Anyone Tow with a Toyota T100?

[Rory B.]

Hi All, I have a 1995 T100 3.4 V6,5 speed that I've had since new. It's in excellent condition so I'd like to use it to pull a trailer. Rated at 5k lbs, 550# tongue wt. Both numbers increase with WD hitch. Is, or has anybody pulled a travel trailer with one? I have a friend who runs all over the PNW with an old 19' Terry 5th wheel and loaded out and ready to go, he says the trailer comes in at a shade over 4k lbs. He says it more than handles it.
I'd like to hear from others who actually have pulled something than just reading the numbers. I have pulled utilty trailers with it but doubt I ever went over 1,800-2,000 lbs.
TIA

[steve dunham]

Good Luck , I hope it works out well for you .

[CasitaMiner]

3.4 is a little weak in the mountains but ok on the flats.

[Rory B.]

Originally Posted by CasitaMiner

3.4 is a little weak in the mountains but ok on the flats.

I wouldn't doubt that, at least I have the 5 speed and 4:10's to keep it in the power-band. Just wished it created the power and torque at lower rpm's!
I should've kept my Peterbilt!

[CasitaMiner]

I bought my 17 SD Casita from a fellow that towed with the 3.4, he was less than satisfied after a trip thru the mountains on vacation with it.

[John in Santa Cruz]

As I understand it, the T100 became the first generation Tundra... and the 2nd generation Tacoma is practically the same size truck, while the 2nd generation Tundra is now full size like an F150. A T100 should be excellent for towing.

if, when you travel, your truck bed is also heavily loaded, AND the t100 sags a fair bit in the back when loaded near capacity, I'd suggest getting the Firestone RideRite airbag kit for it. I put this on my Tacoma, and never looked back. Worked *great*. leave it at 5PSI when not towing/hauling, and add enough air after heavily loading so the top of tire to wheel well distance in the back is just about what it was empty. in my case, that was typically 35-40 PSI, and I used my Viair portable compressor for this. you could easily use a bicycle pump, the airbags don't have very large volume.

[CasitaMiner]

I tow with a 2006 Tacoma 4.0L this 2nd gen V6 is a great engine, lots of power, decent mileage if you stay out of the pedal. I think I will try and buy a low miles 2015 when I change trucks, this is the last yr of the 4.0L engines. The newer 3rd gen has a 3.5 Lexxus car engine, on paper the hp looks good but they took hp ratings at 6100 rpms, so its underpowered in the normal power band. No one runs at anywhere near 6100 rpms.

[Sharon W]

Yes we had a 1996 T100 automatic extended cab that we pulled 3500 lb travel trailer, utility trailer loaded with dirt (about same weight). Worked well - we live near Mt. Pisgah in Appalchians - so always towing up or down the mountains. Took it a little slower on steep stuff, never had a problem. GREAT truck - only sold it to get double cab to make more room for grandkid- guy we sold it to 8 years ago still driving it everyday. It was only RWD.

[Geronimo John]

The T-100 has a max tow rating of 5,000 pounds and that is with a weight distributing hitch. Keep in mind that the rating system of the past is not IAW the current SAE standard. If you were to apply the current standard, your vehicle would not be suitable.

None the less, if you are towing only flat land, it likely would work if you use a weight distribution hitch and a good automatic trailer brake control system as a minimum.

But a 5,000+ trailer behind a 1995 T-100 in the mountains would be not be recommended even with all the safety gear added. Just too many systems all being worked to their limit and beyond is a recipe for problems that can have really bad results in the mountains.

[allen jackson]

We towed our 17’ Casita for several years with my ‘95 T100 3.4V6, auto trans. without a WD hitch. We never had any problems. The T100 is geared pretty low. I believe ours had a 3.92 rear axle ratio. I wouldn’t be afraid to tow 4,000 lbs. with it in mountains, maybe even 5,000 lbs. in flatlands. They were tough trucks built in Japan. For those with auto. Trans., always tow with OD locked out via the button on the end of the shifter. When I bought my new truck, my son took the T100 to Denver pulling a dbl. axle UHaul. He’s still driving it.

[ZachO]

16-17’ trailers will be fine. I tow with a 98 Tacoma. Same engine and ratings. What you won’t be able to get away with is a 5th wheel or anything with high tongue weight. Payload limit is the...limiting factor. That and your patience to go slow and easy. These aren’t powerhouses but they get the job done. You need to do the homework on payload.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the T100 had a lower payload rating than the Tacoma, since it’s the same powertrain but a bigger truck. I remember hearing that a problem with the T100 was undersized suspension. I can’t verify but I heard that. Not a great sign for payload limit.

[FRED SMAILES]

Originally Posted by Rory B.

I wouldn't doubt that, at least I have the 5 speed and 4:10's to keep it in the power-band. Just wished it created the power and torque at lower rpm's!
I should've kept my Peterbilt!

Ya, you guys that came from big torque engines have trouble spinning a motor.
Small overhead cam motors are made to spin.
We owned the predecessor to the T 100 to tow our boler.
Ours also had the 3L 5 speed with 3.90ish rear gear. I think it was ideal for the boler capable of 60 mph in the top 3 gears.
It had over 360Klms in this pic from 2013. We upgraded to a Sienna after.
Fred

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by FRED SMAILES

Ya, you guys that came from big torque engines have trouble spinning a motor.
Small overhead cam motors are made to spin...

We have a 2006 CRV 2.4L. I read posts all the time saying something like "this vehicle can barely get out of its own way on a hill." I say find the right-hand pedal and don't be afraid to use it. Ours will climb a 6-7% grade with four people on board keeping up 60-65 mph the whole way. At 3000-3200 rpm you can barely hear the engine, and it's certainly not straining. Plenty of reserve, too- step on the right pedal, kick it down a gear, and at 4000 rpm you can pass that logging truck smartly.

It's a peppy, rev-happy vehicle that is genuinely fun to drive. The 5-speed automatic seems to know exactly what I want and never hesitates to give it to me. We're coming up on 185K without a single mechanical or electrical problem, oil stays clean and full between changes, and we're still on the original factory brake pads. Gas mileage runs 26-28 mpg, despite lots of mountain driving.

Our previous 2000 CRV 2.0L was a different story. It would also rev up the hills without problems, but it let you know it was working hard. It spent a lot more time at 4000 rpm+, and the incessant drone was annoying. Not so the 2.4L.

If there weren't four of us, I'd even consider towing with the CRV (with the addition of an auxiliary transmission cooler and revised expectations about how fast I can climb the hills, of course).

Not sure how this might apply to a T-100, but I agree with your point that people accustomed to diesels and large pushrod V8's seem afraid to rev a smaller engine.

[Glenn Baglo]

Brings tears to my eyes when I see a BMW or Jag creeping up the cut, a steep hill in my town. They are at least in the right lane, but 20 kph below the speed limit. They have no idea where the gas pedal is. The same people tend to hit the brakes when entering the highway, driving way slower than the flow of traffic.

[ZachO]

There really isn’t a predecessor to the T100. Other than the Landcruiser SUV, it was the biggest truck Toyota had built up to that point. But with the same components, mostly, as the Tacoma.

I have no experience with “powerful” engines, but I agree, these trucks are meant to rev.