Towing a camper and hauling an ATV with a Tacoma 4cyl

[rjg]

Hello all,

First time poster looking for information on lightweight campers. Hopefully I can decide on a small travel trailer that I can pull with my 2007 4x4 4 cylinder Tacoma and haul an ATV in the bed. Thanks to all for any information!

[DonDeutsch]

Welcome, you are at the right place.

[rjg]

Hello all,

The wife and I are considering a small travel trailer that we can pull with our '07 Tacoma regular cab 4x4 4 cyl 5 speed. We need to haul a 580 lb(wet weight) ATV in the bed also. The truck has a tow rating of 3500 lbs. 13' campers would be perfect for us. The options we would like are toilet,shower, heat and air. Is this doable? Thanks for any information!

[Thomas G.]

A toilet and shower take up a lot of room in a 13 footer. You might have a better chance of finding this combo in a 16 plus foot trailer.

[rjg]

Thanks. I wasn't sure if the truck could handle the weight of the 16' with the ATV. As far as a 13' goes, can you can order one with a shower and toilet?

[Robin G]

Ron, Welcome! Glad you guys joined us.


As far as your Tacoma towing with added weight and a low tow cap and a 16fter, I would say, probably not. Your up there pushing your tow cap with just the ATV and trailer, if not close to being over. Leaving you no cushion. And that's not even considering camping gear, ATV gear, food and clothes, etc............


You might find a 13 that would work, but I would assumne a older model would be a better option. It seems the older models weigh less than the newer trailers. I am with you on the bathroom option, why have a trailer if you got to hike to a biffy ? It just might take you a lot of searching to find just the right combo.



I have a 09 Tacoma (higher tow cap, 6500) and I tow a 2007 17ft Casita. My Casita weighed in empty at 2800 pounds.

[rjg]

Yeah I assume it will be hard to find a used one. I have been looking at the local online classifieds. I thought if it would work, I would look at a new 13' Scamp.

[rjg]

Another option we are considering is a Sportsmen KZ toy hauler with a UVW of 2315 lbs. We have an AWD Honda Pilot that may work with this.

[Carol H]

Ron, there are a number of people here towing 13' Scamp with all that you are wanting and they do come up for sale time to time. In fact there is one for sale currently. The ad on Craigs List.

Keep any eye on Fiberglass-rv-4sale.com for new postings and take a look through the sold section of there to get a feel for the prices and how often they do or dont pop onto the market.

[SilverGhost]

My Eggcamper comes in at 1980lbs with the shower/toilet. At least that's what the paper work says. It's been a while but I thought I remember Jim telling me that weight as apposed to one without a bathroom weighing less. I think its a 17'. Plenty of room inside.

And as a point of hotly debated contention I will tell you up front - I'm just passing the story along. Jim has told me he has several people buy his trailers and tow with cars. One lady had an Impreza (Subaru) that was getting mid 20s MPG in the Carolinas.

<<<<<I have a Golf TDI that I tow with.

My plan was to get a small enough trailer for the car to pull until I could get the tow rig I want. And my present situation only allows for trips maybe once or twice a year unless they are short weekenders.

I suggest you get actual weights from the campers you are interested in and add a couple hundred for wet weight (water, food, fuel, clothes, etc.). Then stay under your tow rating by at least the amount of your ATV. I don't doubt you can tow what you are looking at, but how enjoyable will it be? That is the biggest deciding factor.

Jason

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by SilverGhost

My Eggcamper comes in at 1980lbs with the shower/toilet. At least that's what the paper work says. ....................

I suggest you get actual weights from the campers you are interested in and add a couple hundred for wet weight (water, food, fuel, clothes, etc.). Then stay under your tow rating by at least the amount of your ATV. I don't doubt you can tow what you are looking at, but how enjoyable will it be? That is the biggest deciding factor.

Jason

Jason whats the loaded weight of your Eggcamper? You shouldn't forget when calculating out your trailers weight that it is pretty well accepted by most folks & proven out in Fredericks, Trailer Weights in the Real World that the trailer is pretty well always once loaded up for camping come in between 500 and 700 lbs more than the dry weight. Thats the number that one of the popular fiberglass trailer manufactures on this list also suggest is a conservative number to add to dry weight when trying to guess at a trailers actual towing weight. Unfortunately no Eggcamper owner has submitted their actual weights to Frederick to be added to the list. Perhaps you could be the first to share for the benefit of others considering purchasing one.

As far as towing over capacity goes well as you say thats a hot topic. Just because someone else tows over their tow capacity doesnt make it safe or reduce their liability. Oh I know there are a few folks here who like to keep bringing it for whatever reasons and suggesting things such as "oh you should be ok towing it with that" and they may go so far as to suggest that there is no problems with the law or liability so no problems with it. I would encourage them to read this link that was posted on that topic in regards to a real life story. . The term "willfully and knowingly" can be a very costly one.

[rabbit]

+1 what Carol says. Don't fudge the numbers. ADD the 5-to 700lb. average junk in the trunk allowance to the dry weight. REDUCE the manufacturer's rating of tow capacity by 20%. COMPARE those numbers. If the first is less than the second, you will have no impetus to engage in ridiculous anecdotal claims about the little tug that could and will be able to stop crossing your fingers and get a good nite's sleep.

jack

[Camilla]

I think my Playpac is within your limits. There should be others as well.

[Ron in BC]

When we started looking for a small FG trailer to haul behind our 4 cyl./5 speed Mazda we didn't even know that the Scamp13 was available with the front bathroom option. Lucky for us we found out and bought one before we had bought a non-bathroom model. After a year with it I can't imagine having a trailer without all the benefits and comforts of your own bathroom.

Different folks have different tolerances for things. Yes, a 13' trailer with the front bath option is small, but it works for us and our dogs

Ron

[Donna D.]

Hi Ron, welcome to FiberglassRV. We're glad you're here

Good luck on the egg hunt!

[Borden]

We hall with the trunk empty, pull light and add the water close to camp location or at same.

[Borden]

The group at FiberglassRv is very helpful

[Perry J]

Ron, I have an 07 std cab Tacoma with an auto tran.
It towed my 16' SD Scamp easily.
My longest trip was over 4000 mile up through Yellowstone and I averaged 22mpg.
Most of my trips are with my allmost 700 pound ATV in the back of my truck.
It's sometimes slower going up long steep grades but it does the job very well.
I would abvise putting Air Lift airbags on the back to keep it level.
You run 10 pounds in them when your not towing or hauling and it still rides well.
You can pump them up to as much 100 lbs when needed.
My ONLY complaint with Toyota Tacomas is 3 bags of groceries seem to drop the back end.
John

[Raz]

Originally Posted by rjg

Is this doable?

Find out all the weights involved, passengers, gear, tongue and trailer weight, etc. Then go to your owners manual. You will find a section that defines the various weight limitations of your truck. There should also be numerous examples that you can use to calculate the numbers for your situation and know whether you are within its limits. It's a little like doing your taxes so hang in there. I hope the numbers work out for you. Raz

[Tim Wood]

Personally I would probably get a bigger truck. With that said I do remember a 13' deluxe for sale I think in Vermont here in the classifieds, you can check back through and see.