Towing capacity of Toyota Tacoma

[dirttrails]

I'm wondering what the maximum, safe without blowing things up, towing capacity and max tongue weight for my 2000 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.

I know there's labels and direction in the owners manual, door jam, and tow bar explaining this. But it's not sinking in very good, so hopefully someone can help me get this figured out.

The truck has V6 3.4L engine, TRD package, OEM tow bar (mounted to frame rails).

Thanks for the help.

 

[lisa'sxr4]

Don't know actual poundage - but my 02 Tacoma Prerunner V6, TRD, etc. can pull out 5x8 trailer with XR650, XR400 & WR400F without incident.

It has also pulled our trailer with all overnight gear & both XR's; WR400 & CR500 in the bed of truck.

 

[RMXkid]

my boss pulled his 2 place enclosed snowmobile trailer with his tacoma all the time with no problem.

 

[eng208]

I have a 98 Prerunner V6 and it can pull up to about 4200lbs. without straining too bad. I have pulled a 7x18 enclosed trailer that weighed in at 4980lbs. which is right at the limit that the owners manual says (5000) and it pulled it, but taking off from a start was really slow. Of course, I was taking it pretty easy taking off to avoid too much heat build up in the transmission. I have an automatic (all Prerunners are) with a stacked plate tranny cooler, along with headers and Flowmaster exhaust. The big thing to save the longevity of your truck is to install a cooler and you may need something in the rear suspension to avoid the sagging so common with Tacomas. Other than that, it is a great small pickup capable of way more than other trucks its size. Trust me, I had a Ranger before getting my Toyota.

 

[GAnderson]

What are you looking to tow? That engine and chassis is rated to tow 5000# but you will experience significant rear-end sag towing just about anything. I have towed 6x12 (pretty heavily loaded) but you have to be patient and careful in the stopping distances. You will need to get help for the sagging problem though - i towed a ski boat before beefing up rear suspension and that was scary.

I don't have any problems towing 5x10 enclosed with 2 bikes/gear. It seems the wind resistance from towing a 5x6 flat wall at highway speeds is the most significant aspect - much easier to tow a streamlined boat at these speeds.

 

[dirttrails]

Thanks for the info, and the note about transmission cooling. I've also got the automatic transmission.

I'm thinking of getting an enclosed trailer to haul about four bikes, plus some space for a little work bench, some sleeping areas, stowage, etc.

Ya, that rear end does sag pretty bad which I found out when I hauled about 900 pounds of bagged cement pre-mix. Whats a good way to correct that? Leaf springs or airbags?

Do headers and exhaust really contribute that much to over all horsepower?

Thanks again.

 

[GAnderson]

I installed leaf springs - actually helper springs that just ride there most of the time - simpler than airbag system.

As for header/exhaust horsepower - not as much as the TRD supercharger - nice but pricey!!!