Toyota Tundra enough truck for an Elite II?

[Beaver Pilot]

Is anyone pulling an Elite II with a Toyota Tundra? We’re any modifications needed?

Thanks

[topgun2]

You will need the Andersen weight distribution hitch and you will need to watch your cargo carrying capacity.

Bill

[rideandfly]

We used to tow with a 2016 5.7L Tundra 4X4 and could reach the pickup's GVW quickly with the LE2 Ollie connected.  Here's a few post on page 6 of this thread for our new 2022 Tundra towing our LE2. So far no pickup modifications made with stock coil springs on the rear differential, but air bags would be a nice factory option.

 

[Jstone]

We tow with it’s SUV brother, a 2010 Sequoia, which has a 9500lb. tow rating and 1320lb. payload; just 2 of us, and our tent-camping habits allow us to easily stay within the payload capacity. We’ve used CAT scales in winter, when we’re carrying the heaviest payload, with no problems. The Anderson is a must; we get 12-10 mpg, depending on flat land or mountain towing.

[John E Davies]

FYI the Tundra comes with much better axle ring and pinions for towing, 4.30 ratio. The Land Cruisers and Sequoias have taller gears (my 2013 LC200 is 3.90, later ones are 3.03 😳) and they will struggle more in the mountains. Your Tundra will do fine in that respect. I would love to put two sets of Tundra gears in my truck, but $$$$$.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Patriot]

3 hours ago, topgun2 said:

You will need the Andersen weight distribution hitch and you will need to watch your cargo carrying capacity.

Bill

Agree with Bill. We had a 2014 Tundra and eventually bumped up to a F350 6.7 diesel one ton. Our 14 Tundra ran much higher RPMs in the mountains and never really felt as planted as our Super Duty. Quite honestly no comparison between the two trucks.
We looked hard at the new 2022 Toyota, unfortunately with a cargo capacity of only 1400 lbs we knew this was not adequate for cargo our needs and we would be quickly close or over legal weight limits. We always pull our Ollie with a full fresh water tank and plenty of camping gear, and a generator in the bed which quickly eats up 1400 lb limit.

With the F350 we are well within our safety margin of cargo weight which eliminates that concern. Also the larger Super Duty Cab we find so much more comfortable and we feel safer on long trips than we did with the Tundra for many reasons. We sold our Andersen hitch after we sold our Tundra as it is not needed with our Super Duty. The Super Duty also has a longer bed than our former Tundra which again helps accommodate all of our gear, tools, etc.

Good luck with your choice!
 

 

[Jstone]

The 2010 Sequoia with the tow package & 5.7 engine had the  4.3:1 final drive ratio….it truly is a SUV version of a Tundra, at least for the era that I own.

[csevel]

I have a '20 Tundra TRD Sport which was purchased before I knew I'd own an Oliver and right after Covid began and dealers were desperate.   

I have done no suspension modifications but added taller Michelin Defender tires.    I do have the TRD sway bars and Bilstein shocks which I think are helpful features.  I have no squat at all with the WDH.  Outside of payload, which is low..around 1300# .. I find it to be a perfectly acceptable tow vehicle for the ILOVHER.   It has plenty of power with the V8 and when using the Tow/Haul mode, the transmission comes to life.    RPMs at times can tip up to 3k+ if you're a lead foot but doesn't stay there.   I like the integrated brake controller and the plug and play seven pin.   

I am certain when its time to do brakes, I'm going big ProComp slotted.  I would just feel safer with bigger braking power.  The other thing I will add at a later date is  an external transmission cooler.   Somehow Toyota slipped that out of the builds starting in 2019 and uses some kind of heat exchanger.    All three of my pre 2009 V8 4Runners had external coolers.  There is a big stink on the Tundra forums about this as people are scan gauging pretty high ATF temps while towing.

I pack light and distribute weight inside the camper if necessary (like the cooler of ice and beer)  I don't do much mountain driving and if I did, the Tundra would do the job but certainly not as safely as a 3/4 ton or 1 ton diesel.   I also think it's crucial with a half ton truck to have the Andersen WDH; no doubt there!

With all of the above said, if money were no object, I certainly would love a larger truck but it's not in the cards as of now.   The Beast is my daily driver and gas just shot to 5.29 here so I'm going to stick with her for now.   With my travel primarily on the east coast, and not full time as of yet, I think its a good dependable truck for towing my baby ILOVHER.

[ScubaRx]

“Love the one you’re with…”

[wolfdds]

I just traded in a 2012 Toyota Tundra 5.7 L for a 2022 Tundra 3.5 L V6 Twin turbo. It is working great! Big improvement in gas mileage without the Ollie I'm getting 20 mpg in the city, with the Ollie about 13 mpg. I did not have a problem with the old Toyota and the new one is better.

[Bill Slater]

I tow .my Elite 11 with my 2001 Toyota Sequoia 4.7 and it has worked just fine

[John E Davies]

2 hours ago, Bill Slater said:

I tow .my Elite 11 with my 2001 Toyota Sequoia 4.7 and it has worked just fine

How has it worked at 10,000 feet and a 12% climb? Or a 30 mph headwind? Or do you always stay low and in the East? What is your max tow rating, about 6500? It doesn’t take much very power to drive around on flat terrain near sea level😬

John Davies

Spokane WA

[katanapilot]

Just towed our Elite II from Georgia to Fairbanks via the Alcan. 2011 Tundra 5.7 modified with a Magnuson supercharger (same kit as used to be offered by Toyota through TRD), OME suspension and EBC yellow brake pads. Truck and trailer performed well, although there were grades that required downshifting to third or fourth gear and RPM’s at 3-4k at times. Mileage varied greatly depending on winds from 8.5 to 11.5 mpg on premium fuel. I drove at 60-65 on average, but had to slow to 35 at times for potholes and frost heave on the Alcan. 
 

Supercharger is clearly not necessary on a Gen 2 Tundra, but the extra horsepower and torque at lower rpm’s was nice. 
 

New Tundra would be great once they work out all the new design bugs. 

Edited July 19, 2022 by katanapilot
Added text for clarification

[Mountainman198]

2018 Tundra SR longbed 4X4 with 1430 lb payload.  Have towed all over the SouthWest, Midwest and thru TN and KY with no issues.  Tow with the Andersen hitch.  12 mpg and plenty of power and braking.  Added Firestone airbags and inflate to 25 lbs which eliminates any jouncing.  Also tow with a 1 ton Dodge diesel single rear wheel 4X4.  Mpg towing with the diesel is 16 mpg and obviously much more cargo capacity.  Between the two, honestly I prefer the Tundra.  Nicer ride and my 1 ton is huge overkill IMO for the Elite II the way I drive (65-67 mph).

I have spoken to owners of the new Tundra who tow a 25' Airstream and they said it tows great.  If you can find one, I don't think you can go wrong.  I am a displacement guy so the 5.7 V* is high on my list but from what I have heard, the new turbo V6 Tundra does the job too.

 

[ScubaRx]

I’m unfamiliar with the terms “overkill” and “tow vehicle” when used in the same sentence. How can one have too much capability? 
 

Personally, I need over 3000 pounds of cargo capacity. Could I travel with less? Probably, but I absolutely wouldn’t be able to fix your trailer with a set of broken springs on the side of the road. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

I’m unfamiliar with the terms “overkill” and “tow vehicle”

I have to agree with ScubaRx. I have always preferred having more weight, more torque, more power than might be needed. It is in my nature to over prepare, to be ready for the unexpected. I usually take more than I need but, on occasion, I am rewarded for my approach. More frequently, someone else, that is less prepared than me, benefits from my approach.

[Slt3888]

Catching this thread late but…
 

Had a 2019 Platinum CrewMax, 5.7, Magnusen Supercharger, 3/1” level with Bilsteins and FS Airbags, 35’s on Method 18x9” rims. Loved the truck. Plenty of power and torque.  2019 Elite II (hull 536) lightly loaded with close to max in the Tundra cargo bed. Andersen WDH. No issues towing regardless of terrain (other than 9mpg avg).  
 

But…on a longish loop from NC out to Denver and back we kept throwing the “transmission temperature is high” fault. Happened maybe 6 times. Several Toyota techs along the way said “just ignore it”.
 

Finally, after 6 weeks traveling, the entire dash lit up. All kinds of faults with trailer brake control the most annoying. Stopped for 30 minutes hoping for an ECU reset but no luck. Drove the last 150 miles with manual trailer brake and lots of yellow icons on the dash. 
 

Next day at the Toyota dealer they said the code required a transmission replacement. 45k miles. And…no warranty coverage as it was modified. The SC was installed at the same dealership and at the time (19k miles) the service reps said it would not affect the 5 year/50k drivetrain warranty.  Silly me. 
 

I traded for a 2021 F150 Powerboost the next day.

Still love the looks of the Tundra but think they lost the thread when they took the transmission cooler off the Gen3’s.  And you can argue that they are engineered so that in the unusual case they throw a fault code, its replace only…no repair.  
 

Not sure on the latest V6 but if it performs like the Ford’s eco boost it should be a hit. Love the engine, like having the battery and generator on the powerboost.  Don’t need to travel with the Honda 2200, 11-12mpg on the way out (again) to Denver from NC.  And the 10speed transmission is much smoother than the ‘19 Tundra’s 6 speed.  I’m sure the next gen 10 speed on the Tundra is great as well.

Still early days on the Ford and towing but so far the hottest the transmission fluid has gotten is 212degrees. I’m guessing the Tundra was flashing a warning at 250 or so. 

[rideandfly]

Sorry to hear about your Tundra's transmission troubles. I'm not sure about the 2019 Tundra, but the 2020 and 2021 did not have transmission oil coolers from what I read. Some techs gave you terrible advice to ignore the warning indicators. Hope the F150 works out for you! 👍

Our 2016 SR5 5.7L Gen2 Tundra (no SC) had a transmission oil cooler and did not have any cooling issues towing our LE2 from NC to many states out west including CO.

The new Gen3 2022 Tundra has a transmission oil cooler for the 10 speed transmission with the 3.5L twin turbo V6. Really like this TV towing our LE2. We have been getting 15 1/2MPG in NC & TN. Got our best MPG last week in hilly and flat terrain of 17MPG towing Ollie on 4 lane highways. Found the Tundra is happy towing in 7th gear in hilly terrain & flat terrain on interstates with cruise set @ 61MPH and engine around 2200RPM. Best fuel economy so far not towing is 24.5MPG on a round trip from Charlotte NC to Richmond VA, driving mostly interstates at the posted speed limit.

[Boonter Jeff]

Just came back with an Elite II from Hohenwald to the West Coast (took the long way).  Had a few issues with the trailer but nada with our 2008 Tundra with 5.7 V-8 and tow package.  I’ve owned and towed with bigger trucks but the reliability of a Toyota is so good that I was very happy that it towed the trailer so easily.   If I buy another truck it will be a Tundra.

[Slt3888]

The 19 definitely didn’t have the tranny cooler. Gen 1 & 2 did and the folks I know with them never had issues. Glad to see it back on 4th generation.  Just annoying that the code I read off the transmission fault suggested an open servo gate.  Think I read it is a $50 part. But…no transmission rebuild allowed. 
 

Rideandfly - that’s great gas mileage. I was getting 13.5 until we hit MO. Had a strong head wind pretty much all through Missouri and Kansas. 70-75 punching through the wind brought us down to 11. Overall from NC to Denver 12.2.  Probably the addition of the battery and generator brings the truck weight up / mileage down. 
 

The Ford transmission really holds gear in tow/haul and seems to favor sub 2000 rpm’s. I have to be at 72-73 on a flat to get it to bump up to 10th. It will hold 9th from about 65 - 72 again on flat road.  

[rideandfly]

14 hours ago, Slt3888 said:

The 19 definitely didn’t have the tranny cooler. Gen 1 & 2 did and the folks I know with them never had issues. Glad to see it back on 4th generation.  Just annoying that the code I read off the transmission fault suggested an open servo gate.  Think I read it is a $50 part. But…no transmission rebuild allowed. 
 

Rideandfly - that’s great gas mileage. I was getting 13.5 until we hit MO. Had a strong head wind pretty much all through Missouri and Kansas. 70-75 punching through the wind brought us down to 11. Overall from NC to Denver 12.2.  Probably the addition of the battery and generator brings the truck weight up / mileage down. 
 

The Ford transmission really holds gear in tow/haul and seems to favor sub 2000 rpm’s. I have to be at 72-73 on a flat to get it to bump up to 10th. It will hold 9th from about 65 - 72 again on flat road.  

Fine looking rig!!!!!!!

[dewdev]

slt3888

Welcome to the forum.

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Thanks

[Slt3888]

Good call on adding info to the signature window. 

[csevel]

My understanding from reading the Tundra forums is that there is a bit of anger over Toyota opting out of  the tranny cooler on the 20's and 21's.   Many have used scan gauge tools to measure their temps while towing and have had high temperature readings.  I've owned three V8 Sport 4Runners prior to my Tundra and they all had external coolers.  There are a few owners who are opting for adding aftermarket.  There are even kits available.  I may do this down this road if I ever head west.  My son even added one to his brand new Jeep Gladiator Rubicon as he tows a 19' sticky.   I think it was a poor decision from Toyota to leave it off the build.  

[Rivernerd]

11 minutes ago, csevel said:

Many have used scan gauge tools to measure their temps while towing and have had high temperature readings. 

I now have a Veepeak scan tool that plugs into the OBD2 port on my 2019 Tundra.  $14 from Amazon.

It communicates with my Android smartphone via Bluetooth, through an app downloaded for $5.  So, the total cost was under $20. 

I plan to monitor transmission pan temps when towing (after we pick up our Elite II on November, and in warmer temps next year) to inform our decision whether to install an aftermarket transmission cooler.

I have inferred from posts on the Tundra forums that Toyota is claiming that transmission temps up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit when towing are "acceptable."  Yet, Toyota is now installing transmission coolers on 2022 Tundras, after leaving them off the 2019-2021 model years.  Hmmm.......