Towing 2600RB with 2016 Tacoma / with tow package?

[toolman.dustin]

Just curious, what does the payload sticker on YOUR truck say for payload?.....not the "up to 1620 lbs" advertisement stuff.

Under the "Vehicle Specifications" the truck is rated at a payload of "1620 lbs". The "Tire and Loading Sticker" sets "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 1000 lbs".

And........ that is one of the many contributing factors.

[toolman.dustin]

I'll add this quick story that helped me with my decision and research:

A very good friend has an F150 and purchased a 28' camper a several years ago. They travel Nebraska to Texas frequently, no problems. Last summer they decided to vacation in Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina. Upon returning, I asked about the trip. The husband said it was fun and they had a good time. The wife shook her head in disagreement but didn't say much until later. Her version was this: They had to get towed into town three times because they couldn't make it up some of the hills. On many of the hills they were so slow traffic was backup up and many of those drivers were very rude, even throwing stuff out their windows at them when they finally had an opportunity to pass. Even when my friends weren't the slowest vehicle on the road, they didn't have the power to pass the slowest vehicles. So, she said, she will never leave the great plains states with the camper/pickup combination they currently have.

I have to agree this would not make for an enjoyable vacation experience and I wouldn't want to add this stressful experience to my marriage relationship. My wife's pretty tolerant of my faults, but it's likely if my wife and I had this experience we would never take a road trip together again. This real life story kept me digging for a safe decision rather than a road experiment. I like my Tacoma and I don't want to trade "up", but I don't need the relationship aggravation along with the mechanical aggravation. The numbers don't work and it's not worth the risk.

[xrated]

I'll add this quick story that helped me with my decision and research:

A very good friend has an F150 and purchased a 28' camper a several years ago. They travel Nebraska to Texas frequently, no problems. Last summer they decided to vacation in Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina. Upon returning, I asked about the trip. The husband said it was fun and they had a good time. The wife shook her head in disagreement but didn't say much until later. Her version was this: They had to get towed into town three times because they couldn't make it up some of the hills. On many of the hills they were so slow traffic was backup up and many of those drivers were very rude, even throwing stuff out their windows at them when they finally had an opportunity to pass. Even when my friends weren't the slowest vehicle on the road, they didn't have the power to pass the slowest vehicles. So, she said, she will never leave the great plains states with the camper/pickup combination they currently have.

I have to agree this would not make for an enjoyable vacation experience and I wouldn't want to add this stressful experience to my marriage relationship. My wife's pretty tolerant of my faults, but it's likely if my wife and I had this experience we would never take a road trip together again. This real life story kept me digging for a safe decision rather than a road experiment. I like my Tacoma and I don't want to trade "up", but I don't need the relationship aggravation along with the mechanical aggravation. The numbers don't work and it's not worth the risk.

I would say that you are making a wise decision, ESPECIALLY since you have realized that the actual payload capacity is only 1000 lbs......that is why I asked you about the actual sticker on Your truck, not the advertising hype of "up to 1620 lbs". Good luck in your truck searching and now you know to check the actual payload sticker on the door....it's pretty much the gospel when it comes to payload capacity.

On a side note, several years ago before I knew the first thing about towing heavy, I bought a new F250 Ford CrewCab, 4x4 Diesel....thinking that when we got ready for the trailer in a few years, I'd already have a truck that could tow about anything I wanted to buy. Fast forward to 2016 and I started looking for a 38-40' fifth wheel toy hauler. Imagine my shock when I learned that EMPTY pin weights were several hundred lbs. over my wimpy payload of 2148 lbs on that truck. I had no idea when I bought it, I just figured.....hey 3/4 Ton truck, diesel, 4x4....yep, I'm good to go! NOT a chance! I bought a tow behind that by all rights was pushing the truck to the capacity limits, but it worked for a while, at least until I added an aux. Tank in the truck bed. I ended up buying a late model Dually in 2017, which was certainly overkill, but I was planning ahead for that "bigger Toy Hauler" one day. This past March 1 st, that day arrived and I now have a Momentum 394 with a GVWR of 20,000 lbs......and the best part, I already had a truck capable of towing it. Sorry about the long story but trust me, there are thousands of us out there that have bought too little of a truck and ended up having to do something to fix it....and in my case, it was way more money than I wanted to spend, but towing safely and within your limits is peace of mind that has no price.

[MidwestCamper]

Under the "Vehicle Specifications" the truck is rated at a payload of "1620 lbs". The "Tire and Loading Sticker" sets "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 1000 lbs".

And........ that is one of the many contributing factors.

Well this seals the deal. You do not have enough truck to safely pull the 2600RB.

[Cate&Rob]

I'll add this quick story that helped me with my decision and research:
A very good friend has an F150 and purchased a 28' camper a several years ago. They travel Nebraska to Texas frequently, no problems. Last summer they decided to vacation in Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina. . . . They had to get towed into town three times because they couldn't make it up some of the hills. On many of the hills they were so slow traffic was backup up and many of those drivers were very rude, even throwing stuff out their windows at them when they finally had an opportunity to pass. Even when my friends weren't the slowest vehicle on the road, they didn't have the power to pass the slowest vehicles.

@toolman.dustin,

I have to challenge your made up nonsense. We have travelled all over Kentucky and Tennessee with our F150 and our 10,000 lb 5th wheel. The Ecoboost can easily haul its combined GVWR up or down any grade in either state at posted highway speed. The F150 V8 has a little less power than the Ecoboost, but is also quite capable of its rated numbers. Your fabricated story adds nothing of value to the discussion in this thread. If your friend's truck was not operating correctly, that is a different story . . . but, that is not how you presented this.

Rob

[backtrack2015]

@toolman.dustin,

I have to challenge your made up nonsense. We have travelled all over Kentucky and Tennessee with our F150 and our 10,000 lb 5th wheel. The Ecoboost can easily haul its combined GVWR up or down any grade in either state at posted highway speed. The F150 V8 has a little less power than the Ecoboost, but is also quite capable of its rated numbers. Your fabricated story adds nothing of value to the discussion in this thread. If your friend's truck was not operating correctly, that is a different story . . . but, that is not how you presented this.

Rob

He drives a 3.5L Tacoma. The 3.5L Tacoma I had couldn't pull the hat off your head until it was over 4000 RPM. I doubt there was any malice associated with his story. It was merely a way to articulate a very valid concern.

[Chiefblueman]

F150s go all the way back to '75. EcoBoost from 2011 or so. I had an F150 work truck with a 4.6l V8 that was pretty gutless.

OR the story could be complete B.S.

OP - good decision on getting a beefier truck!

[toolman.dustin]

He drives a 3.5L Tacoma. The 3.5L Tacoma I had couldn't pull the hat off your head until it was over 4000 RPM. I doubt there was any malice associated with his story. It was merely a way to articulate a very valid concern.

My friend was in Chapman, KS a couple of weeks ago. They are "old west reenactors" and frequently travel to gun shoots mostly thru the mid-west. I drove over to watch them shoot and asked him about the "bad experience" I discussed above (trip back east). I asked if he would ever travel back east again. He said he wouldn't be afraid to do do it again because he's learned more about driving in steep hills. So......... the reason he was having trouble making the hills was he was afraid to run the engine continuously above 2600 rpm. He drives a 2009, Ford XL, 5.4L (no ecoboost). I'm not that familiar with Ford torque curves but I'm pretty sure 2600 rpm is not in the peak hp range. Just wanted to clear this up. I wouldn't want any Ford owners to become offended unnecessarily particularly since the reason for conveying the experience had nothing to do with the make and model of the tow vehicle.. My wife and I are picking up our Grand Design next week. Hope to see you at a future Grand Design rally.

[Cate&Rob]

So......... the reason he was having trouble making the hills was he was afraid to run the engine continuously above 2600 rpm. He drives a 2009, Ford XL, 5.4L (no ecoboost). I'm not that familiar with Ford torque curves but I'm pretty sure 2600 rpm is not in the peak hp range. Just wanted to clear this up.

Hi toolman.dustin,

This is a very curious limitation to put on the operation of any gasoline engine. You are correct that artificially limiting operation to 2600 RPM would not exercise the capability of this engine.

Spark ignition engines are designed to operate at higher RPM to produce their rated torque and horsepower. These engines are dyno tested for hundreds of hours running at wide open throttle between maximum torque (about 4000 RPM) and maximum horsepower (about 5500 RPM) Engine durability including oil and cooling systems are tested and validated to accomplish this. There is no way that hauling up a grade for even half an hour at an RPM between max torque and max horsepower is going to come anywhere close to damaging a gasoline engine.

Rob

[MidwestCamper]

My friend was in Chapman, KS a couple of weeks ago. They are "old west reenactors" and frequently travel to gun shoots mostly thru the mid-west. I drove over to watch them shoot and asked him about the "bad experience" I discussed above (trip back east). I asked if he would ever travel back east again. He said he wouldn't be afraid to do do it again because he's learned more about driving in steep hills. So......... the reason he was having trouble making the hills was he was afraid to run the engine continuously above 2600 rpm. He drives a 2009, Ford XL, 5.4L (no ecoboost). I'm not that familiar with Ford torque curves but I'm pretty sure 2600 rpm is not in the peak hp range. Just wanted to clear this up. I wouldn't want any Ford owners to become offended unnecessarily particularly since the reason for conveying the experience had nothing to do with the make and model of the tow vehicle.. My wife and I are picking up our Grand Design next week. Hope to see you at a future Grand Design rally.

Its really hard to not exceed 2600 RPM headed down the on ramp on any expressway.....empty. Very odd your friend would think anything higher is abusing the engine. But I've seen worse eccentricities.