I'm thinking of buying a new Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Double Cab with V6. I need it to tow my boat package (trailer, boat, motor, gas) of about 5000 lbs. Does anyone have experience with a boat this size? How does it handle on the highway? Acceleration? Any information would be helpful. Thanks.
it CAN do it, but factor in hills, boat ramp, etc, you'd be happier with a bigger motor... and maybe a stouter or wider stance of the Tundra...
I haul 3 quads, 1-700lbs, 1-650lbs, 1 400lbs, with an 1100lbs trailer, and some hills are torture... stopping can be fun, so don't follow too close, and know where your sides are.... it CAN be done, but why stress it?
Try to collect the proof reading fee. Or spam for that matter. Hell, If this were ture. I'd be bill gates by now.
Red, you NEED brakes on that trailer.
Ken
Joke, ever heard one?
Tell me!!
That's why I adjust my driving style when pulling... anticipate everything and hope for the best...
Similarly, I pulled a Kabota tractor, small 3cyl deisel, but the danged thing weighte 2200lbs, and on a rather heavy trailer... pulled it 25 miles, took almost a whole tank of gas... remember, I'm in TN and there are lots of hills around here.... on a 2lane highway, never DID get over 45mph, and even down hill on a few, used the gravity factor to get a run on the next hill...
Needless to say, I don't do THAT everyday....
I think it depends on distance and frequency. Keep in mind that the Tacoma is a "compact" pickup, and the boat is taller, wider, and heavier than the truck. The Taco 4x4 V6 weighs just over 3500lbs, and the MAXIMUM trailer weight is 5000lbs.
I tow about 3500lbs 400 miles 4 times/year with an 89 V6 4x4 (198k miles!). That 3500lbs is the absolute heaviest I would tow with a compact 4x4 of any make.
Thus, my suggestion: if you're going to tow that boat twice a year, do the obvious: Class III/IV hitch and electric trailer brakes, don't exceed 55mph, and don't tow more than a few hundred miles.
If you're going to tow it regularly, get a bigger truck. Consider the Tundra V8s, and consider 2WD - increased towing capacity and power to the rear wheels, less overall drivetrain drag. My personal recommendation would be a new Ford 150 with the Triton V8 - I've used those to tow Toyota 4x4s and they were very well suited, both in power and stability, to the task. On the other hand, I'd never use a Ford at
197k miles, like my truck, to tow much of anything. But I've not seen the Triton V8s at that mileage yet.To answer your other questions:
Horribly, of course. The boat is designed to be in the water, not the air. Drag and crosswinds are miserable and constant.
Always as slow as you can go.
lycka till! GTr
--
and get rear disc kit from Downey...
i'd also opt for the trd S/C unit...
For my first pickup which I'll be buying this Spring, I was also thinking of buying a Tacoma V-6 to tow a boat & trailer weighing 5,000 lbs. While most of the time I'll be launching 1.5 miles from my house, there are times I'll be towing 1.5 hours to a lake to launch and a couple of times each summer, I'll be towing 8 hrs. over Interstates to a relative's house.
How far are you going to be towing and where (flatland or over the Rockies)?
After spending time looking into it and talking with people who tow, I decided to buy a Tundra with the 4.7L V-8 (or possibly another full size pickup with a V-8). Also, buy a truck that has the factory towing package, and you want a Class III or IV hitch with a 2" receiver.
As to 2WD or 4WD, we have 10 foot tides where i liove and will be doing most of my launching/retrieving and the ramp that I will use the most is paved but steep, so I'm getting ta 4WD. How steep are the launching ramps you intend to use?
Do you alreadfy have your trailer? If not, having just purchased one to use in saltwater, I've got some suggestions if you want them.
Sandy
I have a 23 foot SeaRay (4,000lb plus) that I don't tow very much. I keep it in a boat house with a sling lift. But I do have a trailer. I have a 2002 4Runner 4x4 and a 98 Tacoma (extended cab). I have hooked the boat up to both of them.
The Tacoma is not a good tow vehicle for that size boat. The 4Runner is a 4x4 and has NO problem pulling the boat out at the ramp (in low range), and tows it OK on the road.
I towed my boat with my brother in law's Ford Diesel and I couldn't hardly tell the boat was back there.
When I tow with my Tacoma, it is just for very short distances and at very slow speeds. With the 4Runner, I can tow it further, but still at reduced speeds and very carefully.
Small economical vehicles are not really good tow vehicles, but you can make do on occasion with a lot of care.
I have an 03 Tacoma Dbl Cab 4x4 V6. I tow a 3000lb Bass boat with no trouble. I towed the same boat with my 90 Toyota 4x4 truck 4cyl. No problems. If you are going to have a 5000lbs load and tow any distance then go for the Tundra. The weight distro for the larger truck and the larger payload will be a better match. ALSO get the tow package that has a HD alternator and Trans cooling.
SPAM me NOT
Didn't know... hmmm, thanks, I'll be looking....
Yeah, I'm waiting for 8 more payments THEN I'll be doing that....
With my 2002 Xcab, Prerunner, V-6, without towing package (I added an oil cooler)I have towed a cargo trailer, weighing 3000#, with a combined weight of
7450#. We towed this from Oregon, to Florida.(3200 miles) On longer hills we slowed a bit, never dropping below 45..This was with a light foot. Usual speed was 65. Avg. mpg. for the trip was 14 mpg. The tach. never went over 3500 rpm. 99% of the time, I left it in overdrive, and sometimes on hills it would come out of overdrive. On slight grades, it would stay in OD, and the trans lockup converter would unlock for more power. Without using cruise control, I could decrease speed a mph or so, on mild grades, and keep the trans on OD, with the converter locked. Just my .02MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.