KZJ78 Road Trip - Toronto to Vancouver - need some advice from the west coast! (1 Viewer)

[kzj78]

I'm planning on making a road trip with my family of 7 (me, spouse, 17/16/14/11/9 years old) essentially 4 adults and 3 kids. Planning to drive Toronto to Calgary with family and our stuff then rent a travel trailer there. Trailer is 3500lbs and has a weight distributing hitch and requires a brake controller. Figure we have 700lbs in our body weight plus what 3-400lbs of gear( no idea here??) ... top it up to about 5000lbs.

Truck has a dobinson lift kit and I'm getting a 2.5" stainless steel exhaust flange back custom built in the next couple of weeks. Standard 4 pin hitch wiring.

Questions:

Hitch - I have a standard bolt on pintle hitch with a 2" ball - I understand that I will need a 2" receiver for my truck but will I have to get something custom made or are there options out there to purchase? I see that @GTSSportCoupe has one as per this thread.

I don't have experience towing something this big and a buddy keeps telling me that with no sway control, the high centre of gravity and mountains - that I'm nuts ...

Brake Controller - I guess I can just get a local trailer shop to wire this up for me?

Tow Weight - I've searched and I've seen 3500kg as the limit for this truck - can anyone confirm?

The most important question of all - is this a doable trip for this truck with trailer in tow through the mountains?

I flew to Calgary and stayed in Canmore for 3 days last summer and decided then that I want to bring my family for a last chance breathless road trip at least once you get past Calgary With kids going to university next year and wanting to move on with their own lives, this is my last shot for a full family trip as I see it.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Diesel Cruiserman]

I think your trip will be amazing, last shot at the family vacation... I cannot help you with your questions, only to say good luck and give us a call if your on the island..

Rob

 

[too tall]

Some of the prado guys on here might have a better idea but I think you might want a bigger tow vehicle ? There are a few pretty good hills . I would think you'd have a fairly interesting time with just the things you are planning to carry in the car . Hotels might be a better idea?

 

[kzj78]

Some of the prado guys on here might have a better idea but I think you might want a bigger tow vehicle ? There are a few pretty good hills . I would think you'd have a fairly interesting time with just the things you are planning to carry in the car . Hotels might be a better idea?

So that was another option. Travel trailer it from Calgary to Banff for 4 days then up to Jasper for 4 days. Swing back and drop the trailer off then head to Vancouver for 4 days and hotel it there.

 

[Toshi38]

I've done that trip in the other direction with a small utility trailer behind my 40. It had a 3B + turbo and those hills are big and scary let me tell you. I ended up in 2nd gear for a few of the bigger hills, in particular the pass.

You can find some notes here:

Cross Canada Adventures

Make sure you're brakes are up to date (or even upgraded) if you're towing something that size

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Will be pretty squishy in your KZJ78 driving that far with 7 people in it. Sounds like a dream trip though.

I tow with my LJ78, but it did take a couple years to get it all working right and comfortable. Gross weight of my setup is about 9000lb (5500lb loaded truck, and 3500lb loaded trailer). My 2LTE is modified and makes about the same power as a stock 1KZTE.

Questions:

Hitch - I have a standard bolt on pintle hitch with a 2" ball - I understand that I will need a 2" receiver for my truck but will I have to get something custom made or are there options out there to purchase? I see that @GTSSportCoupe has one as per this thread.

I don't think the standard bolt on deal is rated for sort of weight you are looking at towing. With the help of my machinist/fabricator friend, I made a hitch that bolted to the frame AND the bumper. Has stood up well for four years of heavy towing now. Not sure if you can buy something like this off the shelf or not. It would be the same as for the heavy duty 90+ 70 series cruisers also. I can take a picture of it if you want.

I don't have experience towing something this big and a buddy keeps telling me that with no sway control, the high centre of gravity and mountains - that I'm nuts ...

To be honest, other than the lack of power, my LJ78 tows very comfortably with 3500lbs behind it. Sway control is an absolute must though. I just bought a simple friction type sway control device and it works great. I don't have a weight distribution hitch. Before I had the sway control, coming down hills the trailer would start swaying. Not out of control, but definitely not comfortable either.

Brake Controller - I guess I can just get a local trailer shop to wire this up for me?

You'll definitely need this. I just followed the instructions when I wired mine in. I did have to run a fused power wire through a relay from the battery to the back. I used the relay to only allow power to the connector when the engine was running. I used the 'accessory power' box supplied by toyota to switch the relay. You will need to upgrade to a 7-way plug.

Tow Weight - I've searched and I've seen 3500kg as the limit for this truck - can anyone confirm?

A good rule of thumb is don't tow any more than 80% of the tow vehicle weight. Your KZJ is probably 2100kg empty. Say 2200kg with a driver. So 1750kg might be the maximum safe weight.

The most important question of all - is this a doable trip for this truck with trailer in tow through the mountains?

I can tell you right now your biggest problem will be engine heat. As you know this is not good for the 1KZTE (although it is better than the 2LTE I hear). I went to Evans Waterless Coolant to deal with the heat issues while towing. Made a world of difference.

Is yours Auto or Manual? Manual would be better as you will have more gears to work with, and won't loose power through the torque converter. If Auto you will want a transmission cooler for sure. If you are Auto, don't tow in 4th gear, if you are Manual, don't tow in 5th gear. A pyro gauge is would be an important thing to get if you don't already have one. EGT's on the stock motors can get very high if you're not careful.

Thing you need to keep in mind with trailers, is your actual tow weight will often be 1000lb more than the trailer dry weight. It's amazing how fast the weight adds up, especially with water. So if they are renting you a trailer that is 3500lb, it might end up being closer to 4500lb. It also takes a bit to get a vehicle dialed in for towing. I think those weight distribution hitches take a bit to set up? You will need good towing mirrors. 70 series are so narrow even with towing mirrors it's hard to see around the trailer.

I suppose you could do all the setup well ahead of time, and rent/borrow a trailer where you live and do a trip to get used to it. If where you live is flat, you won't get a real good feeling for how brutal those long 8%+ grades in summer heat can be.

I think in a nutshell you'd be pushing your luck. If you do go for it, might be worth buying a CAA membership (or equivalent) just incase your truck protests.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Made some updates to my post above.....

 

[wombat]

When you buy your CAA make sure you get the deluxe RV package as it will tow greater distance and also tow your trailer.

 

[kzj78]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

@GTSSportCoupe, I would appreciate pictures of your hitch setup. I was looking at this one which would bolt to the factory cross member with additional bolts from the bottom. What do you think?

I'll try to see if I can find someone here with a trailer that I can test my setup when I finally have it ready. I am going to be making a trip to Alberta in April so I may take the opportunity to check out the trailer that I plan to rent.

By the sounds of it though, I'll probabaly just to Banff and Jasper then return the trailer. Just hotel it in Vancouver for a couple of days. That way I don't need to haul that weight though the mountains. I should be fine for the first part of the trip.

A weight distribution hitch takes about 45 minutes to setup and that is included with my rental.

Pyro Guage is already in place. Need to get receiver, brake controller and 7 pin hitch plug setup.

CAA plus is definitely something I'll get before I go.

7 of us will be tight no doubt but it's a one in a life time experience. Plus with 7 of us on a regular basis, we've learned that sometimes less can be more.

 

[wombat]

Just a suggestion- Rather than renting a trailer in Calgary why don't you rent a C class motorhome instead. A C class is a lot easier to handle than pulling a trailer with an undersized vehicle and it has more room for your passengers to move around. You are going to spend a fair amount of money getting your rig ready to tow and you may never pull a trailer again after this trip.

 

[kzj78]

Just a suggestion- Rather than renting a trailer in Calgary why don't you rent a C class motorhome instead. A C class is a lot easier to handle than pulling a trailer with an undersized vehicle and it has more room for your passengers to move around. You are going to spend a fair amount of money getting your rig ready to tow and you may never pull a trailer again after this trip.

Was just thinking that parking a trailer at a site and making day trips with the cruiser would be more practical then motoring around a big motor home. But then I've never done anything like this before so your advice is very appreciated.

Half the fun is getting the right ready, no?

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

@GTSSportCoupe, I would appreciate pictures of your hitch setup. I was looking at this one which would bolt to the factory cross member with additional bolts from the bottom. What do you think?

I'll try to see if I can find someone here with a trailer that I can test my setup when I finally have it ready. I am going to be making a trip to Alberta in April so I may take the opportunity to check out the trailer that I plan to rent.

By the sounds of it though, I'll probabaly just to Banff and Jasper then return the trailer. Just hotel it in Vancouver for a couple of days. That way I don't need to haul that weight though the mountains. I should be fine for the first part of the trip.

A weight distribution hitch takes about 45 minutes to setup and that is included with my rental.

Pyro Guage is already in place. Need to get receiver, brake controller and 7 pin hitch plug setup.

CAA plus is definitely something I'll get before I go.

7 of us will be tight no doubt but it's a one in a life time experience. Plus with 7 of us on a regular basis, we've learned that sometimes less can be more.

I'll dig up my hitch pictures and get them to you by tomorrow. I took a look at the link to the hitch you posted above, and I don't think that is rated for what you are wanting to do.

Sounds like you are pretty well planned about it all so far tho.

Banff and Jasper, then returning the trailer is probably a good idea. But who knows, maybe it'll tow just fine and be good to go all the way to Vancouver? You'll get a feeling for it pretty quick.

Was just thinking that parking a trailer at a site and making day trips with the cruiser would be more practical then motoring around a big motor home. But then I've never done anything like this before so your advice is very appreciated.

Half the fun is getting the right ready, no?

Wombat's idea is a pretty logical one, but I know what you mean about being able to do small trips easier once detached from the trailer. That is basically why I've stuck with my setup. We do lots of trips exploring around when we are camping. I even head out wheeling with my son for the day while wife/daughter hang out at the beach/camper or whatever.

And if you put the work into preparing your truck, maybe you can pick-up a little trillium or boler for the wife and you later on when the kids move out.

 

[kzj78]

Meant getting the rig ready is half the fun ... autocorrect on my phone!

Also like the idea of just having a capable rig. Looking to the future my son will probabaly want to take my rig ... then I'll get the fun of getting another setup and maybe going with a heavy duty 70 series

I was in perth Australia two years ago and rented a mine truck to some off roading...lots of fun. And the newer 79 series double cab pickup is drool worthy.

 

[Toshi38]

CAA plus is definitely something I'll get before I go.

Get the best one (not just plus) trust me I know

Also have you considered just renting an RV and having your car as well? ... maybe you're kids are old enough to drive?

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

GTSSportCoupe, I would appreciate pictures of your hitch setup.

@kzj78 Not the best pics, but will give you the basic idea:

 

[kzj78]

@kzj78 Not the best pics, but will give you the basic idea:

@GTSSportCoupe ... Nice ...
That's exactly what I need!
TYVM

I like how you incorporated the factory hoop as well. Very practical to have immediate access without having to put in a hook or hoop hitch.