Towing capacity

[Prairiekid]

I am curious what others experiences have been towing with a mid size truck.

The truck we currently have is a 2015 Tacoma w/4.0l. The towing capacity is 6500lbs. If we wanted to tow a trailer somewhere in the range of 2300-2700 dry weight, how well would it do it?

I have towed with it a bit, I have a 6*14 enclosed cargo trailer and once towed a 5*8 flat deck with a camperette strapped down. It pulls both easily, but when it's hilly you're still using 3 or 4th gear.

I'm not sure whether it's worth up sizing to be able to tow more easily. Even though most of our daily driving with the truck is done with a mostly empty box, maybe bikes, skis or something to that effect.

[elkhunter11]

I got rid of my Tacoma, when I ordered my boat, after towing snowmobiles and a utility trailer with firewood, I found the lack of power and terrible fuel mileage too annoying to tow with it on a regular basis. Now I have almost twice the torque, and better fuel economy with a full sized pickup.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Like Elk said, sizing up to a full-size definitely has its advantages with respect to towing.
One of the major benefits is safety, especially with heavier loads on grades.

The gas mileage penalty can be minimal, depending on the truck and your driving habits.

It also depends on how often you tow.

Keep the Tacoma if you need the maneuverability of a smaller truck.

[walker1]

Originally Posted by Prairiekid

I am curious what others experiences have been towing with a mid size truck.

The truck we currently have is a 2015 Tacoma w/4.0l. The towing capacity is 6500lbs. If we wanted to tow a trailer somewhere in the range of 2300-2700 dry weight, how well would it do it?

I have towed with it a bit, I have a 6*14 enclosed cargo trailer and once towed a 5*8 flat deck with a camperette strapped down. It pulls both easily, but when it's hilly you're still using 3 or 4th gear.

I'm not sure whether it's worth up sizing to be able to tow more easily. Even though most of our daily driving with the truck is done with a mostly empty box, maybe bikes, skis or something to that effect.

The dry weight is not a concern but what is the intended loaded weight? If under 4k I think you would be ok but you would still deal with the power issue. The Taco is a great reliable truck but light duty and thirsty!!!
BTW towing capacity is a small factor and in most trucks is a unatainable number fabricated by ALL the manufacturers. No one ever said they have too much truck!!!!
Best of luck.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

Like Elk said, sizing up to a full-size definitely has its advantages with respect to towing.
One of the major benefits is safety, especially with heavier loads on grades.

The gas mileage penalty can be minimal, depending on the truck and your driving habits.

It also depends on how often you tow.

Keep the Tacoma if you need the maneuverability of a smaller truck.

If I look at my overall fuel consumption, it is better with the full sized truck. Around town the Tacoma was very slightly more efficient, but at 100km/hr, it was about equal, and at 110km/hr and above, or with wind, the ecoboost gets better mileage. When towing, the difference in fuel consumption is about 25% better for the ecoboost. I towed pretty much weekly last summer, with trips up to 700km, and I am very glad that I didn't have to do it with the Tacoma.

[Markl11]

My last truck was a tacoma with the 3.5 v6 and 6mt. I towed a 3000# boat for a season, biggest issue I had was steep ramps. I had to put it in 4lo or you burn the crap out of the clutch.

I put around 3k as the max on the tacoma to tow comfortably. Power was not there for long hilly trips and it was always around 2500-4000 rpm so sucks the gas back pretty good.

under 3k every once and awhile is doable and is what I expected when I got the truck. But ended up towing the boat every weekend and during the week so I bought an old gas 1 ton as the dedicated tow rig and knew it was the right choice the first time I pulled the boat.

So if you like the truck and only tow a few times a year you should be just fine. If you tow every weekend I would be looking into different options.

[EZM]

Other than what is mentioned above - the tongue weight (which deducts payload) on smaller trucks is really something to watch there.

I also find smaller trucks and mid sizes just don't handle well, don't break as well and really seem to be a bit to sketchy for me compared to even a 1/2 ton full size.

[Prairiekid]

Thanks for the feedback. I do love the truck but we hope to do a couple longer trips next year and sometimes the gas stations don’t seem close enough with a Tacoma.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Prairiekid

Thanks for the feedback. I do love the truck but we hope to do a couple longer trips next year and sometimes the gas stations don’t seem close enough with a Tacoma.

And towing the Tacoma range falls to at most 400km, with my full sized truck and 136l tank, I put 700km on towing the boat, and still had around 1/4 tank. I have put on 1000km not towing, and was still around 1/8.

[Prairiekid]

I should add my dad will be selling his 6.2l SLT, and he bumped it with his JCB, it’s fixed but I think I’ll low ball him

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Prairiekid

Thanks for the feedback. I do love the truck but we hope to do a couple longer trips next year and sometimes the gas stations don’t seem close enough with a Tacoma.

I can relate - they aren't close enough for my Tundra when I'm towing as well. Teensy-weensy tank.

I pack 1-2 25l jerry cans when I'm on my remote adventures.

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

If I look at my overall fuel consumption, it is better with the full sized truck. Around town the Tacoma was very slightly more efficient, but at 100km/hr, it was about equal, and at 110km/hr and above, or with wind, the ecoboost gets better mileage. When towing, the difference in fuel consumption is about 25% better for the ecoboost. I towed pretty much weekly last summer, with trips up to 700km, and I am very glad that I didn't have to do it with the Tacoma.

Which ecoboost do you have? The 2.7 or the 3.5???

[Cottus]

I've been using my 2013 Tacoma V6 to tow my 20' TT with a dry weight of 4400lbs for 4 summers now. With family, propane, gas, and food we are certainly 5500lbs or maybe even 6000lbs. Our "toughest" drives have been to Rock Lake from Edmonton, with some bigger hills on the 40 out of Hinton. It is not something I would like to do every weekend, in 3rd gear, sometimes 2nd to pull 80kph on some of those hills. And the gas bill...but the truck is basically perfect for the other 355 days I'm not pulling a trailer.

My napkin math tells me my rig is close in scale (power/weight/load) to a highway tractor and loaded trailer, and I definitely drive it as such. So if you need to drive your rig like a kid in a Honda Civic, or a yahoo in a diesel one ton towing a single snowmobile, this combo is not for you. If you are okay with driving like a professional and a grandpa; leaving lots of room for braking and lane changes; being aware of wind and how to use trailer brakes, travelling slowly and stopping for rest breaks*, and getting passed by every F150 on the road, this truck does the job adequately**

*Bonus with little kids: no matter how fast or slow I drive, the deciding factor on how long it takes to get anywhere is pee breaks, bottles, snacks, and diapers.

**with suitable towing packages, trailer brakes, weight setup, mirrors, experience, weight distributing hitch, etc etc etc*

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Scott h

Which ecoboost do you have? The 2.7 or the 3.5???

2021 3.5, and the year matters, the new tune in 2021 increased both power and fuel economy significantly.

[winmag]

Beautiful little light duty trucks for the most part on their own, but mine i had to add brake controller, throttle response controller and air bags to pull 18 foot hunting shack the Taco hated it even on light grades , struggled to pull 16.5 Lund boat on hills like at Battle and Buck lake finally got a 2018 GMC sierra 5.3 with 454 gears what a joy never looked back even pulls better then my old Tundra 5.7 had to add brake controller and air bag that truck too with the GMC hook on and go only complaint the GMC is a little low and a short box

[walker1]

Even the big bad trucks can have a crappy fuel tank capacity. My 2012 F 350 diesel was a big 92 litres. Why put that in a truck meant for working and hauling????
My 2017 has the 136 litre. It works but would even prefer 150 plus!

[Prairiekid]

Originally Posted by Cottus

I've been using my 2013 Tacoma V6 to tow my 20' TT with a dry weight of 4400lbs for 4 summers now. With family, propane, gas, and food we are certainly 5500lbs or maybe even 6000lbs. Our "toughest" drives have been to Rock Lake from Edmonton, with some bigger hills on the 40 out of Hinton. It is not something I would like to do every weekend, in 3rd gear, sometimes 2nd to pull 80kph on some of those hills. And the gas bill...but the truck is basically perfect for the other 355 days I'm not pulling a trailer.

My napkin math tells me my rig is close in scale (power/weight/load) to a highway tractor and loaded trailer, and I definitely drive it as such. So if you need to drive your rig like a kid in a Honda Civic, or a yahoo in a diesel one ton towing a single snowmobile, this combo is not for you. If you are okay with driving like a professional and a grandpa; leaving lots of room for braking and lane changes; being aware of wind and how to use trailer brakes, travelling slowly and stopping for rest breaks*, and getting passed by every F150 on the road, this truck does the job adequately**

*Bonus with little kids: no matter how fast or slow I drive, the deciding factor on how long it takes to get anywhere is pee breaks, bottles, snacks, and diapers.

**with suitable towing packages, trailer brakes, weight setup, mirrors, experience, weight distributing hitch, etc etc etc*

That is the thing, the rest of the year it works great. One of the trips next summer will be Calgary - Whitehorse...

[Peace Meal Farm]

Originally Posted by Prairiekid

That is the thing, the rest of the year it works great. One of the trips next summer will be Calgary - Dawson City...

Fixed that for you! You've gotta go further than Whitehorse ; )

I did my schooling for automotive mechanics down in Vermillion at Lakeland. I was down there for one of my levels when I came across on a solid deal on a car hauler trailer over in Saskatoon. All I had with me for wheels was my 4.0 Ranger/Mazda. I towed that thing (mostly empty) back to Whitehorse and caught 3rd gear on just about every single hill. I bet you I grabbed first on my way up Sikanni! I think the extent of my load on that trailer was about a thousand pounds of Ikea boxes to cover my fuel cost north.

As noted by everybody above, get a bigger truck if you're on the fence and have the means. The larger ones have more room, more capacity and they get better economy. It's a no brainer.

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

2021 3.5, and the year matters, the new tune in 2021 increased both power and fuel economy significantly.

Good to know. I’ve heard good things about the 3.5 but didn’t realize there were changes made in 21. I am leaning towards the 2.7 myself as 98% of my driving is not towing and would like to maximize mpg. I hate to give up my Tacoma but now that the boat won’t be living 6 blocks from the ramp it’s time for something more appropriate for towing in the spring.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Scott h

Good to know. I’ve heard good things about the 3.5 but didn’t realize there were changes made in 21. I am leaning towards the 2.7 myself as 98% of my driving is not towing and would like to maximize mpg. I hate to give up my Tacoma but now that the boat won’t be living 6 blocks from the ramp it’s time for something more appropriate for towing in the spring.

Prior to 2021, the 2.7 was actually much more efficient than the 3.5, it put out significantly more hp and torque per liter, and was actually slightly quicker 0-60. But in 2021, the 3.5
got the new tune, and the output per liter is almost the same now. As well, the 2021 gained about 8% fuel economy, so there is very little difference in fuel economy now. A friend has the 2.7, and our fuel economy is pretty much the same.

[Landshark]

Don't shy away from the 5.0 litre coyote engine on a good Lariat. The 5 litre is a great engine with good gas mileage and pulling power like no other. I love my 2017 Ford and what it does for me. Try one sometime. I think you'll agree.

[Hunter3006]

I have a 5.0 in my F150. I wanted the 3.5 but the 5.0 hauls very well and is still quite fuel efficient. The main difference around power between the ecoboost and the 5.0 is that the ecoboost will give you the power you need around a 1000 rpms faster. My buddy and I both have the same truck package other than the motor. He has the 3.5 and I have the 5.0, for what we do…not major differences. His is bot tuned, so we can’t speak to that.

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by Scott h

Good to know. I’ve heard good things about the 3.5 but didn’t realize there were changes made in 21. I am leaning towards the 2.7 myself as 98% of my driving is not towing and would like to maximize mpg. I hate to give up my Tacoma but now that the boat won’t be living 6 blocks from the ramp it’s time for something more appropriate for towing in the spring.

Yeah a gain of something like 25hp and 30ftlb of torque. I have a 2018 3.5eb and mine is 375hp and 470ftlb of torque I believe. Truck has more than enough power for what I use it for and gets fairly good mileage doing it. As a general rule I don’t bag an engine when towing and don’t mind going a bit slower than most.

[7magtime]

X2 on the F-150 5.0 litre!
I have a 2013 crew with the 6.5’ box I bought new. I pull a 31’ bumper pull with a 12’ aluminum boat on the rack and it always gets me where I need to go.
Pretty decent fuel mileage too with a pretty simple engine.
I have a relative that has the Tacoma and I don’t think he’s getting any better fuel mileage than my 5.0, especially when he’s pulling anything behind it…

[vance]

We have a 2015 4runner with the 4.0L V6. Have towed our 4000lb boat and trailer with it and it's unpleasant. You feel overmatched going up and down hills and during braking, when compared to my F150 with 2.7L ecoboost.
It's not just the power. The load makes the vehicle feel "unhappy".

[thing]

I have a 09 Frontier with a 4.0l V6 that I've owned since new. Its towing capacity is 6500lbs.

I've towed 10s of thousands of km with our 3500lb trailer....loaded up for a camping weekend it would be 4000 ish. I've towed boats and car/car trailer with it as well.

The truck tows fine with trailer brakes and weight distribution hitch. You can't compare a Tacoma/Frontier to full size trucks, because they're not. But they're capable and do just fine. There is a big difference cruising at 100-110 then over working the truck trying to drive 120-130....just take it easy.

If you're constantly driving the Coq and putting on big km while towing, get a bigger truck. If not, your Tacoma will haul your 2700lb trailer without issue.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Guys the weight of the trailer is secondary concern. Once trailer is rolling takes very little torque/HP to keep it moving down highway. Wind load on front of trailer try 50- 90km head wind in southern Alberta, you best have hemi or turbo diesel as tow vehicle.

[Joe Btfsplk]

Originally Posted by thing

I have a 09 Frontier with a 4.0l V6 that I've owned since new. Its towing capacity is 6500lbs.

I've towed 10s of thousands of km with our 3500lb trailer....loaded up for a camping weekend it would be 4000 ish. I've towed boats and car/car trailer with it as well.

The truck tows fine with trailer brakes and weight distribution hitch. You can't compare a Tacoma/Frontier to full size trucks, because they're not. But they're capable and do just fine. There is a big difference cruising at 100-110 then over working the truck trying to drive 120-130....just take it easy.

If you're constantly driving the Coq and putting on big km while towing, get a bigger truck. If not, your Tacoma will haul your 2700lb trailer without issue.

I am curious; what kind of fuel economy do you get?
I have a 2012 Xterra, virtually the same vehicle as a Frontier, and I tow a trailer slightly lighter than yours. The big advantage with mine is that it folds down to a height exactly the same as the truck(a-frame Aliner), and I average around 13.8l/100kms going to the mountains. I drive my wife nuts though, because I drive for economy. Only on the QE2 do I go 110, and I don’t worry about maintaining the speed going up the steeper hills. I stay right, let everyone pass, and enjoy the trip.
I have brakes on the trailer, to me the important thing about towing capacity is not going, but stopping!

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Guys the weight of the trailer is secondary concern. Once trailer is rolling takes very little torque/HP to keep it moving down highway. Wind load on front of trailer try 50- 90km head wind in southern Alberta, you best have hemi or turbo diesel as tow vehicle.

A twin turbo 3.5 ecoboost actually has 90ftlbs more torque than a Dodge 5.7 Hemi, and it does it at 850 rpm less. So the little V6 not only gets better fuel economy, it also tows stronger.

[thing]

Originally Posted by Joe Btfsplk

I am curious; what kind of fuel economy do you get?
I have a 2012 Xterra, virtually the same vehicle as a Frontier, and I tow a trailer slightly lighter than yours. The big advantage with mine is that it folds down to a height exactly the same as the truck(a-frame Aliner), and I average around 13.8l/100kms going to the mountains. I drive my wife nuts though, because I drive for economy. Only on the QE2 do I go 110, and I don’t worry about maintaining the speed going up the steeper hills. I stay right, let everyone pass, and enjoy the trip.
I have brakes on the trailer, to me the important thing about towing capacity is not going, but stopping!

13.8 while towing!!! I’m not even close to that haha. If I’m lucky I’ll be at 19 or so but can easily surpass 20 with wind, hills and if I’m pushing it.

The fuel milage is significantly better at 100km/hr than 120.