Towing a 21' with a Toyota FJ

[JimHol58]

Can a 21 be safely towed with a 2007 Toyota FJ 6-cyl using a WDH?

[Dave Walter]

Towing capacity of my 2011 FJ is 5000 lb and I have towed my 19' safely and successfully with it since 2013. That being said, the 21' is a bit wider and heavier than the 19', and I personally would not want to use my FJ to tow the 21' and would go with a tug having a bit more capacity. Others may feel differently.

[thoer]

Jim, the best thing you can do it find as much data as you can on your specific FJ. The numbers you want to know about you FJ are: Maximum tow weight, Curb Weight, GVWR, and GCWR. Our well optioned new 21 has a dry weight of 3710#

The FJ's GCWR minus (Curb Weight + the weight of a 21); will tell you how much total cargo/passengers/water/food/etc you could carry in the FJ and trailer at maximum.

You then have to make the decision of how close to those maximums you are comfortable with. I think a part of that decision is how much time you will be spending towing in seriously mountainous regions. Living in the Midwest, I am comfortable with the capacities of our Highlander towing a 21'. If I lived and spent most of my time camping in Colorado, I would probably want a more powerful engine.

[hughharden]

My 2007 FJ pulls my 19 no problem with WDH and I don't have to worry about loading up the back of the FJ when I tow.

If you want to tow a 21 you would need to pay a lot of attention to what is going in the trailer and into the back of the FJ.

You would be better moving up to one of the 6500 capacity Toyotas such as land Cruiser/ Sequoia/ Tundra. Then you don't need to fret about loading up the trailer and the tow vehicle.

BTW the 19 works great for me!

[cpaharley2008]

Using my FJ with my 19 Escape, like Dave says was ideal. But the 21 tows a little differently and after awhile you will probably want another tow vehicle. It is within it's limits though.

[hughharden]

Originally Posted by hughharden

My 2007 FJ pulls my 21 no problem with WDH and I don't have to worry about loading up the back of the FJ when I tow.

If you want to tow a 21 you would need to pay a lot of attention to what is going in the trailer and into the back of the FJ.

You would be better moving up to one of the 6500 capacity Toyotas such as land Cruiser/ Sequoia/ Tundra. Then you don't need to fret about loading up the trailer and the tow vehicle.

BTW the 19 works great for me!

SORRY! I mistyped I meant to say my FJ tows my 19 with WDH with no problem.

[nathanj04011]

I had an FJ Cruiser, and asked the same thing. People said they wouldn't do it, so I didn't. I sold the FJ, bought a Nissan Titan and bought a 5.0TA. Showed them!

[hughharden]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Using my FJ with my 19 Escape, like Dave says was ideal. But the 21 tows a little differently and after awhile you will probably want another tow vehicle. It is within it's limits though.

I think that would depend a lot on how much stuff you want to carry in the trailer and the FJ. If dry weight is 3700 as in previous post not a lot to play with.

[hughharden]

Originally Posted by JimHol58

Can a 21 be safely towed with a 2007 Toyota FJ 6-cyl using a WDH?

A bit off topic but how many miles on your FJ? Are you happy with it?

[rotateclockwise]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Using my FJ with my 19 Escape, like Dave says was ideal. But the 21 tows a little differently and after awhile you will probably want another tow vehicle. It is within it's limits though.

capharley, since you have towed both, could you help us better understand how the 21 tows differently than a 19? I too have owned an FJ and it was a machine/tank (fun to drive), but I was only towing a Casita.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by nathanj04011

I had an FJ Cruiser, and asked the same thing. People said they wouldn't do it, so I didn't. I sold the FJ, bought a Nissan Titan and bought a 5.0TA. Showed them!

Oh my stars... this made me laugh out loud!

[cpaharley2008]

The 21 is wider and you had to have clip on mirrors to see down the sides, with the 19, the stock mirrors are fine. The tongue weight on my 21 was 500# whereas on the 19 about 75-100# less. My 21 weighed in at 4300# wet, I still need to weigh by new 19 but my first 19 weighed less, at least 3-400 lbs less than the 21 did. Both were comparably equipped with thermal, foam,a/c,front box as is the new model. I did go with the stock refer in both 19's but the larger one in the 21.

[JimHol58]

Originally Posted by hughharden

A bit off topic but how many miles on your FJ? Are you happy with it?

It has 95K and I love it with the exception of the bad gas mileage it gets.

[Tisiphone]

I tow a 21 with a 2014 FJ. Haven't done it long but I've put a lot of miles on now over a lot of mountain passes with the trailer. Tows fine. It's definitely adequate as a tow vehicle for a 21 with a WDH.

Hills you know it's behind you for sure. Monitor my tranny on my phone with Torque and a Kiwi bluetooth ODB adapter. I haven't climbed hills in summer heat so I don't know how that will be yet.

If you're looking for tow mirrors for an FJ these are designed for a Jeep but work great on the FJ: Rampage 8605 Mirror Extension

[JimHol58]

Originally Posted by Tisiphone

I tow a 21 with a 2014 FJ. Haven't done it long but I've put a lot of miles on now over a lot of mountain passes with the trailer. Tows fine. It's definitely adequate as a tow vehicle for a 21 with a WDH.

Hills you know it's behind you for sure. Monitor my tranny on my phone with Torque and a Kiwi bluetooth ODB adapter. I haven't climbed hills in summer heat so I don't know how that will be yet.

If you're looking for tow mirrors for an FJ these are designed for a Jeep but work great on the FJ: Rampage 8605 Mirror Extension

Thanks for your input!

[eickjr]

I am new to the forum. Have not figured out how to post a new thread but I have a similar question. how well will my 2004 4Runner V-6 do pulling a 21 ft Escape with WDH? Also with the rear view camera should I have side view mirror extensions?

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by eickjr

I am new to the forum. Have not figured out how to post a new thread but I have a similar question. how well will my 2004 4Runner V-6 do pulling a 21 ft Escape with WDH? Also with the rear view camera should I have side view mirror extensions?

We pull our 1st Generation 21 with an Explorer V-6, 290 hp and do fine, even in the Rockies. Many many folks use 4Runners, Highlanders and similar. Your 2017 21 will weigh closer to 4500 lbs. when fully loaded, but if you have a 5000 lb. capacity you should be alright. Just keep your expectations in line.

[canyonrider]

Originally Posted by eickjr

I am new to the forum. Have not figured out how to post a new thread but I have a similar question. how well will my 2004 4Runner V-6 do pulling a 21 ft Escape with WDH? Also with the rear view camera should I have side view mirror extensions?

You need to realistically evaluate a few things to determine if towing a 21 with the V6 would work well for you:

- Will you often tow with a full fresh water tank?
- How many passengers will typically travel in the 4Runner?
- Will your typical load include firewood, extra water jugs, bikes, or any other relatively heavy gear?
- How often will you tow up steep grades in the mountains?

IMHO you are going to be pushing it, especially if any of the factors above apply. We found our 2009 4Runner V6 inadequate for our 2016 19, at least for our typical uses and location. If it was just my wife and I and we lived somewhere flatter it would have been just fine.