Question for towing stuff

[city hunter]

Hi There I have a 93 toyota 4 runner 3.0L V6 auto,my question is ,Can it tow a 14' travel trailer About 2500 lbs ? Will it hurt the transmission system ? or has to be fix heavy duty transmission on my truck ?because I am going to tow a travel trailer for hunting ,So expecting more up and down and uneven terrain,any help would be appreciated,thanks a lot !!!

[OOBuck]

Hi There I have a 93 toyota 4 runner 3.0L V6 auto,my question is ,Can it tow a 14' travel trailer About 2500 lbs ? Will it hurt the transmission system ? or has to be fix heavy duty transmission on my truck ?because I am going to tow a travel trailer for hunting ,So expecting more up and down and uneven terrain,any help would be appreciated,thanks a lot !!!

Best bet is to contact the manufacture, install a transmission cooler, next anything you tow cannot exceed your tow vehicle weight by 1/3 or the trailer will require brakes on every axle.

[Slime green cat]

I have had a few 3.0 v6 4Runners over the years ... they are a tough and very reliable rig, but they are not good tow vehicles .... freakin gutless :confused:
Providing your cooling system and tranny are in top shape, it will handle the load, and it will get you there, but if you plan to tow this trailer any real distance and its more than once a year ..... I would bet your shopping for a new rig in the near future :mrgreen:
I had a couple manual tranny 4Runners and one auto . I was towing my Yamaha Rhino on a 5x10 trailer with some camping gear etc .. The weight was around 2500 lbs and up to 3500 when I had more gear on longer trips .... I found the manual alot better for towing, but the auto did work, it just felt really really underpowered doing it . The best it would do is about 45 to 50 km/hr up the snowshed hill on the coquihalla :lol:
The 4runners have a pretty strong automatic ... as long as the fluid is clean and you dont have 300'000 + kms on the truck, it should do the trick for you .
If you plan to tow this load in the warmer months you should have an aftermarket tranny cooler installed ( auto trannys worst nightmare is heat) especially one with high miles .

Good luck :)

[Sitkaspruce]

I have an 02 Toyota 4x4 V6 5 speed and it has a hard time pulling my 3000 lbs boat, Just not the ump for the hills. A lot of gearing up and down, and the truck sways around a lot when there is a cross wind.

Not only that, but the brakes are just not designed to stop that big a load in a hurry.

We moved up to a full size truck fro our towing and keep the Toy for hunting.

I think it is dangerous to use the 4runner and the trailer.

Just my two cents.

Cheers

SS

[eastkoot]

Trailer brakes ( Just an FYI)

(3) A trailer shall be equipped with brakes at each end of each axle, but brakes are not required
(a) on one axle of a house trailer that is equipped with more than 2 axles,
(b) on any axle of a trailer other than a towing dolly if the licensed vehicle weight of the trailer
(i) is 1 400 kg or less, and
(ii) is less than 50% of the licensed vehicle weight of the vehicle by which it is being towed,

Motor Vehicle Act Regs..

So, if your trailer weighs over 1400 kg's and weighs more than 50% of your towed vehicles LICENCED GVW, you need brakes. Also a breakaway if over 2800 Kg's.. Minimun licenced GVW from ICBC is 1 1/2 times it's manufacturers actual weight..

[brotherjack]

I say, get a great big transmission cooler, and give-er'. It'll be gutless on the hills, true, but that's not the end of the world, is it? Where did we get the idea that we must be able to pull 110km/hr up an 8% grade with a fully loaded trailer, or somehow we need a bigger truck? I once hauled a 2,200lbs trailer from Dallas Texas to Cranbrook BC behind a Mazda B2300 (90-ish HP 4cyl). Yeah, we were going a little slow, and down in 3rd gear listening to the engine wail every time we hit a steep hill, but that didn't seem like such big deal at the time. Got us here just fine, and we put another 100,000km on that truck after that.

[wrenchhead]

you should be able to get away with it. put a tranny cooler in and a tranny temp gauge to monitor the temp.
i wont have the power of a deisel on the hills but if you taker easy it should get the job done.

[city hunter]

Thank you so much for the info which you guys gave,I got it,I don't think my toyota 4 runner has enough power to tow 2500lbs trailer for a long way without any tranny cooler fixed, have to find another bigger truck to do it,thanks again !!!

[wighty]

I own a 91 Toyota SR5 Pickup 4x4.... I wouldnt tow anything more than a quad in the back or a SMALL import camper....

Toyota trucks, 4runners, FJ40/45.... well all toyota 4x4's were made to go slow.... and get anywhere and everywhere ( sometimes with a little help from the winch )

[hunter1947]

Breaks are need on your trailer ,heat is what kills the auto transmission ,If you do tow this trailer with this truck make sure you have a big transmission coller installed if you don't don't tow.

I would also get a mild shift kit put in your transmission if you don't have one ,its the slow sifting in and out when the trans changes gears that will do the damage the quicker shifts in and out will make the trans last longer.

If me I would not tow this trailer with your truck ether get a bigger truck or don,t tow this trailer ,thats my opinion.

[city hunter]

Breaks are need on your trailer ,heat is what kills the auto transmission ,If you do tow this trailer with this truck make sure you have a big transmission culler installed if you don't don't tow.

I would also get a mild shift kit put in your transmission if you don't have one ,its the slow sifting in and out when the trans changes gears that will do the damage the quicker shifts in and out will make the trans last longer.

If me I would not tow this trailer with your truck ether get a bigger truck or don,t tow this trailer ,thats my opinion.Yeah,I agree with you,thanks buddy.

[6616]

I see your toyota has an automatic, if it's got overdrive be sure to disable the overdrive when towing or you'll burn it up.

In my opinion your toyota is a little light and under-powered for a 14 foot trailer for long distance highway trips, but should be OK for local hunting trips.

[gibblewabble]

Just remember that if the trailer states it is 2500 lbs that is dry, meaning without any clothes, food, water, etc, which really adds up fast. You could have it up to 3500 in no time just by putting your gear in it. My 22' trailer is 5500 lbs and when I hit the scales with the family and all our gear the trailer is at 7500 lbs, but that is why I have a Dodge 3500......well that and I haul around a welding skid all the time.

Just remember to take the extra weight into account and hit a scale if they are closed to check your weight out it is always good to know where you stand.