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Old 01-15-2017, 08:16 AM   #1
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Is the V6 tacoma enough truck for the 21

I have a 2013 Tacoma v6 with tow package. I tow a 17sd casita with no problem. been thinking of a 19' but now i notice the 21 is only 190 lbs more. HMMM...
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Old 01-15-2017, 08:46 AM   #2
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The jury is still out on the weights, my new style 19 weighs more than my old style 21 did. If the Tacoma specifications are greater than 6,000 lbs you should be fine, with a proper hitch set up.
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:00 AM   #3
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Remember that options add weight. Our options, including air conditioning and solar, added 400+ pounds to the base weight of our 21'.
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:06 AM   #4
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Are the weights for the 19 ft and 21 ft listed on the Escape website accurate . The site shows the GVWR for the 19" at 5000 lbs and the GVWR for the 21' at 4500 lbs . What am I missing or not seeing ?
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:09 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY View Post
I have a 2013 Tacoma v6 with tow package. I tow a 17sd casita with no problem. been thinking of a 19' but now i notice the 21 is only 190 lbs more. HMMM...
In my opinion - Yes. We towed a 17B with a 2008 V6 Tacoma with no problems at all and it would have had no problems with a 19 or 21. Also, IMO, you will want a WDH as the Tacoma rear springs are notoriously weak, and it makes for a much better ride.

We will be towing a 21 with a V6 Highlander, and have friends towing 19 and 21 with Highlanders. After talking with service managers at Toyota and my previous experiences with the brand, it is my belief that if Toyota rates a vehicle at 5000# tow rating, it will safely tow 5000#. This opinion is very much contrary to many here who believe you need far more capacity in the tow than your trailer's weight, so take this for what it is- my opinion.
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:20 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
Are the weights for the 19 ft and 21 ft listed on the Escape website accurate . The site shows the GVWR for the 19" at 5000 lbs and the GVWR for the 21' at 4500 lbs . What am I missing or not seeing ?
Doesn't GVWR simply reflect how much the axle(s) is/are rated to carry? The 21' has two axles each rated to carry 2500 lbs totaling 5000 lbs. (I'm guessing then that the 19' has two axles each rated to carry 2250 lbs totaling 4500 lbs.) The weight of the camper plus contents can not exceed the GVWR. Isn't that all it means? As an example, the base weight for the 21' is 3140 lbs. We added 480 lbs of options to our 21' for a new total of 3620 lbs. That means we can still carry 1380 more pounds of stuff in/on our trailer before we reach the axle limit of 5000 lbs. Isn't that right?

See definitions posted on another popular forum:
Towing Definitions-Understanding Towing weight terms - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:22 AM   #7
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The weight of the camper plus contents can not exceed the GVWR. Isn't that all it means?
That is my understanding also. Axles can have a higher weight rating but GVWR is for the actual trailer itself. ie a trailer could have dual axles both rated at 3000#, but the actual GVWR of the trailer might be #5000. There are other determining factors to the actual GVWR.

Same for a tow, which will also have a GCWR - total weight of tow, trailer and all contents of both.
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:22 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
Are the weights for the 19 ft and 21 ft listed on the Escape website accurate . The site shows the GVWR for the 19" at 5000 lbs and the GVWR for the 21' at 4500 lbs . What am I missing or not seeing ?
The 21' is 5000 GVWR. The website has multiple errors.
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:28 AM   #9
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The 21' is 5000 GVWR. The website has multiple errors.
Thank you . I looked at the listed axle ratings and the GVWR didn't compute . Now it makes sense .
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:46 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY View Post
I have a 2013 Tacoma v6 with tow package. I tow a 17sd casita with no problem. been thinking of a 19' but now i notice the 21 is only 190 lbs more. HMMM...
I forgot the mention about that 190# figure may no longer be accurate. When talking with Tammy to make all my calculations on GCWR with a 21 and our Highlander, she said that the 21 was changing the least in weight of all the trailers. That is due to the only real weight changes to the 21 were to extra reinforcement of the new side shape and the new awning. Tammy said that early in the production of the new 21, that the new 21 was showing weighs in the neighborhood of 100# more than the "classic" 21. What the exact change came out as will have to wait until they get time to update the website.
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Old 01-15-2017, 10:08 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
Are the weights for the 19 ft and 21 ft listed on the Escape website accurate . The site shows the GVWR for the 19" at 5000 lbs and the GVWR for the 21' at 4500 lbs . What am I missing or not seeing ?
I think the consensus is they are not and will be updated eventually. The 21 and 19 base weights are within 2-300 lbs or each other, if your margin is that small you will need to upgrade.
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Old 01-15-2017, 10:12 AM   #12
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Lots of tech talk, bottom line: yep! We do and judging from what I see at rallies, so do many other owners. I'm thinking it's probably the top choice along with its mate, the 4Runner. Go for it.

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Old 01-15-2017, 10:22 AM   #13
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towing 21

We tow a 21 Escape (3600 lb) from factory so probably its close to 4200 lb now with added camping gear . We tow with a 07 Sequoia that has about the same hp and torque as your 2013 Tacoma with the 4 L engine . Our Sequoia is over 5000 lb
vs. Your Tacoma with 4500 lb .So the towing experience should be almost the same . Many on this Forum tow with Frontiers ,Tacoma's ,Pilots etc . I would add rear helper shocks or the Timbrin rubber stops no more sag the Sequoia rides flat .We also tow a 5000 lb boat and trailer no problem .You want your vehicle to ride flat no rear end sag also make sure your trailer brakes and yours are in good shape .Happy towing Jim
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Old 01-15-2017, 10:51 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thoer View Post
We will be towing a 21 with a V6 Highlander, and have friends towing 19 and 21 with Highlanders. After talking with service managers at Toyota and my previous experiences with the brand, it is my belief that if Toyota rates a vehicle at 5000# tow rating, it will safely tow 5000#. This opinion is very much contrary to many here who believe you need far more capacity in the tow than your trailer's weight, so take this for what it is- my opinion.
Not my opinion, only repeating what I have been told by a few different mechanics that one should avoid towing anything above 70% to 80% of the tow vehicles stated towing capacity not because the vehicle cannot handle it but because it is likely to lead to premature transmission problems/failure. If I had been a transmission tech in a previous life, I might say IMO. But again, I'm only parroting what I have been told on more than one occasion, FWIW.
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Old 01-15-2017, 10:58 AM   #15
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I got an extended factory warranty to eight years on my tow vehicle to lesson my worries about engine/transmission/transaxle failure.
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Old 01-15-2017, 11:03 AM   #16
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Carl, transmissions are the one part of vehicles I never attempted to tear apart in my more ambitious youth, but I am unclear why the transmission would be damaged, unless it was overheated? Maybe when the driver didn't downshift when needed and it cycles upshifts and downshifts continuously? I figured the Toyota service managers knew more about potential failures that me, but maybe they just wanted the extra service business!
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Old 01-15-2017, 11:16 AM   #17
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According to the information I can find on the Web , the OP's Tacoma is rated to tow 6400/ 6500 lbs . The listed GVWR for a 21 ft Escape is 5000 lbs . 6400 lbs x .8 = 5120 lbs so the Tacoma is only loaded to 78% of its' towing rating . So definitely not anywhere near its towing capacity. Payload capacity and tongue weight are another issue that should be taken into consideration.
Would I tow a 21 ft Escape with a Tacoma ? The answer is No , but that's not the question the OP asked.

I agree that towing at 100% of rating may not be a good idea , not because it would be unsafe but it leads to excessive wear and tear of the vehicle.
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Old 01-15-2017, 12:00 PM   #18
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We have a Toyota Tacoma and plan to tow a 21 with it. Check out the Tacoma forum and look up towing bible this will give you more information. Also your owners manual tells you not to tow in drive as the over drive transmission will hunt for gears and this could over heat the oil.
Firestone makes an airbag for the Tacoma for $400.00 - $500.00 and can be installed by a back yard mechanic.
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Old 01-15-2017, 01:42 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY View Post
I have a 2013 Tacoma v6 with tow package. I tow a 17sd casita with no problem. been thinking of a 19' but now i notice the 21 is only 190 lbs more. HMMM...
I'll let you know in the Fall. I will be towing a 21 back from Chilliwack with a 2016 Tacoma Off Road. Of course you may not want to pay too much attention since I was happy towing my 17 for 75,000 miles with a RAV4 (V6 & Tow Package). I do have to admit the Tacoma is a more solid feeling tow vehicle.
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Old 01-15-2017, 02:26 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY View Post
I have a 2013 Tacoma v6 with tow package. ...
We tow our 2015 '21 with a 2014 manual transmission Tacoma. Overall I would say it is slightly underpowered, especially considering our usual 90 minute drive from 5000' to 11,000' just to get out of town. I also take pains to keep the bed of the truck lightly loaded by moving anything heavy into the cab. No modifications to the suspension and no complaints on the weight distribution.

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