Member III
Long story short, starting next year, due to work, my wife and I will be living about 5 hours apart. Until the kid starts school, my wife will be splitting her time between both locations (she is a part-time yoga instructor, so her schedule is pretty flexible).
For a while now, we had been figuring we'd get a condo for me, and a small house for her (mostly for the garage and yard). But then she surprised me by proposing we get a travel trailer for me, with two caveats: It has to be big / nice enough for her to comfortably live in it for weeks at a time on a regular basis, and I have to buy a vehicle capable of comfortably towing it around so we can take road trips once or twice a month. While this means getting rid of my trusty 4Runner "Earl," I overall loved the idea, so it was an easy sell.
My DD 4Runner is pretty purpose built for overlanding and exploring. Fridge, drawers with fold-out sleeping platform, onboard air built into the rear bumper, MTs, no anti-sway bars, full armor on all sides, and flat-grey paint that I chose for uts ease of touching up. I was going to install gears and lockers in the spring, and that would have been about it beyond tinkering here and there. It is not a rock crawler, but, between the tires and pretty supple suspension I have made climbs
on the first try that have given several friends' non-locked jeeps trouble. I didnt super care about aesthetics, because I wheel it almost every weekend. But, I otherwise planned to keep it as my DD for at least another 10. Unfortunately, for several reasons, the logistics of keeping it even as a toy doesnt make a lot of sense for us. High on that list of reasons is that much of our offroading will likely occer on these road trips that leave the toy at home.
So, whatever I get will have to perform double duty as my trail rig and my towing rig.
I originally pushed back and said whatever trailer we get has to be pullable with a Tacoma (~6400lbs max). However, because most of the trailers with the features we like are right in this weight range loaded, I have also warmed up to getting a Tundra (we looked at and test drove the F150, but it wasn't quite for me).
Whatever I get will be pretty solidly modified for offroading, with good tires, quality suspension upgrades, full skids (especially for the Tundra), at least sliders, and diff gears--the last of which also helps with the towing. Unless I decide I need a winch, or I find front recovery options wanting, I'd probably just wait til I scrape up the bumpers to replace those.
I fully expect to invest in quality towing equipment which I understand dramatically helps with heavier loads (weight-distribution hitch, sway-control features, electronic brake control, etc). Still, I also understand that the kinds of taller, more supple suspensions which do well offroad are also, of course, not quite as good at taming heavy loads. It was this realization that initially pushed us toward a full-sized truck; comparing the F150s to the Raptors, the cushy suspension and tires reduce rated towing capacity by something like 15-20% (down to ~8,000 lbs or so). So, it was clear that I might be pushing things a bit with a modified Taco, whereas a Tundra probably has some wiggle room to maintain safety and longevity despite the addition of offroad-specific equipment.
All that said, a little part of me is holding out for the Taco, so I am asking for your advice.
Option 1) A Tundra with a quality lift kit, full skids and sliders, and probably a front bumper because hand-winching one of those is likely quite a chore. There is a good chance I'd throw in an ARB with the rear gears. Obviously, the wheelbase increases by 40%, it is about a foot wider, and I am not sure I can get the suspension as supple as my 4Runner (relagive to its wheelbase). So, I'll be losing a good bit both in general obstacle negotiation, as well as the ability to get through tighter trails without bad scratches. On the other hand, especially with higher diff gears, such a vehicle should have no issues with a 6000-6500lb trailer (and gear, and kids, and dogs.....).
Option 2) Tacoma with appropriate towing mods (aftermarket trans cooler, lower axle gears, and possibly something like HD anti-sway bars with disconnects). Obviously, with a Taco I don't give up much in terms of trail capabilities; it is indeed about 6" wider and will have a modestly longer wheelbase and rear overhang with a 6' bed, but otherwise shouldnt be much different than hitting the trails with wife's 5th gen 4Runner. On the other hand, even with some appropriate tow-specific modifications and good towing aids, I do understand that I would leaning on the bounds of safety and longevity towing a 6000+lb trailer perhaps~6,000-10,000 miles a year with such a vehicle.
I am almost certain we will end up with the Tundra, accepting that I will probably be an odd ball out on most trails, and likely do a bit of paint buffing when I get home on Sundays. But, thoughts? Anyone done a lot of towing at the top end of their mid-size truck's capacity? Anyone done a lot of wheeling with a full-size truck?
[FWIW, I have of course been picking through various forums and articles on towing heavy loads with mid-sized vehicles and, separately, wheeling with full-sized trucks. But, I wanted to ask here because I imagine most of you know exactly where I am coming from :) ].
For a while now, we had been figuring we'd get a condo for me, and a small house for her (mostly for the garage and yard). But then she surprised me by proposing we get a travel trailer for me, with two caveats: It has to be big / nice enough for her to comfortably live in it for weeks at a time on a regular basis, and I have to buy a vehicle capable of comfortably towing it around so we can take road trips once or twice a month. While this means getting rid of my trusty 4Runner "Earl," I overall loved the idea, so it was an easy sell.
My DD 4Runner is pretty purpose built for overlanding and exploring. Fridge, drawers with fold-out sleeping platform, onboard air built into the rear bumper, MTs, no anti-sway bars, full armor on all sides, and flat-grey paint that I chose for uts ease of touching up. I was going to install gears and lockers in the spring, and that would have been about it beyond tinkering here and there. It is not a rock crawler, but, between the tires and pretty supple suspension I have made climbs
on the first try that have given several friends' non-locked jeeps trouble. I didnt super care about aesthetics, because I wheel it almost every weekend. But, I otherwise planned to keep it as my DD for at least another 10. Unfortunately, for several reasons, the logistics of keeping it even as a toy doesnt make a lot of sense for us. High on that list of reasons is that much of our offroading will likely occer on these road trips that leave the toy at home.
So, whatever I get will have to perform double duty as my trail rig and my towing rig.
I originally pushed back and said whatever trailer we get has to be pullable with a Tacoma (~6400lbs max). However, because most of the trailers with the features we like are right in this weight range loaded, I have also warmed up to getting a Tundra (we looked at and test drove the F150, but it wasn't quite for me).
Whatever I get will be pretty solidly modified for offroading, with good tires, quality suspension upgrades, full skids (especially for the Tundra), at least sliders, and diff gears--the last of which also helps with the towing. Unless I decide I need a winch, or I find front recovery options wanting, I'd probably just wait til I scrape up the bumpers to replace those.
I fully expect to invest in quality towing equipment which I understand dramatically helps with heavier loads (weight-distribution hitch, sway-control features, electronic brake control, etc). Still, I also understand that the kinds of taller, more supple suspensions which do well offroad are also, of course, not quite as good at taming heavy loads. It was this realization that initially pushed us toward a full-sized truck; comparing the F150s to the Raptors, the cushy suspension and tires reduce rated towing capacity by something like 15-20% (down to ~8,000 lbs or so). So, it was clear that I might be pushing things a bit with a modified Taco, whereas a Tundra probably has some wiggle room to maintain safety and longevity despite the addition of offroad-specific equipment.
All that said, a little part of me is holding out for the Taco, so I am asking for your advice.
Option 1) A Tundra with a quality lift kit, full skids and sliders, and probably a front bumper because hand-winching one of those is likely quite a chore. There is a good chance I'd throw in an ARB with the rear gears. Obviously, the wheelbase increases by 40%, it is about a foot wider, and I am not sure I can get the suspension as supple as my 4Runner (relagive to its wheelbase). So, I'll be losing a good bit both in general obstacle negotiation, as well as the ability to get through tighter trails without bad scratches. On the other hand, especially with higher diff gears, such a vehicle should have no issues with a 6000-6500lb trailer (and gear, and kids, and dogs.....).
Option 2) Tacoma with appropriate towing mods (aftermarket trans cooler, lower axle gears, and possibly something like HD anti-sway bars with disconnects). Obviously, with a Taco I don't give up much in terms of trail capabilities; it is indeed about 6" wider and will have a modestly longer wheelbase and rear overhang with a 6' bed, but otherwise shouldnt be much different than hitting the trails with wife's 5th gen 4Runner. On the other hand, even with some appropriate tow-specific modifications and good towing aids, I do understand that I would leaning on the bounds of safety and longevity towing a 6000+lb trailer perhaps~6,000-10,000 miles a year with such a vehicle.
I am almost certain we will end up with the Tundra, accepting that I will probably be an odd ball out on most trails, and likely do a bit of paint buffing when I get home on Sundays. But, thoughts? Anyone done a lot of towing at the top end of their mid-size truck's capacity? Anyone done a lot of wheeling with a full-size truck?
[FWIW, I have of course been picking through various forums and articles on towing heavy loads with mid-sized vehicles and, separately, wheeling with full-sized trucks. But, I wanted to ask here because I imagine most of you know exactly where I am coming from :) ].
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