Factory installed Transmission Cooler vs. aftermarket

[jennykatz]

We had a 06 Honda pilot 4wheel drive The trailer package came with power steering cooler ,oil cooler and tranny cooler plus hitch and wiring 4500lb tow rating It probably had a bigger alternator The 2 wheel drive had a 3500 lb rating . We got the 07 Sequoia because the Pilot would squat down to much with out 5000lb boat in tow to much tongue weight. The Sequoia has a tranny cooler standard with the 07 SR -5 .

The highlander is not on a truck frame either is Pilot .

[Uplander]

Jon ...on that point you are right...I have noticed that Toyota is putting their full tow package on most of their "truck framed" vehicles....at least that is what I have been seeing on dealer's lots...none however include the 7 pin connectors...only the standard 4 pin connectors...no break controllers either.

Way back in 1983,1984,1985 the then AMC Jeep people included the 7 pin connector on the Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer models with 4.0 Ltr straight six cylinder engines and automatic 4X4 transmissions. They made great tow vehicles until Chrysler bought them and screwed thing up. Prior to that takeover the AMC Jeeps had a great tow package with all the whistles and bells! Everything was super heavy duty right off the lot.
The 4.0 Ltr straight 6 engine is just a memory...could never meet EPA emissions
standards...but it could out tow most V8s !

[MAP 56]

The difference between Factory and after market is .after market you are just putting on a cooler. Factory is transmission cooler oil cooler power staring larger radiator .tow package all wiring ,some come with brake controllers .transmission can be heavy duty .lots to consider . I would take a factory package first . You don't want to be the kitten carrying the cat

[Cathi]

Originally Posted by Uplander

Jon ...on that point you are right...I have noticed that Toyota is putting their full tow package on most of their "truck framed" vehicles....at least that is what I have been seeing on dealer's lots...none however include the 7 pin connectors...only the standard 4 pin connectors...no break controllers either.

Way back in 1983,1984,1985 the then AMC Jeep people included the 7 pin connector on the Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer models with 4.0 Ltr straight six cylinder engines and automatic 4X4 transmissions. They made great tow vehicles until Chrysler bought them and screwed thing up. Prior to that takeover the AMC Jeeps had a great tow package with all the whistles and bells! Everything was super heavy duty right off the lot.
The 4.0 Ltr straight 6 engine is just a memory...could never meet EPA emissions
standards...but it could out tow most V8s !

2011 4Runners came with 7-pin.

[Martina]

Again, thank you all so very much for your input - sooooo helpful for us to be making our choices and asking questions when we are at the dealers. I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2016.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Also, you will need to know the loaded weight of your trailer. Manufacturers stated weights are usually for the least equipped and empty version of the trailer.

The good news is that current laws require the actual weight of the trailer as it was equipped when it left the factory to be what appears on its stickers - which is what Escape does.

Todays practises are unlike the good old days when trailer manufactures simple put the dry weight on the stickers of the trailers that more often than not did not include any optional equipment such as a fridge, hot water tank etc or propane tanks, battery etc.

A good rule of thumb is to add about 600lbs to a the weight stated on a 19' or smaller newer trailer to come up with a more realistic loaded weight.

Checking the Real World Weight thread is also a good idea to see if your weight assumptions are within realm of reality.

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Carol H

The good news is that current laws require the actual weight of the trailer as it was equipped when it left the factory to be what appears on its stickers - which is what Escape does.

Todays practises are unlike the good old days when trailer manufactures simple put the dry weight on the stickers of the trailers that more often than not did not include any optional equipment such as a fridge, hot water tank etc or propane tanks, battery etc.

A good rule of thumb is to add about 600lbs to a the weight stated on a 19' or smaller newer trailer to come up with a more realistic loaded weight.

Checking the Real World Weight thread is also a good idea to see if your weight assumptions are within realm of reality.

An even better rule is to actually weigh your trailer. Some states leave their roadside scales on when the weigh station is closed, many dumps & scrap yards will weigh your trailer for nothing, and there are always CAT scales at many truck stops. If you can't do multiple weighings to calculate tongue weight, Walmart sells "people" scales that go to 450 lbs; it is easy to put together an adapter to use one to weigh your tongue. If it is over that, use method "B" in this eTrailer link.

Without weighing your trailer as packed for a trip, you have no way of telling the actual weights.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

An even better rule is to actually weigh your trailer. .

Yup Nothing bets actually weighing it!!! I know more than a few folks who have been a bit blown away to learn what their trailers actually weigh.

I know of one party who was very very sure the manufacture had misstated the weight of their new trailer on leaving the factory..... that was until they took everything they had put into the trailer out and then weighed the trailer.... more often than not our added stuff weighs far more than we think.

[Wayne Collins]

Another chance to learn the physics of automatic transmissions.
Most all vehicles today have a transmission oil cooler built into the bottom tank, or lower part, of the radiator, as standard equipment.
What make transmissions get hot, is slippage in the torque converter.
slippage increases when you drive up hill, or pull away from a stop sign.
As you gain speed, the transmission shifts into higher gears until you reach cruising speed (back off the throttle) and a lock up clutch in the torque converter engages so you have "direct drive" though to the wheels.
You can get along nicely with no added oil cooler, as long as you don't pull long hills in "Drive." Downshift manually and slow down on uphill grades to avoid overheating the tranny. Watch your engine temperature gauge (I hope you have one) and you will do just fine.
We pull our 16 ft deluxe Scamp (fully loaded weight is about 2800 lb) with a 2013 Highlander, and before that a 2007 Highlander Hybrid, and three Honda Odysses.
Never a problem.
You can help yourself with gas mileage by traveling with empty tanks (fresh water, grey water and black water. And avoid carrying heavy stuff in the back of your tug, to avoid suspension sag and weight transfer off the front drive wheels. Happy Camping.

[Glenn Baglo]

Best check the manual for your vehicle before applying advice to downshift manually.
This is from my 2008 RAV4 V6.

[Randy J.]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Hmmmmm.... A 1500 lb. dry weight will usually translate to about 1900 lbs going down the road. I'd suggest that you do a sample loading and get an actual weight before using the 1500 lb figure

Good advice and as I say, we are considering a larger vehicle. Having said that, however our current vehicle with after market tranny cooler seems to tow it just fine both on the freeway and in the hills. Stopping is fine too although I do want to add electric brakes in any case.

[MAP 56]

On the Toyota trucks i think the hitch and 7 pin connector is an option we replaced a hitch on one at the shop $1800.00 Wow .A dodge one is $400.00

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Randy J.

Good advice and as I say, we are considering a larger vehicle. Having said that, however our current vehicle with after market tranny cooler seems to tow it just fine both on the freeway and in the hills. Stopping is fine too although I do want to add electric brakes in any case.

How a vehicle can handle a specific trailer/weight needs to be based on a worst case scenario, high temp and/or wet roads and/or cross winds and/or long up or down grades, etc... You didn't mention what your "current vehicle" was so I took it that you weren't satisfied with it's performance as a TV.

[Glenn Baglo]

I had my Class 3 Hidden Hitch and brake controller etc. installed at the Toyota dealer, prior to taking delivery of my new 2008 RAV4, for $650. It was done by a installer that they brought into their shop to do the work. The Toyota factory hitch alone would have been almost $1,000 and would have been only Class 2.
My buddy had Class 3 hitches installed on his Hyundai Santa Fe and then on his new Highlander by U-Haul for about $650.
There is no need to increase Toyota or Dealer profits.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I had my Class 3 Hidden Hitch and brake controller etc. installed at the Toyota dealer, prior to taking delivery of my new 2008 RAV4, for $650. It was done by a installer that they brought into their shop to do the work. The Toyota factory hitch alone would have been almost $1,000 and would have been only Class 2.
My buddy had Class 3 hitches installed on his Hyundai Santa Fe and then on his new Highlander by U-Haul for about $650.
There is no need to increase Toyota or Dealer profits.

And I installed my class 3 hitch on my Toyota Sienna for $127.20 (trailer lights and brake controller not included). It was an easy choice since Toyota does not even offer a hitch receiver for this van at any price (although they do provide the mounting points.. go figure!). Some things are am comfortable with adding aftermarket and/or DIY. Others, I think preferably should be factory or at least dealer installs.. a transmission cooler (if a supplemental one is required) falls in to the later category IMHO.

(PS..Some people keep asking the same question over and over again... when the cheese is gone, the hole just gets larger.. why don't you see that? )

[bpfick]

quote: On the Toyota trucks i think the hitch and 7 pin connector is an option we replaced a hitch on one at the shop $1800.00 Wow .A dodge one is $400.00


My Toyota dealer sends vehicles down the street to a Trucks 'N Stuff kind of shop. Want a hitch or wiring? A tonneau cover? That's where he farms out the work. That shop has Curt, Hidden Hitch, Reese, etc, all the typical names.

Class III hitch and wiring for my Tacoma was $450. I've bought/installed a few hitches and wiring kits from E-Trailer in the past but this time? I couldn't really do it myself any cheaper so, I took my Toyota's dealer's offer and it was done whle the wife and I had a nice lunch. Painless.

[Mike Magee]

If Honda says 5000 lbs with an auxiliary cooler, then they probably have that cooler available as a Honda-provided, dealer-installed item. I wouldn't have any hesitation to go that route.

Toyota includes some extra stuff besides the cooler in their factory tow package, so I made a point to get a HL with that package. I might have gotten by ok with just an aftermarket cooler, but I felt better about having the whole package; it only added a few bucks to the monthly payment.