Anyone towing with a Tundra?

[Mattedfred]

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of two Bigfoot owners, who kindly allowed us to checkout their Bigfoot travel trailers, we're seriously considering ordering a brand new Bigfoot 25' rear bed twin model.

We're wondering if any forum members currently tow with a Tundra? If so, which model and what has been your experience?

[ShelbyM]

What is the tongue weight of the Bigfoot? It's unlikely any Tundra will have enough payload.

[Mattedfred]

Originally Posted by ShelbyM

What is the tongue weight of the Bigfoot? It's unlikely any Tundra will have enough payload.

With all due respect, while I appreciate you taking the time to promptly respond, I kindly request that respondents who are not in a position to respond to the intent of my original post avoid the urge to respond, because when they do it, almost always derails the thread and the original question never gets answered. I kindly request that you consider deleting your response because I also find that within 3 off-topic responses the thread becomes utterly useless to the OP. I do not wish for this thread to turn into yet another payload debate. I'm simply reaching out to forum members who actually own a Tundra and tow a 25' Bigfoot with it. Best wishes and safe travels.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Mattedfred

With all due respect, while I appreciate you taking the time to promptly respond, I kindly request that respondents who are not in a position to respond to the intent of my original post avoid the urge to respond, because when they do it, almost always derails the thread and the original question never gets answered. I kindly request that you consider deleting your response because I also find that within 3 off-topic responses the thread becomes utterly useless to the OP. I do not wish for this thread to turn into yet another payload debate. I'm simply reaching out to forum members who actually own a Tundra and tow a 25' Bigfoot with it. Best wishes and safe travels.

I know a gentleman in Canada who just bought a new Tundra and is waiting his Bigfoot delivery in June, I know he will let me know his experience and I’ll reach out. The wait is a year so you’ll have plenty of time to reach your decision. I was close to ordering a new Tundra with towing the Bigfoot 25 RQ we have on order. However the dealers are exploiting the tight supply situation for obscene profits in my area. I decided to wait. And contrary to the first reply you can order a Tundra that will have adequate payload for the Bigfoot, you may have to compromise with what you order. By the way I’ll be towing my new 25 RQ with an old 1/2 ton Ford with a payload of 1850. The new Tundra looks to be an excellent towing vehicle. We will see what next year brings. I have seen posters who have and are towing with older Tundras, maybe some will pipe up.

[Mattedfred]

Originally Posted by oldwave

I know a gentleman in Canada who just bought a new Tundra and is waiting his Bigfoot delivery in June, I know he will let me know his experience and I’ll reach out. The wait is a year so you’ll have plenty of time to reach your decision. I was close to ordering a new Tundra with towing the Bigfoot 25 RQ we have on order. However the dealers are exploiting the tight supply situation for obscene profits in my area. I decided to wait. And contrary to the first reply you can order a Tundra that will have adequate payload for the Bigfoot, you may have to compromise with what you order. By the way I’ll be towing my new 25 RQ with an old 1/2 ton Ford with a payload of 1850. The new Tundra looks to be an excellent towing vehicle. We will see what next year brings. I have seen posters who have and are towing with older Tundras, maybe some will pipe up.

Thanks very much Oldwave. I'd appreciate hearing what he has to say after he lets you know.

Our goal has been to replace our current TT and TV for Spring 2023, so we have time to wait.
It's just the two of us. No kids or pets. Our longest trips our an annual 3 week road trip.
We're looking at 2012-2017 regular cab Tundras, for their higher payload, or a basic and newer double cab Tundra.
We aren't going for the optional front storage box and generator. Might even skip the AC option for now. We've never used it in our current TT, so we removed it, and don't even have it in our house.

[ShelbyM]

I think I'll leave my post up. It would only be replaced by someone else as that's the elephant in the room. I know math isn't for everyone. Here's a link https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ght-93967.html

[polarisquad95]

I have a 2019 Crewmax Tundra with the 5.7 V8 and have not yet towed my "almost ready" 2022 Escape 21NE. But, I have towed a UHAUL car trailer with a large New Holland tractor about 1700 miles with no power or handling issues whatsoever. My guess is it was around 7500 lb to 8,000 lb load. The 5.7 in any cab or length combo is rated much higher than most fiberglass trailer setups. The Tundra is an absolute work horse, you will not go wrong.

[Mattedfred]

Originally Posted by polarisquad95

I have a 2019 Crewmax Tundra with the 5.7 V8 and have not yet towed my "almost ready" 2022 Escape 21NE. But, I have towed a UHAUL car trailer with a large New Holland tractor about 1700 miles with no power or handling issues whatsoever. My guess is it was around 7500 lb to 8,000 lb load. The 5.7 in any cab or length combo is rated much higher than most fiberglass trailer setups. The Tundra is an absolute work horse, you will not go wrong.

Thanks very much!

[Yellow Boler]

My dad has a 2015 Tundra and pulls a 30ft travel trailer (26) that is about 6k dry. This is his second Tundra. So obviously he likes it. He bought it new and has been using it to pull the trailer for several years and hasn't had any issues including through the mountains. Of course they drive slow. He's been retired a few years and I think he is hoping the truck will last him the rest of his life.

[Little Richie]

Originally Posted by polarisquad95

I have a 2019 Crewmax Tundra with the 5.7 V8 and have not yet towed my "almost ready" 2022 Escape 21NE. But, I have towed a UHAUL car trailer with a large New Holland tractor about 1700 miles with no power or handling issues whatsoever. My guess is it was around 7500 lb to 8,000 lb load. The 5.7 in any cab or length combo is rated much higher than most fiberglass trailer setups. The Tundra is an absolute work horse, you will not go wrong.

The maximum payload of a new Toyota tundra is probably a little bit more than my old Honda pilot, about 1500 pounds. When towing the issue is typically not how much the truck can pull but how much it can carry, for Toyota tundras Ford F1 50s etc.

The maximum includes everything: Equipment add-ons, hitches, people, fuel, etc. it is important in terms of the suspension and the brakes which intern are important for safe driving. The difference between a Toyota tundra and say an F2 50 are significant. For example the brakes. The key question is typically not how much can the engine tow, but can the truck support the payload. To determine if the Tundra will meet your needs you will need to look carefully at the payload totals.

I encourage you to look at the yellow stickers on the driver side door to get an idea of the payload available for the different configurations. You may find that the configuration that you want will not have the payload that you need. It really pays to read those stickers.

[ShelbyM]

Good post but somehow I don't think OP is interested....

[ken_c]

I purchased a 2022 Toyota Tundra 4x4 Limited to tow a new Bigfoot 25B25RQ. Based on what I researched and how my living needs are, I believe the truck will meet this. I plan on picking up the trailer in July if all is well.
Here are the details of my truck
2022 Toyota Tundra 4x4 Limited (Sunroof/Limited upgrades/All Safety features/(non-trd):
GVWR: 7230lbs
GAWR Front: 4080lbs
GAWR Rear: 3860
Weight at Cat scales (Full of gas, Myself 170lbs, 2 year old with child seat in truck, basic tools)
Front Axle: 3420lbs
Rear Axle: 2540lbs
Gross Weight: 5960
This leaves: 1270 lbs for my wife/cargo/tongue weight.

Manual for tundra states I have (Model VXKA75L- PSULZA):
Payload: 1400 lb. (635 kg) for People/Cargo/Tongue Weight
GCWR: 17250 lb. (7825 kg)
Tow Rating: 11120 lb. (5040 kg)

Knowing this, even if I hit max GVWR of 7230, that leaves a max of 10,020lbs of a trailer I can tow. But I plan never to tow more than 80% of what the truck can do and be pointless because of payload.

The Bigfoot I will have is 25' RQ, I will have an A/C but no cargo box in front. I do not plan to carry more than 5 gallons of fresh water and other tanks to be empty. With this in mind I anticipate a Tongue Weight between 750-800 factoring in the added weight distribution hitch, propane tanks, batteries. We are light packers and won't carry much water and balance the weight to keep above 10% or at least 12%.

The weights that are stated by manufacturers are never right. My scamp I sold here had a higher tongue weight and weight than what I expected but my Subaru handled it. Go by the GVWR of 7500 as what to expect at most for the trailer. Also you have to determine family size, what you want to carry because that is what makes the decision to a f-250/2500 style vehicle. Based on my family lifestyle I believe I have my bases covered and have some wiggle room. Also I do not plan to go faster than 65mph. As soon as I get my trailer, I'll weigh it and post in the real weight numbers of this site. I hope this helps. Bit long winded, but I did a lot of research to my needs.

[Mattedfred]

Originally Posted by ken_c

I purchased a 2022 Toyota Tundra 4x4 Limited to tow a new Bigfoot 25B25RQ. Based on what I researched and how my living needs are, I believe the truck will meet this. I plan on picking up the trailer in July if all is well.
Here are the details of my truck
2022 Toyota Tundra 4x4 Limited (Sunroof/Limited upgrades/All Safety features/(non-trd):
GVWR: 7230lbs
GAWR Front: 4080lbs
GAWR Rear: 3860
Weight at Cat scales (Full of gas, Myself 170lbs, 2 year old with child seat in truck, basic tools)
Front Axle: 3420lbs
Rear Axle: 2540lbs
Gross Weight: 5960
This leaves: 1270 lbs for my wife/cargo/tongue weight.

Manual for tundra states I have (Model VXKA75L- PSULZA):
Payload: 1400 lb. (635 kg) for People/Cargo/Tongue Weight
GCWR: 17250 lb. (7825 kg)
Tow Rating: 11120 lb. (5040 kg)

Knowing this, even if I hit max GVWR of 7230, that leaves a max of 10,020lbs of a trailer I can tow. But I plan never to tow more than 80% of what the truck can do and be pointless because of payload.

The Bigfoot I will have is 25' RQ, I will have an A/C but no cargo box in front. I do not plan to carry more than 5 gallons of fresh water and other tanks to be empty. With this in mind I anticipate a Tongue Weight between 750-800 factoring in the added weight distribution hitch, propane tanks, batteries. We are light packers and won't carry much water and balance the weight to keep above 10% or at least 12%.

The weights that are stated by manufacturers are never right. My scamp I sold here had a higher tongue weight and weight than what I expected but my Subaru handled it. Go by the GVWR of 7500 as what to expect at most for the trailer. Also you have to determine family size, what you want to carry because that is what makes the decision to a f-250/2500 style vehicle. Based on my family lifestyle I believe I have my bases covered and have some wiggle room. Also I do not plan to go faster than 65mph. As soon as I get my trailer, I'll weigh it and post in the real weight numbers of this site. I hope this helps. Bit long winded, but I did a lot of research to my needs.

Thanks for the detailed response Ken! It all makes sense to me. I look forward to hearing the results once you get the trailer.
We're just two people. No kids or pets. If we bought a new Tundra, we'd go for the SR5 double cab which comes with around 1500 lbs of payload.
We also don't want the front storage box and are considering fiberglass propane tanks and maybe a lithium battery to lighten up the weight.

[ken_c]

Just got through my trip to South Carolina. After making adjustments to the Equalizer 4 WDH and weighing at the Cat Scale, I have numbers to report back.

The total trailer weight is 6630lbs (4 days of food/clothes for 2 adults and toddler). Water heater filled. No fresh/grey/black water.
Hitch weight is about 730lbs. Hitch trailer weight 5900lbs. I do not have the front storage or generator. A/C and 2 max fans on top. Camping gear/leveling items/75ft of 30amp cable, ...)

Equalizer 4 (1,000/10,000) weighs 93lbs (figure that into payload)

Truck with wife, kid, and I (under 400lbs total). Basic tools and 50lbs of RV items(hoses/grill). Leaves about 190lbs of payload left. I may add more hitch weight later as I have room to spare.

Towing experience was good, truck had plenty of power (not really issue on new trucks). This trailer is about the most you want to put on a 1/2 ton "truck". Gas mileage was about 11.1 to 11.2mpg. When I got the trailer, the WDH was not adjusted to my liking. I had to drop the ball down and put a total of 7 washers into the hitch. This looks to give me about 50% weight distribution. This allowed me to have the trailer parallel to the ground for the front and back measurements.

Overall impression of setup. I feel this works well, especially all the extra towing features in the newer Tundra. We don't carry much and usually are at a destination that has power/water. This works well for our single vehicle family, but if you plan to carry a lot of stuff or 4 adults, you might consider an F250/2500 series truck.

[ShelbyM]

Thanks for the update! What is your payload on the door sticker? Curious how it compares with the theoretical.

[ken_c]

The payload sticker says 1400lbs, this is Non-hybrid, 4x4 Limited with safety cameras/moonroof. The actual payload is probably 1450 to 1500 when I looked at the Cat Scale and subtracted from GVWR of 7230. So.
Gross Weight from scale(full tank of gas) - 165(me) - kid/car seat (50).
I think Toyota is cautious about actual GVWR/payload and that's why I check at Cat Scales. Also accessories add up. I removed the bed mat(heavy) and probably 40lbs.
I wish I didn't have a moonroof, but at the time availability was limited and this fit in my range.

On a side note, if you plan to use the Straight Path Assist you are going to need a huge parking lot to program it. I gave up and will eventually have to learn how to backup a trailer like an adult. I'm using the hand on the bottom of the steering wheel technique and it seems to work, while my wife yells at me from behind the trailer.

[polarisquad95]

I guess I should leave an update on my 2019 Tundra towing experience with my travel trailer. I picked up my 21 foot fiberglass trailer in Sumas, Washington mid July 2022 and hauled it to Southern Texas. I completed the 2300 miles trip in 2 1/2 days which was a bit chaotic, but had a timeline that was unmovable. The Tundra towed the 4200 lb trailer with ease, I did not feel it at all. The truck bed was fully loaded due to an event the previous week in the NE of the country. I do not know the weight of that cargo. The only affect that was significant was the 4-6 mpg pulling uphill at 80 mph in the Cascade and Rocky Mountains. Yes, I was moving too fast, No I don’t want to hear about it. Once everything flattened out she went back to 10-12 mpg. The truck had NO issues and plenty of power to spare. All brake and light systems were flawless. I did use a sway/weight distribution system to keep everything on the “level”. I never want to cover that much ground that quickly again, but it’s nice to know the truck can handle it.