08 Tundra Trailer Towing Advice

[Rykertest]

Hello everyone. I'm going to post up a lot of detail in hopes of getting some very specific advice about towing a smaller trailer. I am asking because while I have plenty of offroad/overlanding experience and I have towed many a utility trailer, I've never had a dedicated camper for trips like this so I want to ensure it's set up correctly/safely. The basics of my tow vehicle are; 2008 Tundra Crewmax SR5 4X4 with the 5.7L engine and the 5'6" bed. The truck currently has a diamondback switchback metal bed cover and I'm planning some decked drawers. Other than that and the Cooper AT3's, the truck is mostly stock. I may add some additional lights for camping, ditch lights, a small roof rack for storage but nothing extreme.

I'm looking at a smaller trailer for mild overloading/camping. No crazy off-roading, just boon docking, BLM roads, forest roads, etc. The trailer loaded up will weigh aprox. 3000 pounds with an approx 400 lb tongue weight. Add my family of 4, (me, wife, two teenage boys and dog) and I wonder if I'm being safe weight wise. I know a WDH is a bit overkill for a small trailer but my goal is to be as safe and comfortable as possible with the thousands of miles this trailer will hopefully see so I'm considering one. I am in the process of changing out the rear shocks and I may add airbags just for stability and comfort on the road, not for extra weight. So some numbers to put all this together are;

Truck Door Sticker Weight Limit - 1325 max payload.

Trailer - 3000 (rounded UP from dry equipped weight of 2613 lbs to factor in water tank filled, propane, etc.)
Tongue Weight - 400 (rounded UP from 375 which is the tongue weight with water tank filled)
Family weight W/ dog - 675 - diet starts tomorrow
Decked Drawers - 208 Empty
Current Bed Cover - 70

So If I'm doing my math correctly, and that is a concern, I'm approx 25 lbs over as it stands now with no tools in the drawers or any other luggage, camping chairs, food, etc. When I also factor in things like airbags, a we-boost, solar panel, additional battery, etc, I'm past the limit.


Since I am new to this specific aspect of trailering, I would appreciate some feedback from those experienced in this. Have I answered my own question and this set up won't work or am I missing something? Thank you in advance for the assistance.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

If a Toyota Matrix can pull a SCAMP, then I'd say you're severely overthinking your situation.

 

[Rykertest]

If a Toyota Matrix can pull a SCAMP, then I'd say you're severely overthinking your situation.

Thanks for the reply. I can see the "overthinking" aspect but my long term plan for this is after I retire, I'll be putting some heavy miles on this set up and I want to ensure a modest amount of overkill and redundancy in every aspect. It will be my home for months at a time so it's worth it to me to overdo it.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

Thanks for the reply. I can see the "overthinking" aspect but my long term plan for this is after I retire, I'll be putting some heavy miles on this set up and I want to ensure a modest amount of overkill and redundancy in every aspect. It will be my home for months at a time so it's worth it to me to overdo it.

Your thinking would be applicable if the trailer in question was 8,000lbs. Even then the Tundra is rated to tow up to 10,800lbs. I doubt it will even notice a 3,000lbs trailer hooked up to it... Safety first, but in your case you have a ton of safety cushion for hundreds of thousands of miles of towing to come. Enjoy!

 

[Rykertest]

Your thinking would be applicable if the trailer in question was 8,000lbs. Even then the Tundra is rated to tow up to 10,800lbs. I doubt it will even notice a 3,000lbs trailer hooked up to it... Safety first, but in your case you have a ton of safety cushion for hundreds of thousands of miles of towing to come. Enjoy!

Thank you for the reply.

 

[tcp71]

When loaded up, you will be over your payload sticker numbers. Not by much and probably without issue. I would suggest a weight distributing hitch with sway control for the trailer. Airbags if you want. After that you'll be fine. Just know the published tongue weight will be severely off as it doesn't include propane tanks or battery mounted on the tongue, to say nothing about water weight if the tank is in front of the wheels. Our trailer has a 670lb published tongue weight and we hover around 1000 loaded up. 1850lbs of payload along with airbags and a good WDH make all the difference.

 

[c502cid]

Trailer has brakes, right? That would be my first issue with safety. Does the truck have a rear sway bar? Rear sway bar, new shocks on all 4 corners, and air bags will control a lot, I wouldn't think you are close to needing a WDH. Lastly, tires and pressures on the truck and trailer are of key importance.

What you are doing is a great way to have family time! You are a good dad!

 

[Rykertest]

Trailer has brakes, right? That would be my first issue with safety. Does the truck have a rear sway bar? Rear sway bar, new shocks on all 4 corners, and air bags will control a lot, I wouldn't think you are close to needing a WDH. Lastly, tires and pressures on the truck and trailer are of key importance.

What you are doing is a great way to have family time! You are a good dad!

Yes, good point about the brakes. Yes, it does have trailer brakes and I have a controller already installed. I will need to double check on the away bar but I assumed it does have one. Any suggestion on what airbags would be good? Thank you for the reply and compliment. .

 

[cptbarkey]

Your setup is OK since you clarified that you have brakes on the trailer. Folks trash on the Harbor Freight WDH, but have about 500 miles on mine and it worked great for me, even unladen. Air up your tires and off you go. Personally I would reconsider adding more junk to the truck bed. Load up that trailer instead.

 

[c502cid]

Yes, good point about the brakes. Yes, it does have trailer brakes and I have a controller already installed. I will need to double check on the away bar but I assumed it does have one. Any suggestion on what airbags would be good? Thank you for the reply and compliment. .

There aren't any bad air bag kits on the market now. Seriously they are all good. AirLift, Firestone, PacBrake, Leveling Solutions, ReadyAir.... all of them are good!

 

[hemioiler]

Your thinking would be applicable if the trailer in question was 8,000lbs. Even then the Tundra is rated to tow up to 10,800lbs.

There are multiple limits on a truck. There is what you can tow (GCWR, the 10,800 lbs), what you can carry (GVWR, ie: payload), your limit over the rear wheel (RAWR), the tongue weight on the hitch; these all matter. The greatest myth in pickup truck towing is that you just look at GCWR as you suggested. That is patently false.

Whatever limit you hit first is the limit for what you can tow.

For the OP; I would not worry 25 pounds. If you go to a cat scale and you have 25 pounds, don't worry. But at some point you can't ignore that your truck might not have enough cargo carrying capacity and they build 2500's to do this job a little more effectively.

 

[hemioiler]

Your thinking would be applicable if the trailer in question was 8,000lbs. Even then the Tundra is rated to tow up to 10,800lbs.

Just as a further point on this; the manufacturer does not know what trailer you're towing. A boat has about 5% tongue weight. An RV has about 13%. A 5w can be 20 to 25 percent.

Rough estimates:
Payload for a boat at 10k pounds = 500 pounds
Payload for a TT at 10k pounds = 1300 pounds
Payload for a 5w at 10k pounds = 2000 pounds

So you can find multiple 10k pound trailers which range all over the place, Toyota says you can pull 10k pounds but not if you're putting > 1300 pounds on your truck. That includes the trailer tongue weight, driver + passengers and cargo

Driver hops in @ 200 pounds, well now he can only put 1100 tongue weight on his truck.

Golden rule for all half ton trucks; you will almost always exceed your GVWR before hitting the mythical GCWR (10k pounds). Since Toyota doesn't know what type of 10k pound trailer you're towing, they give you multiple limits and all of those cannot be exceeded.

You can't just hook up any 10k pound trailer and head off.

 

[spasm3]

There aren't any bad air bag kits on the market now. Seriously they are all good. AirLift, Firestone, PacBrake, Leveling Solutions, ReadyAir.... all of them are good!

If you use a weight distributing hitch, like an E-qual-izer, you won't need any air bag systems. The E-qual-izer hitch also provides sway control, which is more important with travel trailers than utility trailers, as they catch more air.

 

[Astro14]

I think I would hook it all up, and then take a look at the sag on the rear. You might want airbags even if you’re within all the limits.

A lot of rear sag changes handling, and since you mentioned fire roads and overlanding, ground clearance and departure angle become considerations.

When towing a bit over 8,000# with my Tundra (but only me and bit of luggage in the cab), I didn’t need air bags - there was minimal sag, even without a weight distributing hitch. But there was very little weight on the truck from me or the luggage.

 

[Rykertest]

There are multiple limits on a truck. There is what you can tow (GCWR, the 10,800 lbs), what you can carry (GVWR, ie: payload), your limit over the rear wheel (RAWR), the tongue weight on the hitch; these all matter. The greatest myth in pickup truck towing is that you just look at GCWR as you suggested. That is patently false.

Whatever limit you hit first is the limit for what you can tow.

For the OP; I would not worry 25 pounds. If you go to a cat scale and you have 25 pounds, don't worry. But at some point you can't ignore that your truck might not have enough cargo carrying capacity and they build 2500's to do this job a little more effectively.

Fair point. I already have a tundra and I have had great luck with this brand over my life so I'd downsize the trailer before getting another truck. Thank you for the additional information.

 

[AZjeff]

There are multiple limits on a truck. There is what you can tow (GCWR, the 10,800 lbs), what you can carry (GVWR, ie: payload), your limit over the rear wheel (RAWR), the tongue weight on the hitch; these all matter. The greatest myth in pickup truck towing is that you just look at GCWR as you suggested. That is patently false.

Whatever limit you hit first is the limit for what you can tow.

Great post and spot on. It sounds like you'll be at/over your payload number. That is what it is, airbags, WD hitch don't increase that number. Every truck has a different towing capacity depending on configuration, 4x4, engine, etc. that is on the placard. You're way under GVWR and towing capacity but at payload capacity with a fairly light trailer. This is the game the manufacturers play. I'd use a WD/ anti-sway hitch before airbags to level up. Airbags put stress on a leaf spring frame where it wasn't designed for and while your weight is low it's something to be aware of. Unfortunately the only way to really know what your towing numbers are is to load everything up in traveling trim and take it to a scale.

 

[Rykertest]

Great post and spot on. It sounds like you'll be at/over your payload number. That is what it is, airbags, WD hitch don't increase that number. Every truck has a different towing capacity depending on configuration, 4x4, engine, etc. that is on the placard. You're way under GVWR and towing capacity but at payload capacity with a fairly light trailer. This is the game the manufacturers play. I'd use a WD/ anti-sway hitch before airbags to level up. Airbags put stress on a leaf spring frame where it wasn't designed for and while your weight is low it's something to be aware of. Unfortunately the only way to really know what your towing numbers are is to load everything up in traveling trim and take it to a scale.

Great reply, thank you for the feedback. I think in order to reduce weight, I'm gonna ditch the decked system and put more weight in the trailer. That's 200 lbs saved.

 

[spasm3]

Great post and spot on. It sounds like you'll be at/over your payload number. That is what it is, airbags, WD hitch don't increase that number. Every truck has a different towing capacity depending on configuration, 4x4, engine, etc. that is on the placard. You're way under GVWR and towing capacity but at payload capacity with a fairly light trailer. This is the game the manufacturers play. I'd use a WD/ anti-sway hitch before airbags to level up. Airbags put stress on a leaf spring frame where it wasn't designed for and while your weight is low it's something to be aware of. Unfortunately the only way to really know what your towing numbers are is to load everything up in traveling trim and take it to a scale.

Another question are the tires. Some 1/2 trucks come with P-metrics which are ok, but if you are right at the payload limit, you may be at the limit of the p-metric load rating of the tires.

 

[AZjeff]

It’s great that you’re looking at your capacities. Many people just hook up and go with little understanding and much bigger trailers.