Tacoma for pulling a Ultra Lite 2304S?

[randy22556]

I have a 2009 6cyl Tacoma with the towing package and is rated for 6500 lbs although I would never pull that much. Does anyone have a similar Tacoma and has pulled this trailer, which supposedly weighs 3457 lbs empty? How does it do?

[bshort]

Had a 2010 Extra cab PreRunner pulling a 3003 empty Wildwood. Sorry to say, but it was not a capable TV on any grade larger than an overpass. Didn't tow with it long enough to notice any wind issues, etc. Traded her away.

[bikendan]

That tow rating is for a flat trailer or boat, with no frontal area like a TT.
Air resistance is what most v-6 engines have trouble with, except an Ecoboost.

[Ken K.]

Originally Posted by randy22556

I have a 2009 6cyl Tacoma with the towing package and is rated for 6500 lbs although I would never pull that much. Does anyone have a similar Tacoma and has pulled this trailer, which supposedly weighs 3457 lbs empty? How does it do?

I just sold my 2015 Tacoma Prerunner SR5 it had a 6500lb max tow capacity. I towed a 2502KS with it. My TT's dry weight was 4500 with a 6K max cap. I towed that trailer about 10K miles in the year. I used a 12K Reese WDH with 1200lb trunnions. I also had to add Firestone Ride Rite air bags to smooth out the ride a little, only needed 25 psi in the bags, not to level but to cushion the bumps and bounces. They were no drill installation, so they were a no brainer. TV tires were a load range E BF Goodrich TA Terrains to limit the sway. I used 50Lbs in rear tires when towing. Once I did all this, and my WDH was set up correctly on flat land I hardly knew I was towing anything at all. I pulled it to the mountains crept up some steeper grades but maintained 55 mph or better on the normal rolling hills. I'm not sure if yours has an integrated electric brake controller. Mine did not so I used a Tekonsha Prodigy Trailer Brake Controller, it was proportional so the harder I pressed the pedal the more juice it sent to the trailer brakes. I didn't want the trailer trying to pass me when I wanted to stop. Finally I added a set of Tyger plug and play fold out tow mirrors I found on Amazon to replace the crappy factory mirrors that suck for towing. These made a huge difference. They were plug and play and bolted on in like 20 mins. Full electric mirror control. I was very happy with that setup never felt out of control. or felt like I was pushing the truck to it's max. Not even close. I did upgrade my TV to an F250 because I bought a big ass boat, and I'm seriously considering upgrading my TT to something more roomier as well. There were step by step videos for all my mods on youtube. You will find lots of nay sayers on here, truck snobs, hitch snobs that say you need a F350 with a v10 cummings, and an Allison transmission to haul anything. I did it for a year and 3 months without any issues. Just don't do anything outrageously stupid, and you will be fine. Happy travels!

[Bluepill]

Remember that you have to add the weight of cargo (especially water) to the trailer. In reality, you will probably end up in the mid five thousand pound area.

Be careful on how the 6500Lb capacity is figured by Toyota. They often only allow for 2 passengers in the calculations, and more passengers and cargo in the truck need to be accounted for.

[robbdrell]

I had thus TT I pulled with an 8 cylinder 05 4 Runner. Towing 7K. On secondary roads ok, but highway speeds / interstate, it was the tail wagging the dog. Enter tundra. Wow best vehicle ever owned.

[Brewhedd]

Originally Posted by randy22556

I have a 2009 6cyl Tacoma with the towing package and is rated for 6500 lbs although I would never pull that much. Does anyone have a similar Tacoma and has pulled this trailer, which supposedly weighs 3457 lbs empty? How does it do?

I pull a Rockwood 2702SS, about 6000 lbs, with a '15 V6 Silverado. It pulls it fine although my engine is 285 hp. My concern with that size truck would be stability. You definitely would need a weight distributing/ sway control hitch like an Equalizer and the right truck tires.

[jhoppmann]

Had an '10 Taco and it had trouble in the hills with a Mini-Lite 2306. Could only do 40 mph some long grades and the trans was getting over 240*. Sold the Taco after the 2nd trip.

[Ken K.]

Originally Posted by robbdrell

I had thus TT I pulled with an 8 cylinder 05 4 Runner. Towing 7K. On secondary roads ok, but highway speeds / interstate, it was the tail wagging the dog. Enter tundra. Wow best vehicle ever owned.

If you were tail wagging, you had weight distribution/ suspension/tire issues

[willietx]

We have an '05 Tacoma with the tow package and a Tracer 205M (23 ft). We have towed over 10k miles. No problems, but we never go over 65 and have just us and the 9# dog in the truck.

[Denny B]

We have a 2016 2304 KS. We tow it with a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder equipped with a towing package. I've added suspension air bags. So far it tows nicely with no problems. 8 to 13 mpg. 3 long trips so far. Chicago (western suburb) to Atlanta Georgia, to Hot Springs Arkansas, and to Copper Harbor in the upper peninsula of Michigan. As well as some shorter hops.

[qwkzotc]

I Tow a 2012 Puma 19RL (23' 9") with dry weight of 4248 and Hitch weight of 446 on my 2012 Tacoma double cab Off Road. Set up similar to Ken K with WDH and Ride Rites. Absolutely no problems, just take it easy on steep grades by staying around 50-55 (6%/7% grades).

The difference is I also have the TRD Supercharger which boosts the Torque and HP significantly. Good news is great towing performance. Bad news is poor gas mileage year round when not towing. I had accepted this and planned that way in advance because I was tired of parking/maneuvering hassles on my Tundra CrewMax.

Of course the supercharger also adds a premium cost to the Tacoma which could be used to upsize to a Tundra. Toyota is discontinuing SC's but is committed to 10 years of support so may have to get aftermarket if dealer is out of them. It is actually an Eaton 90.

[Ken K.]

The only thing that bothered me and it wasn't really that big of a deal was when I towed I got 9-10 mpg, with a 15 gal tank that doesn't get you very far before you have to stop and fill up again.

[itat]

I'm going to side with the other posters that it's not your best tow vehicle. If the fictional brochure weight is 3400# it will be closer to 4500# when you're loaded ready to camp. Check the actual sticker to see what it really weighs and figure in an extra 600# of cargo.

I had an '08 Tacoma TRD double cab pulling a 5200# Rockwood Roo and I was right at the GVWR with only 2 of us in the cab. It was fine on flat roads but struggled on most hills. I couldn't accelerate up a hill. Between the drag and the weight, I just wasn't satisfied so I traded it on my current F-150. A Tundra would be a very capable TV for your TT. The specs indicate they are like an F-150 with max. tow package (GVWR around 7200#). But around here they tend to be a fair bit more expensive than an F-150 without any better performance and a thirsty 5.7L engine. The Toyota name is worth something IMO though.

[ChooChooMan74]

For size comparison, I towed for 4 years with my Diesel Jeep Liberty. Only I would drive it because it wasn't the best towing vehicle for a full profile trailer. But, I do miss the maneuverability of the Liberty. I did have a Reese Dual Cam WDH, which IMHO, helped.

[604Joe]

I have a 2016 Tacoma and pull a 2306 dry 3890 full load 4800 lbs does great truck has lots of power

[bschmit]

I pull a 2304ks with a Nissan Frontier. Tows fine at 60 mph. Struggles a bit at 65 and only gets about 10 mpg. Not the ideal tow vehicle but capable of getting you where you want to go. I have Belden shocks all the way around. Very stable when pulling without a weight distribution hitch.