5.0TA towing with a Tacoma

[sprinkledavid@gmail.com]

Ok...we might be marginal with truck payload capacity when fully loaded but after having owned a one ton diesel Dodge Ram with 4wd that was not good when off road driving or parking in town I'll stick with mid-size trucks. Just came over s22 from Borrego Springs CA...8 percent grade for 10 miles...no problems. Over 50,000 miles towing my 19 over Rocky mountains...no problems. Get the size truck your not nervous about...both mid- size or full size will work just fine!!

[DavidGlen]

I echo the sentiments stated earlier: "Bottom line, I'm now shopping for a Tundra as I still really like the standard features and reliability of Toyota's. Since the Tundra has the power to pull in 5th gear, one ends up with a similar MPG as a Taco in 3rd. I am planning to upgrade to a 5.0 TA myself sometime soon and would never consider keeping my Tacoma for that job."
We had a 3.5 L Tacoma, pulling a 19' Escape, and the RPM revved very high. We purchased a 5.7L Tundra, and our towing experience has been vastly improved - better acceleration, pull in hills, and lower RPMs. All have contributed to a better towing experience, more towing capacity, and less stress when travelling. The overall mileage is similar to the Tacoma when it was struggling - about 13 MPG or so. In a headwind, we will get 11 MPG in the Tundra. Still very happy with performance and feeling of safety. With a rig larger than 19' (at at 19') I think that our Tacoma struggled in hills and against a headwind.

David
Pittsburgh, PA

[John in Santa Cruz]

the 4.0L Tacomas, especially with a 6-speed stick, can pull a casita or similar up most grades in 5th at freeway speeds, with an occasional dip into 4th on the steepest grades on I80 or whatever or if you can't keep the speed around 62 where 5th is happy towing. the newer 3.5L V6 has very little low end torque, and has to be revved a lot higher(*).

They definitely ride better when fitted with airbags if you travel near the payload limits. I also ran LT load range E tires on mine (way above the factory P XL junk).

(*) amusingly, my daily driver is a 3.2L 6 cyl older mercedes, that engine purrs like a quiet turbine at 5000 rpm or whatever, I'm not sure why the Toyota V6's sound like they are going to explode at that RPM... note that 5000 rpm on my 320CE is about 100MPH....

[Lee.Artman]

IMPORTANT DISTINCTION: between tow vehicle requirements for a travel trailer and a 5th wheel that I did not fully understand when I bought my 5.0TA and my F-150. Tongue weight of a travel trailer is 10-15% of loaded trailer weight applied to the rear bumper which is distributed to the whole TV chassis. (500-750# for a 5000 loaded trailer) King pin weight of a 5th wheel is supposed to be 20-25% of 5th wheel weight directly over the rear axle which bears the entire load of 1000-1500# for 5000# loaded trailer.
Additionally, all other weights over the rear axle must be included in the GAWR-rear limits: hitch weight (can be 100+# if using a sliding hitch for a short bed truck) gasoline, anything in the bed like generator, lawn chairs barbeque grill etc.

I can only get to 18% weight on my king pin but I just have another 200 pounds of margin for my GAWR-rear. Any weight like water aft of the trailer axles will lighten the king pin weight. I have to add weights to the forward storage cabinets to compensate for leverage. That is why I now wish I had gotten a larger truck to increase margin of safety. Tow weight is NOT the only consideration, to be sure it is almost given too much emphasis.

The major safety advantage of a 5th wheel compared to a rear hitch travel trailer is the location of the pivot point above or in front of the rear TV axle. The chances of sway are markedly reduced. The bottom line: ignore any references to travel trailers as irrelevant. Read up on specifics of towing a 5th wheel.

[emers382]

These are actual weights of a few 5.0TA. Some may not have been loaded for camping. Only one had over 1000 lb pin weight.

Escape 5.0TA 3329 728 4057
Escape 5.0TA 3840 520 4360
Escape 5.0TA 3490 610 4100
Escape 5.0TA 3638 1036 4674
Escape 5.0TA 3660 683 4343
Escape 5.0TA 4233 748 4981
Escape 5.0TA (2nd) 4180 760 4940

[emers382]

Also I believe that suggested 20-25% pin weight for 5th wheels is likely for a standard 5th wheel, usually much longer trailers with axles much further back than any Escape 5.0 or 5.0TA.

[JStelly]

Originally Posted by emers382

These are actual weights of a few 5.0TA. Some may not have been loaded for camping. Only one had over 1000 lb pin weight.

Escape5.0TA33297284057
Escape5.0TA38405204360
Escape5.0TA34906104100
Escape5.0TA363810364674
Escape5.0TA36606834343
Escape5.0TA42337484981
Escape5.0TA (2nd)41807604940

I don’t understand these numbers since they are a continuous string. Can you explain?

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by emers382

These are actual weights of a few 5.0TA. Some may not have been loaded for camping. Only one had over 1000 lb pin weight.

Escape 5.0TA 3329 (axle) 728 (Pin) 4057 (total)
Escape 5.0TA 3840 520 4360
Escape 5.0TA 3490 610 4100
Escape 5.0TA 3638 1036 4674
Escape 5.0TA 3660 683 4343
Escape 5.0TA 4233 748 4981
Escape 5.0TA (2nd) 4180 760 4940

Originally Posted by JStelly

I don’t understand these numbers since they are a continuous string. Can you explain?

Axle Weight / Pin Weight / Total Weight

[Chotch]

ETI sticker on my 2017, 5.0 TA says 10-15 % tongue weight. On my trailer according to ETI specs pin weight is 600 lbs with at 4240 lbs light weight. That’s 14%. Not sure what pin weight is loaded for the road but I can tell you I have had 0 issues towing. No swaying, porpoising or whatever. I have towed with full tank and almost empty tank without worrying about adding or subtracting weight on the pin. That 20 / 25% rule I believe is based on trailers weighing 3 or 4 times what a 5.0 weighs. 😎

[JStelly]

Thanks. This is very helpful.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Chotch

ETI sticker on my 2017, 5.0 TA says 10-15 % tongue weight. On my trailer according to ETI specs pin weight is 600 lbs with at 4240 lbs light weight. That’s 14%. Not sure what pin weight is loaded for the road but I can tell you I have had 0 issues towing. No swaying, porpoising or whatever. I have towed with full tank and almost empty tank without worrying about adding or subtracting weight on the pin. That 20 / 25% rule I believe is based on trailers weighing 3 or 4 times what a 5.0 weighs. 😎

You are also towing with a Ford F150 , which has a higher payload capacity and is a full size truck designed for towing .

[GusGill]

I've been using a 2013 Tacoma TRD to pull my 5.0TA since I bought it in 2015. Now that I've retired I'm buying a full size truck and suggest you do the same. BTW, this included bringing it home 4K from Chillawack to the Florida Panhandle.

My biggest problem is convincing my wife that we need a Tacoma and a Tundra as I really like my Tacoma.

[santacruzer]

Even though I COULD tow my 19 with my Tacoma, I bought a Tundra for the task, thinking I would sell the Tacoma. When push came to shove, I couldn't part with it. Love the Tundra for long-trip towing, and the Tacoma as a daily driver, and better off-road than the Tundra. A guy just can't have too many trucks!