Towing a Ranger 25c on tandem trailer with a 2015 toyota tun

[Sealeggs]

I posted this once before and one of you responded and mentioned a thread. Not very computer literate and couldnt find it. We do live in the mountains of North Idaho and would appreciate any help, info, war stories of towing or suggestions on what most of you tow with

 

[tlkenyon]

We tow our R25sc with a GMC 2500 Duramax diesel w/ Allison tranny. Do not hardly know that it is there.

TK

 

[Scuffy]

We tow a R27 with a 2009 Chevy 2500 HD Dura max diesel with an Allison transmission. I don't how far you plan to tow your boat. That makes a difference. If you are pulling a lot of long pulls in the hills make sure you have a transmission temperature gauge and a transmission cooler. Our boat is weighs in at a little over 10k. We have about 840 pounds of tongue weight from the trailer on the truck. Our truck is rated for 14k. Make sure your truck and hitch setup is rated for a little more than your boat weighs loaded for a trip. Invest in electric over hydraulic brakes with disc brakes on both axles. Buy quality trailer tires. Have the wheels balanced. Check air pressure religiously. Keep boat fuel and water to a minimum when towing. Make sure your trailer tongue is dead level when everything is loaded and your ready to go. Weigh your rig on a certified truck scale to get an idea of what is really going on. Figure out what you tongue weight is actually. My guess is the Tundra platform can be a little thirsty without pulling anything. If you intend to tow a lot a diesel will make it easier and usually get better mpg than a gasser. We use Michelin XPS rib radials on the trailer we had enough of ST rated trailer tires that are made in China. I'm sure others will chime in, Just my opinion here.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

I agree with Dave 100%, he is a smart guy. We also have a 2500 GMC 4x4 (about the same as a Chevy but better!, just kidding), Duramax Diesel and Allison Transmission. For how we trailer I would only have a diesel, however if you're only towing very short distances a gas engine could do the job. I'm not informed about the Dodge Hemi gas but maybe someone with this combo will chime in. Another option to save on the brakes and transmission would be the diesel exhaust brake system. We have 64,000 miles on our truck and the brakes are at 85%.

Jim F

 

[Just Dreamin']

Ditto to the comments by Dave and Jim. We use a Silverado 2500HD with Duramax and Allison gearbox - great combo! The trucks engine exhaust brake (Jake Brake) system and tow/haul mode feature reduces brake wear and transmission heat when towing our R25 classic. The tow/haul mode, especially in traffic, makes gear selection for the engine/transmission thought free and keeps the transmission temps lower. We just returned (last week) from a week on the Erie Canal and managed to arrive in the Cleveland area at the height of evening rush hour 🙁 . Between traffic and road construction the truck would have been constantly shifting between gears 1,2, and 3 - tow/haul extends out shift points thus no strain and transmission temp only came up by 5-10 degrees. The tug was a little heavier than we normally would have liked for towing but since diesel fuel on the Erie Canal is not easily found we departed our homeport with more fuel on-board and still managed to average a 12+ mpg.

 

[PhilR]

Me too....2013 Chevy 2500HD w/Duramax Diesel and Allison transmission. Would use nothing less.

 

[S. Todd]

I tow a 2015 R25SC with a 1997 F250 7.5 ltr. (the old 460) with tow package (7.5 mpg but the truck only gets 12-13 mg without a trailer). It is an old truck (photo of the combo is in my album) and only has a 4 speed automatic and I take it out of overdrive unless going down a long down grade. It is relatively flat here in the Midwest compared to the rocky mountains. Tongue weight on an aluminum tandem axle trailer measured with a tongue weight scale is 630 lbs. I tow with an empty fresh and black water tanks and buy my fuel as close to the ramp as practical, trying to end the last cruise with less than a half tank of fuel. I try to put the heavy personal gear (inflatable tender, tool boxes, etc.) in the truck for the tow. My typical trip to the ramp is between 200 and 300 miles. The best just under $1000 upgrade you can spend is electric over hydraulic disc brakes on the trailer (I would always do this for a boat in this weight category unless you live across the street from the ramp). My next truck will likely be a 350 dually - I have not yet decided on the diesel option because I only put about 4,000 miles per year on the truck.

 

[BB marine]

I'm going to put same vehicle different power train into the mix for the people that are on the fence Diesel/Gas. There is no argument that the power and fuel economy of the diesel is better then the gas engine . 6.6 L Duramax 397HP 765ftlbs torque comes with a cost ,initial cost between $6000.00 and $8000.00 depending on model and then the preventative maintenance cost are higher fuel filters, oil changes , air filters, cost of common rail fuel injectors, EGR valves, DEF additive . Gas engine 6.0 L approx. 4 mpg less fuel economy , 360 HP, 380ftlbs Torque , oil changes at Chevrolet garage 49.95 including tire rotation, air filter 14.95 . To make up for the double ftlbs of torque GM put a 4.10 gear in the rear end . The Duramax has a 3.73 gear . The 2500 HD with either power train has a heavy duty chassis, its equipped with heavy duty tow package , class V hitch with a max conventional towing capacity of 14500lbs , the gas has a 300lb higher payload because of the extra weight of the Duramax power train.
We have a 2016 26 Cutwater on a tri-axel Integrity custom bunk trailer. I have installed 12000lbs SC Reese distribution bars with a 12000lbs bar and ball mount. I have not weighted the boat, trailer and equipment but I'm estimating it at 10,000lbs . We have a 2016 2500HD standard Cab 4WD 6.0 Gas with 4.10 rear end and 6 speed transmission . It has trailer mode and hill brake, While towing I put it in manual 5 . I can run on normal grades at 65mph with cruise on 2400 rpm . When I get into hills I down shift to 4th gear running approx 3200 rpm still maintain 65mph ( I don't use cruise in the hills ) down hill shift into 6 and run approx. 1700 rpm ( you don't have to do the manual shift but even with the trailer mode it seemed to lug the engine down more before shifting with having it in D) maintaining trans temp and engine temp at normal operating temperatures. My fuel economy towing averaged 8mpg not good but that is the difference of 6.0 and 6.6 The weight distribution bars reduce sway, keep the tow vehicle and trailer level and may give a better ride. While not required on the 2500HD I added them. We have only had the boat since April and the truck for a few months and towed approx 500 miles so this is by no means an expert opinion . We are towing the boat to Clifton Tennessee in a couple weeks to take a trip on the Tennessee river and attend the AGLCA Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler. We are looking forward to the trip and seeing how the truck does in the Southern IL. and Kentucky hills.

 

[scross]

The OP is not asking about towing a R27 with a Tundra. I still believe that towing a R25 with properly equipped Tundra is a reasonably safe thing to do on all but extreme grades.
By properly equipped I mean the following -
Keeping the gross trailer weight with boat under 9,700 pounds.
Having electric over hydraulic brakes on all four trailer wheels is an ABSOLUTE requirement
Having properly rated and properly inflated tries on trailer and truck
Keeping the trailer level to the ground while towing
Keeping tongue weight between 6-9% of gross trailer weight
Having a Class IV or V (recommended) receiver bolted to your Tundra's frame with a shank and ball rated for a absolute minimum of 10,000 pounds (12,000 pound ratings are preferred)
Having the trailer brakes dialed in to work with equal force as the truck brakes
Having air bags on the rear of truck to ensure you can adjust the hitch height to have the trailer level to the ground
Heavy duty shocks and springs in the Tundra on both axles
Having the towing package with HD transmission and oil coolers on the Tundra
Use the tow haul feature and disengage overdrive while towing
Having the TRD performance brake package installed on the Tundra
Picking the 5.7 liter engine in the double cab 4x4 configuration to maximize all the towing load ratings (IMHO a Crew Max Tundra will NOT WORK for towing an R25)
Don't tow in bad weather or when road conditions are bad
Knowing ALL your towing load limitations and ensuring you are within all numbers - the more margin the better!

All that said, having a 4 or 5 decades of experience towing heavy and/or 30 ft + trailers on long x-c trips is a big plus. I would not want to try or ever recommend anyone try towing an R25 with your Tundra if you have never towed a long or heavy trailer before.

There are more factors to consider but that's what's on the top of my head tonight. Sure it would be nice to be able to afford a new F350 or such to tow with but with that extra money you could have bought a new R29 instead!! Good luck and be safe out there!!

 

[knotflying]

Here is my single thought; if you aren't sure about something and you have to think about it, then you shouldn't do it. Driving white knuckled with a marginal tow vehicle is not a fun drive and can be more expensive than having the right vehicle in the first place.

Mike Rizzo

 

[Scuffy]

It looks like the Toyota Tundra has to be set up just right to do the job. If you actually crawl under both trucks the out of the box GMC 2500 HD 4 wheel drive with the Duramax and Allison transmission it will be obvious that the truck are much, much more heavy duty than the Tundra. I think Tundra's are wonderful trucks but for in this application I think they are marginal. If you consider the difference in fuel mileage by 4 miles per gallon over the course of 50,000 miles that adds up. I think local towing it would be fine. On long hard pulls maybe not so much. Having 660 ft. pounds of torque at 1700 rpm's(about 60 mph) makes for easy passing and a lot less transmission shifting. I know in heavy cross wind situations the heavier duty truck pays dividends. I think it makes for just a more relaxed driving experience allowing you to travel further with no white knuckles. If anyone with the money to buy either and they drove both the Toyota pulling a R-25 and a 2500 HD equipped with a Duramax pulling an R-25 I think it would be game over for the Toyota. But that's just me.

 

[scross]

I didn't interpret the OPs original question as, "I don't have a truck. What should I buy?" That would be a completely different post. I read, " I have a Tundra. Will it do the job?" So I tried to answer that question based on my experience towing our R25 with my Tundra.
And I don't tow with white knuckles, just 100% attention like everyone should when towing.

 

[cruz-in]

This type of topic is debated at great length on RV forums.

IMHO:

1) Determine all the towing specs for your specific truck. Max tow Capacity, GVWR, GCVWR, front and rear axle max weight, etc. To be legal you need to stay within ALL of these. Make sure you are not looking at brochures. You need the numbers for your exact truck. These are usually much lower than brochure numbers.

2) Folks that say: I own one and it tows great (while well meaning) are providing no useful info unless they quote all the weights.

3) Saying it tows fine is meaningless. Most vehicle that are overloaded will tow acceptable. Get in an evasive maneuver and then find out how your overloaded vehicle handles.

Not meaning to imply any respondents to this thread are unsafe or overloaded....just giving my thoughts independent of what has been said so far.

 

[jld]

My answer to the question about "towing a Ranger 25c on tandem trailer with a 2015 toyota tun" would be there is no were near enough information given by the OP to answer the question.

To determine if a tow vehicle is adequate, one needs to look at the towing capacity, payload capacity, and the installed hitch on any specific vehicle.

Some of the factors involved in looking at towing and payload capacity are: body style (regular cab, crew cab, etc.) engine size, engine type (gas or diesel), transmission, and rear end ratio. Thus, there can be big difference between two trucks of the same make.

Quite often the limiting factor in towing is the payload capacity of the vehicle. The only way to know the true towing capacity on any vehicle is to look at the sticker on the door and then get a weight of the truck and the boat/trailer on a scale.

If you are trying to estimate, the sticker will show the capacity of the vehicle, including any factory options. One then needs to account for the weight of any dealer or owner installed options. On my truck, this involves the running boards, bed cover, and my tool box. In my case, this is about 150 lbs of payload that I have lost. Then factor in the weight of the passengers and any other cargo that is being hauled in the truck and subtract this from the remaining payload number. Another factor going in the payload is the tongue weight on the hitch from the boat and trailer. Tongue weight can even vary depending on how the trailer built (i.e. placement on the axles).

Jim

 

[scross]

I am in complete agreement with Jim's comments. Every truck and trailer combination are built slightly or greatly different and you need to make your evaluation of towing capability based on your truck and your trailer.
The OP did not give enough information about his 2015 Tundra to evaluate its suitability or unsuitability for towing an R25.
You definitely need to know all the factory towing weight maximums for your specific rig and see how those compare to your actual measured weights. Then you need to see if you are comfortable with the margins between actual and maximum based on your towing experience and the environmental limitations you place on yourself while towing. (e.g. I know many folks who will not tow at night just because they don't feel comfortable doing so.)
In my case the most restrictive weight is truck payload. At 6,050 pounds for the Tundra with me and a full tank of gas, I have only 150 pounds of payload capacity left after adding the weight of Vicki and the trailer tongue weight. So we pack light when towing!
I am comfortable with the margins for all the other weights on my specific truck and trailer set-up given my towing experience and the limitations I put on myself about where and when I will tow.