Real world towing experience - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

kneel999 · 07-17-2007, 01:54 AM

Does anyone have real world towing experience with their 2007 tundra 5.7 liter engine?
I am looking at some travel trailers and I know the towing capacity on my truck is 10,600 lbs. but would like some feedback from people who actually own a trailer and have towed it using their new tundra. I want to know whether it can actually handle the heavy loads well.
Thanks for any input.

D1Boz · 07-17-2007, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kneel999

Does anyone have real world towing experience with their 2007 tundra 5.7 liter engine?
I am looking at some travel trailers and I know the towing capacity on my truck is 10,600 lbs. but would like some feedback from people who actually own a trailer and have towed it using their new tundra. I want to know whether it can actually handle the heavy loads well.
Thanks for any input.

I have a Travel Trailer that the Gross weight is 7550 and have towed it twice so far and it handles it like a dream. I towed it with my 06 Tundra and it is night and day from this 07 Tundra. Handles it a lot better and the semis don't even mess with it. I have to go up a small mountain when I go west and I was stuck behind a semi going up it. When he got over I took off around him and didn't notice till I looked down and it was doing 90 and still climbing. I don't ever pull that fast and it didn't even feel like it was going that fast. I let off of it quick. LOL It wasn't even swaying and that was another factor of why I didn't notice it. My 06 use to sway a little around 80 and that's how I knew where I was at on speeds. You will have no problem towing. I haven't even put my brake controller on and it stops fine also. Good Luck and if you have any other questions, talk away.

LanceM · 07-17-2007, 09:11 PM

I pull a 1100 pound double axle trailer every day with just under 3000 pounds of weight on it and you'd never know it was there except for when the trailer hits a bump and the truck starts bouncing in the rear

. Just a little embarrassing

D1Boz · 07-17-2007, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LanceM

I pull a 1100 pound double axle trailer every day with just under 3000 pounds of weight on it and you'd never know it was there except for when the trailer hits a bump and the truck starts bouncing in the rear

. Just a little embarrassing

Might need to upgrade to the Bilstien shock if it bounces a lot. I usually buy the TRD package with my trucks but didn't this time. I popped on the curve trying to get close to the side and it really didn't feel that different to me but the wife says "yep not a TRD" LOL funny she could tell and I didn't.

BTW: nice jeep!!! I use to wheel with my Tacoma and miss it. I'm happy to move on and spend time camping with the kids though. Here's my webpage I did awhile back. I don't have all the pics on it like I use to but there are quite a few on here. Mine is the white TRD with the antenna on the bumper. http://www.angelfire.com/tn3/d1boz/

kneel999 · 07-18-2007, 01:38 AM

Thanks for the feedback on trailering. I only have 200 miles on mine and I do have the TRD package with the Bilstein shocks and have already experienced the "bounce" on a trip down the 15 freeway in San Diego. Only on certain parts of the freeway. I traded in my 2000 Tundra and I seem to remember when it was new I had a similar problem on some freeways with a bounce. It went away as the truck aged some and I had forgotten about it. I'm sure it's related to the distance between the front & rear axle matching the lines in the road.

***toku58*** · 07-18-2007, 02:04 AM

Hey! "Kneel999" Welcome to TN!!

deerridge · 07-18-2007, 12:24 PM

My horse trailer is sitting in front of my barn where I left it when my Dakota broke its AWD unit and axil. I can't wait to hook up the 5.7 to it and find out the answer on that tow question for you. Its too wet now to get it out without makeing a mess.

deerridge · 07-20-2007, 12:02 PM

Got the horse trailer(16' enclosed tagalong) out yesterday. The 5.7 didn't even know it was there. Had to use 4lo to get up the slick curve going into my barn. Did some digging to get there. THe Tundra spins easier on the slick than my AWD Dakota did. NOt very surprizing though. THe drop hitch off the Dakota coupled up perfectly on the Tundra which I was real pleased with.

good times · 07-30-2007, 02:08 AM

Here's my real world experience on the new Tundra's capabilities....

Is your vehicle tough enough to handle a distaster? Are you driving a dependable vehicle you can count on? Toyota has definitely out done them selves by developing the new 2007 Toyota Tundra that is capable of tackling any situation imaginable and unimaginable. We had the pleasure of having the new 2007 Tundra and the first generation Tundra as our official support vehicles for our annual Nevada adventure. These two vehicles later proved to be a valuable asset to the team as they really did prove to be the true support vehicles capable of any task.

This years Nevada adventure was just that an adventure. Within hours of starting our adventure our lead vehicle damaged the drive line and the rear leaf spring. We notify our support vehicles to locate replacement parts at 2 local wrecking yards and 5 hours later we are back on the trail. The crew would cough this hiccup as a random mishap and continue on with our mission to complete the entire course over the next 2 days.

The second day proved to be my own personal adventure. In a late afternoon run to the racetrack at Death Valley, I had a small incident, which caused my 2003 Toyota 4runner to become immobile. After determining the extent of the damages we decide that our best option would be to tow the vehicle out of Death Valley onto the pavement where we can contact AAA or get a trailer to tow her home. Since the route to the racetrack was a well-maintained fire road we radioed our support vehicles our exact coordinates for the extraction process. We split the team in two to choreograph a well-executed plan to get one half to locate AAA and/or u-haul/trailer while the other group surveyed various routes using several mapping tools the safest and easiest way out to extract the immobile 4runner.

Using the new Toyota Tundra was a unilateral decision as it would be the true test of Toyota’s claim to the new standard of trucks. With that in mind the new Tundra did do just that. It was able to tow me out of Death Valley’s desert floor through dry washboards and over an 8,000 foot mountain peak with ease. If this wasn’t a true testament to the new Tundra I am unsure what is. I was simply amazed at the raw power and refined build of the truck’s capability to navigate tight switchback roads and still conquer the towing tasks required to extract my 4runner out of Death Valley.

The team was very impressed that the Tundra was able to accomplish more than what anyone imagined. We all had some reserve as to what the new Tundra’s capabilities were but those doubts were quickly dismissed once the 4runner was back on the pavement.

Thank you Toyota for building the best vehicle capable of anything it encounters. I am truly thankful that we were able to get out safely and recover the 4runner. I am confident that this would not have been possible if we did not have the all-new Toyota Tundra available as one of our support vehicles. Thank you to the Total Chaos Fabrication crew and the Locos Mocos Team for their support and hard work on making sure that no man and vehicle are left behind.

Proud owner of the 2003 Toyota 4runner V8 SR5 4x4 Chaos Edition

You can read up more about the development of my 4runner at http://www.chaosedition.com and please take a moment to visit my Toyota enthusiast site at http://www.ultimateyota.com

Thanks!

nathanfyffe · 10-16-2008, 06:33 AM

I know the forum hasnt had a post in a while. For anyone who still cares, I tow all of the time with my 2007 Toyota Tundra with the 5.7. The most weight I have had behind it was 15k and it handled it beautifully. I tow a 22' travel trailer that weighs 4,500 lbs dry and I can tow it up some good size grades in 6th gear and not lose any speed. I tow tractors on occasion that weight 6,000 lbs and my trailer that I haul them on weights 3,000 lbs, and I honestly can say it pulls that easily, however I dont get the best gas mileage with 9k behind me, haha. So if you are wondering if Toyota's 10k claim is correct, the answer is yes. I proved that claim when I towed 15k, it wasnt very far, 40 miles but there were some good size grades and the truck stayed up to speed not going much past 3,000 rpm. I am very pleased with the way my 2007 Tundra towes.

kneel999 · 10-16-2008, 01:10 PM

Well shortly after my July 2007 post I purchased a Limited, black 5.7L Tundra. I shortly thereafter purchased a Jayco 33' travel trailer with dual slide-outs. It weighs approximately 8000 lbs dry. I have taken it out about 5 times now. The farthest was from San Diego to Las Vegas. I can say with personal experience now that it can definitely pull the weight that they say it can. It has done a great job pulling the trailer on all my trips. I got approximately 9 miles per gallon on the Las Vegas trip.

nathanfyffe · 10-16-2008, 08:55 PM

Kneel999 what is the fastest speed that you have towed that 8,000 lb trailer? My travel trailer is only 4,500 lb but I can very easily cruise down the interstate at 80 mph and not get any sway, without sway bars by the way.

Kens Toy · 11-03-2008, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kneel999

Does anyone have real world towing experience with their 2007 tundra 5.7 liter engine?
I am looking at some travel trailers and I know the towing capacity on my truck is 10,600 lbs. but would like some feedback from people who actually own a trailer and have towed it using their new tundra. I want to know whether it can actually handle the heavy loads well.
Thanks for any input.

Glad to see others towing with their Tundra. We have a 2008 Tundra with a shortbed, shortcab 5.7, 2 wheel drive. I have towed a 30 ft 5th wheel weighing about 8000Lbs for about 12,000 miles now and it is a joy to drive. I have not seen too many Tundras towing so far, we seem to get a little extra notice in the RV parks. We have no trouble towing any where we want to. This is my 3rd RV, and I plan to put many more miles on the Tundra. As for as the weight, I would say 8,500 lbs on a 5th wheel, mainly because of the hieght of the trailer. This catches a lot of air and robs HP. Travel Trailers with a lower profile should be able to tow more. I just prefer the 5th wheels because of there stability on the open roads.

kneel999 · 11-04-2008, 04:14 PM

I was going between 70 and 80 heading to Las Vegas. I never tried going any faster. I was definitely not flooring it by any means. I had very little sway even when there was a decent cross wind.
As to a comment that Kens Toy made about getting a little extra notice at RV parks I couldn't agree more. I get many looks. At the Las Vegas RV resort we stayed one person commented to their Father "look, a Tundra can pull a large trailer" as we were pulling in.

POL_Sarge · 11-26-2008, 09:54 AM

My travel trailer weighs around 6K and i realized when i got back from a recent trip that the GPS had clocked me with a high speed of 92MPH, i didn't even realize it!!!!!!
BTW if you are going to encounter steep inclines while towing this is just a suggestion to watch out on the trailer weight when purchasing. In other words, don't max out your towing capacity, it could cause problems in mountainous areas.....