Towing With A Tacoma Sucks - Kind Of - My 6 Speed Experience

2019 TRD Offroad 6 Speed
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I honestly wanted to throw away this truck last night and watch it get smashed by a compactor. Lol no lie

See you on the trail!
- FC

[RedMistr]

4 yrs later.. Do still have the camper and the Tacoma?? I begin our adventure with the same set up but leaning near the 5000lbs mark.

[truthkeeperfilms]

The truck was stalling because the trailer brake was on, so the truck is bad? Or is that user error....?

[jakeess]

I find using the handbrake to hill start is actually harder than just doing it normally with your feet.

[benbutlerfishing]

I've been looking at a 3rd gen with a 6 speed auto. I tow all over Texas (and TX is a big ass state with all sorts of terrain 😂 and I go out of state some too, I make 4 hr one way sometimes and long occasionally) My bass boat weighs about 3500lbs give or take and it's not a wind drag. I run the fuel around 10gal when I travel to cut down on weight too. How would it tow around 70 and also mpg lol. I would also get air bags to help too. Thx bud

[jamesb]

I tow a 3500' RPOD with my 2013 Tacoma DCSB TRD Sport. 6spd manual. I has a 2" OME lift kit, and I have 265/70 r16 BFK K02s in E range. I live in BC, so lots of mountains. As you mentioned in another video, momentum is your friend. My only towing issues are going up a long grade when someone cuts me off and slows or if no one gives me a chance to merge around a slow semi. But without the truck hauls well but can be noisy. I've learned to manage the load and dynamic well. I use a WDH with built in sway control that really helps and I do prefer the country roads to the freeways if I can. Challenges for me are reversing the trailer up a grade. The R gearing is so high it can be hard not to burn the clutch. I go into 4Lo when I can that really helps avoid burning the clutch and if you take it slow there isn't any major concerns with the transfer case. There is a "2LO" mod you can research that tricks the ECU to think you're in 4 LO but really only only using the rear wheels that I've considered. The stock suspension was too weak in the back with a canopy and it bounced around a fair bit over dips and bumps on the highways, sometimes bottoming out. The new Dakar springs helped a lot and the thick sidewalls of the KO2s also. If I were to travel more extensively and haul more gear I'd consider a bigger truck, but for now it's good. Once thing about the 6spd that is great is you can hold the gears yourself and downshift early when approaching a big hill. Makes a big difference for these trucks.

[letitrest]

Use four low on your transfer case. You'll probably get, about a 3 to one multiplication of torque that way. I think on a Taco with the 6 manual, it's 2.88 to 1. Which means you'll reduce the load on your clutch, transmission and engine by a whole lot. The transfer case is designed to multiply the available torque of the engine, to give your truck amazing hill climbing ability, for one thing, and of course to apply wheel power to the front and back axles. It also reduces the amount of stress on your transmission and clutch, and engine, by the amount I stated. You shouldn't apply parking brake and rev the hell out of your engine, and try starting that load on a hill, all at the same time. You'll end up burning out your clutch. disc. Use the transfer case(4x4 in 4 low), until you get your trailer in an area that's either level or slightly going down hill. Then switch back to 2 high. The 4 wheel drive transfer case is designed to take the stresses of hill climbing, off of the engine, clutch, and transmission. In the long run, you'll replace six clutches, by not using 4 low, before you ever do any surmountable wear on the transfer case, by using 4 low to get your trailer moving .

[Johnson]

Firestone Rideright airbags is what I use on my 15 tacoma sr5 4.0 4x4 crewcab automatic to level everything out, and 2018 Coleman light lx 1925bh. Cat Scale showed me I'm maxed out on tow ratings loaded up. Been all over the country, Rockies was the hardest, but I never felt I wasn't going to make it. Is has proven to be a pretty good truck, I have run it pretty hard, but in the future I'm planning on upgrading to a larger trailer, and will move up to a full size truck, also I have that same brake controller, it has worked well.

[gwot]

trade in for a Tundra? it'll suck to lose the manual though.

[streetclasscc]

Does that truck have front and rear wheel spacers?? How does it tow with them? Any problems?? Is it safe to tow with spacers??

[JSAsher]

It is rough with a smaller trailer 1700bh micro mini is 3010 lbs dry/3800 lbs maxed out and my 2019 trd 6 speed struggles. Factory everything, was considering a small lift like yours but towing would become even more gutless. Realisticaly no more then 3300 lbs is the safe towing capacity of these trucks. 6500 lbs is as made up as the hp numbers that Toyota says these trucks have.

[grizzlyted]

I have 2022 tacoma 6 sp. You helped me Bro!! I down sized to a rare Quick Silver 2.0 travel trailor. 800lb 5 person aluminum travel trailor. With A.C. high clearance 4x4 trailor. So thank you Bro!!! No worries here.

[patriciamunro]

I heard changing gearing helps tremendously?

[nonoiscool]

Given your experience, would towing a 2700lb sailboat with the m/t be fine? I live in North Idaho, there is mountains, but we are not as high in elevation up here.

[larryherring]

It’s a mis size truck with a V6. What do you expect ?

[vladputin]

I tow the same camper with a 2005 Chevy Suburban 4x4, 5.3 V8 Automatic. No problems and totally safe. I'm getting 14MPG highway and about the same in the city loaded. I bought the Suburban off Craigslist for $4000 with 190, 000 miles two years ago. I'm currently at almost 250, 000 miles and its still going strong. Get yourself some type of full size truck and you won't have any issues. I owned a 2008 Tacoma crew cab 4x4 V-6 and it got maybe 10mpg towing and it was pretty damn scary towing anything over 2000 pounds.

[fenderstrat]

How does it pull with flat ground on the road ?

[MikeBrownOhio]

Weight distributing hitch and airbags will take care of your problem... The front of your camper is tall and the weight on the tongue are factors causing some of your problems... Worked as a mechanic and had several trucks brought to me to fix this problem... The problem is usually caused by people buying a bigger camper than the truck they plan on using to pull it with... Have a great day...

[jamiesteele]

You need to remove the spacers and set your truck up with a weight distribution hitch (with sway control) it will remove the rear sag also did you figure out payload weight/truck / trailer/hitch weights
When leaving the drive put the truck in 4 LO till you get out the drive.... but the hitch is the most important

[mikehoward]

I still think the trailer is too heavy for the Tacoma...just because the max is 6000-6500, common sense dictates not to expect great results when near max capacity. I watched several other videos of folks towing trailers of comparable length, but the weight was in the 4800 pound range, and they were having no problems whatsoever. I have driven stick shift for over 50 years, from personal vehicles to box trucks to a dump truck. But not pulling anything that was at max capacity. Hopefully you can get that electric brake problem completely solved. I used to have a duel axle trailer with electric brakes set up on my Tacoma. Damn thing got outta whack and would lock the brakes on the trailer before the truck brakes engaged! Took it to the installer with the trailer and he finally got it balanced out! Best of luck to you!

[ericknepper]

Something is wrong with the truck or trailer I have almost the same truck manual aswell and I tow a 4-5k camper with it. And it struggles a bit but never had the issues you are describing. Also never use 6th gear when towing I usually use 4th.