Clever. I may look at doing that with mine.
Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser (3 Viewers)
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Nicely done Sandroad! Perhaps Expedition Overland could take your lead on this one. Accessible, visible, and secure.
I didn't mention the visibility prior, but that's a key part of it too as it will alert you that your trailer is not connected/detected. Another safety check when one is pulling a significant load.
I didn't mention the visibility prior, but that's a key part of it too as it will alert you that your trailer is not connected/detected. Another safety check when one is pulling a significant load.
"Because the Land Cruiser is over-built, there's no need to add a separate auxiliary transmission cooler. However, when towing you should always put the vehicle into "Sport" mode by pushing the shift lever to the left. The "Sport" (or manual shift) mode limits the vehicle to no higher than 4th gear unless you manually select 5 or 6. This is Toyota's recommendation as well."
In my 2015 manual on pg 329 it says:
"To maintain engine braking efficiency and charging system perfor-
mance, when using engine braking, do not put the transmission in
“D”. If in the S mode, the transmission shift range position must be
in 5 or lower."
Other than that.... I can't find any other reference that says I should have my LC's transmission in Sport mode when towing. I switch to Sport mode when breaking with a trailer (as per the manual). Otherwise, I'm in "D".mance, when using engine braking, do not put the transmission in
“D”. If in the S mode, the transmission shift range position must be
in 5 or lower."
Please help me find where Toyota says I should be driving in Sport mode when towing a trailer.
Thank you for your assistance!
Kansas Scott
I second the Hensley, I use it to pull a 8500lb. Airstream. No sway or bad road manners whatsoever ... If a 200 could safely pull that, I could ditch my van 
ECT - check;
Sport, or manual, or whatever it's called when limited to 4th or lower - check
LX tows nicely like this too. This is where the AHC is actually pretty nice. It handles to extra weight very well. I do use a WD hitch; actually, I use an Equalizer anti-sway weight distribution hitch. It's not as fancy as a Hensley and costs about half the price, but it does well.
Equal-i-zer® Hitch - The “American Original” with 4-Point Sway Control™ and Weight Distribution
Sport, or manual, or whatever it's called when limited to 4th or lower - check
LX tows nicely like this too. This is where the AHC is actually pretty nice. It handles to extra weight very well. I do use a WD hitch; actually, I use an Equalizer anti-sway weight distribution hitch. It's not as fancy as a Hensley and costs about half the price, but it does well.
Equal-i-zer® Hitch - The “American Original” with 4-Point Sway Control™ and Weight Distribution
It will be in your owner's manual. My '17 will have different pages numbers, but in all the LC owner's manuals, at least from '03 up, there is specific information about using "S" and not "D" when towing and limiting the top gear to 1 or 2 less than the transmission has. That helps keep the torque converter locked up and significantly reduces heat build up. If you haven't found it yet, keep reading, it's in there!
Yep. It's in the Towing section. For the 2016 and later with the 8-speed transmission the manual recommends 6th "gear" as that is equivalent to 4th on the 6-speed models.
But if you are new to Land Cruisers remember that the setting in S mode is not the fear so much as the top limit for the gear range it will automatically select. So in S6 you're sort of using automatic but with gears 7&8.
Also remember the the sweet spot in the torque curve is when the RPMs are in the low 3K range. Good t remember when. Climbing or facing a strong headwind. 6th gear at 3300 rpm is a pretty good speed in those conditions.
When towing I typically will maintain speeds under 65mph. This limit is more for keeping the heat down on the trailer tires than anything else, but it is also a good habit when towing... slowing down can take quite a bit of distance.
- Thread starter
- #69
I have to admit I push it on the highway on long trips, but I also replaced my Carlisle ST trailer tires (which were rated to 65MPH and load C) with tires rated for 81MPH and load D to provide additional margin for engineering failure. I had a Carlisle blow out last year when I was doing ~65, . I would've just gone with LT tires but you can't find LT's in 14" sizes anymore.
My Carlisle HD STs are rated for 81 as well, but I still keep it down to 65 or less. Dealing with tons of elevation changes here, you can get from 60 to 75 in a snap of the fingers, so I do my best not to approach that 80 mark.
To be honest, my last set I had under inflated and taken over the max... yep, blowout ensued. After that, I learned quickly to always check my tire pressures before setting off and to keep that speed down.
To be honest, my last set I had under inflated and taken over the max... yep, blowout ensued. After that, I learned quickly to always check my tire pressures before setting off and to keep that speed down.
When we bought a new fifth wheel last year the first thing I did was swap out the factory E-rated ST tires for some heavier rated tires. Came from the factory with tires almost at max load rating... I've had a blowout on a previous 39' long 5th wheel at interstate speeds and it sounded like a small bomb went off. I had TPMS for temp and pressure and they gave no warning before the China-bomb let go at ~65-70mph. It just decided it was done and the tread left the sidewall. My wife was following in our Sequoia and had a perfect tread imprint on the lower air dam. Looked like someone had painted it on there (but I buffed it out). Surprisingly during the event it was easy to control and we coasted over into the emergency lane. Scariest part of the whole incident was jacking up a 13,000lb camper on the side of the interstate with it swaying around from the semi's blowing by. I WON"T do that again.
Fortunately the new camper has rims rated for 115psi so I could go up to a serious G-rated tire. Cheap peace of mind on a long road trip.
Also, don't forget what a number the sun does on these tires as many people leave their campers out and the tires get pasted day in and out without moving. Best investment I made for our camper was having a building to store it in.
Fortunately the new camper has rims rated for 115psi so I could go up to a serious G-rated tire. Cheap peace of mind on a long road trip.
Also, don't forget what a number the sun does on these tires as many people leave their campers out and the tires get pasted day in and out without moving. Best investment I made for our camper was having a building to store it in.
- Thread starter
- #72
+1 This. Same deal for me, except a smaller trailer. I found myself watching for semis and stepping away whenever they approached. Never again.
What a great writeup! Thanks!
I am in the final stages of purchasing a travel trailer, and the one i WANT is 27.5' long, 5300# dry with a 660# tongue weight. I would assume after propane and battery tongue weight will increase slightly. The trailer has a GVWR max of 7000#. My 2011 shows 8200# tow capacity, so i know I'm good on the total.
I also plan on getting an anderson hitch for weight distribution and sway control, as well as the airbags recommended in this thread.
Weight Distribution Hitch | Andersen Hitches
I am not inexperienced at towing, have put many miles down with a trailer, but never one this long/heavy, and especially not in the 200.
My feeling is that with the hitch and bags, this trailer will be fine. I guess i'm looking for input and thoughts from those with experience specific to this vehicle.
Fire away please.
I am in the final stages of purchasing a travel trailer, and the one i WANT is 27.5' long, 5300# dry with a 660# tongue weight. I would assume after propane and battery tongue weight will increase slightly. The trailer has a GVWR max of 7000#. My 2011 shows 8200# tow capacity, so i know I'm good on the total.
I also plan on getting an anderson hitch for weight distribution and sway control, as well as the airbags recommended in this thread.
Weight Distribution Hitch | Andersen Hitches
I am not inexperienced at towing, have put many miles down with a trailer, but never one this long/heavy, and especially not in the 200.
My feeling is that with the hitch and bags, this trailer will be fine. I guess i'm looking for input and thoughts from those with experience specific to this vehicle.
Fire away please.
I am currently camping in our Lance 2285 trailer (~25', 4975 dry, 750# tongue weight) after towing it from Denver to Buena Vista. I did try an Anderson hitch with my prior tow vehicle (Land Rover LR4) and found it to not handle sway nearly as much as I needed in the cross winds I experienced in Colorado. I also found the WD to be inadequate to actually distribute the weight. I don't use airbags (yet) but upgraded to a ProPride hitch which really does eliminate sway. Stil working to get the trailer loading and WD bar tensioning dialed in as this is our first trip. I hit a 3 mile section of segmented concrete roadway on Highway 285 east of Conifer, CO and had a LOT of bouncing.
Dang, have heard that the anderson hitches are great. Guess I'll keep doing research. Paying $2500 for a P3 hitch kind of hurts my feelings
I tow with the Andersen hitch and love it. I don't need it, but for my setup it controls sway really well and provides a bit of weight distribution too. Dialing in the right settings on the adjustment nuts takes some trial runs (loaded), but it works. I have a smaller trailer, 19 total feet and 3900 total weight, with 525 lbs tongue weight. I have and use a Sherline tongue weight scale so I don't have to guess about that. Tongue weight is one of the most important things to get right to control sway and keep the overall setup "tuned". I am installing airbags this month in my 200 because with the trailer tongue weight, passengers, and the detritus of camping trips my rear end sags (and nobody likes a saggy rear). I would rather correct that with airbags than crank the &^% out of the WDH to get level again.
- Thread starter
- #77
I'm in a similar boat. I'd rather have more weight on the tongue and use air bags to help level a bit than run more weight distribution to compensate for the saggy rear. Two reasons for this: one is that the more WD you run the bouncier the ride on the not-quite-smooth highways. More important, the more weight you distribute off the hitch the lighter the tongue and the more sway you get in the wind.
In my experience about 12% on the tongue is optimal. That's with my 24.5' TT which is 5000#, so your setup may be different. My TT is also pretty low (just under 9' tall, including the low profile AC).
In my experience about 12% on the tongue is optimal. That's with my 24.5' TT which is 5000#, so your setup may be different. My TT is also pretty low (just under 9' tall, including the low profile AC).
- Thread starter
- #78
@ntsaint, make sure you use an anti-sway bar cranked tight on the highway. Also there's a technique I posted somewhere in the forum on how you can use a regular bathroom scale, a 2x4, a tape measure, and a brick to get an accurate measurement on tongue weight even before you hook up.
Agree. I plan on always using the anti sway setup. Still leaning toward the Anderson. I found a tongue weight scale on Amazon pretty cheap, prob just grab one of those. And I'm def gonna run airbags based on your experience.
- Thread starter
- #80
FWIW I have an inexpensive "Pro Series" WD hitch, and it works fine. Maybe a Hensley or Anderson hitch would improve handling when passing semis, but I find with the anti-sway tightened down it handles well. I've had 2 or 3 times over the last 6 years where a HUGE gust of wind made me a bit squirrely while I was going 70+, but letting off the gas for a moment was sufficient for me to regain full control. I'm not convinced there's any type of hitch that would have made the experience significantly better in those cases - maybe a Hensley wouldn't have let the trailer sway, but instead it would have push me along with the trailer together towards the next lane. Keep in mind you're towing a wall that has 2-3x the surface area of your vehicle.
Physics. It's not just a good idea, it's the law.
Physics. It's not just a good idea, it's the law.
