Towing

[Hawkdriver]

I have been asked to pull a 4000# boat from Alaska to Alabama for a friend. I have a '96 4WD SR5 4Runner with a tow package. What concerns should I have with this proposition????? Thanks for any replies!!!

[RedAE102]

Front end gets a bit light, brakes get hot... that's about it...

http://members.aol.com/edgofsvntn/4runnertowing1.jpg

http://members.aol.com/edgofsvntn/4runnertowing2.jpg

[Hawkdriver]

Does your boat trailer have brakes? Or do you just have the 4Runner brakes? How about speeds? The owners manual says no more than 45, but that would take me 4 months to get to AL. Any thoughts?

[RedAE102]

I figure that boat weighed about 4500-5000 lbs as it sat, at the time, the trailer brakes were not working correctly. We were towing the boat the 2-3 miles down to the launch ramp since our friends' Silverado had sucked a valve and was in the shop. The truck drove fine with the boat behind it, but I wouldn't have wanted to drive it far without the trailer brakes functioning properly.

Basically, I just recommend making sure you perform any needed maintenance on the truck, and change the oil prior to and immediately after making the trip. Also, the transmission could probably use flushing after being worked so hard. If you're interested, the TRD transmission oil cooler is a worthwhile investment. It went on after I had the transmission flushed at only 15,000 miles and the fluid was burnt. After that, I stretched it back out to 30,000 miles between flushes and it never had a problem.