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Topic: Anyone towing a 5ver with a Toyota Tundra 2wd
Posted By: carpetguy2 on 05/07/17 05:37am

My father wants to trade in his motorhome for a Denali 5ver.(Not sure on the weight yet) but it's a smaller one.
Just want guys opinions that have Toyota 2wd 5.7 towing and how it been for you.
Thanks in advance for help and any ideas
I do know he will need a slider hitch.

2007.5 chevy 3500 ltz CC LB Duramax
2016 Open range 3x378
Some other toys too


Posted By: donn0128 on 05/07/17 06:15am

This is a joke, right?
If your serious, tell him inno uncertain terms NO! Not going to work.




Posted By: carpetguy2 on 05/07/17 06:28am

Not a joke.trailer is marked 1/2 towable.
And I know what tundra towing capacity is 10600.Believe trailer is 8000 not sure yet

Posted By: tinner12002 on 05/07/17 06:39am

Really didn't know a Toyota would tow a fifth wheel...but one thing you need to check is the rear axle GAWR of your Dads truck and then what the pin weight is on the fifth wheel and also the GVWR of your truck to see if when loaded and ready to go camping with people onboard if it still has the capacity left to accommodate the pin weight of the fifth wheel.

2015 Ram 3500/DRW/Aisin/auto/Max tow/4.10s,Cummins, stock Laramie Limited--Silver
Tequila Sunrise 2012 Ultra Classic Limited
2018 Raptor 428SP

Posted By: RedRocket204 on 05/07/17 06:44am

Good luck finding a Tundra with a payload that can handle the loaded pin weight, i.e. doesn't exist. There isn't a single Denali 5th wheel that is under 10,000 GVWR.

Remember that a trailer's dry weight doesn't mean squat.

I love me some land yachting

Posted By: NMDriver on 05/07/17 06:45am

You must CARRY a 5th wheel not just tow it. The truck may tow 10,000 but can it carry 2000 in the bed plus passengers, hitch, fuel, etc.

5er/2500Duramax/18ftBoat

Posted By: Tiger02 on 05/07/17 07:25am

I would look at both axle ratings, and get it weighed to see what capacity your dad's track has to carry the weight as others have said above. You will need 2000+, and may need some suspension mods in the rear to help keep it level. Then look at the tires. The truck will most likely be overloaded by GVWR, but he will need to keep it within axle/tire ratings.

Hope someone with this combo can give you some good anecdotal feedback.

2006 Keystone Outback Sydney 30 FRKS

1997 Ford F350 Auto, 4.10LS Axle, 160,000 Miles, Crew Cab with DRW.

US Army 1984-2016.


Posted By: MFL on 05/07/17 07:27am

Does not look like you are getting any response from Tundra owners. I know there are some towing FWs. Certainly size/weight will be the deciding factor. Since no one knows the numbers yet, it's pretty hard to get opinions, even from Toyota owners.

We do know slider hitches are heavy, but there are other options.

Jerry




Posted By: hbillsmith on 05/07/17 08:53am

Regular cab long bed will tow 2030# payload. Probably is the only Tundra half-ton 5er towable. The Crew and Extended cabs 1600# payload too light. Reduce the 1600 by 200# for a slider. These are Toys brochure payload. Open the driver door and see the weight sticker for actual. I really wanted a Tundra when I shopped but after exhaustive research and actual test drives came to the conclusion that it would be unsafe.

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Posted By: carpetguy2 on 05/07/17 09:15am

Been searching on the tundra forum.Seems they are few towing and have success.
There a Denali that are under the tow rating.Some reason there is no sticker on the doors.It is the 6.5 bed.I will try to do
More researching for him.

Posted By: Hammerboy on 05/07/17 09:25am

I had to do a double take a couple weeks ago. I was working in a condo development and a resident had his Toyota hitched to a Sanible or a Sierra (can't remember) fifth wheel, it was pretty big and I remember looking at the wheels to see that they were an 8 bolt pattern. I was thinking what a crazy dude pulling a heavy unit like that with that little truck. Must be a die hard Toyota fan [emoticon]

Dan

2019 Chevy crew LTZ 2500 HD Duramax
2017 Wildcat 29rlx fifth wheel

Posted By: RedRocket204 on 05/07/17 09:38am

carpetguy2 wrote:

Been searching on the tundra forum.Seems they are few towing and have success.
There a Denali that are under the tow rating.Some reason there is no sticker on the doors.It is the 6.5 bed.I will try to do
More researching for him.


The sticker is not on the door, it is usually on the driver's side B pillar.

Ask the Denali dealer what the loaded pin weight range will be on the trailer you're interested in and compare that with what your father's actual Tundra payload is.

The only time a Tundra's max tow rating really means anything is when it'll be towing a space shuttle.

Posted By: RedRocket204 on 05/07/17 09:56am

Here is some information direct from a Tundra users site.

TundraTalk.com - Towing & Hauling FAQ's

Posted By: bikendan on 05/07/17 12:00pm

carpetguy2 wrote:

Been searching on the tundra forum.Seems they are few towing and have success.
There a Denali that are under the tow rating.Some reason there is no sticker on the doors.It is the 6.5 bed.I will try to do
More researching for him.


You need to focus on the Tundra's PAYLOAD CAPACITY!

That's the most important spec when looking to tow a 5th wheel.
So many focus only on towing capacity when all trucks will run out of payload capacity way before coming close to towing capacity.

Compare the payload capacity to the Denali's pin weight.
Factor the 5th wheel hitch weight, passengers and truck cargo intof the pin weight.

Seriously doubt the Tundra will have enough payload capacity for the Denali.

Dan- Firefighter, Retired">, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur">, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever(RIP">), 2014 Ford F150 3.5 EcoboostMax Tow pkg, 2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255 w/4pt Equalizer and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes

Posted By: hbillsmith on 05/07/17 12:02pm

carpetguy2 wrote:

Been searching on the tundra forum.Seems they are few towing and have success.
There a Denali that are under the tow rating.Some reason there is no sticker on the doors.It is the 6.5 bed.I will try to do
More researching for him.


Based on that bed size and you said its a 2 wheel drive, if this were a 2017 model it indicates a 'Toyota Standard Bed' which would be a Double Cab. The brochure says Payload is either 1700# or (1670# if premium 'Limited' version). Assuming its the V8 engine.

As stated before the 1700# payload is to be reduced by:
1) weight of the hitch (150# to 200#)
2) Passengers and luggage
3) Your "stuff" in the bed

You would need a very ultra light small 5th wheel for this truck. I've found that the many trailer manufacturers that proudly sticker models with "Half-ton towable" are only being truthful if that half-ton is a regular cab, 2 wheel drive. In the Tundra case, that config can get you to 2080# payload which may be acceptable for an ultra light 5er.

Lastly, your father should consider where he intends to travel to. If you manage to find a 5er light enough to get close to acceptable weights you may still find that transmission and brakes are a problem if you plan to head to the mountains. But it might be ok for short weekender trips to the lake.

Posted By: carpetguy2 on 05/07/17 12:38pm

I appreciate all the information.I was told he is looking at a denali that is 9400 lbs
And 34 ft.I told him he is now pushing it too much.But He and his wife want it .I explained the pin weight which i dont know what the trailer is.But they are going to talk to the rv mechanic at the place they know.
But the toyota is a 2007 v8 6.5 bed 4 door
2wd.

Posted By: fj12ryder on 05/07/17 02:32pm

I don't think that's pushing it, I think that is just flat too much. If the Denali is 9400 lbs., you'll be looking at putting about 1900 lbs. in the bed, plus the hitch, plus any passengers and/or gear. From what I've seen the payload for the Tundra is about 1600-1700 lbs. I think you're looking at 500 lbs. over the payload capacity pretty easily.

You might be able to convince him if you show him his tires won't support the load. If he has the P-rated passenger tires, that may be too much load for them.

Howard and Peggy

"Don't Panic"

Posted By: phillyg on 05/07/17 03:00pm

You might first want to google for FW hitches to fit the truck. I pulled a light FW with a 2004 F150, 5-1/2' bed, and the Pullrite 12k slider worked for me. If no one mfgrs. a hitch I think you have your answer.

--2005 Ford F350 Lariat Crewcab 6.0, 4x4, 3.73 rear
--2016 Montana 3711FL, 40'
--2014 Wildcat 327CK, 38' SOLD

Posted By: Skelshy on 05/07/17 03:00pm

I'm not usually with the weight police, but this is just too much. It will be unsafe, it will handle badly because the there is no suspension travel left.

Posted By: 1320Fastback on 05/07/17 10:31pm

If he insists at least convince him to change the tires to E rated and look into if his rims are even rated for that mich weight. Might as well have a fighting chance of staying upright!

1992 D250 Cummins 5psd
2005 Forest River T26 Toy Hauler


Posted By: dave54 on 05/07/17 10:41pm

The limiting factors to Tundra's weight ratings are OEM tires/wheels and suspension. Upgrade those and you may be alright. The chassis, brakes, axles, and powertrain are more than adequate. They actually are overkill for the truck.

However, you could still be over the official factory ratings. So if in an accident or need warranty work it could come back to bite you.

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
So many campsites, so little time...
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~

Posted By: goducks10 on 05/08/17 09:00am

I've seen two doing it, so I guess it can be done.

Posted By: Bob E. on 05/08/17 09:10am

I stayed at a campground where the "host" towed a Montana 5th wheel with his Tundra. He really only moved the camper twice a year but that was from Ohio in the summers to Florida in the winters. He said it pulled great! But that don't make it right.

Posted By: Grit dog on 05/08/17 09:38am

I'm not the weight cops either, but if I could buy a new fiver, I would buy a truck that would tow it well. The tundra will s uck with that big a trailer. It's not all about the weight, also wind resistance and 5vres are about the biggest sail out there you can hook to a truck.
Caveat, you didn't say how much or how far he wants to tow. We all assume he's goin full time, burnin up the hiways, hittin the Ike at 3 am hammer down.......but if it's to haul it to a nearby long term site and back each year or local, low altitude, flat land short trips then the tundra may do ok. Not great, but ok.

2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Posted By: ncrowley on 05/08/17 05:31pm

We towed with a Tundra and we had a 5K trailer. That was the most I would want to tow with that truck. It did the job but struggled up the mountains out west. You can answer your own question: Look at the tow rating and the weight rating and then look at the weights of the fifth wheel you are considering.

Nancy
Newmar Northern Star


Posted By: TundraTower on 05/08/17 11:07pm

On our 2 trips out west, we have seen several Tundra's pulling 5th wheels. I've tried to talk to every one I could. They all have air bags on the rear and all of them had the TRD supercharger added.

The truck will certainly "do it", but not within the factory specifications. Tundra's have very little official payload capacity. Mine rated to pull 9,500 lbs, and it does that quite well, but it officially has less than 1000 lbs of payload capacity on the truck itself.

2013 Tundra, 5.7FF, TRD, 4WD, tow pkg
2014 Forest River Cherokee 264
Prodigy II / Equalizer 10K
103 nights & 12,700 miles since April '13

Posted By: tatest on 05/09/17 04:10am

A friend of mine did this with a 28-ft 12,000 pound fiver behind his Tundra for three years, about 20,000 miles, without incident. The truck came with load range D tires, which he filled to max sidewall pressure on the rear (rather than the lighter doorpost setting) and he put on helper springs. Was the truck overloaded? Yes. Was it fatal to truck, trailer or occupants? No.

I told him his truck was badly overloaded. He did OK anyway. But his experience led him to trading for a Class C motorhome.

Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B


Posted By: carpetguy2 on 05/11/17 02:55pm

Got him convinced .He traded his tundra in on a new dodge ram 2500 .Not a dodge guy but its a nice trick.
Thanks for all the feedback and help

Posted By: trikeflyer on 05/12/17 08:09pm

Ok, so from first-hand experience, I did pull a 30' 5th wheel for 8 years over many thousands of miles with a 03 tundra. That being said I did add air bags and a transmission cooler. The 5er was a ultra-lite and under 8k dry weight. There were times in the mountains that it felt that it was all it could do to go over the mountain but it always made it. I did have a slider hitch in the 6' bed but only used it on one or two occasions. If you are looking for approval from the weight police it will never happen.

Posted By: RinconVTR on 05/12/17 08:38pm

Plenty are towing 5th wheels with Tundra's.

Rear axle weight and Gross combined rating should be adhered to.

Otherwise, IMO towing a 5th wheel that maxes out the Tundra is FAR better than towing a bumper pull TT near or even under max. And I tow a 7000lb TT with a Sequoia...so don't try to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about!!!!

Posted By: rhagfo on 05/12/17 08:58pm

RinconVTR wrote:

Plenty are towing 5th wheels with Tundra's.

Rear axle weight and Gross combined rating should be adhered to.

Otherwise, IMO towing a 5th wheel that maxes out the Tundra is FAR better than towing a bumper pull TT near or even under max. And I tow a 7000lb TT with a Sequoia...so don't try to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about!!!!


X2
To the 5er over a TT, just naturally more stable!

Russ & Paula the Beagle Belle.
2016 Ram Laramie 3500 Aisin DRW 4X4 Long bed.
2005 Copper Canyon 293 FWSLS, 32' GVWR 12,360#

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