our gear so we'll have everything we need if we forget to load it in the trailer
 

eugarps

Active member
BurbanAZ,

Weight distribution means a lot too. Here's a link demonstrating how it works. Think about emptying the water tank under your front sofa and its contents ending up in the back. I pulled a 19' TT with a Ford Bronco II but don't recommend it. I was young and dumb but scrupulous about weight balance. I had a Reese weight distributing hitch and a friction sway control. We traveled the Great Plains and Rockies with that rig.

Now watch the video: https://youtu.be/nd-hUX8memY

Best,

Bill


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