Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser (9 Viewers)

[LCHardriver_02]

@Dan Higgins - I saw an email for a post that I now cannot find.

Regarding my tires, I had the stock tires that Lance placed onto their trailers back in 2013... can't remember the actual make and model. I replaced all 5 with the new Carlisle Radial Trail HD. The "D1" load range had not come out yet, so I ended up with "C" load range. Both are a "M" speed, which is 81mph. If I had 15" rims, I would have gone up to to give myself a bit of room from the max ranges. I typically tow at 65mph, but with speed limits here in Idaho going up to 80, it can be hard keeping it at 65 when being passed by semi trucks going 70+.

 

[Skydog77]

Thanks for posting. I have been towing all summer and find this to be a very capable tow vehicle going up and down Colorado's mountains.

 

[JtBrown]

Is anyone towing closer to the 8000-8500 capacity? I am looking at a TT and the shipping weight is about 6000lbs once loaded up I think we would be 7500lbs loaded.

I want to know if you feel towing closer to the max makes you feel confident or prefer to use a 1/2 or a heavy duty at those 8000+ trailers.

trying to talk myself out of just buying a fifth wheel and having to trade cruiser in for a cummins .

 

[JtBrown]

I hooked up a trailer But didn't tow it since the dealer was closed... not sure if this is considered stealing lol.

As you can see a empty TT makes it squat a lot. I do have the front spacers in too.

 

[TonyP]

A load leveling hitch will do wonders. Worst case, helper airbags.

 

[JtBrown]

I agree but want to hear from anyone who has towed closer to that limit to hear if the TLC is capable or should I just get a truck if I plan to tow for long trips.

 

[Dan Higgins]

Our trailer is only about 5500# loaded. Maybe a bit higher but the GVWR is 6,000 so I don't want to get too close to that. The important number for me has been the hitch weight. Best practice is to have this about 10-12% of the trailer weight. The owners manual for our 2016 LC states that the max hitch weight is 850#. They ALSO recommend the use of a weight distribution hitch. If you attempt to go that high I would definitely go with a good WDH and possibly airbags I someone suggested above though I have not had experience with air bags (except that my prior vehicle - a Land Rover LR4 had air suspension that would auto-level).

How long is the trailer you are considering? (Ours is just under 27'.)

 

[FinallyGotOne!]

I'll start by thanking linuxgod for starting this thread. Great reference and discussion!

My two cents from an LX owner's perspective: while I don't know the tongue weight of my boat trailer, I know that loaded with a 24' boat and 60 gallons of fuel it weighs right at 6500#. I pull that thing all summer long up and down significant elevations and at highway speeds without needing any type of sway control or airbags. The AHC levels the truck fine even with four adults, dog, cooler, suitcases, etc. The owner's manual recommends a WDH but I don't use one.

I'll also pull my 6x12 single axle enclosed race bike trailer all over the southeast without need for sway control. That trailer weighs about 3500# when loaded.

I do monitor transmission temps and I can run in fourth gear all day long without raising temps over 200 except on the steepest of climbs. Highest I've seen is 205. If I have a little tailwind and level ground (South of Macon GA heading into or out of FL, for example) I can get away with fifth and sometimes sixth gear.

I am a believer in Greenball trailer tires from Costco. Did a lot of research years ago and started using them based on other's recommendations. They tow better and last longer than any other tires I have used.

I towed the same types of trailers for 10 years with a two-door full size Blazer and then for 15 years with my LX-470. As expected, the LX-570 is superior in every way. Love it!!

 

[Sandroad]

I'll start by thanking linuxgod for starting this thread. Great reference and discussion!

My two cents from an LX owner's perspective: while I don't know the tongue weight of my boat trailer, I know that loaded with a 24' boat and 60 gallons of fuel it weighs right at 6500#. I pull that thing all summer long up and down significant elevations and at highway speeds without needing any type of sway control or airbags. The AHC levels the truck fine even with four adults, dog, cooler, suitcases, etc. The owner's manual recommends a WDH but I don't use one.

I'll also pull my 6x12 single axle enclosed race bike trailer all over the southeast without need for sway control. That trailer weighs about 3500# when loaded.

I do monitor transmission temps and I can run in fourth gear all day long without raising temps over 200 except on the steepest of climbs. Highest I've seen is 205. If I have a little tailwind and level ground (South of Macon GA heading into or out of FL, for example) I can get away with fifth and sometimes sixth gear.

I am a believer in Greenball trailer tires from Costco. Did a lot of research years ago and started using them based on other's recommendations. They tow better and last longer than any other tires I have used.

I towed the same types of trailers for 10 years with a two-door full size Blazer and then for 15 years with my LX-470. As expected, the LX-570 is superior in every way. Love it!!

How do you monitor trans temp?

 

[JtBrown]

Our trailer is only about 5500# loaded. Maybe a bit higher but the GVWR is 6,000 so I don't want to get too close to that. The important number for me has been the hitch weight. Best practice is to have this about 10-12% of the trailer weight. The owners manual for our 2016 LC states that the max hitch weight is 850#. They ALSO recommend the use of a weight distribution hitch. If you attempt to go that high I would definitely go with a good WDH and possibly airbags I someone suggested above though I have not had experience with air bags (except that my prior vehicle - a Land Rover LR4 had air suspension that would auto-level).

How long is the trailer you are considering? (Ours is just under 27'.)

This is the biggest I feel comfortable with before going heavy duty.

 

[JtBrown]

How do you monitor trans temp?

Read the beginning msg as it has pretty much everything you need to tow including your question.

 

[FinallyGotOne!]

How do you monitor trans temp?

I use the Torque app on my 'droid connected via Bluetooth to an OBDLink LX.

I swear I posted all my codes and config data somewhere here but I can't find it. There is some good info in the Scangauge Install thread if you are interested. ScanGauge Install in LC200

 

[TeCKis300]

For those towing near the upper end of the spectrum, especially in regards to tongue weight, this video is a great reference to help understand how a weight distribution hitch can spread the load onto the front axle, but also to return some of the hitch weight back onto the trailer axles.

 

[Dan Higgins]

Good video which I, too, have used to explain that you may not want to rely solely on air bags or adaptive suspension. Air bags can help and I may do that some day but they don't redistribute weight. Some argue that this video is biased because it is produced by a WDH manufacturer. But the numbers appear reasonable and in the trailering world, it is pretty much a given that at a certain point a WDH can make a big difference. Of course, it can also be abused/misused if someone is trying to find a way to enable a TV to tow more trailer than it should. A WDH doesn't mean you can tow a 9,000# trailer with 900# of tongue weight using a TV rated for 7,000# or 550# of tongue weight.

 

[Dan Higgins]

I use the Torque app on my 'droid connected via Bluetooth to an OBDLink LX.

I swear I posted all my codes and config data somewhere here but I can't find it. There is some good info in the Scangauge Install thread if you are interested. ScanGauge Install in LC200

I have been wondering whether there are good OBD devices for the 2016 LC and how people use them. But maybe I should do that on a different thread.

 

[Dan Higgins]

View attachment 1375557
This is the biggest I feel comfortable with before going heavy duty.

@JtBrown, you may want to go to the forum for the Dutchmen trailers and ask what people tow with. That's we we did with our Lance 2285. The Dutchman you show here looks like a nice layout but it is certainly larger than ours - heavier, longer, higher. When I was looking at various travel trailer forums, I found a lot of people saying the only way to go was a truck - better yet, a diesel truck. But I also found people towing with Jeep Cherokees, Suburbans, Yukons, etc. And of course a few Land Cruisers or LX 570s. I also heard the rule of thumb that you should stay under 80% of the manufacturers weight rating claims. I think that latter may be true with manufacturers who have not adopted the SAE tow rating certifications/tests. (I understand that Toyota has which, I believe, is why the rating on the LC is now 8100 where it was once 8400.).

I also think there are "soft" factors such as where you will be driving, how fast you want to drive (safely), how comfortable you are and, very importantly, how careful you will be when loading to be sure that your tongue weight is around 10% of your trailer weight yet still safely within the LC max of 850#. With a trailer that size, you'll need to pay more attention to those things than someone who is starting out 1,000# lighter.

But of course you know all this.

 

[Dan Higgins]

@FinallyGotOne!, though I have never towed a boat (aside from a small sailboat) I understand from others that there are a couple significant differences. One is that the tongue weight tends to be lighter overall because so much of the boat's weight is in the rear., Of course this all depends on how careful you are when loading/positioning it on the trailer and I am sure you are very well practiced at that!

Sway becomes a much greater concern with travel trailers due to the wind or passing semis. They are essentially very large, flat sail and crosswinds can create real issues. Anti-sway and keeping the tongue weight at 10-12% of total weight helps. Also loading your heavy cargo over the axles as much as possible. Some great vids online about all of this. I would think that a boat is much less susceptible to side winds.

BTW, I use a Hensley hitch system and I don't notice anything when passing semis on 2-lane, 65MPH highways. 40MPH cross winds are still noticeable but I would feel those in the LC even without a trailer!

 

[linuxgod]

@Dan Higgins - I saw an email for a post that I now cannot find.

Regarding my tires, I had the stock tires that Lance placed onto their trailers back in 2013... can't remember the actual make and model. I replaced all 5 with the new Carlisle Radial Trail HD. The "D1" load range had not come out yet, so I ended up with "C" load range. Both are a "M" speed, which is 81mph. If I had 15" rims, I would have gone up to to give myself a bit of room from the max ranges. I typically tow at 65mph, but with speed limits here in Idaho going up to 80, it can be hard keeping it at 65 when being passed by semi trucks going 70+.

I had a set of Carlisle Radial Trail HD tires put on my trailer in spring 2013. At the time they were only rated for 65 mph. This year in Aug 2016 with maybe 5,000 miles on them I had a complete blowout. I was going ~70mph (though it was >90F out). Definitely make sure you're running them at the maximum pressure (50psi for load C).

 

[FinallyGotOne!]

@FinallyGotOne!, though I have never towed a boat (aside from a small sailboat) I understand from others that there are a couple significant differences. One is that the tongue weight tends to be lighter overall because so much of the boat's weight is in the rear., Of course this all depends on how careful you are when loading/positioning it on the trailer and I am sure you are very well practiced at that!

Sway becomes a much greater concern with travel trailers due to the wind or passing semis. They are essentially very large, flat sail and crosswinds can create real issues. Anti-sway and keeping the tongue weight at 10-12% of total weight helps. Also loading your heavy cargo over the axles as much as possible. Some great vids online about all of this. I would think that a boat is much less susceptible to side winds.

Well stated, Dan. I always suspected same and appreciate your confirmation. There is no doubt that the boat, with a 5.7L V8 and 60 gallons of fuel sitting on and just behind the rearmost axle on the trailer, bias the weight off of the hitch.[/QUOTE]

 

[akusuma11]

Dear linuxgod,

I have a LC200 UK Version Diesel 4.5 with using the hydraulic suspension system. Actually, I just bought the lift kit OME 2" for it, but I think my car could not be removed the hydraulic suspension. For that reason, some people who own a LC200 UK version like my car in my country never change the lift kit from hydraulic. Well, I have some questions for you that do you know how to replace from that to lift kit OME 2"? Is there override module? Should I use it? What do you think that? Thank you very much for understanding.

Cheers.