2011 Tundra Towing Questions

[adkmacman]

Hello all ... I just signed up tonight and I am excited to hear from you all on my concerns of towing a 2012 Hideout 26b bumper trailer with a "little" Tundra CrewMax. We have only done the pop up thing before this and although the Hideout is only 5200 dry and GVW is 7600, having vacillated on a Cummins Dodge or the Tundra we chose ... well I am a little uneasy still. The camper is paid for and being prep'ed for a May 3rd pickup and orientation. We paid for a Reese Weight Distribution and Anti-Sway hitch package ($897.00) as well as a $285.00 Prodigy Brake Controller that will be setup for us at the dealer. We plan to take two 3 or 4 day familiarization weekends before we leave on a 35 day trip from Lake Placid New York to the Emerald Coast and back. We choose the CrewMax for the excellent room year round and due to our many years of favor for Toyota reliability (Corolla and Camry owners). I suppose I am just seeking your experienced thoughts on towing with this setup. Things we should lookout for, maybe places to stay and visit on this first time loop down south etc.:wave:

[f6bits]

Do you know the towing and cargo capacity of the Tundra? With an engine size and rear axle gear ratio, you can find this out at:
http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/

If you have the 5.7, then you’re golden. Great wheelbase and a strong engine. Good choice on the Reese and Prodigy.

For places to stay, even for your local shakeout runs, I always check http://www.rvparkreviews.com/

[109rfan]

I think even with the 4.6 you will be fine. If you have a 5.7 your way more than fine

[adkmacman]

Yes it is the TRD 5.7 CrewMax model.

Next issue I'm facing is the stock mirrors won't cut it ... I need towing mirrors. More stress right :)

I'd like something I have confidence in, not noisy, shaky stuff. Toyota dealer says they don't make a replacement towing mirror he can order!

Seems silly but I'll ask the dealer next time I am in Plattsburhh. Any suggestions on what to buy, where etc?

[109rfan]

I tow a jayco 26b similar weight and tows really well Next week I'm picking up a hideout 29bhs and still think I'm within weight. As far tow mirrors check out tundra forums. There's lotta info about changing mirrors out and basically it can be done Right now I'm on same boat stock mirrors

[Bruzer 71]

Well the dealership possibly broke it off in you. Which prodigy do you have 1-2-3 I had the. 2 installed for 154.00 and the weight distribution hitch and break control was 587. 00 total I opted out on sway control. I pull with a 3/4 ton Avalanche with a 8.1 L with a factory tow package. So far no regrets I pull a 300BH ultra light so the truck can pull 2x what the camper weights empty. Pull a lot easier than my 19 foot open bow boat. It does have a single axel with no brakes and bounces around way to much. Lol.

[Bob Landry]

TRD Sparks has the Tundra tow mirrors. They weren't cheap, around $200 each, but they are exact replacement for the stock mirros and can be wired with all of the functions of your current mirrors. Lots of info about swapping them. The Toyota wiring harness plugs behind the kick panel are really confusing so you may want to have them installed professionally.

[Bob Landry]

I think even with the 4.6 you will be fine. If you have a 5.7 your way more than fine

It may or may not be fine for a trailer of that size. I pulled a Jayco 22FB with a 4.6L Tundra and I thought it struggled quite a bit, and it was supposed to berated to tow 8K lbs. Now I'm pulling an Outback 277RL with a 5.7L with ease. Go with the bigger motor. No one ever woke up and wished they had less truck.

[f6bits]

Have you looked at the CIPA slip-on mirrors?

[Jim & Kay]

Hey Adkmacman,
Pull you up a chair, sit down, and I'll tell you my story. I tow a 291RLS Cougar High Country 5er and I have a 2008 Tundra 5.7L DC, 4X4 with 430 gear and if your Tundra is 2 wheel drive and have the towing package, your towing capacity is 10,100 lbs. If you have the 4x4 it is 10,300. Don't worry about the weight being a problem for your tundra and as far as the WDH, that is in MHO a waste. I towed a travel trailer with a WDH & it was so unhandy, I opted to remove it and installed Firestone Ride Rite Airbags with an on board compressor and have never been sorry. I can set my own height to level out the trailer and it gives you a better ride. But I do recommend towing with a sway bar, with cross winds, semis, etc... it gives a more stable tow and I've towed with and without but won't tow without any more. Good luck and enjoy your new camper.

[chris199]

Couple of things...just traded my 2011 Tundra 4.6L for the big 5.7L. Waiting on a Cougar 32SAB. Was concerned about safety, sway, weight distribution. Dealer suggested an Equalizer. After reading horror stories, I went with a reconitioned Hensley WDH. Supposed to be 1 of 2 best on the market.

Tow mirrors - I swapped my stock mirrors on new Tundra for the tow mirrors from Sparks. About $200 is right...each. good news is can do yourself...there are step by step directioons on this forum AND the heat works, power mirrors, side turn signals work, etc. Love my new mirrors. They are not power slide out....have tonextend and pull in manually.

WDH - I am within GVWR, GCVr limits with my new truck and TT. Only concern is how close to truck payload limit we are. 200-300 or so more and we are exceeding the max. Just the two of us and occasionally one other...I think we are OK. Decided to have no regrets on safety and went with the Hensley hitch. Pretty amazing but pretty pricey too. Didn't want to roll my TT and regret not spending $2000. Video of Hensley hitch is pretty amazing.

Thought about going to GMC 2500 OR to a Ford or Dodge diesel but the money drain has to stop somewhere. Thought about downsizing the 32SAB to a smaller and lighter TT but of the Cougar there is only one much smaller unit lighter in hitch weight. We stayed with the Toyota Tundra 5.7L 4x4 with tow pkg......upgraded mirrors....went with Line-X bed liner and 20113 Keystone Cougar 32SAB.

[joindy]

I have weight distribution hitch and pulling a 4500 lb dry passport 250BH.
Seems to tow ok but curious if front end should still seem bit light with modest floating when going 60 mph down the highway. Was installed by a dealership and I hope is set up ok. So the question is....with my 10000 lb rated tundra pulling about 5000 lbs...should you still expect to feel some floating on front end...not a lot...but you know have some tongue weight on the back.
Also...I use CIPA 11300 Toyota Tundra Custom Towing Mirrors which got from Amazon for about $50 which work great.

[chris199]

You may wan to check on a level surface the distance from the ground to the center of front wheel well before load and after..with wdh. May be that the weight is not being forced to the truckc enough. If the dealer is close, may want to have them recheck everything. May also want to go to a scale to cconfirm that the hitch wgt is approx 13% of the trailer wgt and not overloaded. You may need to redistribute some wgt.

You say 4500 dry wgt.....tells me you don't know the wgt of your TT loaded. Definitely sugggest you take you rig to scales and get wgts of
whole rig TT AND TV
tongue wgt with everything in pass thru, etc.
wgt of TV
wgt of TT

Then run the numbers.

[W.E.BGood]

Congrats and welcome. As far as your package...sounds great! Our 250RS is 5,950 dry, add 300-400 lbs of "stuff" and a full tank of water (320 lbs), our '08 5.7 Tundra 4X4 DC pulls t just fine and is VERY stable. Even the DW is confident driving it on 2-lane Wisconsin highways. We do have an Equalizer wd/sway hitch, but I splurged and had AirLift airbags with remote controlled compressor added to smooth-out the "harmonic porpoising" we run into periodically on certain concrete-sectioned roads here in the midwest. They also allow me to drive a level set-up for short distances and do tight manuvers of very uneven surfaces (like backing into steep, narrow spaces) without putting a lot of strain on the weight distribution bars.
Regards, BGood

[SteveC7010]

I have weight distribution hitch and pulling a 4500 lb dry passport 250BH.
Seems to tow ok but curious if front end should still seem bit light with modest floating when going 60 mph down the highway. Was installed by a dealership and I hope is set up ok. So the question is....with my 10000 lb rated tundra pulling about 5000 lbs...should you still expect to feel some floating on front end...not a lot...but you know have some tongue weight on the back.
Also...I use CIPA 11300 Toyota Tundra Custom Towing Mirrors which got from Amazon for about $50 which work great.

If properly setup, your WD should eliminate any of that "floating" feeling on the front end. That comes from not enough weight on the front axle. Sounds like the dealer set up the WD with the trailer empty. Once you add your gear, everything changes and the WD needs to be readjusted.

Park your TV on level ground and measure from the top of the wheel opening to the ground for both the front and rear axles. Write down those numbers. Then hitch up, and again, with the TV and TT on level ground, take those measurements again. The numbers will be less, but the change should be about the same for both front and rear. If the front changes less than the rear by more than a 1/4" or so, the WD needs adjusting because not enough weight is being transferred forward.

You didn't say which brand of WD you have, so coaching you on adjustment will have to wait.

[SteveC7010]

Joindy, I suspect you are new to forums. If you ask a question and get an initial response in open, others are in on the conversation and want to hear the rest of the discussion. Please repeat the response you sent to me in a PM here in the forum. Like a lot of folks here, I prefer to answer questions in open forum rather than in private.

[Bob Landry]

While front and rear sqat of the TV is nice, that should not be the goal and in reality will be difficult to impossible to obtain while getting the correct weight transfer. The requirement for safe handling and minimal wear on front end components is that the front height(measured at the fender openings should be returned to the height specified in the TV owners manual. The latest trend of thought is to get the front right and let the rear take care of itself. If you want to level the rear with airbags or whatever, that's OK, just be aware that you will have to readjust the WD as that will change the amount of weight being transfered to the front axle.
This is supported with many posts and a couple of stickies by some very knowledgeble guys on RV.Net. Those stickies should be required reading for anyone who has never set up a WD hitch.

[michaeliack]

My 4.7 double cab has no problem towing our Bullet (about 6,000lbs loaded). We also graduated from a PUP, use a Reese weight distribution system and the Prodigy (90185). We can barely feel the TT behind us; its a much smoother tow than the PUP. Does your tundra have the back up camera package? Congratulations...

[OutbackKampers]

I own a 2010 Tundra, and towed a 30 ft. Coachmen, with a dry weight of 6600lbs for 2 years with no problems. We bought a 2012 Keystone Outback 312BH this year, with a dry weight of 7700lbs, and still have absolutely no problems towing. You will be very happy with your choice of tow vehicle. Good Luck!

[109rfan]

I own a 2010 Tundra, and towed a 30 ft. Coachmen, with a dry weight of 6600lbs for 2 years with no problems. We bought a 2012 Keystone Outback 312BH this year, with a dry weight of 7700lbs, and still have absolutely no problems towing. You will be very happy with your choice of tow vehicle. Good Luck!

This is good to know I was a lil worried my hideout 29bh would be a tad too heavy for my tundra 5.7

[chris199]

I own a 2010 Tundra, and towed a 30 ft. Coachmen, with a dry weight of 6600lbs for 2 years with no problems. We bought a 2012 Keystone Outback 312BH this year, with a dry weight of 7700lbs, and still have absolutely no problems towing. You will be very happy with your choice of tow vehicle. Good Luck!

We had a 199ML Passport and are waiting for our Cougar 32 SAB. TV is a 2012 tundr 5.7 doublecab. Looks like ur ccoach is about same size/wgt as cougar. I was nervous about the length and weights (or as my DW says...weightages). The closest thing we are approaching the limit on is payload in the truck. We have about a 200-300 lb cushion. Reassuring to know the tundra handles your coach! What WDH do you use?

[OutbackKampers]

I had a 10,000 lb. round bar wdh, with no sway control when I towed the 6600 lb. coachmen. No issues whatsoever. Moving up to the 36', 7700 lb. Outback made me a little nervous, so I upgraded to a Reese wdh with the dual cam sway control. I also put Firestone air bags on the truck. (Not a necessity) So far, the Tundra handles the Outback just as good as it did the coachmen. You're right about the payload. It's close.

[JimEli]

I pull our 35' Cougar 321RES TT at 8000+ pounds with an airbagged 5.7 Tundra and round bar WDH. No sway, no problems. Pulled over several 4000+ ft west coast mountains too. And gas is only $3.65. You'll love it.

[adkmacman]

You are all being thanked at once ... Thank you, thank you! I have looked at mirrors and settled on a pair that use rubber straps. I tried a short ride to ensure they will remain steady and so far so good!

I'd line to add another question of I may ... we are scheduled for May 3rd for the orientation and pickup. I stopped by today with my emwife and she pointed out that the bumper seems to be setting in further on one end than the other. Is this a normal manufacturing issue that the dealer can adjust? Also it's a New 2012 unit but the front right half of the axle has a lot of surface rust as well as the large "screw" inside the 4 stabilizer jacks.

Call me naive if I am but I purchased a 2011 Camry along with our 2011 CrewMax in late September )6 months ago) and not only were neither showing any rust .. But i obviously test drive every new vehicle before the final purchase. Should I test tow this camper before agreeing to take final reception and sign the paperwork saying I've been over it all and it's ok?

[Festus2]

The rust you are seeing on the axles and the stabilizer "screw" is quite common and you shouldn't be concerned. The axles are not coated with any long-lasting antirust coating and the stablilizer screw is basically bare metal that should have been lubricated. If it isn't, you can spray some dry lube on it or apply some grease/oil. The grease will, however, hold all sorts of road grime, dirt and grit. That is why I prefer to use dry lube spray.

Not sure about the bumper. It should be even from side to side and not skewed but if it is welded to the frame, it wouldn't be a simple fix.

I would hope that you would carry out a thorough pre-delivery inspection prior to signing over any funds to the dealer. If you do not have a PDI checklist, there is one available on the forum. It is a "sticky" in the Keystone Question section. You can download it and take it with you.

When you are doing your walk-through, take as much time as you need to do a complete inspection. Don't let the salesman rush you - be patient and ask lots of questions and get him to show you where everything is and how it works. Many buyers forget litle things to ask --- "How does this remote work?", for example. "How can I bring in the slide when the slide motor fails"?

Anything that needs repair, replacing, etc., make a note of it and get the dealer to make it right before driving it away.

Good luck with your purchase!
If you can take it out for a test run - by all means, take it out.

[JRTJH]

The bumper on our 2011 Springdale is very slightly off from even also. As Festus said, it's a solid, welded mount to the frame rails and not easy to fix. My thought about it was that someone would have to stand above the bumper and look down to compare the distance difference from the left to the right rear wall/bumper difference which is about 1" or maybe a little less. When standing behind the trailer looking at the bumper you can't see that offset. I thought it would be more trouble to take it all down, cut it off with a torch, and try to reweld it. I'd rather not have someone at the dealership (or anywhere else) around my new trailer with a torch trying to do cosmetic work that doesn't change any safety or operation factors and is simply a "hard to notice" cosmetic flaw. (Just my take on my own RV)

As for the stabilizer screws, and the axles, they are shipped bare and may have some surface rust on them. Over the years, that rust will more or less be a protective covering to prevent future rust. Unless it gets "really REALLY bad" I'd just leave it alone and occasionally check on it. Now if you're going to tow in the winter with salt covered roads, I'd keep them waxed or painted. But for most of us, the surface rust is of no consequence.

Test tow? Hmmm never heard of anyone doing that on an RV they'd otherwise be buying anyway. The only tests of that kind I've heard of are if there's a question about tow vehicle ability or such, and if you're going to be adding a break control, hitch, etc, after that $1000 or more, would it be a "deal breaker" if the trailer towed funny? I don't know what a limited "tow it around the block" kind of test would show you? What clicks for you to cause you to wonder about test towing?

[adkmacman]

Thanks Festus2 & JRTJH... I spoke with the dealership today and the responses from you two were dead on a match for his words.

I'm settled on these "issues" now. Thanks again!

[adkmacman]

Still waiting for my slip on towing mirrors for the Tundra. Any advice on Tow'in is welcome here... My experience starts and ends with a Corolla pulling a Coleman 8' popup!

[DTJ9610]

You are all being thanked at once ... Thank you, thank you! I have looked at mirrors and settled on a pair that use rubber straps. I tried a short ride to ensure they will remain steady and so far so good!



I'm pulling a 2011 Laredo 303TG with my 2008 5.7 V8 DC 4x4. Have had he truck and trailer for 1 season now and have been very pleased. There are a few things I still want to do with the truck (airbags and e rated tires), however have not had any issues without them.

As for the mirrors I also use the rubber strap ones and have had no issues. Took them on a round trip from Buffalo to Gettysburg (roughly 650 miles) and they did just fine. Sure I'd like to install the factory power tow mirrors once I have the money, but for now they work.

Hope you enjoy the new camper.

[adkmacman]

Hey DTJ9610,

What does your camper weigh

What kinda mileage are you seeing?

[chris199]

I'm pulling a 2011 Laredo 303TG with my 2008 5.7 V8 DC 4x4. Have had he truck and trailer for 1 season now and have been very pleased. There are a few things I still want to do with the truck (airbags and e rated tires), however have not had any issues without them.

As for the mirrors I also use the rubber strap ones and have had no issues. Took them on a round trip from Buffalo to Gettysburg (roughly 650 miles) and they did just fine. Sure I'd like to install the factory power tow mirrors once I have the money, but for now they work.

Hope you enjoy the new camper.

DTJ....where did you stay in Gettysburg? We're headed there this weekend. Planning to stay at Granite Hill Resort. Thought about taking advantage of 2 free nights at the Gettysburg Resort and then getting 30 free nights but would rather chill this weekend than deal with 1-2 hrs of high pressure sales.

[Festus2]

We seem to be straying from the OP's question about towing with a Toyota Tundra. Since the OP posted, mirrors have come up as well as WDH's in general. Now we are talking about campgrounds in Gettysburg.......
Can we find a way back to the original topic?

[chris199]

Expecting delivery of our new Cougar shortly...32 SAB. 35 FOOT...Should I be concerned aboug towong it with the stock P rated tires and rims? Hate to throw new rims and tires away but also want to be safe. Have seen some posts where people swear by E rated tires....but some seem to be 5th wheeler towers. 32 SAB is TT.

Any thoughts?

Really appeciate all of the input and insight from others here! Great site/forum!

[DTJ9610]

Hey DTJ9610,

What does your camper weigh

What kinda mileage are you seeing?

I haven't checked the dry in a while, however it was roughly 7,400. Loaded max is 9,000. I did hop on a CAT scale on the way down to Gettysburg and the combined came in at 15,280 (16k max). I know the truck was a bit over so I now know I can put more in the camper and less in the bed.

I'm usually getting between 8-10. Normally about 16.

[adkmacman]

That helps, the Hideout is 5,200 dry and 7,600 max loaded. I'm only seeing 14 - 15 on the truck display and I understand from others that they are usually generous so likely real world is less. it must be my driving style and Adirondack Mountain terrain that's getting me the lower numbers than others report.

I hate to see 7 mpg as some report while towing a lighter camper. I was hoping to be close to 10 at least heading south to Florida and maybe the 7 on the return trip for an average of 8.5 or so minimum. I'll report on my actual and the truck read out in late July when I get back.

Thanks to all those helping ... I am sure to have more questions after we pick up the new "home away from home" on May 3rd ;)

[007stiggs]

Adkmacman,
As others have stated, the 5.7 liter Tundra will pull your newly purchased travel trailer with ease.
I have a 2011 Tundra Crewmax 4X4 with the 5.7 and pull a 2012 Cougar 26BHS with a dry wight of 5985 lbs. I'm not sure of my gearing but in any case, I have always felt comfortable with my setup. It is truly effortless. Gas mileage suffers but that is to be expected. I average about 9 mpg while towing.
I purchased the CIPA slip on tow mirrors. They are very secure and don't vibrate or make any noise when traveling at 70 on the freeway.

Happy RVing!!

[Bob Landry]

Adkmacman,
As others have stated, the 5.7 liter Tundra will pull your newly purchased travel trailer with ease.
I have a 2011 Tundra Crewmax 4X4 with the 5.7 and pull a 2012 Cougar 26BHS with a dry wight of 5985 lbs. I'm not sure of my gearing but in any case, I have always felt comfortable with my setup. It is truly effortless. Gas mileage suffers but that is to be expected. I average about 9 mpg while towing.
I purchased the CIPA slip on tow mirrors. They are very secure and don't vibrate or make any noise when traveling at 70 on the freeway.

Happy RVing!!

Agreed. The 5.7L Tundra with the tow package has a 4:30 rear end and coupled with the 6 speed transmission will pull that trailer easily. I'm pulling 8K lbs with mine with a properly set up WD and anti-sway, and I enjoy every trip.

[adkmacman]

Thanks again to all that helped :)

The proof of my ability to handle this new set up is soon ... I pick up the Hideout Thursday at 1:00pm.

I'm planing a quick weekend camp locally, then 2 four day 100 mile trip to test out my abilities and comfort towing to Lake George and Them Quebec.

If I can handle the setup, we leave for Destin, FL June 15 ... Ah 34 days of R&R

[109rfan]

Ver nice we picked ours up yesterday and had some people over for dinner in it. Tundra handled great

[DEW]

Agreed. The 5.7L Tundra with the tow package has a 4:30 rear end and coupled with the 6 speed transmission will pull that trailer easily. I'm pulling 8K lbs with mine with a properly set up WD and anti-sway, and I enjoy every trip.

Does the Tundra's 6 speed auto tranny have auto grade braking like the GM tranny?

[Bob Landry]

I'm not certain. Mine will downshift if I go down a hill at a pretty good speed.

[DEW]

I will profess I do not know alot about it, but I was under the impression that the tranny did not downshift, but would hold you firm at your current speed.
The GM tranny did have a manual shift (toggle switch on console) but I also understood that defeated the auto grade braking when in to haul mode.

Maybe someone else knows or else I will need to do some more research.

[NWTTrailer]

Does the Tundra's 6 speed auto tranny have auto grade braking like the GM tranny?


Yes Toyota calls it ECT-i. A couple taps of the brake and the truck will downshift to help maintain speed:thumbsup:

[DEW]

Perfect... now I know.

[adkmacman]

Ok, this may be my final report here on this topic. Picked up our 2012 Hideout 26B yesterday. I put 100 miles on immediately after the excellent 3 hour "orientation" and some was steep climbs with no running start.

The verdict is simple ... the hp power and torque are more than adequate for a new dry 5200 camper with 750 lbs of adults in the Tundra CrewMax. I actually pulled from 50 to 60 going up a 1/2 mile very steep incline (Dannemora Mountain) in 4th gear.

I definitely can hear the 5.7 growling, but the rpms stayed under 3500.

The onboard mileage meter was something to watch as it fluctuated between 4-7 most of 100 miles. Again this was extremely unusual terrain that I purposely tackled so I can ascertain the pulling capabilities.

5 & 6 gear use seemed I'll advised as it caused a lot of searching for the right gear. Also I found manual select seemed the way to go on those road

All of the camper functions seem straight forward and very easy.

Although most units solid today are with a slide, we were clear that they would add weight & maintenance and not a requirement for us. We would rather have the easy, low cost, simplicity and weight savings of a non slide camper for our traveling desires.

Thanks again to all who helped prepare us :)