Toyota 4Runner as towing vehicle?

[djbroughton]

My wife and I are considering the purchase of a new 26M. I currently drive a 2000 Toyota 4Runner which has served me well and has low kilometers on it. I know that the 4Runner specs say that I can pull the 26M and trailer and still have about 1000 lbs. of GVW to spare but I wondered if anyone else uses the same vehicle and can give me some anecdotal evidence. I'm not so concerned about towing locally but would like to drive to BC which would necessitate crossing the Rockies via the Rogers Pass.

Dave- Calgary, Alberta

[Trouts Dream]

Dave
I tow with an 2WD Envoy and thats about as small as I would go but I have had no problems with it. Calgary to Okanagan Valley. Looks like your 4Runner has about the same capacity. Just remember that max capacity is based on empty tow vehicle, therefore more stuff and more people will lower the effective tow capability.

[Craig LaForce]

I don't know the details, but a year ago my boss at that time was travelling in his Forerunner towing a Uhaul trailer from Tulsa to California and it flipped over. the photos were very scarey. amazing that they walked away from it with just a few minor cuts and bruises. I don't know if the vehicle contributed to the accident but I will say that I have towed my 26X a couple times with an Envoy and a Trailblazer (rentals at the time) and it scared the heck out of me. Very unstable. Others seem to do OK with the Envoy size vehicle, but maybe they have upgraded to a stiffer suspension.

Having enough tongue weight is also very important to a well controlled towing arrangement. Maybe some stabilizer bars amd a drop hitch to lower the ball to the right height will make it better also.

I use a GMC Sierra now and am happy with it. The fuel economy is very respectable for a big truck. What I didn't realize is that the 4WD version sits so high and is kind of bouncy in the suspension, so it makes the tow a bit bumpy, but the truck is overkill enough that it doesn't really seem to matter.

Hope that helps a little.

[Trouts Dream]

Minimum 10% tongue weight is critical to good towing. If less than 10% seems like the trailer wags the tow vehicle.

[Tahoe Jack]

We have an older 4rnr V6-auto that would work well in Florida-Kansas etc, however, it does not like the Sierras. I have an 05 4rnr with V8 and OEM towing hitch, plug-in, tranny cooler etc. I have towed to Canada, Grand Canyon/Powell etc.....lots of mtns....and regularly tow in the Sierras. Thousands of miles. Lots of power....can keep freeway speeds on I-5 and I-80 easily. I would advise that you must respect the load, keep all tire pressures up, and carefully insure tongue weight (or it will get squirrely). I also keep speed down on steep descents....watch cross winds in cuts etc. All common sense heavy load towing. The Mac is about all the load I would tow with this rig. Have avoided snow/ice so far. Then the tricky part....got to pick your gas stations carefully...this dude is loooong. Damn near spent an unplanned afternoon at the Boeing Air Museum in Seattle...almost trapped in a parking lot that evolved from RV to auto during the morning. Others will have similar stories....grocery stops, fast food stops, you need to keep aware of the length issue. BTW, mileage drops from 17-18 to 11-12mpg. Jack

[Boblee]

We use a 2002 toyota hilux which is basically the commercial version with a 3L turbo diesel but have beefed the springs up and installed Rancho shockers which make a huge difference.
The later vehicles do have 2200 kg towing capacity and should handle it without any worries in practice and with due care.
If that is your vehicle I would use it but if you want a larger vehicle anyway trade up.

[djbroughton]

Thanks all, I would prefer to to keep the 4Runner rather than buy (only) to haul the boat. Kind of like buying a suit to match your tie.

Dave

[Boblee]

Our little hilux will be heading off for at least a 6500 KM journey next week and that could extend closer to 9000 KM's, most of this trip is fairly flat but there are a few nice rises in one and possibly another section from Katherine to Darwin.
I have no worries about the vehicle or its ability to do the job, but at least this trip will be mostly bitumen (some worse than dirt) even though if something does break there is some stretches of 300-700+ k's without any service but still on the main track.
Other trips for the vehicle have been a concern when tucked away in remote areas with very limited access but once we arrive at our destination this time the boat will be in that situation for most of the time.
Will try and get some photo's back to share as it is beautiful country but for most of the time there is limited internet or phone access once we get there.
Bob

[Rick Westlake]

We have an older 4rnr V6-auto that would work well in Florida-Kansas etc, however, it does not like the Sierras. I have an 05 4rnr with V8 and OEM towing hitch .... BTW, mileage drops from 17-18 to 11-12mpg. Jack

Thank you, Jack, for the reassurance - I have an 04 with V-6 and get 16mpg towing my Mac19 (opposed to 21mpg without). Matching your proportions to my driving, I may get 14mpg with a 26X ... and I'm ready for a boat with stand-up head room, a dinette and galley.

Going to see a 1996 26X tomorrow - maybe a test sail ...

[WD]

Advance congrats on the boat and hhhhmmm wonders if related to a Bbroughton a bunch of kms south of Calg(well a few years ago)?

Cheers

[Rick Westlake]

I'll tie this up for future browsers - my 2004 4Runner, V6 and auto, had no power/handling problems towing my new-to-me 26X up from Smith Mountain Lake, VA to Alexandria, VA. When I got the boat to its home, I found out the trailer brakes were non-functioning because the PO had drained the system - but even with some steep up- and down-hills, the 4runner evinced no problems hauling or stopping the load.

Mileage = 14 mpg for that trip.

And yeah, I got the brakes fixed.

Cheers - Rick

[Terry]

I will say that I have towed my 26X a couple times with an Envoy and a Trailblazer (rentals at the time) and it scared the heck out of me. Very unstable. Others seem to do OK with the Envoy size vehicle, but maybe they have upgraded to a stiffer suspension.

Having enough tongue weight is also very important to a well controlled towing arrangement. Maybe some stabilizer bars amd a drop hitch to lower the ball to the right height will make it better also.

I bought the 2004 Trailblazer LT - EXT version The EXT has a 129" wheel base that really improves stability over the regular 113" wheelbase. As long as the trailer is level and there is 10% trailer weight on the ball it tows just fine, I do it all the time. It has the full tow package and is an inline 6 with 5300# towing capacity, tows a Mac just fine at 60 MPH. For the first couple years we towed with a little 2door Blazer, and even though it had the muscle, it lacked the stability due to the short wheelbase.
As far as towing to BC, as long as you keep your speed at or below 55mph you should have minimum squirrleyness. Fortunately most max speeds posted are 100 KPH (60MPH).

[Boblee]

Well we got back from our 7000 k trip too and no major problems but have since found out your vehicles are rated higher than ours so legally you shouldn't have a problem.
As for the brakes they are more than capable and we experienced the same problem as Rick with over 1000k's of running without the trailer brakes including travelling along our Blue Mountains.
With the boat and vehicle lightly loaded we have absolutely no problems but loaded for extended travelling it is underpowered if you want to get along over 95KPH (60mph).