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  1. #1
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    Towing with a Tacoma

    Any of you boys pulling with a Tacoma. How do you like it? Good tow vehicle for a tin bass boat? What do you not like? Thanks

  2. Member bamabassmaster's Avatar
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    #2
    It pulls my tin rig just fine. I believe they are rated to tow up to 5000 lbs with the v6. Tow my glass rig with it occasionally but fuel mileage suffers with the weight of the bigger boat.
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  3. Member Junk Fisherman's Avatar
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    #3
    My 2008 with the V6 is rated up to 6500 lbs. It towed my 17.5' semi-deep tin V great. My X-190 is 1300 lbs so it is heavier but the Tacoma still does a great job towing it. I can definitely feel it back there but overall I am satisfied. Fuel mileage is terrible.

    The V6 Tacoma would easily tow any of the tin bassboats.
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  4. Member
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    #4
    I had a 2011 with the V-6 that was rated at 3500# towing. Pulled my tracker with no problem. Mileage dropped from 21 to 16 but that's typical. IIRC if it had been equipped with the tow package the tow rating would have been 5000#. It was a good truck. The only reason I got rid of it was to get a bigger truck to pull a camper.

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    #5
    I tow my PT 190 with a 2009 V6 Taco with tow package. 4 years with no problems at all. We take it fully loaded with wife and two kids on a 5 hour trip to PA every year and no problems. Perfect match.

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    #6
    I tow with my 4 liter v6 as well.. pull an Allison xb2003 with no problems... also towed my old gambler 209, was a tad heavy and a tandem trailer, but it pulled it ok.. I'd have no bones about towing your rig.. hey are no full size tuck but I have no complaints.. most v6's come with the tow package. If I were buying a new truck I'd buy American and get a 1/2T. The fuel mileage in my taco is about the same as a full size

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    #7
    I have a 2015 4runner basically the same thing, little heavier. I tow a 97 procraft 180 it letterally weighs a ton and pulls it great. About 15 mpg.

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    #8
    I test drove the new 3.5l Taco after buying my RT188 Ranger. IMO it didn't have near the uuuumph of our 2010 AWD 4.0l 4-Runner. It's rated to tow more, but I don't see how. I guess at the cost of better MPG? Our Runner averages 3 MPG better than my Tundra and the new 3.5 Taco supposedly a couple more than that. Or as mentioned about the same as a domestic F/S half ton. I kept the Tundra and the old Runner.

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    #9
    Plenty of friends with them ... NO ISSUES AT ALL.
    The Tacoma is a very capable mid-sized truck.

  10. Member 06 SB's Avatar
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    #10
    I have a 2015 Tacoma with the last year of the 4.0L V6 and is rated to tow 6500lbs. It pulls my Pantera II just fine. I know it is back there and it is no V8 but it is still very safe. One of the things I noticed is that my mileage drops quite a bit if I tow above 70mph. I just drive about that speed. I get 20-21mph when not towing.

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  11. Member
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    #11
    I have a FJ Cruiser and the motor is very similar to the Tacoma and I tow my 19ft Stratos with it and you definitely know that the boat is back there. If you are towing a tin boat then it should be fine but if you are towing a bigger fiberglass boat you may want to look at the Tundra.
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  12. Member
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    #12
    I have a 2015 Taco 4.0L V-6 and tow a Stratos 285 ProXL, 18.5' with 150 Johnson. No worries.

  13. Member wicked's Avatar
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    #13
    2014 4Runner 6 cyl. with tow package. Tow Nitro Z7 and no issues at all.
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  14. Member berudd's Avatar
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    #14
    My dad tow's his 21 foot glass boat all over with his so towing an aluminum boat should be no issue. I would, however, stick with the V6 4x4 model and option it with any additional towing package they offer.
    Bruce
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  15. Member
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    #15
    There's a guy that fishes in the Costa and BFL series in the Ozark division that tows a Ranger Z520C with his Tacoma.

    I asked him if he had any problems towing and he said no. Then he told me that the newer Tacomas have a better horsepower, torque, and tow rating than most 1/2 tons from 10 years ago and the next time I walk through boat parking to look at all the older trucks.
    He has a point.

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    #16
    Quote Originally Posted by n2ratfishin View Post
    I test drove the new 3.5l Taco after buying my RT188 Ranger. IMO it didn't have near the uuuumph of our 2010 AWD 4.0l 4-Runner. It's rated to tow more, but I don't see how. I guess at the cost of better MPG? Our Runner averages 3 MPG better than my Tundra and the new 3.5 Taco supposedly a couple more than that. Or as mentioned about the same as a domestic F/S half ton. I kept the Tundra and the old Runner.
    I have been looking at a new tacoma, and have heard a few people say that the first ones off the line in 2016 with the new 3.5l engine had the shift-points set up in such a way that they felt really sluggish. I have heard there was a computer chip upgrade or re-program for these that will change the shift-points and make it feel a bit more torque-y. Haven’t had a chance to drive one yet so can’t say myself.

    I have been towing my 19’ basscat pantera classic with my 2.7l 4-cylinder tacoma for several years. Before that I towed a Lund multispecies boat that was roughly the same weight. It’s a dog going up hills and is clearly underpowered, but it works and it stops it just fine. I can put my boat in the mud at unimproved ramps and I towed the boat home from Michigan a few years ago (14hr drive) and it did that fine, it’s just the hills that get it. I can guarantee you that any v6 tacoma will feel like a beast in comparison! If you are comparing the same v6 Tacoma to a big v8 in a new half-ton truck then it’ll probably feel a little sluggish, it’s all in your expectations, but a v6 with the tow package will tow any 18 or 19’ bassboat and a lot of 20’ boats (glass and aluminum) well within the recommended loads, even sticking to 1/2 the tow rating. X2 on the guy who said it'll do as well as most of the v8's from days past.

    The only real knock I’ve heard on the tacomas that I really buy into is the brakes—they still use one disk/one drum brake I believe. My Lund did not have trailer brakes, my cat does—I’ve never felt unable to stop when towing either, but my understanding is that all 4 disc brakes would be better. My own feeling is that I’ll take “outdated” or lesser technology that is proven reliable—both of my tacomas currently are nearing 200,000 miles of driving on potholed dirt roads, winter salt-slush, etc, they’ve had their issues and I’m not one to say Toyota is the cats behind, but I KNOW they work reliably, they’re made in the USA, Toyota has stood behind them (2 new frames both at over 150k miles, free of charge) and the company is as American as Dodge is now!

  17. Member
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    #17
    I have a 2017 Tacoma and pull a Ranger 178vx. It does good. The only thing I wish Toyota had done differently would be to put disc brakes on the rear. When I bought the boat, the trailer brakes weren't working and I can see a huge improvement since getting them fixed.

  18. Member
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    #18
    i had a 1998 tacoma with a V6. it was rated to tow 5000 pounds. i went through two transmissions towing an 18' fiberglass bass boat.
    '98 187 Elite, 175 EFI (Serial 0G750796)

  19. Member
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    #19


    I have a 17....Tows my X19 somewhere every weekend...Most of the posters describe their experiences spot on...I pull my boat in S5 except up a bridge I down shift to S4...It is much easier to tow after break in ...This truck's power curve starts at 3000 rpm's...
    Gets about 14 mpg when towing... For a mid size truck it serves my needs well...
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  20. Member
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    #20
    I tow a 2012 jaguar with my 07 Tacoma. Wouldn't want to bring it through the mountains but it does just fine for me. I pulled a 18' 8" Ranger for 5 years before the Jag with no issues. On the rear drum brake comment, the rear brakes hardly need to do anything. The front brakes do all the work. I have 150k miles on the truck and rear brake pads are still in great shape. What's the point of drum brakes if the load isn't transferred into the rear axel on braking anyway?

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