There are a few things i would like to adress in this thread.

1. Trailer weight. 600 pounds? Double that. Figure minimum 1100 for a 16 ft car hauler. Make sure it has at least one braking axle, it would be better if it had both.

2. Tranny coolers, bigger is not always better. If you go to big it can actually keep the fluid to cool and cause just as much damage if you overheated it. Get the proper one for your vehicles GCVWR.

3. Air bags: This is the whole reason i decided to post in here. Air bags may raise the rear end up and make the vehicle appear level, but you have not added any weight back over the front end. The rear axle acts as a fulcrum, and the 4runner the lever. If the tongue weight stays the same, guess what, so does the ammount of weight pulled off the front end. You can level it all you want, but the weight is still pulling up on the front end the same. Air bags may help, but a proper weight distribution setup is how to do it correctly. If i remember correctly, toyota even recomends this for loads over 3500 pounds, at least they used to.

I would figure roughly 4.2K-4.5K pounds for the car/trailer combo, plus whatever you load up the runner with.

Towing that kind of load can be done very safely with a Runner, you just have to make sure you pay attention and make the proper vehicle preparations. A proper weight distributing setup is a MUST, not just a suggestion, along with good electronic trailer brakes. Dont go with surge, and try to have brakes on both axles. I have been in a vehicle when trailer brakes failed, and when the brakes on tow vehicle failed. The electronic brakes saved our hides, we were able to use them to stop the truck. get the proper tranny cooler, and make sure your brakes are in Tip-top shape. You may even want to upgrade them if you can.

Would it be better to tow with a full size? Yes, but you dont have to sell your current vehicle just to tow your car, when equipped properly you will be just fine.

 

I forgot to mention the most important thing. My father was towing his boat all over CA with his 2003 stock 4Runner and I have towed it out to AZ with my Taco on several long trips. We have never had any problems with a load of approximately 3000-3500 lbs. I have also pulled an enclosed trailer with my Taco that weighed approximately 4500 lbs. which felt quite heavy but doable for occasional trips. Lots of good advice on upgrades which will make your towing go smoother.

 

I bought a 1991 pickup with a junk engine in it for $500 and then I put a remanufactured 3.0 with upgraded cams and valve springs, improved oil galleries and a larger oil pump. Engine and tranny oil coolers and headers. I'll let you know how this set up works out.

 

11 year old thread replies might be a while in coming.

 

Zombie thread!

 

if it was me i would do some lower gears. 4.56 or 4.88. insta torque

 

I actually thought I replied to a different thread. It's the darn mobile view on my phone.