Towing with a 55? (1 Viewer)

[jmylie]

I looked at my owners manual and there was not 1 thing about the towing capacity.

I have a 77 FJ55, so it has front disc brakes, stock 2F and a hitch.

We have been thinking about purchasing a small (between 2500 and 3000 lbs) travel trailer to be pulled by my FJ Cruiser for road trip vacations with my wife.

I wheel my 55 and usually camp in a tent. Being able to bring a travel trailer on these trips would result in more use of the trailer, as well as more comfort.

I did do a search but did not find a lot of info. One post indicated a rating of 2000 kg or 4400 lbs. Nothing on the internet for a 42 year old vehicle.

So, what is the opinion of the group, is it ok to tow a travel trailer behind a FJ55?

Thanks

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Hook it up and see how it pulls and stops.

 

[gmac]

This might help you,

1977 FJ40: Towing an Off-Road Camper Trailer

I have a 1977 FJ40 that I'd like to tow a camper trailer with. I'm looking at a couple of different off-road trailers, but I'm concerned they may be too big/heavy. I'd like to be able to tow to both local and out-of-state camping spots with the FJ40. I am doing an H55F 5-speed swap in the 40...

forum.ih8mud.com

Personally I would not tow something that heavy with a 55. By the time you are done loading it (wet), you will be quite a bit over the 3,000 lbs. Not enough power or braking power in my opinion. My trailer is around 700 lbs dry (maybe 1,000 lbs wet). No brakes on the trailer. Wouldn't want to tow anything heavier. Mountain passes are slow. Sorry, I don't think there is a black and white answer on this.

 

[J Mack]

We have been thinking about purchasing a small (between 2500 and 3000 lbs) travel trailer to be pulled by my FJ Cruiser for road trip vacations with my wife.

Your FJ Cruiser's towing capacity is 5,000 lbs and about double the HP of your FJ55. Toyota FJ Cruiser - Wikipedia

Your FJ55's towing capacity is 3,500 lbs according to Toyota 4x4 Land Cruisers but at around 100 HP on its best day dragging 7,900 lbs up even a slight grade would be agonizingly slow and a big mountain pass might be a deal breaker.
A FJ60 is 3,500 lbs with similar drive train so that's probably about right.

 

[SteveH]

At sea level on flat ground, you could likely tow 2500# successfully for short distances.

 

[lcwizard]

invest in the tow package....V-8. Brakes are the same, more or less as a 60 series. I towed frequently with mine but it had a a 350, 700r
4:88s. It also ran on 35" tires. 35's made the braking marginal so you just need to leave space. The braking is a non issue if you add trailer brakes. I have a 3500lb trailer with 12" drums and it will pull my 60 down to a stop even if my truck's brakes fail. it stops as well
or better with the trailer attached

 

[jmylie]

This is kind of what I thought. Manual steering and brakes were my biggest concern. While we have some good sized hills here in the east, none would qualify as a mountain pass. Three hours to NH or maybe 5 hrs to PA would be the farthest I would go.

Guess I'll leave the towing to the FJC.

Thanks