LSV owners...your thoughts?

[masterdinh]

Don't ever use a 4runner or any other standard size SUV to pull your boat. Its not the pulling power, that is the problem, it is the braking power. I was pulling a simple 18.5 sea ray runabout, and I couldn't brake in time and ended up rolling my 4runner, the brakes were horrible. 4runner was totaled, boat just sat there and laughed at me with not a scratch on it. I sold the boat, bought an LSV, and a chevy 2500 for towing., you need the proper braking power, and wheel spacing to tow anything....

Obviously you had bad brakes and didnt brake in time. Maybe your trailer didnt have brakes. My boatmate trailer has brakes and stopping is not a problem. I bet you have the 4.7 V8, thats the same V8 in all Tundra's up to '06 an is still an option for the current models. It has a 7800lb towing capacity. What condition are your brakes in? Is the sport model 4 Runner with the upgraded larger calipers?

Couple of weeks ago I used my brothers 4 runner (4.0 V6) to pull my 23 LSV from the lake to the dealer and had no issues at all.

Hook it up, and pull it around. If it feels fine, then roll on. If you feel you cant manage it, turn around.

Edited February 4, 2009 by masterdinh

[lib135]

It was a limited brand new. Perfect brakes. 4runners are not built for towing boats, don't care what they say.

[Colorado Boat'n]

2 points I'd consider.

1) Ever have a tire blow out on a trailer? If you think your boat pulls your rig around a lot in high wind or when a 18-wheeler passes, wait until you loss a trailer tire at hwy speeds!!! It's happened to me in 2500 HD and I wouldn't have wanted to been in anything smaller. Trailer tires, especially boat trailer tires, are know to blow because of dry rot and just sitting around not being used. Maybe you are good about changing them every three years or so, but with all that $$ rolling down the road it sure makes we want to have a big enough rig if something happens, not to mention the saftey of my family in the truck.

2) Boat trailers do not have brakes in reverse! (A least none that I know of) I've literally slid down a boat ramp backwards in my Jeep Cherokee while unloading our previous 18 ft run-about. I got lucky and didn't hit any persons or boats/trucks, but it's a feeling I wouldn't recommend going through yourself.

We use an '08 Duramax 2500HD to tow our LSV. As others have said, the diesel doesn't even know a boat is back there. Our truck is over kill, but we have to pull Colorado passes to get to Powell and other lakes. We like it and I feel safe driving the package (plus the boat and truck LOOK GOOD together).

Edited February 4, 2009 by Colorado Boat'n

[dalt1]

I'm betting that an LSV is well over 6k lbs. My VLX moderately loaded is a confirmed 5800+ (took it down & weighed it last fall), & that's not even loaded up with a full tank of gas & all of the gear that we would take for a long trip (that was coming home from the lake with less than a half tank in the boat). I'm guessing that with the added dry weight & heavier trailer, you'd be close to if not over 6500 lbs. with an LSV

Remember too that you have to pay attention to the actual hitch capacity & that often times differs from the overall rating for the vehicle. Many times the hitch is rated closer to 5-6000 lbs., especially on those smaller tow rigs like 4-Runners & the like. The overall rating is irrelevant if the hitch isn't set up to handle it.

Just to confirm Wakegirls comments, my 06 VlX weighed in at 5779LBS at Cat scale. Weigh your own and then you

will know. Cost about $8 to use Cat scales at truck stop.

Edited February 4, 2009 by dalt1

[WakeGirl]

Yeah, it's a little shocking at how much it can all add up. The dry weights listed on Malibu's site may be accurate in the "dry" sense, but they're not even close for real-world applications.

[dlb]

We pulled out LSV in the "flat Midwest" with a 5.3 Suburban and it worked well, even with a trip or two into Kentucky. Now in NC with the mountains in the western part of the state our Denali with a 6.2L and 6 speed will do the trick.

My biggest issue is not pulling, it's stopping. You want a vehicle that has the wheelbase and weight to be stable and not get pushed around with a sudden stop. It is not you, it is the other guy that is the issue. When ol' cotton top pulls out of the restaurant after lunch with his church buddies the last thing he may be thinking about is looking left to see if it is clear. Been there and don't want to repeat the experience......

[Bobby Light]

You said your terrain is flat. So you could get by with your 4-Runner until you can get a better tow rig. Assuming you have 4 lane highways you can take it easy and keep it to 55 when towing.

Here in Oregon when the truck scales are closed you can drive your rig and your towable onto the scales and get the axle weights. I do this with just my truck for a base weight front and rear axle. And then I do it weighing all the axles on my truck and the trailer that I'm towing. I think you will be surprised at how heavy a loaded v-drive LSV is.

A big advantage of a Duramax or Powerstroke truck is that they weigh 6800 plus pounds all by themselves including fuel, canopy, passengers, etc. It is a major advantage to have a tow vehicle that weighs more than the trailer. Humongo Disk brakes also help. Once or twice a year I take a long towing trip, mostly 2 lane but occasionally 4 lane. For this reason I really like a rig that cruises easily at 62 mph so I'm not holding everybody back. And occasionally I have to pass on a 2 lane and 80 is no problem towing a 4800# package behind my 6800# truck.

So you can make your 4-Runner work for now but at the minimum I think you will want at least a heavy duty half ton in the future. For now add a transmission cooler and change the tranny fluid often. Just keep the speed down with the 'Runner.

Last summer I weighed my truck alone MegaCab cummins with nothing in it and it was 7800# I couldn't believe it.

[zzbutler]

I used to tow my 23' about 40 miles every Sat and Sun with a full-size 5.3 Z71. It did ok, but still stressful (to me). It is so much nicer now with the 2500 HD to be able to not struggle with getting up to speed or heavy breaking, especially after being on the lake all day. I can't imagine doing it with a midsize SUV on a regular basis like that.

[ilovetrains]

Just for kicks I weighed my 06 LSV just before a trip. Normal gear, full tank of fuel. 7200 lbs.

I used to pull with an 05 Dodge 3/4 CTD. Easy load. no problems.

One time we pulled with an 05 Jeep Commander HEMI. Getting her going was no problem, bu that boat could push that Commander all over the road. 9K tow rating my butt.

Now we tow with a Durango. Even with brakes on both axles of the trailer, the boat pushes it pretty hard down the last few hills to the lake. I wish we had something bigger - but not in the cards for at least 24 months.

If it were me, I would not do it. You can get away with it. Heck, I know people that pulled 30 ft plus travel trailers for years with full size Cadilac's DeVilles and Town Cars. We also never had car seats and didn't wear seat belts, but to each their own.

[masterdinh]

It was a limited brand new. Perfect brakes. 4runners are not built for towing boats, don't care what they say.

Thats surprising. I certainly dont want to call you a liar, but if I were you I would press suit against the dealership who sold you the 4-runner as well as Toyota Manufacturing.

Towing is not a problem with a Tundra 4.7 application. Putting the same motor with a better braking system (vehicle stability control, electronic brake assist, auto traction control, and ABS which are all standard in 4 Runner) into a 4-Runner is not going to be an issue. I pull my boat all the time with the EXACT same engine in a much bigger and heavier SUV ('06 Sequoia) and have no issues what so ever. Hell I just did it with a 6 cylinder 4-Runner!! Strap your boat up, pull it around and see how you feel. If it works great, if you dont feel safe dont do it. It doesnt take a heavy duty diesel truck to pull a 23 LSV.

[gregtay]

It was a limited brand new. Perfect brakes. 4runners are not built for towing boats, don't care what they say.

Thats surprising. I certainly dont want to call you a liar, but if I were you I would press suit against the dealership who sold you the 4-runner as well as Toyota Manufacturing.

Towing is not a problem with a Tundra 4.7 application. Putting the same motor with a better braking system (vehicle stability control, electronic brake assist, auto traction control, and ABS which are all standard in 4 Runner) into a 4-Runner is not going to be an issue. I pull my boat all the time with the EXACT same engine in a much bigger and heavier SUV ('06 Sequoia) and have no issues what so ever. Hell I just did it with a 6 cylinder 4-Runner!! Strap your boat up, pull it around and see how you feel. If it works great, if you dont feel safe dont do it. It doesnt take a heavy duty diesel truck to pull a 23 LSV.

For the record... I had a 2003 4Runner V8 Sport (XREAS and bigger brakes.) I towed my 24' Crownline (which was rated at 4900# dry + Trailer + fuel + stuff which put it just under 7000# (WAY more weight then my 08 LSV) and the 4Runner did fine. My old boat put a ton of weight on the tongue (design problem with the trailer i had) and so i put more weight on the back of the 4Runner then i felt was nessecary. Yes, I knew i was towing a boat (unlike when i used my 4Runner to tow my old old boat... a 20' Monterey.) The 4Runner is a great tow vehicle and i don't think it would have much problem with an LSV... again.. my new LSV is sooooo light compared to my Crownline. Is a full size truck/suv going to do a better job? sure... mainly in the area of stability.. the short wheelbase of the 4Runner is the thing that going to make the difference.) But the 4Runner (at least my sport version) has great brakes and the 4.7L has plenty of power. Again.. i am not saying it's the best solution... clearly the longer and heavier the vehicle the better, but not all of us want to run around in a huge SUV as our DD just so we can run to the lake on the weekends in the summer.

(For the record... I know own a "Large gas guzzling SUV" that i use as my DD and to two my boat to the weekends in the summer.. i did this because i felt that my Crownline at 7000+ pounds was pushing it for the mountains here around Seattle, so i picked up a new Armada. Now that i have a smaller boat (23LSV) i really wish i still has a smaller SUV. If the wife would let me i would trade the Armada in for a new Land Rover (LR3 or RRS so it can sit in the shop being fixed), an Audi Q7 4.2, Toureg V8 (or V10TDI!), or the new LandCrusier with the 5.7L V8 (Perfect size... perfect drive train for my needs.) I tried a "big truck (had a 2007 Tundra Limited CrewMax 5.7... I learned i am just not a big truck guy.)

I'd suggest hooking up the boat to a V8 4Runner and driving around... see how it does. If you can try to find one with the self-leveling rear susp.

[WakeGirl]

Greg, do you tow your 23' with your 4Runner? Just curious, by the tone of your post it doesn't sound like it.

[gregtay]

Greg, do you tow your 23' with your 4Runner? Just curious, by the tone of your post it doesn't sound like it.

No.. I sold the 4Runner before i got the Bu. I towed a big 24' Crownline I/O with the 4Runner for a bit. The Crownline was a MUCH bigger boat than the 23LSV (Actually we switched to the 23LSV because i wanted to downgrade.. the Crownline was too heavy and just too much boat to tow around and i wanted a V-driver... to us the 23LSV is "small".. in fact we really had a hard time pulling the trigger because we felt like it was "too small".. turns out it is the perfect size:). I do feel like the 4Runner would do fine with the 23LSV... optimal... no, but i think you are well within the limits... the 4Runner is solid for towing. Wheelbase is a bit short, but it works if a full size SUV/Truck just doesn't work for you.

[Capt-Rum]

We only tow a couple times a year with a 1500 silverado, but due to gas prices, I'm changing.