question on towing

Suspension: Based on my 2002 double cab TRD's suspension, the answer is yes. It's stiff enough to not be horsed around (no pun intended) by the trailer. However, this is based on hauling a friend's 4000 lb boat a few times. A boat doesn't contain a big animal who might decide to shift its weight around just because it sees a bunch of other horses along the side of the road. Do horses shift much when they're in the trailer?

Brakes: Does the horse trailer have electric brakes? Could it be fitted with them? I'm asking because it sounds like you'd be pushing the upper limits of the truck's towing capacity, and I think that when the mfr determines that capacity, the ability of the truck's brakes to stop a towed load is one of the factors they throw into the hopper.

Transmission: Whatever the service interval is for transmission filter & new fluid, get it done ahead of time, and repeat religiously. This is true of ANY towing vehicle, but my mechanic says it's one of those things that customers hear about and say "Yeah....next month", and never do it.

Power: Towing my friend's boat, it took a bit of planning to get up really big hills, unless I wanted the tranny to shift down from OD to 3rd or 2nd. Sometimes when there's a corpse driving the car ahead of you on the approach to a hill, you can't get up extra speed beforehand, so be prepared for that disappointment. However, when I tow MY boat (1500 lbs fully loaded with gas, ice and worms), the truck behaves like it's not even there.

The trailer does have electric brakes and the SO'S Durango has the brake modulator onboard. The horse is pretty tame, he doesn't move around all that much. The trailer is big enough for him and he just kinda stands there..... I am going to have to call the dealership in the AM and ask them what the scoop is. I don't want to make a mistake on this.. To much money and time is at stake. I may take the trailer out empty and see how my extend cab does and then try it with the big boy in it....

Jake

Another thing, and you'll have to research this. Around the hub of the cooling fan is a colored band. It can be either orange or green. My manual's out in the truck so I'm not clear on this, but one of the colors indicates a towing package. If the salesperson can't explain the package, go into the shop and talk to the service manager. For my purposes, it wasn't a big deal, since I rarely tow my friend's boat, and my own boat is so light. But for a heavier trailer, you may want to either find a truck with the "package", or see if the necessary things can be installed. It may be as simple as a transmission oil cooler, which can be installed by the dealer or any competent mechanic. (NOT U-Haul, although they offer the accessory). The cooler's like a tiny radiator through which the tranny fluid flows.

I went out this am and the hitch on my 99 came from UHaul, I had a pain in the but time with them last year, I had to replace the electrical plug. On the good side my wife called and her payoff on her Durango is alot less than I was guessing. There were a couple of Taco's on the lot that had the hitch from the factory installed, the one we were looking at didn't... Oh and I was looking at the toyota web site and they are coming out with a bigger badder and more powerful taco in 05, more towing and a bigger engine...... Thanks for the info on the band around the hub... I will keep you all informed as to what happens..

Thanks Jake

Warning: All matter in this post is humor and of no real value to the original poster:

That would, in my case, depend on who I take out on the lake with me.

LOL! I thought I was the only one who refers to those people as 'corpses'!

MMc

Green.

lycka till! GTr

- -

Don't worry about getting a factory hitch. Walk into Advance Auto Parts and buy one. I'll check the brand of mine for you. The bar & hitch are built really well. And, it came with a wiring harness made for my truck. It's a Y-shaped affair. Each side of the Y is installed inside a tail light, so the plugs aren't exposed. No splicing - the plugs were made for the truck. The only exposed plug is the one for the trailer, and that's the case with ALL such wiring. I keep it slathered in dialectric grease constantly. No corrosion.

The hitch has side brackets which sandwich between the frame and the brackets which hold on the factory bumper. It fit perfectly. The only nonsense was the claim that one person could install it in 20 minutes. It took my mechanic and I an hour and a half, including 4 cups of coffee and a lot of fishing talk. :-) But seriously, it'll be much easier on a lift.

OK. I'm still too far from my manual. What's the green band mean? Just a different fan clutch? Or more? I know it doesn't mean the truck comes with a hitch, because I saw green-banded models at the dealership with no hitch or trailer harness.

Well, it's true! Here in NY State, you can actually see them lined up at the DMV. Their families bring them in, stand behind them in line, and sorta throw their voices so the clerk thinks the corpse is speaking. Then, off they go with a license. We also grant licenses to people who are completely blind.

HD Fan Clutch, which is installed along with the other factory towing package items, such as tranny cooler, wiring isolator, springs, etc, depending on model and transmission.

The hitches tend to be dealer-installed (four bolts, choice of Class III or IV), as would the short wiring adapter (4-Flat typically with Class III, or Round 7-wire with Class IV), but the wiring access point is installed at the factory.

good luck! GTr

The trailer and the horse are too much for the Tacoma. The horse is 1300lbs and the trailer is 5000lbs. I would rather get the Tundra and have the ommph to go up the hills were we would be taking the trailer anyway.

The toyota dealer was slathering at my 99 Taco, slathering in their minds at what they want to give me for my PERFECT 99 Taco with 67,529 miles on a dent free body. $10,800 trade in on a $32,000 Tundra. My wifes Durango is worth $21K she owes $17,000 so we would have about $14k to slap down on the Tundra. Again after she beats them up or we go to a differant dealer.... I think that my Taco is worth $13,500 on the retail market and her Durango is priced about right. The Taco is going in front of the house with a for sale sign on it tonite. I KNOW I CAN SELL HER FOR MORE>>>>

Jake

That horse is too durn big!

$10k for your Taco? At 67k miles, it's got more life left in it than 4 Chevy trucks. :-) Assuming we're talking about Chevys without a lot of fancy trimmings, that's $80,000 worth of trucks, which is what your Taco is worth. Tell the dealer to bend over. :-)