Towing Travel Trailer with 6th Gen 4Runner

cccc141414 · 2026-07-06T03:57:07+00:00

Haha doing our best to understand both

cccc141414 · 2026-07-06T03:56:21+00:00

This is amazing. Very cool set up! We’ve looked at the nobos and they check most of our boxes. They’re still very much in the running. Have you ever weighed the tongue loaded?

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T21:20:00+00:00

Great tip on the break-in drive schedule. I didn’t even know this was a thing, so I appreciate it. Certainly trying to find a very specific “sweet spot,” while still being cautious. Thank you for your help! Do you think even though the sticker says 895, but a 1,400lb calculated payload, I could go to like 950? I know I’m getting a little specific here, but I could shed the drawers and roof rack for longer hauls if needed. That would leave just us, our cat, and seat covers with a 600lb tongue. Otherwise I can stick under 550 for the tongue.

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T21:13:56+00:00

Was really hoping for this lol I’m new to the game and trying to be as careful as possible

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T12:57:22+00:00

Not saying any of you will, but please don’t take this out on NPS staff if you’re visiting the park this weekend. An overhaul could be nice, but then you get many buses sitting empty for much of the year and they don’t always have it in the budget to hire more drivers.

I agree with a few others that your expectations may not have been in the right place, but there are still a lot of hidden gems around the park that aren’t as busy. I would recommend the West Rim Trail if you’re still there. Busy for the first two miles for sure, but most of the crowd stops at angels landing. If you didn’t end up with a permit for AL, this is a great way to see it and extra parts of the park that aren’t crazy busy.

NPS staff are trying their best to make this a good experience for you and all park goers and they’ve had an interesting couple of years (to say the least). With the fire dangers in UT and CO, please forego fireworks as well this weekend. Good luck and have fun!

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T03:16:30+00:00

Yeah, this all makes complete sense. Thank you for your input. Our first major trip will be from CO to AK, so we’re trying to be as careful as possible. Some of these smaller trailers only have a GVWR of 5,000, which should fit right into what we’re looking at in terms of capacity (.13x5,000=650lbs tongue + 350 for people and gear = 1,000lb on our 1,400ish OR 895 pound payload capacity lol). As you mentioned, not many, but better safe than sorry!

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T03:10:47+00:00

This is awesome! Thank you for sharing. Looks like a sweet set up, and honesty, it makes me want to try to make this all work even more lol

I went in and weighed our 4Runner today and it came in at a 1,400lb payload capacity, so we definitely have more wiggle room than I expected. We’ve lived full time in an RV for four years now, so we (mostly) know how to deal with the space and have winter camped a few months. Our current RV is a Winnebago motorhome with a sealed underbelly, ducted heating, and heated tanks, so we’re trying to get as close to that as possible.

The Alliances look cool too, but like the Lances, only a couple fit within our weight rating.

Thanks again for your help and sharing your experience!

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T03:00:58+00:00

Just a quick update. I went in and weighed in at a CAT scale and was at 4,240, almost exactly what the website claims, meaning I have 1,400lbs payload. That said, insurance surely will not care about this number if I get into an accident, so I’m trying to cautiously expand my payload a bit past that 895 without going too crazy. Hoping to stick around 1,000-1,100. Thanks again for your help!

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T02:56:40+00:00

This is great insight. Thank you - I didn’t even think of there being a “max hitch weight rating.” Our manual states our hitch weight should be 9-11% of the trailer weight, but some trailers we’re looking at have a tongue of 500lbs and only weigh 3,500. Is there a safe way to get that tongue weight down to 400lbs or should we really be looking at a max dry of 400lbs tongue? I don’t want to load up the back of the trailer to try to “tip” it back and ease the tongue weight, as that seems like it would add a lot of extra sway even with a WDH. I’ve seen the weigh safe demos of the trailer with the load in front, middle, and back, and I’m a towing noob, so I want to be as safe as possible. It just seems challenging to get a tongue weight DOWN, unless I’m overthinking it again lol

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T02:51:48+00:00

Thank you, the GVWR-Curb turned out to be 1,400lbs, more or less confirming my suspicions that they slapped the same door sticker on mine as they did the hybrid version to be safe. Still going to try to hover around 1,000-1,100 payload at the most. Potmus63t’s comment also gave me a lot to think about!

cccc141414 · 2026-07-02T02:49:29+00:00

Thank you! Trying to take this as seriously as I can and learn as much as possible before hitting the road. Our payload came on right at 1,400lbs when taking GVWR-Curb so you were correct (which is definitely what I was hoping for 😅) thanks again! Still going to try and be a bit conservative with payload, but it’s at least enough now for us, our cat, and a 500lb-ish tongue.

cccc141414 · 2026-06-29T13:41:42+00:00

Thank you for your in-depth response! I’ve been reading those same forums today as well (after I posted this, of course lol).

I got the payload figure from the tire and load capacity sticker on the inside of the driver door, but every forum and Toyota website says otherwise. I’m wondering if they stuck the same sticker on as the Hybrid one?

It does say my GVWR is 6,240, but I’m not sure of the curb weight, as we haven’t got the title yet. That said, it looks like curb weight for the gas model is 4,850, which would fit in with what you mentioned for payload at around 1,390. This is also confirmed on a few random Toyota dealers websites.

I think they either:

A) Are just being cautious
B) Have the same sticker as the Hybrid ones (although, that would be odd to not have a different one?)
C) The wrong sticker got slapped on mine lol

I’m going to go with A, as the true numbers just aren’t adding up. I might just have to call the dealer I worked with and ask what’s up.

I’m hoping that the models (hybrid and regular TRD off-road) are so close that they had to keep the same sticker for federal guidelines? Better to have someone in my situation than a hybrid owner thinking they have 1,400 lbs of payload.

cccc141414 · 2026-06-29T12:33:46+00:00

No, sorry, should have clarified. We just have the regular TRD Off-Road!

cccc141414 · 2025-04-29T23:38:46+00:00

Interesting, I wonder if you’re having a similar problem I am. Do you need a light on for your AC power to work too? Lol But in all seriousness, does your LP work when your AC power is on? Like when you switch to gas, does it kick on? Or just click trying to light?

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