[DougM56]

Good afternoon.
Looking for some validation or maybe some first person experience on this question. I have a 2012 4 x 2 cruiser- the tow capacity is 4700 pounds.
The trailer we have in mind, with us, all of our gear, fuel etc. will come to about 4200 pounds.
This eclipse the 80% rule I was trying to adhere by.
Curious what other peoples experiences and recommendations are.
Thanks

 

[norm356]

The engine will have enough power and the brakes will be strong enough, but the wheelbase is very short and that's the biggest factor when towing a heavy load. Since your margin for error will be small, make sure your tongue weight is set correctly (pay for access to a suitable scale to check it), and then mark how you had loaded the trailer so you can re-pack to the same target tongue weight each morning.

 

[NyNomad]

I would look into transmission coolers

 

[Crashn]

Good afternoon.
Looking for some validation or maybe some first person experience on this question. I have a 2012 4 x 2 cruiser- the tow capacity is 4700 pounds.
The trailer we have in mind, with us, all of our gear, fuel etc. will come to about 4200 pounds.
This eclipse the 80% rule I was trying to adhere by.
Curious what other peoples experiences and recommendations are.
Thanks

First off I would prefer brakes on the trailer as well. Two reasons, you would have complete control of the trailer. If you had to stop in a hurry, with just the cruiser breaks and with the short wheel base of the cruiser you could end up jack knifing the cruiser. I know this for a fact. you did not state the tongue weight of the trailer. If it causes the cruiser to be lower in the rear than the front, you will be negating the 75/25 breaking rule of the cruiser. That is why most trucks set about 1 1/2 " lower in the front. The front brake system does 75% of the braking. Is this trailer you intend to pull a travel trailer? If so it should has electric brakes. Also with that much weight on the tongue it will could cause the cruiser to bob up and down going down the road. I am not trying to scare you out of pulling that much weight. I am only making you aware of problems that may come up during your trip. I hope you have a safe trip.

CT

 

[dabeyta3]

The fj sucks for towing. I towed a trailer that size on short vacations for a couple years before I got my truck. I installed a trans cooler and the transmission still started having issues. My rear differential also went out. One of my rear wheel bearings also went out because the rear axle had to much hitch height (500-600 lbs). The trailer was advertised as having 450 lbs tongue weight but that was under rated too. It was definitely in the 500 -600 on my hitch scale. I used a weight distribution hitch and bent my oem hitch because it’s not wd compatible. The wheelbase is way to short and the suspension to soft. Sway is a pain on the freeways, I had to get a Hensley arrow cub. Brake controllers don’t work the best because the fj rocks back and forth and up and down when a trailer that size pushes it. That causes under braking and surges at least with the prodigy p3. You can get away with towing for a short time but eventually you’ll pay the price. My trailer weighed 2998 empty and about 4.5k loaded. My advice, try and get another tow vehicle. The fj is meant for off road or regular driving.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[FJtest]

No FJ model was ever factory-equipped to reliably tow a 4K+ lb trailer ... no aux transmission cooler, no engine oil cooler, no HD radiator, no high-output alternator, etc. like were available on other Toyota trucks were that were offered with real factory tow packages for serious towing.

The short wheelbase is a significant issue WRT stability and emergency braking. You may get away with it for short distances at moderate speeds on the flat, but get into the mountains, or headwinds, or sidewinds, or have a big-rig pass you at 65MPH on a 2-lane road, and you'll experience some white-knuckle moments.

You'll probably get responses from folks claiming that they have towed 5K lb trailers back and forth over the Rockies for years and years without any issues whatsoever, but the bottom line is that the FJ is probably not really suitable for towing anything except lighter (2K - 2.5K lb range) trailers. In the mountains, you'll be flogging the engine and achieving single-digit fuel consumption.

 

[mikey]

Here is on of those folks.....tow a 4 place sled trailer, in winter, up and down the mountains with really no issues.

But then again that could be because I drive an MT and have more control....

 

[FJtest]

Here is on of those folks.....tow a 4 place sled trailer, in winter, up and down the mountains with really no issues.

But then again that could be because I drive an MT and have more control....

All-up weight of your fully-loaded trailer is over 4K lbs?
Elevation 2K feet, or 8K feet?
And towing speed in your mountainous area is 35 MPH or 55 MPH?

(You've got to admit that there may be a difference between towing at low elevation in the winter vs high elevation at 85 - 100F summer temperatures?)

 

[mikey]

Trailer loaded with sleds (wet) ~4,100-4,200 lb mark, worked out the balance with sled placement.
Home elevation 2,100' climbing to base of ~4,600' with upper staging areas ~8,500'
Switchbacks ~35-45 mph with 60 mph on regular highway.

Undoubtly there is a difference between the conditions, I was referring more to the ability to control.

With the AT I get the aux cooler
Oil coller - maybe
Bigger alternator on Toyota tow packages make zero sense. There is no significant increased load on the system. If the tow package came with large electric fans I could see it.