Tow 19' with v6 4Runner?

[GRINGOandTICA]

Originally Posted by Catchlight

The tow capacity in Canada is 5000 pounds, and both our dealer and Toyota Canada confirmed that rating when that 4700 pound figure showed up in the US.

So why does the U.S. Sale brochure state 5,000lbs?

[Bill R]

Toyota is not consistent in its own literature for the 4Runner towing capability. Some US sales literature specifies 4700lb (e.g. toyota.com in the specifications webpage), but the US owner's manual specifies 5000lb.

What is perhaps more interesting is that the owners manual lists the 4wd 4Runner GCWR at 11300lb. As a point of comparison, the 4wd Highlander GCWR is 9900lb, which consistently lists towing as 5000lb. Go figure...

If you google Toyota manuals, you find all this for any model and year in the "Driving the Vehicle" or "Cargo and Luggage" pdf.

Bill R

[float5]

The difference in the GCWR and GVWR among vehicles is just what some here have tried to point out. When you see the towing capacity given, it is only one number.

All of the numbers have to be looked at to know what the capacity actually is because that one number can be misleading. The differences between the Highlander and the 4Runner have been discussed on other threads so I won't go into them. Since the 4runner is a better towing vehicle, the GCWR is higher. (As is its GVWR which accounts for some of the difference.)

[Bill R]

I'm not questioning the 4Runner as much as expressing some skepticism of the numbers, which haven't been consistent in the US.

FWIW, I bought a 4Runner and not a Highlander because I think it's a better tow vehicle, especially with an auxiliary transmission cooler.

Bill R

[float5]

Bill, the 5000 was the 2011, 2012 and 2013 number and probably earlier. The claim in 2011 was that the 5000 was being used after having been through the towing testing. This year, however, it has been said that the towing testing reduced the number by 300. No telling if there has been some slight change in the vehicle. That probably could never be found out. Then again, it is also not impossible that a vehicle's testing could not have exactly the same results every year.

[Bill R]

I've heard the SAE test rumor too but I haven't seen anything official that confirms it, so again I'm skeptical. If you have a Toyota or SAE reference, I would be interested in reading it. But if it were really true, why does the online and printed 2014 owners manual still say 5000lb? Why does Toyota Canada still advertise 5000lb? It's just one of life's many mysteries that I don't understand.

Bill R

[jamman]

Originally Posted by Bill R

I've heard the SAE test rumor too but I haven't seen anything official that confirms it, so again I'm skeptical. If you have a Toyota or SAE reference, I would be interested in reading it. ...
Bill R

Toyota 4Runner Interior, Exterior & Safety Features

[Bill R]

Originally Posted by Bill R

Toyota is not consistent in its own literature for the 4Runner towing capability. Some US sales literature specifies 4700lb (e.g. toyota.com in the specifications webpage), but the US owner's manual specifies 5000lb.

Again, Toyota has official documentation stating both 4700lb and 5000lb.

If anyone has the SAE test results (the individual tests that make up J2807 test suite) that can definitively say it's one or the other, that would be interesting reading.

Bill R

[GRINGOandTICA]

Otro Toyota! Made the purchase, thnx everyone.

Came with the Hitch and some wires in the glovebox. Where should I go from here? Wiring etc?

[santacruzer]

The wires in the glove box are for your brake controller. Should be an instruction sheet with them, and the controller will also have some generic instructions.

[Ian G]

Originally Posted by Bill R

Again, Toyota has official documentation stating both 4700lb and 5000lb.
Bill R

I wonder if the 300 lb weight difference relates to the model and option package. The standard or sport version vs the Limited could easily have that weight difference and that could be worked into the towing capacity calculations

[float5]

All models are same capacity.

[Bill R]

Originally Posted by GRINGOandTICA

Otro Toyota! Made the purchase, thnx everyone.

Came with the Hitch and some wires in the glovebox. Where should I go from here? Wiring etc?

The 4Runner has all the wiring for towing including the 7-pin connector in the back.

The 4Runner does not have a built-in brake controller, but does have the wiring for it. Under the dash above the parking brake is a white connector for the brake controller. I installed a Tekonsha P3, but there are other good controllers. Tekonsha makes a 3040-P, which is a wiring harness that mates with Toyota's brake controller plug and Tekonsha brake controllers, so if you use that, it's just plug and play. Alternatively, you can use crimp connectors to join the connector that came in the glove box and the connector that comes with the brake controller.

Most folk mount the brake controller underdash above the parking brake. This is possible with the 4Runner, but there is a knee airbag, so your mount must avoid that. Since I have long legs, I decided to mount the brake controller in the center console, see below picture. It turned out that the 3040-P isn't long enough to reach, so I had to make my own connector anyway.

Our 4Runner came with Dunlop AT20 Grandtrek tires. Tires typically have a chart that gives the load it will carry for a given tire pressure. At 35psi, AT20's each handle 2535lb and greater pressure doesn't increase the rated load, so that's the tire pressure I use.

I also installed a ScanGauge with a BlendMount to monitor transmission temperature, see picture below. I had some trepidation about running the cable up the A pillar with curtain airbags, but it was surprisingly easy. The SRS airbag label marks a cap that just flips open, and removing the bolt underneath removes the A-pillar trim. I really like the over-the-mirror mount, but there are other good mounting places.

I also installed a monitor for a rear-view camera mounted on the back of the Escape. It's a wired connection that we've been very happy with, but it was a job to bury the wire from the back bumper to the center console.

As previously mentioned, I also installed a Long 4589 transmission cooler.

Bill R

[GRINGOandTICA]

Bill can you post a pic of your trailer connection please?

[Bill R]

Originally Posted by GRINGOandTICA

Bill can you post a pic of your trailer connection please?

Which one?

The 7-pin connector in the back of the 4Runner for the trailer plug?
The 4-pin connector under the dash for the brake controller?
The camera connector in the back of the 4Runner?
The 2" hitch receiver?
The weight-distributing hitch and ball?

Bill R

[float5]

GRINGOandTICA, you are hooking up under the back such that I expect you will need an extension as we have. Don't know if Bill needs that on his. The extension is to run between the socket back near spare and the trailer plug. There are two sockets but you will only use one. (The 4Runner is great for being set up with the 7 pin. Many vehicles are not.) So all you do is plug it in even though you probably will have to get on the ground to do that. No wires need to be put back there between socket and trailer plug. There are tabs that need to be in place so you have to make sure underneath that the tabs are right.

The wires you have are probably for the controller. I thought there were directions with ours. Our controller is to the left. Can't say I like it there but couldn't figure out a good place.

[GRINGOandTICA]

Originally Posted by Bill R

Which one?

The 7-pin connector in the back of the 4Runner for the trailer plug?
The 4-pin connector under the dash for the brake controller?
The camera connector in the back of the 4Runner?
The 2" hitch receiver?
The weight-distributing hitch and ball?

Bill R

7-pin trailer plug on 4Runner and also hitch and ball would be great.

[Bill R]

As Floating Cloud explains, the 4Runner 7-pin connector is underneath the back bumper and slightly to the driver side. It's the upper round connector in the picture below, next to the blue ruler. The 4-pin plug is the lower flat connector behind it. It's an odd place for the connectors, but the 4Runner is marketed as an off-road vehicle, so perhaps they want to maintain their large departure angle.

I asked Escape to add 18" to the standard cord length of the trailer 7-pin plug, which they did. I don't think I needed all 18", but I probably needed some of it.

We have the standard Escape-installed weight-distributing hitch -- a Pro Series Trunnion 49585 with a Reese 63970 shank. I don't have a picture handy, but you can google it. Escape also installs an Anderson hitch that some seem to like. If you order one of them as an option, all you need to have is the standard 2" receiver, which the 4Runner has.

Bill R

[Bill R]

Originally Posted by Floating Cloud

GRINGOandTICA, you are hooking up under the back such that I expect you will need an extension as we have.

FWIW, I just peeked at our 19 -- it has an electrical junction box mounted on the trailer frame that joins the 7-pin plug/cord to the trailer with 7 crimp connectors inside. It would be easy to replace the 7-pin plug/cord with a longer length cord if you wanted to avoid an extension cord. etrailer.com has a Hopkins 7-pin plug with an 8' cord for $27. The box had a silicone bead around the cover plate, so if you remove the plate, it should be resealed.

Bill R

[slipspe]

Originally Posted by Bill R

We have a 2014 4Runner SR5 V6 and purchased an Escape 19 in June. We picked up the trailer in BC, toured the Pacific northwest for two months, and drove home to MA. So we have over 5000 miles towing including western mountains, but not extensive experience.

IMO, the 4Runner is a competent tow vehicle, but not an ideal one. Our US version has a class III hitch and 7-pin trailer plug standard, but the transmission cooler is just the lower third of the radiator -- it does not have a separate auxiliary cooler. Nor does the 4Runner have a tow/haul mode.

The good: It's a Japanese-built Toyota, so the reliability is stellar. It is body-on-frame. It's 4-wheel disk brakes are over-engineered for A-TRAC, so it has plenty of braking. It gets 20-25mpg when not towing and has 4wd when you need it. It was stable when towing the Escape 19 with a weight-distributing hitch even in crosswinds. It had adequate torque when towing for all roads we drove, including some western mountains. We used engine braking on the long downhills and the 4Runner never felt pushed around.

The bad: Mileage is 13mpg at 65mph. The transmission fluid temperature can get high. The transmission torque converter typically locks in 4th over 45mph, and then transmission fluid temperatures stay low. But if you are pulling a trailer up a many-mile hill at a lower speed, the transmission temperature will go up.

Before the trip, I installed a Long 4589 21000btu auxiliary transmission cooler in series after the factory radiator cooler, mounted in front of the ac condenser. I have no before/after temperature comparisons, but would guess that it lowers the transmission fluid temperature by 20-30 degrees F. I also installed a ScanGauge so I could watch the transmission fluid temperatures. Our peak temperature was 206 degrees F at the torque converter and 186 degrees F in the pan, so that's still comfortably cool. Not many roads in the eastern US will really stress it, but we plan to do more Rocky mountain driving, so it's a limitation to be aware of.

We wanted Toyota and body-on-frame, but didn't want a pickup. That only leaves the 4Runner and Sequoia. The Sequoia is pricey and too tall for our garage, and the gas mileage wasn't great, so we got the 4Runner. It's not ideal, but with the auxiliary transmission cooler, it's been fine so far.

Bill R

Hi Bill. We have the same generation 4 runner as you and will be picking up a 19 in a few months. How is the transmission cooler working? And was it an easy install? Thanks for your time.

Chip