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bwp777.
Anyone tow their Cat with a Tacoma? Looking at getting a 2015 Tacoma and wouldnt mind being able to use it to pull the Puma on occasion. It has the towing package and is rated for the weight, but I have always had V8s or diesel for pulling so I am a little hesitant. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.UPDATE: Please disregard, for I did not get the truck. Last edited by rlb8s on February 17th, 2018, 2:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
For some reason……I have dealt with this issue for every boat Ive purchased. In short because I never purchased an 8 cylinder vehicle due to the amount of driving I do for work and fuel consumption. BCB and others with more experience than I will respond. What I found is that many 6 cylinder SUVs have the towing capacity, including a Toyota 4 runner. The problem came down to weight of the vehicle. Pulling….no problem…..Stopping quickly, sometimes a problem. If possible I would test tow any new purchase. Compare the weight of the vehicle to the rig. Get somewhere without traffic and hit the brakes a little. See how hard it may take for the rig to start sliding. Use some common sense on this. If you are not tied to the Tacoma, there are other 6 cylinder vehicles with towing assist which prevents sway and includes automatic intermittent breaking. I suspect the Tacoma will pull it, and start to sway at 65mph while sliding if you hit the brakes too hard. Still, probably possible and I am only guessing. Ive pulled large boats with a 4 runner, just carefully.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I hauled an 09 puma from Conway AR to lake fork w/ an 06 wrangler. it was an experience for sure. it rained nearly the entire time there and back. a 6 cyl will do it but it is a strain and stopping, as others will tell you, is the real problem.STAY OUT OF TRAFFIC
Thanks for the input. I ended up not getting the truck.
I would think a lot of it would have to do with how often you plan on towing and using it as your tow vehicle. If youre going to use it as your primary tow vehicle I think its going to put a lot more wear and tear than what it was designed for. With the smaller vehicles theyre probably suited more for occasional towing in my opinion.
Dont shy away from 8 cylinders because of mileage. For normal commuting, especially highway driving, some full size trucks are pretty good on gas. Ive owned GMC Sierras 4WD with fuel management 5.3s since 2004 or 2008. I forget which one had the first FMS. Highway speeds 65-70, get 19-20 mpg or more and thats driving terrain in upstate NY, Vermont, and Massachusetts all with plenty of hills. Use cruise control to save on fuel. My normal highway speed is 74-75 a little over speed limit. I usually get 18-20 mph. My overall mileage including with city driving, running around town, highway, and of course towing is 17.3 mph. It tows like a dream and at 6000 lbs has no problems stopping. No swaying (important to use proper drop so trailer is level and not leaning towards back like you see so often. Ive owned GMCs but a buddy has the new Dodge full size and he says he gets good mileage also. So ask around. Dont just depend on window sticker. Ive gotten better highway mileage on every Sierra SLT 4WD Ive owned then whats posted on the sticker. But when not towing, using your cruise control really helps. On level roads Ill use cruise while towing also and I rarely use Tow Mode.
I had a 2012 Tacoma TRD when I bought my 2012 Eyra. It strained to pull and stop the Eyra. I didnt realize how little control I actually had till I traded truck for F 150 with Eco Boost engine. If your gonna just tow a short bit to ramp, OK. If your gonna tow on the highways I would not recommend. Actually got better mileage with F 150 than Tacoma.
I run an 07 tacoma 4.0. It tows my classic just fine, all over the southeast. I get 20-21 mph highway, about 15 towing in hilly areas as around Birmingham. Turn off overdrive and it hauls my classic just fine. Never a problem at any ramp I have hit, including those at Ross Barnett and similar. I owned a Dodge v8 15 years ago and my Tacoma is a better tow vehicle than that 318 v8 dodge was… MUCH better gas mileage as well… I would probably want something bigger to tow a 21-22 boat, but for my classic, the Tacoma does exactly what is needed.
Ive towed a Cougar with a 2015 Toyota Tacoma V-6, with no problems.
towing or pulling is really never the issue.STOPPING what you have attached in a hurry is an entirely different matter all its own. keep this in mind as someone mentioned to me, lets say you are pulling your prized possession and a quick stop is needed, but instead of stopping, your precious possession pushes you into the fray and things get all wadded up. “YOUR” insurance could find you negligent as well as the other part/parties insurance if your vehicle is considered under powered in the braking department. this is why I said, stay out of trafficbutsometimes, traffic finds you
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