???'s Toyota Forerunner towing a XB21

[Allyfishing]

Hi guys
Wonder if anyone has any experience or knowledge of towing with a Toyota Forerunner. It's a 2003 model 8 cylinder and factory installed class 3 trailer hitch. The manual says 5000 LB tow rating. I'm guessing road ready my '08 XB21 2+2 is around 3500LB??

Reason I'm asking is I usually use my Ford Expedition (I know "Fix Or Repair Daily") to tow and I may need to leave it behind for work reasons in 2 weeks to come to the Rally. And that's 890 miles one way! I don't want anything to happen..safety first!

Any thoughts??
Thanks, Craig :beer:

 

[RedAllison]

Careful, you liable to be throwin rocks at dat Furd whenya get back home!!! :big grin

STAND ON IT SON, that lil tyotie will pullda ears off da bass barge. :cool
RA

 

[aaronmt]

Itll do it no prob..Ive had 3 runners and pulled all sorts of boats.As you know the mileage will be horrid,but itll do it no prob.Wed still have 4runners if the damn fuel mileage was even just a bit better,there great rigs.Aaron

 

[champ198]

You'll be fine Craig. I have a buddy that towed his camper all over creation in one. They're good vehicles!!

 

[Allyfishing]

Thanks for all the replies guys!! But I have been corrected by my wife (it's her car) its not an 8 cylinder...it's the V-6. Still think the weight of the barge won't be too much for the tyotie (LOL) pulling your mountains and stopping??
Thanks
Craig

 

[Alli-drenaline Rush]

Any beer salesman worth his "pop-a-top rating" would bump that expected tow weight up to 5,000 lbs, the difference being a boatful of beer to take to the Rally!! :laughing

 

[Allyfishing]

That's a good one Richard!! So if I use the Expedition I can bump it up even more to 7000 LB.!! LOL!!! :beer::beer:

 

[IRONBLOCK]

Craig, that is a lot of boat for a little Forerunner with a V6. Most of the time you'll be on the highway which is a good thing. I'd sure want to make a few practice runs to see how she does before setting out on an 1,800 mile trip. I'd vote for the Exped. and I am a Toyota guy (TRD Sequoia supercharged V8, and still looking for more I towed my old 18' boat with a Toyota T-100; 3.0, V6 and it was too much boat. Be safe!

 

[SLOmofo]

As I've said many times to my customers, "It doesn't matter if you can pull it, only if you can stop it!" I'll add to that "In a straight line".
I pull my XB2003 with a ES300. The trailer has electric brakes. I wouldn't toe long distance with it though.
One of my friends jack knifed a 20' Champion pulling with a F250 4 by 4. So ship happens.

 

[Allyfishing]

I figured once I corrected myself with the 6 cylinder info I would possibly get a different reaction. Just what I suspected. And it's not that I didn't trust the advice I was initially given, just that the 8 cylinder Toyota is a bigger animal. It's more like my Expedition.

I did tow it once locally with the Forerunner and it looked like a toy in front of all that Ally!!

See you guys there in the Ford...now to figure out how to pull a 14' reefer trailer full of 30 kegs of Sam Adams and Labatts Blue!! Any volunteers??? LOL!!

Later
Craig :beer:

 

[RedAllison]

As long as ya trailer brakes are properly workin then stopping it has nothing to do with what's under the hood on what is otherwise the "same truck". A bud in my club has a late model crew cab Tecoma 4x4 V6 and pulls his 20ft Stratos with a 225Yammie allover the place. That rig weighs more than a 2+2 and he's never had a problem. He just realizes he won't win any dragraces and I'm sure he keeps the OD off. Plus the terrain around west TN is mostly flat.

I thought you were asking about occasional/local towin. If you're askin which one to haul with for the rally then heck I wouldn't even question it. I'd bolter down onda Ford and let the 5.4 eat. I joke about the Ford but my wife has an 07 Expedition EL Lmtd (2x4 20"ers with 3:73lmtd slip rear) and it'll flatout out pull my 02 Z-71 Avalanche, NO QUESTIONS!!! That 3V 5.4 is a stout motor. Before that she had an 04 Eddie Bauer 4x4 with the 260hp 5.4 and it pulled probably about equally as my 5.3 Avalanche. But with the 300hp 5.4 and the 6spd auto there's just no comparison. I wish like hell the 6.0s were available back when GM first released the Avies, I'da got one for sure.

A 6cyl ANYTHING would be suckin "hindmost regions" compared to either of the 8s we're talkin about tho! :beer:
RA

 

[bringit]

i have a 4runner v6 use it too tow my 2003 when i had it,and actually it has more a$$ than my f150 4.6L.now i have a 2002 and all i tow it with is the runner.and yes u will throw rocks at the ford when u get back.no kidden

 

[Allyfishing]

RA, you're absolutely right.....the V6 has nothing to do with stopping....I guess that's what concerned me most and just the weight and size of the Ally rig pushing the Toyota especially for so long a trip. My old boat and trailer had drum brakes and I could feel them hold back the vehicle but I don't on my Ally. I've tried a few times hitting the brakes hard on the Ford to see if I felt the brakes hold back on the trailer but felt nothing. Maybe my best bet no matter which vehicle is to have the brakes inspected on the Boatmate trailer. What adjustments are there on those disc brakes??

Thanks for the replies
Craig :big grin

 

[SLOmofo]

Disk brakes don't require adjustment like drum do. If you pull the ball and stinger off the truck and attach it to the trailer. You can push the stinger down like the truck was stopping. Now you can see how much travel there is before the brakes are applied. Maybe there is air in the system or you have a fluid leak or a bad master cylinder.

 

[Bobalouie]

An easy test is to hook up to your trailer and dont plug the lights in. Put her in reverse and try to back up. My 2002 stops dead if you do that, it doesnt roll at all, and I would have to hit the gas way more than I am comfortable with to get her to move.

 

[Allyfishing]

Bobalouie, Great idea on checking the disc brakes by backing up with the plug out. I'll do that to be sure they are working in the first place.

SLOmofo, And I'll also check fluid etc. to be sure they ae functional and not air bound.

Do you guys "feel " your vehicle being slowed by your trailer while stopping??

Thanks for the advice
Craig

 

[Bobalouie]

I cant feel them when stopping, but I also dont feel the boat pushing the truck when stopping. Kindof like they are balanced so that you just dont feel it back there, not over breaking, not under breaking.

 

[Allyfishing]

Well, I checked the fluid level under the cap near the coupler and it looked full. I am assuming if needed would take regular brake fluid.

I hooked up without the plug in and backed up and it rolled easily. I got out and looked at the coupler and it had not been compressed. So I got back in and gave it a bit of throttle to force the coupler in and it stopped dead. Good.

I shot some WD40 in the slots along side the bolts where the coupler travels in and out to be sure it does not hang up. I'll take it for a ride today and hopefully they are working.

Thanks for the advice guys!!
Craig

BTW, I read the post where RA broke two tongue bolts so I checked mine. My rig is an '08 and just bought it new (leftover) this past September. The bolt show signs of rust around the top and bottom so I sprayed it real good with WD40 as well so it would draw down thru and lubricate. Hopefully that should help.