Upgrading tow to Tundra

[angler24]

This is all great information, thank you. My 15A has one axle, and I don't have much in it at all in term of gear weight. I would think most of the weight is the 20 gallons of fresh H2O in the tank which is toward the rear of the trailer. So I would not know how to make the weight of the trailer more even. I guess I just need to test towing with the Tundra and see how she does. Thanks.

Jane

[cpaharley2008]

empty the fresh tank to add tongue weight, store some items tin your front storage box or inside towards the front. You want at least 400# tongue weight to keep sway to a minimum.

[Mike G]

You should take the trailer to a scale when it’s loaded as you would for camping, and weigh it. Then weigh the tongue; with a 15 you probably can do the latter with your bathroom scale. To avoid dangerous sway, make sure that the tongue weight is between 10% and 15% of the total trailer weight. Also, make sure the trailer is towed close to level, not with the nose higher than the tail. And keep all tires properly inflated. That’s really about all you should need to do, to feel confident about avoiding sway with that rig. The Tundra’s longer wheelbase will help provide more stability versus the HL (although the HL is quite capable; I put 140,000 towing miles on an ‘08 HL, I rarely used any WD or sway control, and I never had any sway).

I’m not certain what brand or type of WD you have, but most of them have adjustable height. If your ball can be raised or lowered by changing what holes the bolts go through, you could still use it... either with or without the WD bars.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

empty the fresh tank to add tongue weight, store some items tin your front storage box or inside towards the front. You want at least 400# tongue weight to keep sway to a minimum.

400 lbs tongue weight? On a little bitty 15? I’d think 250-300 would be more likely, unless the trailer is being heavily loaded with stuff.

But I agree that the rearward water load might have a large influence on stability, depending. The only way to know for sure is to weigh the tongue and the trailer!

[UncleTim]

The Tundra is a big beefy truck. That will help with controlling the tow. Depending on the engine, it should tow very well. Mine is what they call a "Heavy Half Ton", which means it has upgraded suspension and shocks and things. I am taking the salesman word on this, as well a a friend that owns a fleet of half ton trucks. Checking the VIN number did not help with this.

Putting air bags in might be a consideration. I have the Firestone air bags and they work well. You can trim out the Tundra that way. They have a reputation of sagging when towing. Mine does not sag at all.

Like Jim in his Dodge, I have the 5.7 liter, V8. It always provides power when asked for. You might not need it, but I love it. I get between 12 and 14 MPG usually. I do tow a 12 x 8 trailer at home when I do white water trips (which the Tundra owns), but my Tundra has a King Pin attachment on it for the 5.0. too.

I had a trailer that was subject to sway. It was improperly loaded and the boat was way too far in back. The rest is another story for another day. If your trailer sways, stop (no matter what) and figure it out. When you get back, test, test and test some more until you understand the trailer and how to load it.

For me, I do not go out without a full fresh water tank in the 5.0., but king pins do not sway anyway. Filling fresh water helps to take some weight off the king pin. I can tell when the fresh water is full. I can also tell when the gray and black tanks are empty. That is how I like to roll.

[fudge_brownie]

I tow a classic 21 with a Sequoia. At the start I used an Andersen weight distribution hitch but have since discontinued it. A WDH will help with squat, since that Tundra is a larger vehicle I would consider air bags if an issue with squat. As has been pointed out a WDH does not help with sway. If I felt I had an issue with sway, and I do not, I would consider an anti-sway bar before a WDH. All of these after I had towed 5,000 miles.

I think your solution is to do nothing except use a stinger to get the trailer level.

[angler24]

I have attached a photo of the large metal object that I have always thought was a WDH but I guess I don't know nearly as much as I thought I did. this is a side view. Is this a WDH or a sway bar?

[cpaharley2008]

That is part of a w/d set up.......here is a link to a anti-sway device https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...urt/17200.html

[John in Santa Cruz]

indeed, thats a 'spring bar' WDH, but there should be two of those spring bars w/ the chain, and you need 'stirrups' on the trailer, like this...

[angler24]

Thanks all for your kind and helpful replies. I will post a photo of the new blue Tundra which matches my blue Escape graphics. And I will update this thread on how the towing goes.



And yes I have the stirrups on the trailer - just did not include them in the pic. thank you!





~ Jane

[Brian B-P]

While power doesn't have anything to do with sway, wheelbase and mass do - the Tundra will provide more stable support for the tongue of the trailer than the Highlander, so trailer stability will be better, even with no change in the loading of the trailer.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by angler24

Is this a WDH or a sway bar?

Looks like my Pro Series WDH, but, where's the other bar?
I towed my 17B with a RAV4, with WDH and never experienced sway. The trailer fully loaded is 3,200 lbs and the tongue weight, 320 to 340 lbs.
I also recommend you weigh your full loaded for camping trailer and weigh the tongue, aiming for 10-15%.

[angler24]

I did not include the other bar in the photo but I do have it and do tow with both bars!

[John in Santa Cruz]

how much does your tundra sag before hooking up the WDH bars ?