What Size Travel Trailer Can A Toyota Tacoma Pull?

Factors To Consider Before Towing

Published Date: October 16, 2020

Last Updated on April 18, 2023 by Camper Front

When you are looking to tow a small boat, a race car, or a travel trailer, there are many options available on the market.

If you don’t want to settle for a “beasty” looking truck, which can cost up to $50,000 dollars but you still want a truck that can carry out your towing needs, then a Toyota Tacoma is most definitely what you need.

If you love going camping and you are just wondering what size travel trailer can a Toyota Tacoma pull, then let’s take a look at the towing abilities of the 2020 Toyota Tacoma, which can tow between 3,500 lbs – 6,800 lbs.

What Size Travel Trailer Can A Toyota Tacoma Pull?

The 2020 Toyota Tacoma is available in several configurations ranging from manual to automatic transmission, double cab to access cab, short bed or long bed, and V6 engine vs. four-cylinder engine. Different configurations offer varying towing capabilities.

For example, the four-cylinder engine offers a towing capacity of approximately 3,500 lbs, while the V6 engine brings the towing capability up to 6,800 lbs. And, it can also carry a payload of up to 1,440 pounds!

The 2020 Toyota Tacoma features a standard integrated backup camera with rear parking sonar! It enables drivers to see what’s directly behind them with the integrated camera and the available 7-inch. the high-resolution display. It makes Navigating tight corners a lot easier!

The Toyota Tacoma falls into a class of trucks known as light duty. That means that it weighs a half-ton or less. In the different available Tacoma models, there is little weight difference. All the Tacoma trucks fall into this class. They do not come any larger, even with different trim packages.

Factors To Consider Before Towing

What Size Travel Trailer Can A Toyota Tacoma Pull

Even if you’ve found a Toyota Tacoma model that suits your personal taste and towing capacity, there are other factors that need to be put into consideration.

Tongue Weight

This is an important factor you want to consider before putting in that down payment for that Tacoma. Why is it that important? Well, the Tongue weight is the amount of pressure that the hitch is putting on your truck.

It basically means that The more weight there is and the more weight that is in the front of the trailer, the more tongue weight you have. Simply put, the Tongue Weight is a measurement of the balance between the towing vehicle and what’s being towed.

Considering the tongue weight of a vehicle is very important as it determines the overall stability of the truck and trailer and helps you to prevent sways.

As a rule of thumb, your tongue weight should be 12%-15% of your trailer’s actual weight (including full tanks and everything inside it). The heavier the trailer, the higher the tongue weight because the trailer is putting too much pressure on the hitch.

On the other hand, the lighter the trailer, the lower its tongue weight. For a great towing experience, you need to balance that weight to the range mentioned above.

Read Also: Is Toyota Tacoma Capable of Towing a Fifth Wheel?

Payload

The payload is another important factor that needs to be considered; payload capacity means the weight that your truck can carry aside towing.

Payload capacity simply refers to the amount of weight that you can put on your pickup; this includes people, gear and gas, water, and oil in the tanks. In short, anything that the truck didn’t have in it when it left the factory.

Knowing the payload weight not only enables you to make the right calculations when you try to get the weight you can carry on your truck, but it also helps to ensure the safe use of a pickup truck; it gives you full control over your truck and a comprehensive understanding of your truck’s limitations.

On average, payload weight is around 2,000 pounds; then, after factoring in the weight for passengers and gears, which is around 1,000 pounds, you are left with 1,000 pounds of tongue weight.

Any items in your truck, whether they weigh less than a pound or even several hundred pounds, will all contribute towards the payload.

Both the contents of the truck’s bed and cab are included when determining payload, so this number can get pretty high when you factor in a cab full of passengers and gear in the bed.

The easiest method to find out what your truck’s payload capacity is is to look at the official data by the manufacturer. This can be found in the vehicle’s handbook or the official manufacturer’s website. Make sure you’re looking at the exact make, model, and year.

One thing to consider is the fact that a light-duty truck-like Toyota Tacoma will have a far smaller payload capacity compared to a heavy-duty truck.

Engine Size

This is another factor that affects your towing capacity; using a truck with a capable engine will ensure that you experience a hitch-free towing experience. Considering the engine size will help to avoid damage to the engine or other components.

Fortunately, the Toyota Tacoma models come in three different capable engine sizes. There is;

  • 7L 4 Cylinder
  • 5L V6
  • 0L V6

The 2.7L 4 Cylinder model is a light-duty truck that can be used to juggle between everyday use and occasional towing of small loads. However, due to its payload and tongue weight, it is not suitable for heavy towing.

The next engine size is 3.5L V6, which is a great engine capacity for towing; however, you need to pay serious attention to the weight limit of the truck as this configuration is not built for heavy towing.

Last but not least engine size is the 4.0L V6; this configuration will handle just about any trailer towing. It provides solid torque to get moving from a dead stop. It also has the best weight distribution of the line.

Trim Package

While the towing capacity of different Tacoma trim packages might be just slightly different, they do not have much of an effect on towing capacity. Here are the towing capacities for different Toyota Tacoma trim packages.

  • SR 4×2 6-speed Automatic models have a towing capacity of 3,500 lbs.
  • SR5 4×4 Access Cab 4-cyl 6-speed Automatic has a towing capacity of 3,500 lbs.
  • SR 4×4 Double Cab V6 6-speed Automatic has a towing capacity of 6,400 lbs.
  • TRD Sport 4×4 Double Cab V6 6-speed Manual has a towing capacity of 6,400 lbs.
  • TRD Sport 4×4 Double Cab V6 6-speed Automatic has a towing capacity of 6,400 lbs.
  • SR5 4×4 Double Cab V6 6-speed Automatic has a towing capacity of 6,400 lbs.
  • TRD Sport 4×4 Access Cab V6 6-speed Automatic & Manual has a towing capacity of 6,500 lbs.
  • TRD Sport 4×2 Double Cab V6 6-speed Automatic Long Bed has a towing capacity of 6,500 lbs.
  • SR5 4×4 Access Cab V6 6-speed Automatic has a towing capacity of 6,500 lbs.
  • SR5 4×2 Double Cab V6 6-speed Automatic Long Bed has a towing capacity of 6,600 lbs.
  • SR5 4×2 Double Cab V6 6-speed Automatic Short Bed has a towing capacity of 6,700 lbs.
  • TRD Sport 4×2 Double Cab V6 6-speed Automatic Short Bed has a towing capacity of 6,700 lbs.
  • SR5 4×2 V6 6-speed Automatic has a towing capacity of 6,800 lbs.
  • TRD Sport 4×2 Access Cab V6 6-speed Automatic has a towing capacity of 6,800

Different Types Of Travel Trailers That Can Be Towed By A Tacoma

Camper Type

Dry Weight

Pop-up Trailer

600-4,000 lbs.

Fifth Wheel

2,400-20,000 lbs.

Teardrop Trailer

520-2,000 lbs.

Airstream

2,500-4,000 lbs

Conclusion

The Toyota Tacoma is a great pickup truck, but knowing what size travel trailer can a Toyota Tacoma pull will help to determine if it is the right truck for you.

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