Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

is there a consensus on what the best or second best trailer hitch is? i'll likely be towing a uhaul 6x12 cargo trailer.
 
is there a consensus on what the best or second best trailer hitch is? i'll likely be towing a uhaul 6x12 cargo trailer.

For a 6x12 trailer it really doesn't matter. Whatever your local Walmart sells for $20 will be more than adequate. All you need to care about is that the ball height is such that the trailer sits level.
 
I'm moving from NC to TX, and I'm debating buying this trailer to haul my stuff:
7×16 – Tandem Axel

I don't own much, but it would weigh less than 1,500 lbs if I had to guess.

Should I buy accessories like a trailer brake controller or anything else to make the trip safe? If so, please feel free to suggest anything I should buy.
 
I'm moving from NC to TX, and I'm debating buying this trailer to haul my stuff:
7×16 – Tandem Axel

I don't own much, but it would weigh less than 1,500 lbs if I had to guess.

Should I buy accessories like a trailer brake controller or anything else to make the trip safe? If so, please feel free to suggest anything I should buy.
That dual axle enclosed trailer with a steel frame could weigh 1500 lbs empty. It comes with trailer brakes, so definitely install a controller. I suspect you may be way underestimating loaded weight going down the road if you need a 7x16 enclosed trailer to haul your stuff. You may also want to consider a weight distribution hitch because tongue weight might get pretty high. Your ‘17 can handle it ok if you load the trailer to get the proper tongue weight (10-15% of total weight) and add a controller plus WDH.
 
is there a consensus on what the best or second best trailer hitch is? i'll likely be towing a uhaul 6x12 cargo trailer.

One that gets the trailer level and has minimal horizontal projection (meaning it has the ball as close and tight to the rear bumper as possible) to avoid added leverage for tongue weight and sway.
 
I'm moving from NC to TX, and I'm debating buying this trailer to haul my stuff:
7×16 – Tandem Axel

I don't own much, but it would weigh less than 1,500 lbs if I had to guess.

Should I buy accessories like a trailer brake controller or anything else to make the trip safe? If so, please feel free to suggest anything I should buy.
I moved a single-bedroom-apartment worth of stuff in a trailer of identical size some years ago. Hauled it w/ my LX about 5 hours (each way) on the highway, over mountains, and had no trailer brake controller at the time.

I'll +1 the other reply in that you are almost certainly WAY underestimating the amount of weight you'll put inside. If you plan on hauling anything of significance somewhat regularly in the future, just install a good break controller and be done with it. It's a plug & play job for most of them. But if this is the only time you'll be hauling, you can get by without one.

I'd suggest looking for a used cargo trailer rather than buying new. Countless people do what you intend: buy one, move, and then list it for sale. And they always ask way too much for them, end up sitting on the trailer for a year, and eventually selling it for much less than they wanted. So go and find one that's a few grand cheaper than new, and then re-sell it for what you pay.
 
When I moved out here, I 100% underestimated the load and needed to FedEx ~12 of the 27-gallon Huskey totes. It wasn't exactly a cheap adventure.

Tomorrow, I'm going to inventory everything so I don't run into this issue again. I'm looking at the 7x16 for two reasons: it has more than enough room for my stuff and is likely easier to resell when I get to TX. (fuzzy logic on the resale stuff)
 
I'd suggest looking for a used cargo trailer rather than buying new. Countless people do what you intend: buy one, move, and then list it for sale. And they always ask way too much for them, end up sitting on the trailer for a year, and eventually selling it for much less than they wanted. So go and find one that's a few grand cheaper than new, and then re-sell it for what you pay.
I'm keeping an eye on FB Market and CL. Open to suggestions on other places to look for used enclosed trailers.
 
I'm keeping an eye on FB Market and CL. Open to suggestions on other places to look for used enclosed trailers.
Add autotrader.com to the list.

// edit - on second thought, nevermind. Autotrader.ca has listings for trailers, but it doesn't look like the .com site does. (This may be the first time in history that Canada has something better than the US.)
 
My 2017 LC has two connectors under the rear bumper for towing. Are they only brake, turn, and running lights, or is there more to it?

The rear harness powers the trailer brakes but doesn't control them. Or is a controller needed to sync the trailer brakes with the brakes on the LC?

Re: this post from a thread I created last year:
Trailer Harness or Plugs? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/trailer-harness-or-plugs.1333587/post-15384067
The 7 pin gives you power for electric trailer brakes and power for a trailer battery in addition to the usual stop, turn, and tail lights. The 4 pin just does the lights.

The smaller U-Haul trailers don’t have any brakes and the larger ones have surge brakes, so you likely need just the 4 pin connector.
 
Last edited:
My 2017 LC has two connectors under the rear bumper for towing. Are they only brake, turn, and running lights, or is there more to it?

The rear harness powers the trailer brakes but doesn't control them. Or is a controller needed to sync the trailer brakes with the brakes on the LC?

Re: this post from a thread I created last year:
Trailer Harness or Plugs? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/trailer-harness-or-plugs.1333587/post-15384067
The 7 pin connector supplies power to the trailer brakes proportional to the braking of the LC. You have to have a brake controller to supply the proportional braking. If full power were applied to the trailer brakes, they would lock up and skid the tires. There are some non proportional controllers but you want the proportional type. It’s very easy to plug a controller into the LC and set it up for the trailer. Mounting the controller can take some time, but it’s worth it.
 
My 2017 LC has two connectors under the rear bumper for towing. Are they only brake, turn, and running lights, or is there more to it?

The rear harness powers the trailer brakes but doesn't control them. Or is a controller needed to sync the trailer brakes with the brakes on the LC?

Re: this post from a thread I created last year:
Trailer Harness or Plugs? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/trailer-harness-or-plugs.1333587/post-15384067

Install the Redarc and you’ll be golden. There are cheaper options, but this one hides in plain sight perfectly.

 
🤔 Ford have come with OEM controllers since the early 2000s
 
🤔 Ford have come with OEM controllers since the early 2000s
And a host of other things that aren’t all desirable.

I thought it weird at first but it allows the owner to choose which controller and they aren’t created equal.

I am curious how the Cruiser handles anti sway versus a Ford. If I recall correctly, our Navigator used the proximity sensors to sense away and apply the brakes to counteract it.
 
Install the Redarc and you’ll be golden. There are cheaper options, but this one hides in plain sight perfectly.

All I need is the controller module and the plug-and-play harness?
These two items:
Toyota suitable Tow-Pro Brake Controller Harness (TPH-021) - https://www.redarcelectronics.com/us/tow-pro-brake-controller-harness-to-suit-toyota-tph-021
Tow-Pro Liberty Electric Brake Controller - https://www.redarcelectronics.com/us/tow-pro-liberty-electric-brake-controller
I have the Toyota pigtail harness that connects under the bumper.

I spent some time this morning organizing my storage unit and taking inventory of the size and weight of the stuff in it. All of the stuff weighed in at a little over 900 lbs. I'm guessing that the stuff pictured, plus the stuff in my condo, should easily fit in a 7x14 trailer. Correct, the Bud Built cat guards don't do much good when sitting in storage.

1740958976001.webp
 
I am curious how the Cruiser handles anti sway versus a Ford. If I recall correctly, our Navigator used the proximity sensors to sense away and apply the brakes to counteract it.
I don’t know what sensors they use but I do know that when the anti sway kicks in it is very effective. I was doing about 110 kph while passing a vehicle when I came across some whoop de does on the pavement and at the same time gusting crosswinds hit us. After a couple of seat ripping seconds the anti sway kicked in and slowed us without drama to about 60 kph. I had searched for a way to test it but couldn’t find any but when I needed it it was there. Both brakes and throttle were under computer control
 
I don’t know what sensors they use but I do know that when the anti sway kicks in it is very effective. I was doing about 110 kph while passing a vehicle when I came across some whoop de does on the pavement and at the same time gusting crosswinds hit us. After a couple of seat ripping seconds the anti sway kicked in and slowed us without drama to about 60 kph. I had searched for a way to test it but couldn’t find any but when I needed it it was there. Both brakes and throttle were under computer control
Very cool! I’ll take your word on that and hope to never find out for myself.
 

According to etrailer.com support, I only need the RED82CR controller and nothing else. It comes with the harness and knob mount.
Vehicle: 2017 LC
 
I don’t know what sensors they use but I do know that when the anti sway kicks in it is very effective. I was doing about 110 kph while passing a vehicle when I came across some whoop de does on the pavement and at the same time gusting crosswinds hit us. After a couple of seat ripping seconds the anti sway kicked in and slowed us without drama to about 60 kph. I had searched for a way to test it but couldn’t find any but when I needed it it was there. Both brakes and throttle were under computer control
I've had a few butt-clenching towing moments, but never to the point that the vehicle took over. Wasn't even aware such vehicle functions were present. Glad to know it's there!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom