Tow capacity 6500, can I get more?

[98LXand99LC]

We sold our popup camper and have been looking at the travel trailers. There's a lot to choose and the one that I like is GVWR'd at 7300 lbs. I'm wondering if I'd be pushing my luck, granted the dry weight is around 5300 lbs so I guess as long as we don't pack too much stuff we would be w/in spec. But it occurred to me that maybe I could tow a little more with some mods. Is that true?

 

[LexissLX470]

Here is a link to another forum that this question was talked about. I am the 3rd post down lexisssc400

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188857


I think that as long as you don’t expect anything crazy from the rig, ie 70mph+ driving, excessive brake usage and short stopping distances then ull be alright. the engine it self can pull that much, its just you cant expect the car to be able to compete with a chevy's or a ford's that have similar tow rating.

Tommy

 

[Greg B]

Keep in mind, it's not always about getting it going. Sometimes, it's about stopping it once it's going. Yeah, you could probably pull a trailer that big, but can you stop it when you need to? That's the question I'd ask my self.

 

[NMuzj100]

I doubt any mods are really going to improve things but keeping the weight low (closer to dry weight), getting a trailer brake system and some load leveling gear couldn't hurt. Keep the tires at stock too.

I would ask to take the trailer out for a weekend test drive and see if it handels safely before making a purchase. A great trailer would hardly be worth it if you had to drive a dodge to tow it.

 

[ff347]

I think that as long as you don’t expect anything crazy from the rig, ie 70mph+ driving, Tommy

All driving around Orlando is 70 and crazy! How long is this trailer? The LC is not a "long" wheelbase vehicle, that thing might end up driving you around town! If your campsite is hours away I would have to wonder how stressful it would be to get there.

Scott

 

[NMuzj100]

All driving around Orlando is 70 and crazy! How long is this trailer?

Nice thing about Florida in this case is no hills to worry about going up or coming down.

 

[98LXand99LC]

Yeah, Florida is flat so that helps. Towing the popup was easy, barely even felt it back there. However loaded, I bet we never exceeded 3500 lbs.

I'm still looking, and man it's so tempting to look at the really big ones.

 

[dieselbigot]

I had made a few posts in the past about towing capacity after several long trips and varied loads with my 100 this past summer....if you do a search under "towing capacity" you should get all the old info and details.

IMO, I would never exceed 5,500lbs when towing with a 100...it's just plain not equipped to do it. It can be done, but it's slow up hills, sketchy on corners and lacks stopping power even with good trailer brakes

 

[uHu]

7700 lb

Just FYI, on this side of the puddle, all the LC's are rated and approved for 3.5 metric ton, that's 7700 lb. One guy here with a LC100 is regularly towing an excavator which by itself is 3.5 ton, plus equipment, plus the trailer itself. Works well, summer and winter, but no freeway speed of course.
The biggest problem for you might be the sheer size/length of your camper. It might easily sway a bit when there is a bit of mass far from an axle. Another surprise might be side winds....
See if you can try/borrow one of this size.

 

[Pigeon]

Cammon, you could tow two of these, Your LandCruiser would pull 10,00lbs no problem and stop it even easier.

 

[Greg B]

Cammon, you could tow two of these, Your LandCruiser would pull 10,00lbs no problem and stop it even easier.

And you're basing this on what?

 

[Gene3x]

I just purchased my 04 LC and will be towing a 5000lb (dry weight) boat, which after gas, people, & gear will easily push the 6500lb limit. I will be towing almost every other day 20+ miles at highway speed. I feel confident after reading these posts but would like to know if anyone has done extended heavy towing and has actually has to change out there tranny in a newer LC?

 

[Tinkerer]

Remember, the tranny is going to take mucho grande increased wear & tear if you tow the max 6500 lb on a regular basis, especially if you have something with a large profile creating a lot of air drag at high speed.

Personally, having towed 3000 lb with my '99 LX, I think that's the REAL towing limit. I would not want to tow 6500 lb with the LX, just because I want it to last a long time with minimal wear & tear costs.

 

[100 TD]

Lc will tow it, but safety is the main concern, get a brake controller like a Tekonsha Prodigy, which has decellaration features as well as time based setable overides for high loads, were the trailer brakes come on at a certain percentage as soon as you touch the brake pedal, no decellaration involved, this helps stop your trailer pushing your vehicle. When you want to stop a trailer, you want it to do the stopping for itself, this means adequate braking and control for it, a fully loaded trailer should have electric brakes on both or 3 axles controlled by the best controller available, or a self powered hydraulic system.
Back to the auto, if you are to do extended heavy towing with a 343 or what ever it is (or even a 442), ideally change auto fluid and filters more regularly, and look into rebuilt autos or upgraded ones but most important fit a better oil cooler, have a look at http://www.automatictransmission.com.au/ for one or maybe Christo can source them. My .02 worth!

 

[Gene3x]

Cool... Thanks! Can you add a tranny heat gauge to monitor it as you go?

 

[Gohawks63]

Last summer we towed our deckboat from the northern Chicago 'burbs to Branson, MO, about 566 miles.

The dry weight on the boat is about 3,500lb. With gas, trailor and other equipment I estimate that it was close to 5,500lbs.

Hills were tough in that it struggles a bit on steep inclines. Stopping didn't seem to be an issue. As expected gas mileage was horrible. Especially when we were getting into the hilly areas of the Ozarks. THe trip computer was indicating ~10mpg, but I suspect it was around 8 or 9mpg.

It did sag a little bit and on large bumps or bumpy roads, you did get a bit of the "tail wagging the dog", but all in all it made it there and back with no problems. I never once felt like I didn't have control or was near the limit of the vehicle.

Going much higher than that might make me think twice though.

 

[Gene3x]

From what I understand, "the tail wagging the dog" is a result of improper load balancing. You put more weight behind the trailering axle and it gives you that effect of unsteady weaving.

 

[Gohawks63]

From what I understand, "the tail wagging the dog" is a result of improper load balancing. You put more weight behind the trailering axle and it gives you that effect of unsteady weaving.

How do I load balance this?

 

[Gene3x]

Put more weight (ie.) gear in the front of the boat passenger area so the tongue weight is a little heavier. (without exceeding recommended limits of course). Also beefing up the rear suspension of your LC. (springs or bags in the springs)