Newbie -- tow a Roo 23SS with a Tacoma??

[Lake Murray Man]

Hey folks .. You guessed right ! I'm a NEWBIE. I am going to look at a Roo 23SS (~4000lb dry) tomorrow morning. My wife has already decided "we are going to buy it". Assuming shes right and she usually is ....... will my 08 Tacoma - Crew Cab - long bed - V6 Auto handle it with a 6500lb. max tow?

Will I need weight distribution and sway control? I want to be safe. I am thinking one of the new straight line distribution and sway rigs with 600lb bars. The Roo 23ss showes 367lb tongue weight. Does this sound about right? No regrets?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Lake Murray Man

Hey folks .. You guessed right ! I'm a NEWBIE. I am going to look at a Roo 23SS (~4000lb dry) tomorrow morning. My wife has already decided "we are going to buy it". Assuming shes right and she usually is ....... will my 08 Tacoma - Crew Cab - long bed - V6 Auto handle it with a 6500lb. max tow?

Will I need weight distribution and sway control? I want to be safe. I am thinking one of the new straight line distribution and sway rigs with 600lb bars. The Roo 23ss showes 367lb tongue weight. Does this sound about right? No regrets?

first, don't believe any specs on FR's website. they are famous for their inaccuracies.
our '07 23SS came with options at 4471lbs. at camping weight for the two of us, we're around 5000lbs.
the tongue is way more than 376, especially loaded with water. i think it's over 600lbs.
as long as you don't have a lot of mountains, you should be fine. that v-6 would struggle out here in the West.
when we decided to buy our 23SS, i discovered that truck v-6 engines only get a couple of mpg better than a full v-8.
my '07 Avalache gets almost the same mpg as a v-6 Tacoma, Frontier and Ridgeline. and i can tow up to 7200lbs.

you definitely need a WDH and sway control. the 600 bars will be too light. i have 1000lbs. bars on my Equalizer.
by the way, there are a lot of us 23SS owners on the RV.net Hybrid forum if you want to check it out.
find Chuck S. posts. he has tons of pics with good info on the 23SS. one pic has a tongue weight gauge.

[C130Av8r]

Don't rely on web sites or brochure Gross Axle Weights or Tongue Weights. Keep in mind that not just FR, but all RV manufacturers' web sites and brochures give the designed weight specifications. Not included in those listed weights are the dealer installed options. To find the "true" Gross Axle Weight of an RV, look for an RVIA sticker located inside the trailer. Usually, it can be found in a cabinet above or below the sink, or in the galley area. The tongue weight will be determined by the amount of "stuff" you pack into the RV and were you put it in the trailer. The more "stuff" you put forward of the axle(s), the heavier the tongue weight. Conversely, the more "stuff" you put aft of the axle(s), the lighter the tongue weight. Your tongue weight should generally be between 10% and 15% of your Gross Axle Weight. I would recommend, and most if not all of the other members of the forum would agree, it is best to take your trailer to a certified scale to have it weighed; with and/or without all your "stuff."

[STATIC]

I used to own a 06 tacoma, I bought a 21ss Roo. I live in Utah where there are alot of hills, it did alright on straight aways it felt like the trailer was pulling my truck around and that was with a equilizer hitch plus the trailer was empty. When it was full with water and everything else it had a hard time....

[MegaCabby]

Prior to moving to my 5'er coupled with my 2007 CTD Megacab, I had a 2006 Roo 232 coupled with my 2004 Hemi Quadcab and with a Sway Bar and Weight Distribution, the difference is quite dramatic with the two options as I did not want to spend any extra money when I've picked up the Roo back in 2006.

After a trip up to Northern Ontario, Canada (Killbear Provincial Park), I went back to the dealer and discussed my Roo experience with them and compared it to the experience of the 2005 Rockwood 1910 coupled with my 2004 Hemi Quadcab and purchased the 2 options and continued back up to Northern Ontario (Algonquin Provincial Park). Most definetely a difference in ride and control...well worth the money in the purchase of the Sway Control Am and Weight Distribution Bars.