Anyone towing a travel trailer with the new 3rd Generation Tundra?

I actually bought this Tundra to tow my travel trailer. I was towing it with my 21 Gladiator Rubicon. My chief complaint there was the Gladiator towed the trailer well enough but I had to carry extra gas (range suffered towing the trailer) and the motor just didn't provide enough torque. I never made it into 8th gear and rarely visited 7th (even on slat surfaces). So, I opted for a 24 TRD Off Road. Pulls it like it isn't even there. I'll leave the JTR for off roading and towing the SXS.

 

Why does everyone want to tow in overdrive?? You shouldn’t be towing in 7th or 8th gear with the Gladiator 8speed ZF. You shouldn’t be towing in 9 or 10th gear in the new Tundra with 10speed.

 

I tow a 4800lb (dry) toy hauler all over Virginia and West Virginia. Here's a thread where I posted a video of the towing temps while going up and over a small mtn pass:

Towing Temps Video. Small Mtn Pass | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

I am VERY impressed and pleased with my towing experience. I have the non-hybrid.

 

Welcome to Toyota. 2nd biggest complaint of us 2nd genners (right behind fuel economy) is payload capacity. I have a ‘21 SR5 TRD Off Road (same trim/package as yours); my door jamb says 1270 lb, hardly less than yours.

Much to many hopeful converts’ disappointment, Toyota put the 3rd gen Tundra’s payload capacity solidly at the back of the pack.

Realistically, a 7-8k trailer probably maxes your payload out, even though Toyota says the truck can pull 12k or 13k—especially if you’re towing with your family in the truck. The good news is, the 3rd gen absolutely crushes towing 7k. Sweers has always said Toyota “refuses to play the numbers game like our competitors” (paraphrased). Still, would it kill you to offer a high payload package option, especially since you refuse to enter the HD segment?

If one has a wife and kids and wants to pull a sizeable trailer with any half ton, one will be over payload by at least a bit. I’m over often, but I really make sure to stay within axle ratings.

I’m all but 100% decided that I am in my last “half ton” truck.

 

These things are towing champs! I pull my 30' TT with no issues at all.


There are also a few other threads on this topic: What do you TOW with your Tundra? and What Do You Tow With Your '22?

 

In Tow/Haul mode on the 3rd Gen, I do not believe it really allows it to get even to 8th gear. You could manually do it.

 

Just watched your video. This is the type of content I have been wanting to see. Guys pulling similar loads to what I pull and seeing how the truck handles it. Thanks for posting.

 

I sincerely appreciate everyone's responses on here. I have decided to keep my '17 SR5 as shopping around for a new 3rd generation was painful as the cost of a new truck is overpriced and does not make fiscal sense to do that right now. My '17 is paid off so I will invest in my existing SR5 with a few mods by starting with new shocks and take a better look at my weight distribution hitch as I think it may need some adjustments to help with a "slight SAG". I also want a new head unit as the factory one is a piece of crap.

 

A little late to this thread but you are spot on @KNABORES, towing in OD is a sure way to cook your transmission’s planetary gear sets. They are not able to handle heavy loads with the torque multiplication caused by overdrive. Our 10 speed trans is at a 1:1 ratio in 7th gear. This is the strongest and highest gear you ever want to be in with a heavy load. Tow/Haul mode should not allow the trans to go into OD.

 

Thread bump.

Just pulled my 5000 GVWR travel trailer for its first pull behind the Tundra. Coming from a 6MT Tacoma there is just no comparison. Stock Off Road suspension and a well adjusted WD hitch worked great. It was a beast on the interstate and passes. Tow/Haul mode seems to work as intended.

No Ragrets.

 

Well… I went ahead and purchased a new suspension Bilstein 6112 Coil Overs with leveling kit in the front and Bilstein 5160 in the rears and a new Airlift Air Bag Suspension Kit to help with sag and towing, tossed in a Flated Camper Shell also and only use it when I go camp and tow my travel trailer otherwise I deflate it and store it and replace with my Bakflip Tonneau Cover.

 

Can I bump this thread?

After reading reviews like the above we got a TT, ~5500lbs dry. Our 22 SR5 TRD OR 4x4, non hybrid is the first truck I've towed with. We have a Blue Ox WDH and have been using tow+.

The power and transmission seem to be more than adequate, but I get a pulsing/bouncing here and there. At first I thought this was the engine struggling, but I've also noticed it a few times when I'm not on the gas at all. We're in socal so there have been some hills.

Clicking around here, it doesn't seem to be the vibration/shudder that some have mentioned. And I also don't have prior towing experience to compare to. Could this be a poor WDH setup? Or a by product of the soft rear suspension and something air bags could help with? If the latter, this is all new to me, what's a good aftermarket rec? I'm assuming you can't get the OEM AVS added aftermarket?

Thanks in advance

 

You may be experiencing “porposing”. Generally occurs due to tongue weight when the weight of the trailer is not distributed well or your WDH isn’t set up correctly.

 

I had this when the RV place set up my new trailer. It was really bad, but I did some adjusting on the WDH and now it’s a champ. I do not have AVS or bags. I tow around 5k and if I was doing something heavier than that on a regular basis I would get them (bags). Coils just ain’t the same as leafs for a load.

 

Thank you both. I think this resonates with my very limited experience, so I'll look into setting up the hitch differently. I had the RV place do it as well

 

I am coming from a 2nd gen to a 3rd gen.

I tow a 7000# 30ft travel trailer during the summer and I have to say I'm a bit nervous to tow with a brand new truck this year. It makes me wince a bit to think of all that stress on an untried transmission. Luckily I have a few more months to break it in and build confidence.

On the 2nd gen, I limited the transmission to gears 1-4 (of 6), and very occasionally, 5th gear. The sweet spot was to get the TC locked up in 4th gear with the 5.7 just under 3000rpm. The TC on that truck only locked in gears 4-6. The running consensus over in the 2-2.5 gen threads are to us S4 for towing (4th gear, let the TC lock up).

What max gear selection are you all using for heavier tows, if any? I noticed 6-7 keep the RPMs manageable around 65-70mph and it *feels* like the TC is locked. I am sure the truck will never see 10th while towing.
What gears allow for TC lockup? It's hard to tell what is a shift and what is a lockup with all of these close ratios.
Does tow-haul lock out some higher gears on its own?
Do sustained higher RPMs make the turbos generate excessive heat?

I've never towed with a ten speed or with a turbo (or 2), so this feels all new to me.

 

You're overthinking the problem. Put it in Tow+ and let the truck do the work. Enjoy the haul!

 

Does your model have a tow package? The Tow/Haul + mode will handle it all. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I have been hauling around 5k for a few years now and it’s not problem at all. Your trailer is pretty big and bordering on HD territory IMO, but only for payload - the engine, transmission, and frame will handle it just fine. The rear is a little soft with the coils so make sure your WD hitch is well dialed in and consider some bags if it sags too much. Seems like all generations of Tundra have soft rear end suspension.

 

I ran sumo springs on my last tundra to combat the soft suspension along with a good wdh.

I don't know if my new truck has tow/haul +. I have a tow/haul button, trailer setting in the menus, and a trailer brake controller. I do not have tow mirrors or the trailer backup camera mode. What is tow/haul+?

 

You probably have it - it’s for over 5000 lbs. When you press the tow haul button, then twist the knob 1 click to right and it will display T/H+. It’s also pretty fun for kicks without a load - it’s super torquey and responsive for a little on street adolescent ya ya’s. Check your owners manual in the towing or drive selector sections.

 

Just went and played with it a bit. I noticed + kept the revs up even on the highway. Very cool. Thanks!

 

OP. Agree with the others here. TH+ is your answer. Though for your info 7th is the 1:1 ratio in this trans (like 4th was in your prev truck) and you should avoid heavy towing in OD gears 8-10. Occasional 8th is Ok in the flats. I don’t believe TH+ will even let it go into OD.

 

This comment makes far more sense to me now. Tow+ seems pretty cool.

 

See your owners manual for diffs between TH and TH+

 

As a first time tower that's what I've done and engine/tranny have been great, including up and down hills.

Still trying to dial in the soft rear end/WDH setup though.

 

BLUE Ox WDH
TRD lift
285 AT tires

WDH not set in this photo