Towing Package ?

[Uplander]

Good to know the manufacturers have started adding equipment specific to towing.
A brake controller and installation is not that costly.

My minimum standard for serious towing (since 1983) has been a brake controller, sway control, weight distribution hitch, chains and plenty of reserve capacity in tow rating plus having a tow vehicle heavier than what I am towing.
That usually translates to a truck or a SUV built on a truck frame if the trailer has a weight of 4,500 lbs or more fully loaded.

It is evident that most of the posts on this board are generated by folks who are new to towing and very uncertain about what they are about to get into.

Happy Camping

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Certainly if you spend a lot of time in remote locations being self-sufficient is more important. We don't stray too far off the beaten path.

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I'm more speculating about the next vehicle. There is a good chance it won't have a full-size spare or space to stow one. Lugging a spare in the cargo area is unappealing.

Yes, tires are so good nowadays that flats are increasingly rare. However, I have and intend to continue going to some fairly remote places, so the full-size spare became an important factor when shopping for our tow vehicle.

I'd had such a great experience towing the Casita with the Q5 that I thought I would buy a Q7 when we ordered the Escape 21. However, I wanted to buy new this time and was glad I realized early on that the newer Q7's do not come with spares. From my reading on other forums, they apparently do not even have space for one under the cargo compartment floor. Ultimately, the lack of a spare and the much higher price of the Q7 led us to the Jeep.

Our other car tends to remain closer to "civilization", but this includes highways and byways far from home. I think I would have been "okay" with even a collapsible spare for the second vehicle, but that would be the minimum unless we were just looking for a puddle-jumper to drive about town in the immediate urban area.

I posted earlier that "28 percent of new 2017 models are sold without a spare as standard equipment". While I wouldn't want to store a spare in the luggage-compartment, I wonder if some vehicles might have the dedicated space available to add a spare. Judging by the lack of such space on the Q7, a fairly large vehicle, the answer is not hopeful. But I guess it's something one could look into.

Or, there's always the Prius "Safari" edition, with the optional roof-rack mounted spare!

[ShelbyM]

Originally Posted by Uplander

It is evident that most of the posts on this board are generated by folks who are new to towing and very uncertain about what they are about to get into.

Then there's nothing for you here?

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Yes, tires are so good nowadays that flats are increasingly rare. However, I have and intend to continue going to some fairly remote places, so the full-size spare became an important factor when shopping for our tow vehicle.

I'd had such a great experience towing the Casita with the Q5 that I thought I would buy a Q7 when we ordered the Escape 21. However, I wanted to buy new this time and was glad I realized early on that the newer Q7's do not come with spares. From my reading on other forums, they apparently do not even have space for one under the cargo compartment floor. Ultimately, the lack of a spare and the much higher price of the Q7 led us to the Jeep.

Our other car tends to remain closer to "civilization", but this includes highways and byways far from home. I think I would have been "okay" with even a collapsible spare for the second vehicle, but that would be the minimum unless we were just looking for a puddle-jumper to drive about town in the immediate urban area.

I posted earlier that "28 percent of new 2017 models are sold without a spare as standard equipment". While I wouldn't want to store a spare in the luggage-compartment, I wonder if some vehicles might have the dedicated space available to add a spare. Judging by the lack of such space on the Q7, a fairly large vehicle, the answer is not hopeful. But I guess it's something one could look into.

Or, there's always the Prius "Safari" edition, with the optional roof-rack mounted spare!

In 2010 I purchased a RAV4 Sport (tow package, but run flat tires & no spare or place to mount one. I only planned on towing a utility trailer, so I figured it would work.

In 2011, I bought an Escape 17B. I had to add a 7 pin connector, brake & charge wiring, etc. I also discovered that run flat tires were useless in snow, harsh riding, expensive, etc. I replaced them with Goodyear fuel max tires, including a rim & spare. Made a mount for the spare on the roof rack, and continued to tow the trailer almost 85,000 miles.

Never needed the spare (at least for the RAV4) but felt much better having it rather than the run flat tires that would never have succeeded towing with a flat...

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Uplander

I have never seen a brake controller included in any tow package.
It is a simple matter to do your own upgrade and add the transmission cooler.
You will have to add your own 7 pin connector and receiver hitch etc.

My factory integrated brake controller cost $235 when I purchased my 2014 truck
My 2011 truck came without the factory integrated brake controller
The cost to buy , install and integrate an aftermarket brake controller was close to $700
Yes you can always add equipment but the assumption that if will be cheaper is a false assumption IMHO

[John in Santa Cruz]

my 2001 E150 came with 'tow package' but no brake controller. total cost to install brake controller? under $100 to buy Tekonsha controller with ford harness adapter, drill two holes in plastic dashboard, 1 minute to screw bracket on, 30 seconds to plug controller harness into factory harness, done.

my 2008 Toyota Tacoma came with 'tow package', but no brake controller. total cost? exactly same as above.

so... $700, someone took you to the cleaners. maybe they had to add harness wiring to a vehicle that wasn't really tow-ready.

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by Uplander

I have never seen a brake controller included in any tow package.
It is a simple matter to do your own upgrade and add the transmission cooler.
You will have to add your own 7 pin connector and receiver hitch etc.

F150 comes with three different tow packages. One includes the brake controller and even includes a larger fuel tank!

[ShelbyM]

Wait, there's more....

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by ShelbyM

Wait, there's more....

Yes the technolgy is advancing. Quite often the factory options are not nearly as good as the after-market alternatives. For example, the satellite radio in my Toyota is much less usable than my portable receiver, largely because it limits what you can do while the vehicle is moving. So I use the after-market one instead of the one built into the vehicle.

But towing might be another matter. We are starting to see vehicles that incorporate trailers in such a way that they are safer and perform better. In particular anti-sway that is computer controlled in conjunction with the tug is one thing I hope to have on a future tow vehicle. Hopefully this type of technology, and also tech like accident avoidance, will not "dumb us down" where we forget basic driving skills.

On the other hand hand, perhaps in couple of decades my self-driving truck will pull my trailer to the campground and back it in, all while I take a nap. That would be be nice because by then I will be be needing a lot of naps

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by gordon2

For example, the satellite radio in my Toyota is much less usable than my portable receiver, largely because it limits what you can do while the vehicle is moving. So I use the after-market one instead of the one built into the vehicle.

There is a reason for that feature. If you a fiddling with your receiver, you are driving distracted.
The fine for a first offense here in B.C. is a bit less than $400 for using a hand held device while driving.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

There is a reason for that feature. If you a fiddling with your receiver, you are driving distracted.
The fine for a first offense here in B.C. is a bit less than $400 for using a hand held device while driving.

First, I wont be coming to BC.
Second, its not hand held... its on a stand.
Third, its actually much safer than the built in garbage. The OEM radio limits the stations you can turn to, but you can tune to more by a using few more keystrokes. Which of course means more distraction. On the other hand, I can work the portable unit on its stand with my eyes closed, and with them never leaving the road. The OEM unit is built in to the dash and actually rather complicated. You have have to try it to know how bad it is - it's harder to reach, more complicated, etc.

Also my Toyota has a voice recognition feature that is meant to allow you to do some things without using your hands at all, and without taking your eyes off the road. But it is the worst! How many times have I tired to hit the button to start a voice command, said the command, had it misunderstood, tried again, started over, then finally gave up on using voice and reached over to hit the right darn button. You want to talk about driver distraction? That it is.

Bottom line is that all too often these supposed safety restrictions are so badly designed that they actually increase the risk.

So you can be critical as usual, but in reality your admonishment is irrelevant.

[Glenn Baglo]

Hey, argue with the cops. I was just giving you information.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by gordon2

First, I wont be coming to BC.
Second, its not hand held... its on a stand.
Third, its actually much safer than the built in garbage. The OEM radio limits the stations you can turn to, but you can tune to more by a using few more keystrokes. Which of course means more distraction. On the other hand, I can work the portable unit on its stand with my eyes closed, and with them never leaving the road. The OEM unit is built in to the dash and actually rather complicated. You have have to try it to know how bad it is - it's harder to reach, more complicated, etc.

Also my Toyota has a voice recognition feature that is meant to allow you to do some things without using your hands at all, and without taking your eyes off the road. But it is the worst! How many times have I tired to hit the button to start a voice command, said the command, had it misunderstood, tried again, started over, then finally gave up on using voice and reached over to hit the right darn button. You want to talk about driver distraction? That it is.

Bottom line is that all too often these supposed safety restrictions are so badly designed that they actually increase the risk.

So you can be critical as usual, but in reality your admonishment is irrelevant.

I’ve solved all these problems , I set my vehicle’s radio to the channel I want to listen to (MPR) and leave it there all the time . My radio in my truck can be controlled by voice command but since I never change the channel , I don’t need it . Since I am hearing impaired I spend my time while driving paying attention to my driving not playing with some electronic gadget .

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Hey, argue with the cops. ..

Never! That much I know.. LOL

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Never! That much I know.. LOL

That's good. I was listening to a radio talk show a few days ago on the topic, and apparently, you can get a ticket for having your cell phone sitting on the passenger seat next to you.

Anyway, these laws will be coming to a courthouse near you.

[Al Bear]

Originally Posted by koy

Hello everyone, I recently talk to my Toyota Dealer ship about towing capacity on my toyota Highlander. They said that if my car is equipped with a "towing package" it can tow more weight than the normal weight. Do anybody know what in the "towing package"(WDH, Brake Control,Transmission Cooler,...)Do anybody know what it is recommend in this towing package? Thank-you.

Hi Koy,
Here's the scoop on the 2018 Highlander for towing. We just bought one in March and have been using it to tow our 17-foot fiberglass trailer.

To get the max tow weight (5,000 lbs.) you need an AWD model with the V-6 (non-hybrid). The specific model does not matter (LE, LE+, XLE, whatever) as long it has AWD and the V-6 and is not a hybrid. That will give you the cooling and suspension you need. Toyota does not offer any upgrades on those and you should not need any for pulling your Casita. If you don't get an AWD model, or if you get the hybrid, you will be limited to 3,500 lbs., which in my opinion is too close to the loaded weight of your Casita, which would probably come to at least 3,000 lbs.

The only additional things that Toyota offers are the receiver and a 4-pin trailer wiring. You should order those. They will be installed by the dealer using Toyota parts.

Then you will need an aftermarket trailer brake controller, as Toyota does not offer one. The Tekonsha Prodigy P2 has a good reputation. The shop where you have it installed will need to do some additional wiring to connect the controller and to upgrade the 4-pin connector to a 7-pin. Don't let them install the controller right next to your knee. They can easily run the wiring up to the shelf under the dashboard. That location would be safer in the event of a frontal crash, and the controller will be easier to see when you need to give it a glance. Also, look for postings about the special "fix" that they need to do so that the Highlander safety systems do not throw a fault when you use the slider on the Prodigy P2.

The tongue weight of your Casita when loaded will probably be somewhere between 300 and 400 lbs. (Get yourself a Sherline tongue-weight scale and check it to be sure.) The Toyota owner's manual says that you do not need a weight distribution hitch with any V-6 AWD non-hybrid 2018 Highlander unless the tongue weight exceeds 500 lbs. However, you might want one anyway. The rear suspension on the Highlander is rather soft. That gives it a very smooth ride when not towing, but with a tongue weight of 400 lbs., I find that there is too much extra motion when irregularities in the road make the tongue of the trailer rise or drop. As per the owner's manual, it's not unsafe, but I do find it to be not as comfortable as I would like, especially for long days on the road. We bought a Curt 17499, which works great, but there a number of others that you might prefer.

If you are very disciplined about how you load the Casita, you might be able to keep the tongue weight down to about 300 lbs. and might therefore be satisfied with the ride without a WDH. But make sure that it is at least 10% of total weight, for example, at least 310 lbs. if total weight is 3,100 lbs. (Take your loaded trailer to a public scale to be sure.)

Search for my "maiden voyage highlander" thread for more details about towing with the 2018 Highlander.

[trainman]

I'm looking at new Ram trucks and most of the pickups on the lot have brake controller on them. Most are included in some ordered package that the vehicle is ordered with in both in 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks. I'm shopping at a dealer outside the Ft. Worth metroplex some 40 miles where work trucks are pretty much there sales, so this could be the reason for so many. Tow packages are on at least 2/3 of there inventory on new Ram's, so it's easy to shop there for a tow vehicle. From what I see on new full size trucks it's pretty much a standard option, but its Texas where most everyone owns a truck of some type. Also a full size spare is included in many options on the Ram 1/2 ton pickup, so if you shop correctly you can get a full size spare included in one of those options. Shop wisely and get what you want and need for the best price.

trainman

[Carl V]

Good post Albert.
Exactly the info I was looking for, as I'm looking at a newer HL to replace my '06.

I know that in Canada, all AWD V6 Highlanders (and Siennas ans probably Rav4s too) used to come equipped with the larger Rad, transmission aux cooler, larger alternator, etc basically all that is included in the towing package. That wasn't the case for the US models, but it looks like it is now.
Thx