Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser (3 Viewers)

[Boston Mangler]

Will she tow 8k lbs on 37s?

Just getting back from a trip in the mountains. Relieved the answer is yes!

For context, this is on 37x12.5R18 @ 50PSI. 28mm effective offset with 18x8 +60 wheels on 1.25" spacers. 4.3 gearing. Last scaled at 15,620 lbs and 1200lbs tongue.

Observations.

Pros
- Stability is still solid and excellent, including steep grades downhill. No untoward sway or stability concerns to speak of.
- No steering pull on power or braking, solid tracking on freeway to 80mph+
- Got my "4.5 gear" back as 4.3s on 35x12.5 put RPMs a bit high at freeway cruise but not able to grab 5th. MPG didn't seem to take much of any hit because of this.
- Gearing and braking are compromised a bit from pretty much OEM gearing with 35s, but still good enough
- Smooth down the freeway and rides like butter. I went higher on inflation pressure (50psi) than necessary to make sure I had enough stability with all the sidewall. Could probably come down a bit.

Cons
- Cornering, gearing, and braking probably gave up 5-10% over the previous 35s on 20" wheel setup, on account of the taller tires, smaller 18" wheels, Yoko X-AT R/T tires, and higher center of gravity. Still a solid towing machine!


View attachment 3774641

Looks awesome @TeCKis300

Curious... You done anything to correct speedo?

On my 14 Tundra (same motor and 6speed) when i went to 33s, tranny would hunt for gears a little. When i went to 35s, the tranny constantly hunting for gears became maddending. Regeared to 5.29, although helped with power, tranny still hunted for gears like mad. Regear did nothing for tranny shift points.

About 6 months before i sold it, i went down the time-consuming rabbit hole of correcting the speedo, which then changed all the tranny shift points.

It 100% transformed the driveability of the truck, for the better, was no longer hunting for gears, and it shifted like it did stock. I wish i would of prioritized that immediately.

Would be tricky for you, running multiple size tires, but definitely worth looking into IMHO, especially for towing

 

[TeCKis300]

Looks awesome @TeCKis300

Curious... You done anything to correct speedo?

On my 14 Tundra (same motor and 6speed) when i went to 33s, tranny would hunt for gears a little. When i went to 35s, the tranny constantly hunting for gears became maddending. Regeared to 5.29, although helped with power, tranny still hunted for gears like mad. Regear did nothing for tranny shift points.

About 6 months before i sold it, i went down the time-consuming rabbit hole of correcting the speedo, which then changed all the tranny shift points.

It 100% transformed the driveability of the truck, for the better, was no longer hunting for gears, and it shifted like it did stock. I wish i would of prioritized that immediately.

Would be tricky for you, running multiple size tires, but definitely worth looking into IMHO, especially for towing

We should trade notes as that's something I've been thinking about. Speedo is off by 15%.

Shifting wise, it was perfect after re-gearing. Like factory with 4.3 and 35s. Still 95% good with 37s. Large 33s with stock 3.9 gearing was 90% good. Not so much hunting, but it can shift prematurely with load, putting the engine out if its powerband. Which may lead to some hunting. Then again, with my other car being a manual, I use sport/manual mode almost exclusively with towing. I think as long as overall gearing is close to factory, than it's all reasonably good. Deviate too far, and things go out the door.

What I would like to fix with speedo correction (other than the speedo itself) is to get AHC to transition heights at freeway speeds. It's supposed to lower at 60mph, which is now closer to 70mph. That affects MPG, CV wear, and more importantly for towing, I rely on the lowering to tighten up weight distribution tension for more stability at speed. This allows me to run WD bars looser generally to have more compliance in uneven terrain at lower speeds.

 

[TeCKis300]

Impressive numbers on weight, especially going through mountains. The cruiser is no slouch and eager to put in the work when called upon.

How did the rear air psi fluctuate with this weight? Currently, for my weight (rear axle around 5k) I’ve been running 40-42 psi and, in the past have experimented with running slightly higher in the rear in for the additional weight (45psi). Having jumped to 17 inch wheels from the stock 18 inch I’ve found that my rear air pressure to be more stable. I had expected the opposite due to more sidewall to flex building more heat but, so far, it’s only moved 2-3 psi versus 5-6 on the stock 18’s.

That's a really great question. Hard to say as this trip was a shorter one through really varied elevation and temps. From sea level to 7500ft, 80 degrees to 25 degrees, and vice versa. I'll have to get back to you on that answer, and I'm encouraged to possibly see what you observed too.

 

[TeCKis300]

Absolutely. I consider TPMS a critical safety feature. I use a very simple and very reliable TireMinder solar powered system that reports both pressure and temperature. This is the base system, if you have a medium to long trailer, you’ll need to add a TireMinder repeater (433MHz). I replace the batteries in the sensors each year and it’s worked well for 1000s of miles and several years.

https://www.amazon.com/TireMinder-Solar-Powered-Trailer-TPMS/dp/B0797N22B7/ref=asc_df_B0797N22B7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693447639262&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8381050203697745273&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1019499&hvtargid=pla-493869423541&mcid=cbd9817beb7135e39712ede99c55b40e&th=1

I picked up a cheapy but similar system over the summer and just got to use it. These seem like commodity tech these days. Can't vouch for how long it'll hold up but at this price, can't really go wrong?

Worked like a champ. As easy as applying a "sticker" to the windshield and screwing on 4 tire stem caps.

https://a.co/d/55Auwpp

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Absolutely. I consider TPMS a critical safety feature. I use a very simple and very reliable TireMinder solar powered system that reports both pressure and temperature. This is the base system, if you have a medium to long trailer, you’ll need to add a TireMinder repeater (433MHz). I replace the batteries in the sensors each year and it’s worked well for 1000s of miles and several years.

https://www.amazon.com/TireMinder-Solar-Powered-Trailer-TPMS/dp/B0797N22B7/ref=asc_df_B0797N22B7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693447639262&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8381050203697745273&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1019499&hvtargid=pla-493869423541&mcid=cbd9817beb7135e39712ede99c55b40e&th=1

I ordered a TST system from etrailer and wasn't able to program the sensors to the display. I even made a video of what I was doing to program it and shared it with TST support who viewed it and said I was doing everything correctly. Still no luck after 30 minutes on the phone with TST support. It's going back to etrailer tomorrow.

 

[weaponoffreedom]

I assume a brake controller is needed on an 09, if intending to use with a trailer with brakes? Or is there a hidden controller somewhere from factory?

 

[Sandroad]

I assume a brake controller is needed on an 09, if intending to use with a trailer with brakes? Or is there a hidden controller somewhere from factory?

No hidden controller, just a connector for the controller. And yes, get a controller if the trailer has brakes.

 

[82SC]

anyone else have weird issues with a REDARC Tow Pro Elite Brake Controller?

I've struggled with intermittent blinking Red lights and then periods of normal function
Tried everything...the blinking red codes state bad ground

checked LC200 rear socket...check trailer plug etc...good ground for both
REDARC even sent me a new unit but same problems.

So finally after a bunch of searching I decided that maybe the connector from the brake controller to the Toyota harness might have problems.
Look at it the connections and all are solid and low resistance

Then I look it up and there is a REDARC factory harness for this application and there is an extra wire...

Toyota suitable Tow-Pro Brake Controller Harness (TPH-021)

Suitable for Toyota 4Runner, Landcruiser, Sequioa, Tacoma and Tundra vehicles. The REDARC Tow-Pro TPH-021 wiring harness offers the ability to connect the Tow-Pro™ Elite or Tow-Pro™ Liberty electric brake controller directly into suited vehicles.

www.redarcelectronics.com

There is an extra white wire ment to be grounded seperately.

Then I go searching and there is a known issue with Tundra and Sequoia with the OEM grounding wire not being a big enough guage

So for all the DIY'er that followed the instructions and connected the OEM pigtail to the REDARC harness this might apply

So I solder in a ground wire to my setup and in initial testing the B/C seems to be working well.
Because the problem was intermittent before I can't say with 100% certainty that it's fixed but will report back

just in case anyone was having similar problems

 

[Artie]

anyone else have weird issues with a REDARC Tow Pro Elite Brake Controller?

I've struggled with intermittent blinking Red lights and then periods of normal function
Tried everything...the blinking red codes state bad ground

checked LC200 rear socket...check trailer plug etc...good ground for both
REDARC even sent me a new unit but same problems.

So finally after a bunch of searching I decided that maybe the connector from the brake controller to the Toyota harness might have problems.
Look at it the connections and all are solid and low resistance

Then I look it up and there is a REDARC factory harness for this application and there is an extra wire...

Toyota suitable Tow-Pro Brake Controller Harness (TPH-021)

Suitable for Toyota 4Runner, Landcruiser, Sequioa, Tacoma and Tundra vehicles. The REDARC Tow-Pro TPH-021 wiring harness offers the ability to connect the Tow-Pro™ Elite or Tow-Pro™ Liberty electric brake controller directly into suited vehicles.

www.redarcelectronics.com

View attachment 3784517

There is an extra white wire ment to be grounded seperately.

Then I go searching and there is a known issue with Tundra and Sequoia with the OEM grounding wire not being a big enough guage

So for all the DIY'er that followed the instructions and connected the OEM pigtail to the REDARC harness this might apply

So I solder in a ground wire to my setup and in initial testing the B/C seems to be working well.
Because the problem was intermittent before I can't say with 100% certainty that it's fixed but will report back

just in case anyone was having similar problems

So the controller was blinking red? I don’t think I’ve had any issues but I also never look at the controller dial because it’s not in my line of sight.

Good info to know if I do, in fact, encounter problems.

 

[skrypj]

anyone else have weird issues with a REDARC Tow Pro Elite Brake Controller?

I've struggled with intermittent blinking Red lights and then periods of normal function
Tried everything...the blinking red codes state bad ground

checked LC200 rear socket...check trailer plug etc...good ground for both
REDARC even sent me a new unit but same problems.

So finally after a bunch of searching I decided that maybe the connector from the brake controller to the Toyota harness might have problems.
Look at it the connections and all are solid and low resistance

Then I look it up and there is a REDARC factory harness for this application and there is an extra wire...

Toyota suitable Tow-Pro Brake Controller Harness (TPH-021)

Suitable for Toyota 4Runner, Landcruiser, Sequioa, Tacoma and Tundra vehicles. The REDARC Tow-Pro TPH-021 wiring harness offers the ability to connect the Tow-Pro™ Elite or Tow-Pro™ Liberty electric brake controller directly into suited vehicles.

www.redarcelectronics.com

View attachment 3784517

There is an extra white wire ment to be grounded seperately.

Then I go searching and there is a known issue with Tundra and Sequoia with the OEM grounding wire not being a big enough guage

So for all the DIY'er that followed the instructions and connected the OEM pigtail to the REDARC harness this might apply

So I solder in a ground wire to my setup and in initial testing the B/C seems to be working well.
Because the problem was intermittent before I can't say with 100% certainty that it's fixed but will report back

just in case anyone was having similar problems

Mine has issues every time I hook up the trailer. It flashes an error code and I have zero trailer brakes. I have to unplug the harness every time and plug it back in and then it works. But every time I do that the controller has to relearn and is super touchy for 30 minutes until it calibrates.

I’m using the TPH-021 harness that is plug and play and have it grounded on a lug.

Did the same thing on my 2011 GX460 as well, although I remember it being more intermittent on that. On my LX it’s screwed up every time I plug in the trailer

 

[82SC]

Hmmm I was hoping the grounding wire was the key.

Maybe check your grounding points and if it is a good ground?

The blinking red is the error code for bad ground.

 

[linuxgod]

I've only had it flashing various colors when it's been reset... typically after replacing the battery in the truck. Otherwise every time I start my truck and connect the trailer up it works fine. I used the redarc harness and definitely grounded that wire to a bolt somewhere under the dash or floorboard though.

 

[Ratchey]

Mine has issues every time I hook up the trailer. It flashes an error code and I have zero trailer brakes. I have to unplug the harness every time and plug it back in and then it works. But every time I do that the controller has to relearn and is super touchy for 30 minutes until it calibrates.

I’m using the TPH-021 harness that is plug and play and have it grounded on a lug.

Did the same thing on my 2011 GX460 as well, although I remember it being more intermittent on that. On my LX it’s screwed up every time I plug in the trailer

Do you have the original version? I had the same issues and they replaced it with a second gen. Much more reliable.

 

[terrapin]

Mine has issues every time I hook up the trailer. It flashes an error code and I have zero trailer brakes. I have to unplug the harness every time and plug it back in and then it works. But every time I do that the controller has to relearn and is super touchy for 30 minutes until it calibrates.

Mine does that too but not every time, just often enough to be annoying. I plug it back in or jiggle the connector and it works and doesn't seem to need re-calibration. Maybe it's my imagination, but it only seems to do that when I leave home for a trip after the trailer has sat in storage for a while. When I leave camp even after a few weeks it seems to work fine. I always thought that my connectors were dirty or corroded even though I have cleaned them on occasion.

 

[skrypj]

Do you have the original version? I had the same issues and they replaced it with a second gen. Much more reliable.

probably. Its been close to 5 years since I bought it. Probably early 2020 when I bought my GX.

 

[82SC]

Mine does that too but not every time, just often enough to be annoying. I plug it back in or jiggle the connector and it works and doesn't seem to need re-calibration. Maybe it's my imagination, but it only seems to do that when I leave home for a trip after the trailer has sat in storage for a while. When I leave camp even after a few weeks it seems to work fine. I always thought that my connectors were dirty or corroded even though I have cleaned them on occasion.

Yeah that sounds like my situation. Did you use the Redarc harness with the extra ground wire or just connected the wires connected to the Toyota pigtail?

I think the rule of thumb with intermittent electrical problems is always check for bad ground.

 

[skrypj]

Yeah that sounds like my situation. Did you use the Redarc harness with the extra ground wire or just connected the wires connected to the Toyota pigtail?

I think the rule of thumb with intermittent electrical problems is always check for bad ground.

The reason I am suspicious of the controller itself if because I have now had the issue in two different vehicles with two different grounds

 

[Nothinghead]

The reason I am suspicious of the controller itself if because I have now had the issue in two different vehicles with two different grounds

Same trailer? Is it a ground problem with the controller or a ground problem with the trailer?

 

[terrapin]

Yeah that sounds like my situation. Did you use the Redarc harness with the extra ground wire or just connected the wires connected to the Toyota pigtail?

It's been a while but I don't think that I used the Redarc TPH-021 harness. My purchase history shows that I bought a "Tekonsha 3040-S Brake Control Wiring Adapter for Toyota." Not sure why I used that adapter, but I'm sure it was based on research on mud

 

[skrypj]

Same trailer? Is it a ground problem with the controller or a ground problem with the trailer?

Same trailer but was never an issue with my F150 with factory TBC.