[FDNYHIPPO]

I am in negotiation to buy a 21' Parker Boat.This boat comes with a trailer.I've never towed a boat before and was wondering if my Tacoma PreRunner 4x2 will handle the task?The boat is 3250 lbs.I'm not looking to tow it all over the country,just a few miles in the begining an end of the season.Will my Taco have enough power to do the job?

 

[demoncleaner]

If you got the 6 then yes, you shouldn't have any problem towing. Your pushing it with the 4 banger, but if for short distance you should be ok.

 

[Tom B]

Oh yeah, asuming you have the v6 with tow package, it should handle it ok. Make sure the boat trailer has surge brakes. Your truck should be rated at towing 6500 lbs.

 

[6shooter]

+1 you should be fine.

 

[FDNYHIPPO]

Thanks for the replies,now I feel better.I have the 6 with the factory tow package.6500 lbs should easily cover me.

 

[Sony]

Aye, you'll be fine with the V6 and Tow Package, have fun with that Parker! My friend has a 21' Parker and they are great, I can't remember what he has on the back of his but I think it's somewhere around 200hp. The thing fly's you'll have fun!

 

[Hayduke]

I tow a 22' Four Winns a bit. Boat weighs 3290. Total trailer weight with boat, engine, gas, etc. comes out to about 4800-5000 lbs. The Tacoma does just fine. Make sure your trailer brakes are in good order.

 

[Muddskipper]

I know your boat well.

With gear, gas, and supplies it starts to get heavy.

I have gone thru tranny's many more times than I like to talk about.

IMO- you are not doing your tranny any favors by towing that heavy of a load.

The boat ramp will be your biggest issue.

Since you have a tranny cooler that will help.

Watch your RPM's and do your best to keep it out of high gear, going up hill. like over inclines and over passes.

You might consider doing a dealership tranny flush at 35- 50K miles opposed to what the manual says. (I believe it says 100K)

As far as power, you should be good.

Just keep the right amount of air pressure in your trailor tires and watch your weight balance on the boat.

 

[TRDRadRedTaco]

You will be fine with that set up. I tow a 22' with mine. The boat weighs about 3400+trailer, gear, etc and I'm about 5100lbs. If you have the factory tow package then you have the aux tranny and oil coolers.

The big thing to remember when towing is keep the tranny from overshifting. When it starts jumping back and forth between gears it will really heat up. When this happens, usually on hills/inclines, drop her down to 4th gear and you will be fine. I only use 5th on flat. level highway driving.

With a boat that size & wieght I would make sure you get a duel axle trailer. One thing that does is help with the tongue weight so the truck doesn't sag too much....here's a shot of my setup:

 

[calicoupe]

I got similar weight and prerunner is fine. Although, I always wish I had more power but then again Im not racing anybody up a hill with my trailer.

An electronic brake controller is a must.

 

[lemonsp]

I noticed most people here recommend shifting it out of 5th gear only when on hills. In my experience with pulling boats it is better just to stay out of 5th all together. I pull a 3500lbs boat all over the place and my rig (2006, V6, tow, 4x4) does just fine. I have pulled this boat with an older tacoma, and a couple jeeps. It puts alot of unnecessary stress on your transmission to run in overdrive when pulling a heavy load. Just keep it in 4th to be safe. Better to pay a little extra in gas then put in a new transmission. Just my 2 cents.

 

[TacoMSU]

Yeah, you'll be fine. I tow a 22' Sea Pro that weighs in at just over 5500 lbs when full of gas and gear. Brakes are definitely reccommended as with any trailer setup, but not necessary. I don't have them on my trailer and it stops just fine, given I have enough distance.

 

[msibille]

Beside any technical issues of having a CL III trailer (or heavier) without trailer brakes, many, if not most, states have laws requiring trailer brakes for trailers over a certain weight. (Most that I've seen require it for trlrs over 2000 lb, many at 1500 lb.)

But fwiw, I wouldn't want to tow a 3500 lb or heavier trailer at highway speeds (or in adverse conditions) without trailer brakes, regardless of whether the state req'd them or not.

 

[Sony]

Get a trailer with surge brakes...that way you wont have to mess with the brake controller or anything. I definitely recommend having brakes on your trailer though, you may not think that you need them but that one time you are doing an emergency stop you'll be thanking yourself that you got them. They help a ton!

 

[Dipstick]

I have an 05 double cab V6 with the tow package and I tow a 25 foot travel trailer that weighs close to 5,000 pounds when loaded for the weekend, it has brakes and sway bars. I also will have about 400 pounds of stuff in the bed as well. My truck pulls this load very well and I agree that running in 4th would'nt hurt.

 

[egod8]

That should be no problem at all with the V6... This is what I tow approx 200 miles several times a year. Weighs around 6000lbs loaded

 

[DBeistel]

I tow a 23' CC Fountain that is close to the 6500 lb limit, and have no problem towing this boat, the trailer does have surge brakes and I tow it approx 10-15 miles each tow.
If you don't have 4x4 I would stay away from steep ramps. I live in NC. and fish at the coast where there are some steep ramps.