2008 Toyota Highlander V6 towing 16'ft. Casita SD? - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-23-2018, 02:22 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by gordon2 View Post
2015 Toyota Sienna.

By the way.. here is a V-8 that I would not suggest towing even a kids wagon with....
rotfl
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Old 10-23-2018, 05:19 PM   #22
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From my experiences I find that hard to believe but I will take your word for it
If your talking about the Ford V6 Ecoboost then that’s a horse of a different color.
I have had 2 Tundra Longbed Trucks both 2001 models.
One had the 3.5l V6 and the other the 4.7l V8.

Both towed my Casita 17' with no issue at any time.
The platform and suspension were certainly ideal for the Casita but I was always happily surprised that the V6 towed just fine too.
I dragged the trailer through some terrible weather many times for 1000 mile trips and if the V8 Tundy wasn't 4wd I would likely still have the V6 TODAY.
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Old 10-24-2018, 04:04 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
I’ve towed my trailer with a V6 vehicle and it never worked well for me
It always felt like the vehicle was struggling
Steve as you know I tow my 17' Casita with my 2017 Honda Ridgeline V6. It does a very good job towing the Casita, truck sets down 1" when hitched and I find no need for a WDH. All that being said I'm looking at a new Ram 2500 3/4 ton PU with the 6.4 Hemi engine. Do I need this for pulling the Casita, NO, but looking to move up to a Oliver, or Bigfoot in the future and the Ridgeline would not be a good match for those trailers. I would not have purchased another Ridgeline if in my wildest days if I thought I was going to buy a travel trailer. I pretty much like a little over-kill when it comes to towing and why so many out there settle for something less amazes me.

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Old 10-24-2018, 08:10 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by trainman View Post
Steve as you know I tow my 17' Casita with my 2017 Honda Ridgeline V6. It does a very good job towing the Casita, truck sets down 1" when hitched and I find no need for a WDH. All that being said I'm looking at a new Ram 2500 3/4 ton PU with the 6.4 Hemi engine. Do I need this for pulling the Casita, NO, but looking to move up to a Oliver, or Bigfoot in the future and the Ridgeline would not be a good match for those trailers. I would not have purchased another Ridgeline if in my wildest days if I thought I was going to buy a travel trailer. I pretty much like a little over-kill when it comes to towing and why so many out there settle for something less amazes me.

trainman
One of the issues with these type of threads is that most are based on personal opinion and not some defined quantity or quality . Vehicle brand loyalty or prejudices often enter the picture . IE ; I drive only brand X and whether they make a tow vehicle that it is adequate to tow my trailer doesn’t matter cause I only drive brand X.
I’ll say this for the 100th time . I drive a Ram 1500 V8 Quad Cab , it doesn’t tow like a dream , I do know the trailer is behind me , I am not getting 30 mpg towing, it doesn’t fit in every parking space , my wife doesn’t care what we drive / tow with , I don’t recommend it to others and it is barely adequate for my uses .

Until we find some objective method to define the suitability of a vehicle to tow and continue to rely on subjective opinions we will have these never ending meaningless discussions
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Old 10-24-2018, 08:34 AM   #25
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
Until we find some objective method to define the suitability of a vehicle to tow and continue to rely on subjective opinions we will have these never ending meaningless discussions
You ain't seen nothing, try starting a reasonable discussion on global warming.
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Old 10-24-2018, 08:36 AM   #26
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
One of the issues with these type of threads is that most are based on personal opinion and not some defined quantity or quality . Vehicle brand loyalty or prejudices often enter the picture . IE ; I drive only brand X and whether they make a tow vehicle that it is adequate to tow my trailer doesn’t matter cause I only drive brand X.
I’ll say this for the 100th time . I drive a Ram 1500 V8 Quad Cab , it doesn’t tow like a dream , I do know the trailer is behind me , I am not getting 30 mpg towing, it doesn’t fit in every parking space , my wife doesn’t care what we drive / tow with , I don’t recommend it to others and it is barely adequate for my uses .

Until we find some objective method to define the suitability of a vehicle to tow and continue to rely on subjective opinions we will have these never ending meaningless discussions
Very true. One person's towing perfection can be another's towing nightmare. And personal endorsements are just that, one opinion. Terrain, speed, comfort, are all variables. I'd love to see a towing shootout by one of the car magazines. Take the full sized pickups with the best tow package from that company: Tundra, Titan, F150, Ram, Silverado; and then have them run a 1,000 mile loop over a few mountain passes, etc. Have them pull a medium to large Airstream, and have at it.

Then take all the smaller SUVs: Rav4, CRV, Forrester, etc; and do the same loop pulling a light weight trailer, like a Scamp 13 or a Nest.
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Old 10-24-2018, 10:09 AM   #27
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Until we find some objective method to define the suitability of a vehicle to tow and continue to rely on subjective opinions we will have these never ending meaningless discussions

Yup, best shut down the forum immediately.
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Old 10-24-2018, 10:30 AM   #28
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Yup, best shut down the forum immediately.
A little drastic !! IMHO but you are entitled to your opinion .
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Old 10-27-2018, 06:52 PM   #29
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Add the extra cooling and the HL should be fine for a Casita. My 2008 HL had 185,000 on it when I sold it, and 140,000 of those miles were towing miles. Mostly towing 2700-3500 lb trailers.

I started having many alleged leaks found by the local toyota dealers, sterting around 120k miles. Transfer case, then tranny, and I shelled out for repairs. But when they announced at the next oil change that my timing chain gasket was leaking, and wanted over $2600, I got suspicious and took it to an independent repair shop for a second opinion. Lo and behold, 3 loose bolts were detected and tightened on the timing chain cover, and it never leaked again. How did those bolts loosen up suddenly after being tight enough for 140k miles, hmmm. I have since learned that the service writers at those stealerships were getting paid commissions, the more repairs they wrote the more they "earned". The independent shop, Sanport, gets my repair business now.
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Old 10-31-2018, 10:09 AM   #30
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Trailer: 2019 16' Scamp; tow vehicle: 2010 Ford Escape V6
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Originally Posted by koy View Post
Thank-you everyone for the advice,and it is a hard decision to make trading a new car (cost more money) or down side to a 13' ft. Casita or Scamp ?

You will be borderline even with a 13' Scamp.
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Old 10-31-2018, 11:19 AM   #31
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First thing to do is take your Highlander to a good local transmission shop.
Have them install a quality auxiliary transmission cooler. That will insure you trouble free towing. I have done this with all my Toyota vehicles.
Please note Toyota does not make or install auxiliary transmission coolers as after- market add-on items. My Toyota service advisor recommended I take it to a local professional transmission shop ( best to avoid national Transmission shops like AAMCO as they love to sell you stuff you do not need).
This process will not cost too much.

Most Toyota V6 engines such as the 4.0 Liter engines in the 4 Runner, FJ Landcruiser and Tacoma trucks are rated to tow from 5,000 lbs to 6,500 lbs
With factory trans coolers and heavy duty alternators. Most fiberglass travel trailers are light weights and only need the extra trans cooler to handle the weights you speak about.

I towed a 26 foot 5,000+ lb travel trailer for thousands of miles for 8 years with a Toyota
Employing a 4.0 Ltr uV6 engine....no factory tow pack only an additional transmission cooler costing under $150 installed.

Your Highlander will handle your requirements...
“.been there done that”.

Happy Camping !
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Old 10-31-2018, 11:34 AM   #32
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My earlier post failed to endorse both weight distribution and sway control.
When towing with my FJ Cruiser, 4.0 Ltr V6 and pulling a 5,000+ lb. travel trailer most of the time I forgot it was back there....even on hills.
If you have things set up properly using weight distribution and a quality receiver hitch you should tow like a dream.
The actual weight of the tow vehicle is important not just the engine. Nothing worse than
the “tail-wagging-the-dog” going down the road.
Weight distribution balances the entire rigs weight on all wheels (trailer and tow vehicle).

I have been travel trailer camping since 1983 and nothing beats experience....the longer you do anything the better you get at it.

Good Luck and Happy Camping !
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Old 10-31-2018, 12:29 PM   #33
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Name: Tim
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Greetings fellow FJ Cruiser owner

We have an Oliver Elite (small one) pulled with our 2013 FJ Cruiser and they work well together. Hardly know it’s back there till you get on a long uphill grade. We get about 13mpg depending on grade and wind. I did add a transmission cooler and stay out of overdrive.
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:24 PM   #34
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There is nothing magical about towing ratings. The factory picks a number based on intuition, expectation of owner use/abuse and very little science.

Just because your truck is rated for 2000 lbs doesn't mean you can only tow that much. A person who was willing to baby things along could tow a lot more weight safely and without harm to the vehicle. Someone who just likes to mash the pedal on ever freeway ramp and hill and can't stand to be behind anyone else will not fair so well.

If I was in your situation I would add a transmission cooler. Even a mediocre aftermarket cooler will have more capacity than the factory option. Even if you had the factory cooler it wouldn't be a bad idea to change to an after market cooler.

As far as the alternator is concerned, the factory alternator is sized to handle all of the electrical load that is possible in the standard setup. Since you have additional lights and probably battery charging on the trailer, the stock alternator can't keep up with every possible load you could throw at it. I don't see that as a problem though.

You hardly ever turn everything on at once. If you are concerned though you could install some LED lights to reduce the load on the trailer and truck. Most likely you will be driving with only part of the electrical equipment on the truck tuned on so there will be extra power for the trailer.

When the alternator wears out, which they all do eventually, you can upgrade to a larger alternator if you want to. I see this as a non-issue.

Engine cooling is another thing to consider, but only if you find that you have an overheating problem that you don't want to handle by slowing down and shifting to a lower gear. If the engine tends to get hot then you can upgrade the radiator pretty easily. RockAuto has a towing radiator for your truck for $92 plus shipping. Labor to replace the radiator is about $200 so for about $350 including fluids you can have the towing cooling package.

An auxiliary engine oil cooler would be a nice upgrade too but you already have one so it's not like you are unprepared there.

When your rear shocks need replacing a set of air shocks could be useful but hardly mandatory.

I can't imagine you could swap out your tow vehicle for the $500-$700 it would take to make your Highlander fully capable. Where I live it would cost more than that to register a new vehicle, let alone pay the sales tax.

Ultimately, Kenworth makes some pretty nice tow vehicles and with a nice Cummins - Allison combination you would hardly know you were towing a trailer. You might even be able to upgrade, say to 3 40' trailers. Let's see, one to sleep in, one to party in and one for all of your toys. Getting into most RV parking spaces would be no problem. With the right bumper every space is a pull through. Just drive right in. Fuel economy might be an issue though.
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:36 PM   #35
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Originally Posted by mizterwizard View Post
There is nothing magical about towing ratings. The factory picks a number based on intuition, expectation of owner use/abuse and very little science.
Well that's disappointing
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:40 PM   #36
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Thank-you for the advice, I have look at some transmission cooler on etrailer.com and in the deciding process. I'm thinking about ordering the part online and have an independent auto shop to install it .
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:44 PM   #37
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Well that's disappointing

It is also complete BS.
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Old 10-31-2018, 04:39 PM   #38
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that was a very interesting experience that happen and thank-you for your advice.
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Old 10-31-2018, 04:40 PM   #39
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what is the gross weight of a 13' ft. scamp?
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Old 10-31-2018, 04:46 PM   #40
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Originally Posted by koy View Post
what is the gross weight of a 13' ft. scamp?
I dont know what the gross weight is, and I dont really care what it is.
IMHO neither should you. What I would want to know is the actual weight when outfitted with options and equipped for use. And to that end this is from the famous Real World Weight Database...

Remember to include a fair margin for safety, high altitude towing, etc.. My personal SOP is to never exceed about 80% of tow weight rating.

As you can seen from this small sample, excluding one low outlier, the range is roughly a little over 1600 to almost 2000 lbs.
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