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Old 09-10-2021, 01:32 PM   #1
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Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: SANTA ROSA, California
Trailer: not yet purchased 2021 escape5.0
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yet to purchase escape 5.0

have a 2004tundra dbl cab 4 wheel drive , 96000 miles, purchased in 2006, came with tow package,4.100 limited slip differential, 17"rims, stated GVWR is 6600. retired now , had a company truck for years, hence the low mileage. looking for 5.0 owners with tales of towing with such a truck. tundra is in great shape regular serviced. math parameters for GVWR's add up but close. want to pull trigger on 5.0 order placement. help?
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Old 09-10-2021, 02:42 PM   #2
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Welcome Jim,
To our little world........
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Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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Old 09-10-2021, 05:18 PM   #3
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It should be cake.
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Old 09-13-2021, 10:02 PM   #4
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Location: Centennial, Colorado
Trailer: 2020 5.0 TA
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Welcome!

Not a Tundra owner but recently went through a parallel situation and I think you'll be fine.

We decided to buy a 5.0 TA but weren't sure about our tow vehicle...in our case a Silverado 1500 gas V8, 4WD without a tow package.

After reading related threads in this forum, I was confident the truck could pull the trailer and we had a solution for a brake controller so I homed in on these factors:

- Hitch Options

Our trailer was purchased used and included an Anderson rail-mount hitch so we stuck with that. I probably would have preferred a "turnover ball" hitch to leave the bed cleaner but the rail-mount hitch was smaller and lighter so I chose not to spend more on a different hitch. This has worked well for us to date. There are many hitch options and you'll find a variety of experience on this forum.

- Cargo Weight

Our truck was rated for 1777 lbs total cargo weight. We assumed a max of 1050 lbs for the trailer and passengers so believed we had ~600 lbs of margin for our generators, stove, cooler, chairs, fuel, etc. Think through what you need to put in the bed vs what you can load in the trailer. You can obviously get away with a lower cargo weight limit but this will likely be a key decision point.

- Bed Height

We followed guidance in the ETI towing guide for the 5.0 TA and it worked out well. We were "close" (ie only an inch or 2 shorter than max recommended because our truck has a little lift with Z71 option) but we haven't had any issue.

- Bed Length

Our truck has a 6.5' bed. If shorter I'd personally be nervous about both the turning radius and usable bed space. The usable space was a factor in deciding to stick with the rail-mount hitch as it has a smaller footprint than a ball-mount hitch. I know many on this forum tow 5.0 TAs with shorter beds but I recommend you get a clear picture of the clearance between trailer and cab before committing.

I was nervous but so far no issues towing, handling, nor braking. The Escape is very stable and well-mannered. Our truck is no monster but has had no trouble pulling the 5.0 over mountain passes. Our transmission temperature has gone over 200 a couple times so I may add a cooler. Your tow package is likely to make this a non-issue. Our mileage is good enough - typically 14 to 15 mpg going up and down mountain roads around here. We have a rear-view camera and I like it. The trailer is a little wider than the truck and we don't have extended side mirrors so the camera fills some gaps. Your 4WD will be valuable when traction is poor (ie gravel, dirt roads, etc.). I need it to maneuver on our gravel drive and it saved grief in campgrounds with steep dirt roads.

Hope it works out for you too!
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Old 09-14-2021, 06:41 AM   #5
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My cousins a used car dealer. He has had everything. He used his trucks to pull car trailers from dealership to dealership. His favorite and the truck he kept going back to was a first gen Tundra and the similar Lexus GX470. He said they were reliable, good on gas and reliable.

For me, I have a 2017 Tundra, reliable, not so good on gas but yes reliable.
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Old 09-14-2021, 07:59 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rosapeople View Post
have a 2004tundra dbl cab 4 wheel drive , 96000 miles, purchased in 2006, came with tow package,4.100 limited slip differential, 17"rims, stated GVWR is 6600. retired now , had a company truck for years, hence the low mileage. looking for 5.0 owners with tales of towing with such a truck. tundra is in great shape regular serviced. math parameters for GVWR's add up but close. want to pull trigger on 5.0 order placement. help?
What’s you payload capacity? Many vehicles exceed their payload long before the tow capacity.
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Old 09-14-2021, 01:01 PM   #7
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We tow our 5.0 with an 02 tundra and it does fine. I don't know what year the 5.7litter V8 came out and if you have that you are good. We have the 4.7liter V8 and it gets you where you are going but I wish we had a bit more power here in the mountains.

Like Choch said check your payload. Ours has a payload of just over 1,500lbs and it's an SR5 TRD edition. If you have the Limited it could lower your payload by as much as 500lbs more. Also think about any dealer added accessories like running boards that would also lower your payload.
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