Can't be good for that Cruiser even just around town.
Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser (2 Viewers)
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Works fine. Hook up, set up your WD, then inflate the bags to level the rear as much as you'd like (or you can). Airbags don't reduce the amount of weight on the rear, they just level you and help provide a little more stability/control by stiffening the spring rate, so you'll need to set up the WD as if you don't have them.
FrazzledHunter
SILVER Star
Thanks again!
BTW, dealer just emailed and said trailer should be in Friday.
I think my nails are bitten down to my elbows anticipating the first time towing with the LC.
You guys have been an inspiration!
Take a breathThanks again!
BTW, dealer just emailed and said trailer should be in Friday.
I think my nails are bitten down to my elbows anticipating the first time towing with the LC.
You guys have been an inspiration!
. You’re asking the right questions and are being thoughtful about things.There are a lot of experts here, and the amount of information and advice can be overwhelming, but I’ll say this - if I can do it without breaking anything, I’m sure you can too. You got this! (For the record, I was similarly nervous the first time I pulled a trailer with my 200, so don’t beat yourself up.)
terrapin
SILVER Star
I too was super nervous the first time that I towed my Airstream 60 miles to my home. Now I don't even think about it. I recently towed almost 500 miles in west TX during a wind advisory and I barely noticed it. Since there is little vegetation, you don't realize how windy it is until you step out of the vehicle although 6-7 mpg should have been a clue. On a good day (and driving slowly) I get 11 mpg towing, but typically 8-10 mpg.I think my nails are bitten down to my elbows anticipating the first time towing with the LC.
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When I was towing my new trailer home a few weeks ago I was driving over a very long, flat stretch of road, and noticed that the half-ton in front of me was swaying all over the road. I initially thought the guy must be playing with his phone, until I noticed that for some reason I too was being pushed to one side. The trees along the road didn't seem to sway, so I figured it wasn't all that windy. Drove like this for another 15-20 minutes before finally deciding to pull over and check on the trailer, thinking that was the culprit.
Once stopped, I was barely able to open my driver's door. The sideways wind was insanely strong. The good news is that even in these conditions, with a 10+ foot tall trailer behind me, the LX still towed better than many other vehicles on the road (without any trailers attached).
Once stopped, I was barely able to open my driver's door. The sideways wind was insanely strong. The good news is that even in these conditions, with a 10+ foot tall trailer behind me, the LX still towed better than many other vehicles on the road (without any trailers attached).
Good experience. I love towing with our LC200 as well. Did add airbagman airbags in the rear coils and keep them at 25 to 30 psi providing a level and good ride.
What I am going to say next you probably already know, just to put things in context a little;
Towing wise the 200 series has weight and length from rear axle to tow hitch going for it, as well as a good engine. Overall wheel base is probably on the shorter side for vehicles capable to tow at 8000 lbs, yet length ratio tow to rear axle vs rear to front axle is still very good.
Some other variables leading to sway when comparing to others, more or less ranked in importance:
- weight distribution of the trailer, with not enough weight in front of the axles
- use of WDH or not (by the way I do not have them for our Passport 221BH which is loaded around 7000lbs and experience little to no sway issues. Reason I do not is another story. I personally do not miss it)
- single or tandem axle
- tandem axles and trailer being level
- trailer wheel alignment and any pressure issues
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FrazzledHunter
SILVER Star
Thank you guys! This really helps. It was this thread that got us thinking about and the confidence to start towing with the LC.
I didn't think that they made any corners wide enough for that? It must be pretty interesting bopping around town? Two things to avoid at all costs would be sharp corners and low dips/high humps. Most people don't realize how long boat trailers are.
Got the trailer hooked up for the first tome tonight and the Equalizer hitch adjusted to level everything out. I was expecting to maybe have to raise it vs my F150 on 35’s, but i actually had to drop the hitch head as low as I could and that got the trailer pretty much dead level.
If I lift this LX or put on bigger tires(which I most certainly will) I will need to figure something out because my trailer will be nose high.
Btw, my trailer also has a custom 3” lift and bigger than stock tires, so if this was a stock trailer I would have had issues.
Could you show a picture of your hitch? Just curious why you are so high.
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sleepycruiser
I will get by….I will survive -Touch of Grey LC200
Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series Towing Mirrors | Folding Mirrors
Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series mirrors include the Clearview Original, Next Gen and Compact styles. Clearview Towing Mirrors to suit the LC200www.clearviewaccessories.com.au
Any chance these would work?
I almost pulled the trigger on the Prado version for my GX460, I know a couple of people were using them on the GX460 here in the US and they worked.
I also saw this and didn't quite follow:
"Heated Mirrors. When the side mirrors are fogged up, they can be cleared by turning on the rear window demister."
They sy they're a drop in replacement but if you watch the video you have to transplant the camera.
So, they're actually not???
I bought the ClearView Mirrors and I love them. I bought them used but they were like new. The version I bought was for the 2018 and I had to hardwire it to match my 2011 bc the only feature my OEM mirror had were power fold which the ClearView mirrors did not have. I tested each wife with a 12v tester to figure out which wore in the OEM harness since it wasn’t plug and play. Ran wires from my front blinkers to the Clearvews to get the mirror blinkers working. Got everything wire up correctly. The only issue is that when I press the mirror switch to move the mirrors left they go right and it does that with all directions. ClearView sent me new motors and same issue. Definitely don’t have the wires hooked up wrong. Might be something with the relays somewhere.I took a hard look at Clearview.
However, Clearview's website reminds me of a snow-job meaning buried under an avalanche of features.
They tell you they have features A,B,C,D,E,F,G,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z.
So you might say hey, that's a lot, sounds good.
What they DON'T say is we have all features EXCEPT H & Q.
This would be an exclusionary way of presenting the features.
I see this snow-job approach all the time in certain types automotive and other service contracts which, if presented that way, I don't buy either.
But the mirrors are awesome and permanent. I can see a ton of stuff yhat I couldn’t see before, even with the clip-on tow mirrors. A+ mod in my book.
Nice and level!
Have you considered a shorter hitch to reduce rear axle to tow ball distance?
Ive considered cutting it and redrilling a new pin hole. It was fine on my F150 but on my GX and LX it sticks out ridiculously far.
But also, being a weight distribution hitch, im not sure it matters so much.
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That could be an easy mod worth doing and would improve directional stability/any sway tendency. I tow a similar size travel trailer with a LC200 without WDH (have my reasons not to want to use one) and have kept that distance short, within reason. Works well, no sway issues.
Ayup. Likewise, my trailer is lifted with upsized tires. You'll need a bigger drop hitch if you intend to lift or fit larger tires.
I second @2021 LC200 recommendation to shorten the shank if you find that you want it to tow even better. I cut 2" off mine and drilled a new hole. It didn't necessarily need it, but I wanted to decrease any chance that stability or cantilevered loads became an issue as my trailer is almost 1200lbs tongue weight. Not unlike giving the LX 4" more wheelbase.
I think we have the same tongue jack
I am no expert but I am surprised at your trailer being so low after the lift. I know that you don’t need my approval but your hookup looks good. I wore out a set of tires prematurely by not having my trailer level when on the road because it puts a lot of weight on one axle so I try a little harder to keep the trailer level. I would go down to a local hitch shop and ask for their advice.
Its a very low trailer. Not my trailer but the same trailer:
It has Dexter Torsion axles, which I wasn't really paying attention too when I bought it. It also was running like 185/80R13's. The other issue was that the axles are so close together that it really limits tire size. I upgraded to 205/75R14's but that was about all I could run(I think I could have run a 215/75R14) without possibly getting tire to tire contact in some situations.
I ended up having plates fabricated to not only lower the axles 3" but also spread them apart as well so I can safely fit a 235/75R15, which is the largest ST tire available for a 5 lug axle. Between the lift and tire size I would gain 5" of clearance.
