Towing question

[jack112286]

Hi guys, I got an 04 4runner sr5 4wd v6 recently.

But unfortunately it did not came with owners manual.
I am planning on towing a 16' open trailer with a mini cooper (2500lb)

I dont have exp towing large things, I have only towed small utility trailer before.

Things about my car:
1. It has a factory hitch with the 7 prong plug
2. I did not see a tranny cooler, I was told it is in front of the Rad, mine only has the ac condensor in front of the rad
3. I am running 265/70/16
4. My trailer has electric brake, dual axle

Question I wanted to find out are:
1. I do not have the draw bar/ball, which one should I get.
2. is my hitch class 3 or 4
3. I read on the forum that u should ger weight distribution hitch, can my hitch use it?
4. while towing, anything I need to pay attention to?
5. Theres a button underneath the steering wheel (sideway on/off switch), is the for the trailer electrical. This thing looks oem to me.
7. I read factory tow pckge shuld come with tranny cooler, where should it be? any pic or link?
8. What kind of options is there to secure the trailer when I am parking it, with or w/o tow vehicle attached.

Thanks for teh reply

Jack

[jetwhine]

jack,

First off if it has a factory hitch on it and no cooler I would suspect that it does not have the tow package. The class of the hitch is determind by the size of the square hole that the hitch goes into. I believe that a 2"X 2" square hole is a 5,000 lbs receiver. Your cooler should be in front of the radiator. There should be some kind of box under the drivers side dash that will control the electric brakes. It should have a slide type of control to control the amount of breaking to the trailer.

[fourwd1]

You really should check a site that specializes in trailer hitches and towing. Otherwise you're going to get a lot of misinformation, like this

The class of the hitch is determind by the size of the square hole that the hitch goes into.

The weight rating of a receiver hitch is determined by it's design (how it bolts up, thickness of materials, etc). Class 3, 4, and 5 hitches all have a 2" receiver, but they are rated for 6000, 10000, and 12000 lbs.

And how much weight is your vehicle rated to tow?

There's a lot of things you need to know in order to tow safely.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by fourwd1

You really should check a site that specializes in trailer hitches and towing. Otherwise you're going to get a lot of misinformation, like this The weight rating of a receiver hitch is determined by it's design (how it bolts up, thickness of materials, etc). Class 3, 4, and 5 hitches all have a 2" receiver, but they are rated for 6000, 10000, and 12000 lbs.

And how much weight is your vehicle rated to tow?

There's a lot of things you need to know in order to tow safely.

^

Good suggestion. Starting online with a place like Etrailer that specializes is a good place to start. Call them up if their info or videos don't answer you questions.

[jack112286]

ok, some updates for you guys. I was able to talk to a tech @ toyota, and he gave me some info about my runner, plus some I got from my own mechanic.

My 4runner does not have tow package.
it has a class 3 hitch
the factory tow rating is 5000 lbs
no tranny cooler (I just got one ordered from Napa)
my runner is prewired for brake controller, just needs to buy a controller and "toyota harness kit"
it does not have weight dist hitch

I just got receiver(6000#), 2 5/16 ball, and a tranny cooler 11.5" by 11.5"
and bought my trailer over the weekend, 16 ft flat deck

Thanks for the info guys, hope others can use the info as well later on.

[Spencoid]

I have a 2007 4runner which i use for occasional towing. When I bought it, the salesman told me that it had a "towing package" with a heavy duty radiator and transmission cooler. I have been recently concerned about fluid change intervals. I have now discovered that the salesman lied and that I only have a trailer hitch and not special towing package. I should have figured this out earlier because the dealer has lied about several other things. So my questions are:

what should have been included in the tow package that i didn't get? the service manual shows an external transmission fluid cooler. is there a heavy duty radiator or are they all the same?

should i install an external cooler and is it best to make it the only cooler or put it inline or in parallel with the cooler in the radiator?

what is the best brand or type of cooler to use?

[canddmeyer]

To the best of my knowledge the 4Runner doesn't have a tow package in the 4th gen series. The engine, tranny, and cooling system are very stout and you should be locking out the OD while towing. Towing limits are V6=5000lbs; V8=7000lbs, as long as you don't exceed GCVW limits by having the cabin loaded. IMO, you have nothing to worry about.

Question #1 - they're all the same
Question #2 - doesn't need a cooler

[jetwhine]

I don't know how different the 03 is to the 07 but what my book says for an 03 is that the v-6 has a tow package and the v-8 does not. However my rig is an 03 v-8 with a factory installed tow kit and it also has a factory tranny cooler installed.

[rwloos45]

Hey guys, I have a related question [06 4runner, 2wd, v6, towing pkg]:

I recently had to replace my diff at 96k miles. Dealer said would be due to "strain" on the drivetrain. Only "strain" was that I pulled a 3k lb. boat/trailer about 20 times over about 3 years. Since the 4runner is rated at 5k towing capacity, I'm puzzled why 3k lb would "strain" the diff that much. Anybody else have this issue?

[canddmeyer]

Bad luck of the draw. Toyota's are generally overbuilt and bulletproof although I might get flamed for posting that! As for replacing the diff, do tell more. Keep towing. You'll be fine.

[rwloos45]

Hey canddmeyer, thanks for the response. Here's the rest: I was going to wait until the diff failed to replace it, since I had others tell me the whining noise of the worn pinion brg wasn't bad enough to worry about ... yet ....
However, I'm now in the same position as jack112286 --- I have an MGB roadster [2600#] that I want to tow. But the lightest car hauler trailer I've found has a gross wt of about 1500#. I'm really skittish about towing even that load [4100#] cuz I sure as hell don't want to buy another $2000 differential.
And since I"m planning on getting 200k out of the 4runner if possible, I really don't want to chance it for now. Maybe I'll just find a used F150 to tow with.
Anyway, thanks for the comment and encouragement.
Cheers!

[canddmeyer]

A bearing replacement isn't too expensive. Maybe the dealer wants $2000, but many a reputable shop can do it for $800 or less. It's a cheaper fix than buying another vehicle. I'd be towing with the 4Runner. Good luck.