Toyota Tacoma…Good Tow Vehicle?

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by W5CRE

Why does no one ever read my posts? And, it's 7500 lbs.

I read your post(s) but I'm not looking for a different truck!

[howellma]

Originally Posted by Mr Towed

My friend is probably 5’2” and 120 pounds tops, and she drives an F-150. I know another girl of similar size that has one as well. The only thing that might be tough is getting up into it, but almost all of them have running boards these days.

It has adjustable wheels AND pedals! It is short person compatible. Go for it! (And in my opinion you should go for the 3.5 eco post and make sure you have the upgraded fuel tank, I think it’s 30 gallons... IF you can find one with towing mirrors I’d highly recommend it, but they can be harder to come by.

Mine is 2017 f150 with max tow, 36gal tank!! My daughter is 5 5 and loves driving it

[Dirt Sifter]

I am comfortable pulling our RPod 195 (about 4700 lbs) with our Tacoma TRD Off Road with 3.5 L and tow package. Worst experience was strong head winds. I don't mind pulling off to let over taking rigs pass in the mountains and can pass slower rigs on the flat. BUT I wouldn't want to tow anything too much bigger. I'm not familiar enough with the newer Rangers, or diesel Canyon (GMC), to make a recommendation but they are more comfortable to ride in. A gas F150 doesn't have to be real big, check the different models. Good luck and have fun.

[Reverse_snowbird]

It's going to depend on the Toyota Tundra that you purchase. The 2022 Tacoma's are similar to our 2006 Toyota Tundra. (They upsized them so they aren't much different in size to other full size pickups. If you buy the tow package, their max tow weight is 6800 pounds. Check with the sales rep.
The older and smaller Tacoma's would not be suitable to pull your trailer.

No matter which truck you end up with, get steps added to allow you to climb into the cab easily. You might want to look at the Tundra. While these big trucks (no matter what brand) look intimidating, they drive easily and the main thing you need to look for is how you 'fit' into the cab and it's controls.

[NJKris]

Chicks driving big trucks look cute. This is the most important thing. My wife just came home from work driving my truck today. She said, "do I look cute?" I said, "very". Now if I can just get her to drive it towing.....she refuses.

[flyflotrtim]

Go with the F150, even the Tundra capacities are exceeded by Ford, Chevy, and GMC

[ARhappycamper]

Short answer - No, a Tacoma is not a good TV for a TT.

[moose074]

Originally Posted by Thomas ho

i see the toyotas struggle every where i travel , in colorado they are barely making it . a head wind in texas 55mph is whst i observe to be wide open throttle , want a small truck? nissan diesel, a ecoboost f150 with the big engine,twin turbo. a used chev. duramax 6.6 diesel, a toyot sequoia is a real bad choice, toyota just not enough power. in my observation on the many i see on the hwy. pulling trailers ,22ftrs, to 30 ftrs. they are struggling. short pulls ,flat terrain , no high altitude, prob. ok. overall "NO"JMOP!

What is your definition of struggle my 2014 Tundra did great pulling my almost 36 ( hitch to bumper) and just over 9k loaded TT. (I know OP asked about Tacoma), but you said Toyota. Go to a Tundra or Tacoma forum. You will get a few my truck struggles but just like any other forum people bragging about what they tow or hauled PLEASE PLEASE stop comparing a duramax or power stroke or Cummings to a gas engine just shows true ignorance

[moose074]

Originally Posted by eaglecrest

I see too many crashes because the tow vehicle does not match the trailer being towed. A tacoma class vehicle is too small for that weight class. Will it tow it? YES. Will it stop it in an emergency? NO. Brakes are not that heavy duty. Even the 1/2 ton trucks are iffy on brakes pulling above 5000 pounds.

Which is why trailers have brakes

[moose074]

I don’t believe your size should limit what you drive. You need to drive what you feel comfortable in. While some people have provided you with personal driving experience of a Tacoma many provided you a bias opinion based on brand loyalty or bigger is better I’m over compensating for my own lack of knowledge or driving ability. Fact is that unless you have a 5.7 in your grand Cherokee in which case you would lose performance The Tacoma based on pure numbers from a quick search might get you same performance or close to what your getting now. So based on horse power and torque not sure you gain anything.

[Guspech750]

Originally Posted by Mpraph

We currently tow our 4100 lbs unloaded/5100 lbs loaded Salem Cruiselite, 22’, with a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It does pretty well, though it struggles a bit on inclines. We’re considering a new vehicle. We’ve looked at F150s, but because I’m a small woman, we’re thinking it might be too big. So an alternative is a Toyota Tacoma. We’ve heard they may not do well towing our size trailer. Thoughts? Your experience would be greatly appreciated.

I’m just going to say Ecoboost.

We have a 2017 Expedition XLT EL with 3.5 Ecoboost and heavy duty tow package. And it tows amazing. It pulls and slows down our 7,000+lb travel trailer with so much ease. Whether it’s flat land, mountains or rolling hills . That Ecoboost is a workhorse.

So I would recommend the F-150 you mentioned or if you want more space for dogs or tall cargo. I’d recommend an Expedition Max or EL long wheelbase.

In the end. You can never have too much truck but you can have too little truck with regrets. Buy as much tow vehicle as you can afford.

Every thread needs a picture.

[ARhappycamper]

Originally Posted by moose074

Which is why trailers have brakes

This isn't true.
What half-ton modern pickup with TBC is iffy with brakes when towing a trailer with brakes ?

[itat]

Originally Posted by ARhappycamper

Short answer - No, a Tacoma is not a good TV for a TT.

IMO, a Tacoma would be fine for a small TT like an R-Pod or most Geo Pro models, but not a Rockwood Mini Lite.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by itat

IMO, a Tacoma would be fine for a small TT like an R-Pod or most Geo Pro models, but not a Rockwood Mini Lite.

Barely suitable for all but smallest epro/geopros. The 2021 Tacoma has a 640 tongue weight limit. My GeoPro is 600-700 lbs on the tongue, so this trailer would be at or maybe over the tongue limit.

[itat]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Barely suitable for all but smallest epro/geopros. The 2021 Tacoma has a 640 tongue weight limit. My GeoPro is 600-700 lbs on the tongue, so this trailer would be at or maybe over the tongue limit.

Wow. Thanks, Kris. I had no idea it would be that heavy. My longer Roo 23SS had only around 650# on its tongue. I stand corrected!

Surely the Tacoma can handle the 12’ and 15’ Geo Pros!

[NJKris]

Yeah, that 10-15% on the tongue doesn't apply to the single axle trailers. More like 22%. Yes, the baby geos/epros would work nicely with a Tacoma.

[JimMorrell]

Tacomas are not good tow vehicles for that size trailer.Check out Ford Ranger for a smaller truck. I think it might be OK for your trailer.

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by Thomas ho

i see the toyotas struggle every where i travel , in colorado they are barely making it . a head wind in texas 55mph is whst i observe to be wide open throttle , want a small truck? nissan diesel, a ecoboost f150 with the big engine,twin turbo. a used chev. duramax 6.6 diesel, a toyot sequoia is a real bad choice, toyota just not enough power. in my observation on the many i see on the hwy. pulling trailers ,22ftrs, to 30 ftrs. they are struggling. short pulls ,flat terrain , no high altitude, prob. ok. overall "NO"JMOP!

How do you go about observing the throttle position of someone else's vehicle while it's driving 55mph????? I am an engineer who also previously worked as both an auto mechanic and as a machinist, and thought I was fairly knowledgeable about how consumer-level passenger vehicles worked. But this blows my mind!

[upflying]

I pulled the TT in my signature with a Nissan Frontier, same basically as a Tacoma. It was a nope on climbing grades in the Sierras.

[Trawlerphil]

After hurricane Irene, I bought a 4 cylinder 2006 Tacoma because it was the only truck I could find that wasn't flooded within 200 miles. I bought a 21' KZ Sportsman tag-along which weighed just under 4,000 lbs. loaded. The little Tacoma 4 cylinder did not do well on the highway, just barely able to do the speed limit, and we often "took the road less traveled" and had a great time going from NC to Montana for my grand daughter's graduation. I think it might have been fine if I were able to have bought a V6. I bought a Tundra in 2014 and towed a 9,000 lb. Flagstaff Classic cross country and Maine to Florida without problems and I'm towing the same Flagstaff Classic today with a 2018 F-150 Tow Max. In summary, you could probably get away with a big engine Tacoma, but I think you would be a lot happier with a F-150. I get 10MPG towing and 22 MPG as a daily driver.