GX and RVin

[Krackerjacked]

Hey y’all! Hope everyone is having a good week so far.
The wife informed me the other day that she’d been window shopping RVs (uh oh! lol)

I know the GX is rated at 6500lbs and I’d like to be well below that.
My setup is an 06 with Dobinsons MRA set at 2.5 in with comfort coils and I’m running no rear sway bar on 35s.
Is anyone running a similar setup?
I plan on adjusting the coilovers to a firmer setting to help with the weight but I’ve never towed with this platform.

Thanks in advance yall!

 

[Rednexus]

I tow our 3,100-lb dry camper with my lifted GX (Ironman FCP and 32" tires) regularly. With gear and water, the camper is probably closer to 4,000-lb, and then we have a family of 4 inside the GX (so total weight above empthy/stock is probably 4,500-5,000 lb considering I have some armor). The GX is a great tow platform for smaller campers - we've towed ours up to 700 miles in a day without a problem, and mine can tow our camper 70-75 mph on the interstate without too many issues. I do have several towing-related upgrades including LT headers, a Nomad valve body, bigger trans cooler, and a torque converter lockup switch. I use a weight distributing hitch, which is essential when towing with a short-wheelbase platform like this.

However, I think the issue you will run into is the already somewhat tall gearing issues of the GX made worse by 35's. When towing my GX has a hard time pulling 5th gear on anything but totally flat ground below 70 mph, and 4th gear results in something like 8-10 mpg vs. 11-13 mpg in 5th gear. With 35's you'll probably be in the 3rd-4th gear most of the time and have problems accelerating from a stop and have very limited passing power. I can accelerate OK with 32's, but I think a stock-geared GX would be very, very slow on 35's with a camper hooked up to the back.

So if you are serious about towing anything other than a popup camper and keeping the 35's, I'd probably budget a re-gear for your GX (which is also a good time to add lockers). Transmission upgrades are also a really good idea and will help you tow as well without cooking the transmission. The stock cooler is undersized and the torque converter does not lock up in 3rd gear and below, which can make it easy to overheat the transmission on a long climb (I also recommend monitoring trans temps with an app like Torque Pro).

FWIW, when my 32's wear out I am going to upgrade to 33's and 4.56 gears to help with towing and off-road performance.

 

[Krackerjacked]

I tow our 3,100-lb dry camper with my lifted GX (Ironman FCP and 32" tires) regularly. With gear and water, the camper is probably closer to 4,000-lb, and then we have a family of 4 inside the GX (so total weight above empthy/stock is probably 4,500-5,000 lb considering I have some armor). The GX is a great tow platform for smaller campers - we've towed ours up to 700 miles in a day without a problem, and mine can tow our camper 70-75 mph on the interstate without too many issues. I do have several towing-related upgrades including LT headers, a Nomad valve body, bigger trans cooler, and a torque converter lockup switch. I use a weight distributing hitch, which is essential when towing with a short-wheelbase platform like this.

However, I think the issue you will run into is the already somewhat tall gearing issues of the GX made worse by 35's. When towing my GX has a hard time pulling 5th gear on anything but totally flat ground below 70 mph, and 4th gear results in something like 8-10 mpg vs. 11-13 mpg in 5th gear. With 35's you'll probably be in the 3rd-4th gear most of the time and have problems accelerating from a stop and have very limited passing power. I can accelerate OK with 32's, but I think a stock-geared GX would be very, very slow on 35's with a camper hooked up to the back.

So if you are serious about towing anything other than a popup camper and keeping the 35's, I'd probably budget a re-gear for your GX (which is also a good time to add lockers). Transmission upgrades are also a really good idea and will help you tow as well without cooking the transmission. The stock cooler is undersized and the torque converter does not lock up in 3rd gear and below, which can make it easy to overheat the transmission on a long climb (I also recommend monitoring trans temps with an app like Torque Pro).

FWIW, when my 32's wear out I am going to upgrade to 33's and 4.56 gears to help with towing and off-road performance.

Haha I had a feeling I’d be hearing from you! My wife actually sent me an RV similar to yours on Facebook the other day.

Much appreciated, I definitely have a lot to research for sure.
Would be an excellent excuse to regear too.
Are you planning on swapping to an 8.2?

 

[Rednexus]

Haha I had a feeling I’d be hearing from you! My wife actually sent me an RV similar to yours on Facebook the other day.

Much appreciated, I definitely have a lot to research for sure.
Would be an excellent excuse to regear too.
Are you planning on swapping to an 8.2?

TrailManors pair well with a GX . I am probably going to keep the 8" as I don't intend to run anything bigger than a 33. With 35s it might be worth it to do the 8.2" upgrade.

 

[Krackerjacked]

TrailManors pair well with a GX . I am probably going to keep the 8" as I don't intend to run anything bigger than a 33. With 35s it might be worth it to do the 8.2" upgrade.

I was looking into Casitas given their two piece designs longevity but I do like how the TrailManors collapse for easier towing.
Yeah that’s what I was thinking too.
Could always step down too but who wants to do that? lol

 

[kody472]

I'll chime in here too about campers. We had an Opus OP-4 that towed fantastic (it's super light anyway). After my wife got tired of not having a bathroom/toilet, we got into an Intech Sol Horizon. This camper has been amazing. It's small, but roomy, and pretty light for what it is.

I did upgrade my cooler to a Tru Cool cooler after flushing the fluid and keeping track of the temps with the ScanGauge. I'm also on 33s and keep it in 4th while towing and around 65mmph.

 

[Krackerjacked]

I'll chime in here too about campers. We had an Opus OP-4 that towed fantastic (it's super light anyway). After my wife got tired of not having a bathroom/toilet, we got into an Intech Sol Horizon. This camper has been amazing. It's small, but roomy, and pretty light for what it is.

I did upgrade my cooler to a Tru Cool cooler after flushing the fluid and keeping track of the temps with the ScanGauge. I'm also on 33s and keep it in 4th while towing and around 65mmph.
View attachment 3102094

That’s a cool looking setup!
And I need to look at flushing my tranny fluid too. I’m at 133k and the PO was decent about maintenance but there wasn’t any evidence of it ever being flushed.

 

[kody472]

That’s a cool looking setup!
And I need to look at flushing my tranny fluid too. I’m at 133k and the PO was decent about maintenance but there wasn’t any evidence of it ever being flushed.

Thanks! It's been great.

Super easy to do the flush yourself, just messy. I also just made a couple of brackets to fit the cooler.

 

[Krackerjacked]

Thanks! It's been great.

Super easy to do the flush yourself, just messy. I also just made a couple of brackets to fit the cooler.
View attachment 3102133

Clean install and looks like a good mounting option as I have an aftermarket bumper.
Any chance you have a link for the cooler?

 

[kody472]

Clean install and looks like a good mounting option as I have an aftermarket bumper.
Any chance you have a link for the cooler?

This is the exact one I ordered. Fit perfectly in that spot. I just had some scrap metal laying around and marked holes to match up to the existing core support.

Amazon product ASIN B005XZXBYE

 

[Krackerjacked]

This is the exact one I ordered. Fit perfectly in that spot. I just had some scrap metal laying around and marked holes to match up to the existing core support.

Amazon product ASIN B005XZXBYE

Much appreciated!

 

[Krackerjacked]

Little update:

Realized my GX has the older pindle style hitch receiver so looking at ordering the correct receiver.

This is the best deal I’ve found so far, free shipping too.

PT22860540 - Lexus Tow Hitch | Cavender Lexus, Lubbock TX

Whatever you need to tow - from bikes to boats - a genuine Lexus tow hitch will get the job done. The combination of hitch, ball mount and trailer ball gives you the total towing flexibility. Theyre designed specifically for your Lexus and built to last as long as it does. Note-Part number...

parts.cavenderlexusoflubbock.com

I know I need the spacer but unfortunately can’t find it on their same site.

08925-35870 Genuine Lexus Receiver Assembly, Hitch

Genuine 08925-35870 Receiver Assembly, Hitch fits Lexus models. LexusPartsNow offers 0892535870 with great deal.

www.lexuspartsnow.com

 

[Rednexus]

For my GX I ordered a hitch for a 2007 V8 4Runner through a local Toyota dealer. The hitch is identical to the Lexus hitch, other than the plastic receiver cap saying Toyota instead of Lexus . At that time it was cheaper than any Lexus versions I could find. My GX also already had the spacer installed despite having a Curt aftermarket hitch that didn't use it - if you have a pintle hitch already, it might already be there.

 

[Krackerjacked]

For my GX I ordered a hitch for a 2007 V8 4Runner through a local Toyota dealer. The hitch is identical to the Lexus hitch, other than the plastic receiver cap saying Toyota instead of Lexus . At that time it was cheaper than any Lexus versions I could find. My GX also already had the spacer installed despite having a Curt aftermarket hitch that didn't use it - if you have a pintle hitch already, it might already be there.

Thanks, the best deal I found last night on the Toyota one was slightly cheaper so I’ll get it ordered. PT22889460 - Toyota Towing Options, Towing Hitch Kit. Tow Hitch | Culver City Toyota, Culver City CA - https://parts.culvercitytoyota.com/p/Towing-Options--Towing-Hitch-Kit-Tow-Hitch/69522995/PT22889460.html
The wife, kiddo and I went by camping world and crest view RV yesterday and got to look at quite a few options. We found in the hard side setups anything in the 14-16 range would be ideal. 17 and up is really more than we need currently.
I’m actually leaning towards an a-frame preferably Aliner as the biggest ones still offer decent space and would be much easier to tow. Waiting to hear back from the owner of this one currently. 2014 Aliner 14ft A Frame Versital Camper - rvs - by owner - vehicle... - https://sanantonio.craigslist.org/rvs/d/san-antonio-2014-aliner-14ft-frame/7529002723.html

I keep finding myself looking at higher dollar off-road setups but realistically we just need something to make it to a camp site then we can unhook and explore. My wife is the frugal one lmao.

 

[Rednexus]

I think the 2,200-lb Aliner would tow really well behind a GX.

We also looked at off-road campers but stayed away for the same reasons. It's pretty enjoyable for everyone (especially the kids) to stay at a developed campground with electric/water/showers/playground/etc and then take day trips into the woods.