Towing with a Toyota Highlander?

colbysmith · Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2015 5:42 pm Post subject:

Sunbeam, I was about to post another reply prior to reading yours, but just bit my tongue. lol. So thanks for your post. I can basically sum it up this way. Our C-Dory's are versatile little boats. There are other boats that are much bigger and more powerful. Yet, our little C-Dory's are quite seaworthy and can many times go so many more places. I look at my Highlander the same way. On our Lake Powell trip this past summer, I not only used the Highlander for towing the boat, but then drove several "off road trails" in the Canyon Lands with it. And of course it's my "town" & "family" car. At the end of it all, I pull into my garage with room to still walk around it! Mr. Green

Of course there are times I wish I had a big SUV (Like the Excursion) again, or a 3/4 ton pickup. But not because I want or need something bigger to tow the CD-22.

Merdraco · Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2015 11:14 pm Post subject:

My 2013 Lexus RX 350 (mechanically very close to Highlander) towed Merdraco (19' angler) from NY to Southern FL just fine. It did not have the factory tow package. Local hitch and transmission shops installed the hitch (to the frame) and transmission cooler. The transmission shop told me I didn't need it unless I was planning to do a lot of hills, hot 90º+ weather, or stop and go towing. My hills were only in PA and northern VA and after that, its mostly flat (and down hill....) all the way. The boat pulled easily and there was never any increase in coolant temp. I didn't have a transmission gauge, but no warning lights came on, no issues with shifting or scary burnt smell from engine. All towing was in 4, not in D. Mileage which is usually 22 on this trip, was about 12 - 14. The boat, payload, and dual axel EZ Load trailer weight was just under 3500# which is the mfg limit. Only a few gallons of gas in the tanks. I didn't use the electric brakes, but would, if I were doing any serious hills. Our only scare was the blowout on I-75 in Tampa on a Friday around 3:30PM. No change in handling and I was able to pull onto the shoulder without incident. The takeaway from that was, as the FHP officer said, never go over 4 years on a set of tires in FL. Mine were around 7 and the one that blew really exploded. For what its worth, I trailered it from Maine to NY with a F-150, which was more comfortable, almost like not even towing.

T.R. Bauer · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 9:30 am Post subject:

It's ok to differ in opinions and there's lots of nice friendly dialog on this site. That's what I love about it. You guys are the best!

Sunbeam · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 1:16 pm Post subject:

Aurelia · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 1:49 pm Post subject:

As of model year 2016, all 6-cylinder Highlanders have the tow prep package and a 5,000 lb towing capacity. See below for details.

Highlander tow prep package

According to Toyota, the XLE and above have a heavy-duty radiator and an engine oil cooler. They also have a 200W fan coupling (i.e., powerful cooling fans), a supplemental transmission cooler, and a 150A alternator.

In other words, the so-called “towing package” comes standard on the XLE and above, and is not available on lower trim levels, so… Be sure to factor this in when deciding which model to buy in the first place.

Greg

Aurelia · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 1:55 pm Post subject:

Here is a real (troubling) post form another site that people will read and jump to the conclusion that this vehicle shouldn't tow a darn thing. You go ahead and find the flaw in the logic here. Sunbeam, you will love the last line.

"My wife and I purchased a new 2015 Highlander XLE and were planning on traveling across the USA. Having the standard towing features, heavy duty radiator, oil cooler, trans cooler, heavy duty battery, etc, we did all the research to find that we could tow 500 lbs hitch, 5,000 lbs total. We ordered a new Forest River travel trailer with specs showing 468 hitch, 4200 total. After having the best Curt hitch installed professionally, I found that Toyota had made no pre wires for electric brakes. In addition to having to completely wire the car for a 7 pin round connector, the trailer dealer had to spend hours wiring for electric brakes. My electrical bill not including the hitch was $650!!!
Everything turned out to be a disaster! When I picked up the special ordered trailer a month later, driving home dropped my gas mileage from 28 mpg down to 8 mpg, without even any cargo! In addition, even having the BlueOx distribution hitch, my front tires were coming off the pavement while driving down the road. We tried to sell the brand new trailer back to the dealer but the answer was no, we shopped buying a larger tow vehicle (a Tahoe) but the trade difference was $22,000. We tried to trade it to another dealer for a smaller travel trailer but was told that the only trailer that our front wheel drive Highlander should pull should be a pop-up camper being very light weight. We were told by an expert that our 4,200 lb travel trailer would burn up the Highlanders transmission and engine as the rpms were very high when driving the rig 60 mph.
Long story short, we sold the brand new trailer, never plugged in at a $1,200 loss and are still very upset with Toyota for advertising 500/5000. This is deceit on behalf of Toyota. To prove my point even further, the law states that if you pull a trailer over 2,000 lbs, you must have electric brakes. However, Toyota makes NO pre-wire at all for electric brakes. Also, a trailer with electric brakes will nee a 7 pin round plug and Toyota provides the pre-wire for only a 4 pin. In my opinion, Toyota Motor Co. Should reimburse me the $1,200 that I lost.
DO NOT buy a Highlander to pull a trailer over 2,000 lbs or you will be sorry.
Thanks,
Charlie, in Georgia"

Maybe the manufacture's weight of an empty trailer (another discussion entirely) was not the best ending point for a tow vehicle purchase decision.

Blueback · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 3:17 pm Post subject:

Kushtaka · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 3:27 pm Post subject:

I tow with an xterra, rated for 5k lbs.

I don't like it. It's short and gets pushed around by the boat a bit.

This vehicle should be more substantial than the highlander (full frame, etc) and has plenty of engine and brakes. I just don't like the feeling of the bumper getting pushed side to side when I brake mostly.

That said, I realize a better trailer would help. My trailer is very short and holds my boat right behind my vehicle, and has no brakes. Fortunately I only tow it about 1/4 mile at a time, no faster than about 20mph, if that, so I don't care, but the idea of a boaterhome trip is appealing. I'd want something with a slightly longer wheelbase if I were to go with the same class of vehicle. I'm thinking Tacoma for the next one.

Will-C · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:42 pm Post subject: Towing with a Toyota Highlander?

We are one of the crazies who opted in 2009 for one those new and unsafe? 3/4 ton 4 x 4 diesel extended cab pickup trucks. Aside from not having to deal with extra springs air bags or any other gizmos. It came with a tow package already set up for electric brakes with a built in controller. We had a 23' Venture at the time of purchase. It gets anywhere from 16 to 12 mpg pulling the boat. If you tow 40,000 plus miles the difference in gas/fuel mileage can really add up. What was nice for us anyway was when we upgraded to a bigger boat that weighs 10,000 pounds plus the same truck can handle the bigger boat. If I would have had to upgrade a tow vehicle I probably would have passed on the deal. So buying just enough tow vehicle to get by has good and bad points if you will ever consider getting a bigger boat. The bathroom with plumbing adds enough weight to rule out using small SUV's. Plus we have more than enough room and weight capacity to carry plenty of extra spares, food, bottled water, fishing equipment and related supplies. We have a lockable cap over the trucks 8' bed. The truck can seat six adults. It handles crosswinds well. We don't have to use the truck for our daily driver. After six years the truck has only 65 k on it. It will probably last me the rest of my natural born days.
D.D.

Aurelia · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 5:06 pm Post subject:

The Xterra has a 3 inch narrower track, 4 inches shorter wheelbase, and rides on relatively soft/tall tires compared to a highlander, not to mention differences in chassis/suspension tune. I like them as off-roaders but like the newer FJ or Wrangler, they are not a towing favorite for most.

A Tacoma would add 17-30 inches of wheelbase to the highlander depending on door/bed configuration which would likely help with general handling significantly.

Towing without trailer brakes would be less than comfortable for any significant distance and I would not do it with our 5000lb class vehicle. I would be right there with you on "not liking it"

Greg

colbysmith · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 7:58 pm Post subject:

I think the problem with the folks in the story brought to us above, on the Highlander, is folks that really didn't know what they were doing in the first place, and put their trust completely in to sales. Regarding electric brakes. No, the Highlander does not come prewired, nor is there even a helluva lot of room to install a controller. None the less, I was able to install a very good system, including the wiring. It's really not rocket science, but it does require some mechanical ability. Towing a flat faced trailer behind any vehicle is going to add a lot of wind resistance. It's one thing to pull a rather somewhat aerodynamically shaped boat, quite another a large travel trailer of the same weight. And many times trailers weigh over specs, once they are "wet" & loaded. I don't tow any faster than conditions allow, or top speed of 60 mph, although I've pushed it to 75 passing, or even 65 locally on the highway. I've never felt that the boat was pushing the Highlander, even in panic stops. I'm not going to pretend here that the Highlander can tow anything up to 5000 lbs. But at this point in my life, I don't need to pull anything else than my CD-22 or a small utility trailer. I've been considering a 3/4 ton truck (with camper), or a small motorhome, simply for the reason I miss the "motorhome" lifestyle I had some time ago. However, the very reason I downsized to the Highlander involved gas & maintenance costs, a downsize in boat (from the SeaRay 268), and a change in lifestyle (no longer "camping/land traveling" as much). With retirement, I'm inclined to travel more again, however for the cost of a small motorhome or large truck, numerous hotels and motorhome rentals can be had...with out the cost of ownership. Thus for me, the Highlander remains to be the best choice at this time, and again, is very capable of the job at hand that I use it for.
I too enjoy and appreciate the comments and experience shared here on C-Brats. I can get a little defended, and maybe offensive too, but in the end I think that's just an effect of any kind of social media. Colby

SEA3PO · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 8:23 pm Post subject:

One of the problems I have with buying a new vehicle is the safety of parking it in marina lots for extended periods.... seems like the new pickups are always getting broken into.... they pass on my 2001 Chev. stepside to go for some high dollar rig.... kinda scares me away from new...

My V8 automatic shortbed gets 20-24 highway and 15 towing so I am not upset...and it is paid for... it tows the 22 fine but would not handle a 25.

Joel
SEA3PO

South of Heaven · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 9:42 pm Post subject:

Will-C · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 10:25 am Post subject: Towing with a Toyota Highlander?

Sea3pro,
We had a 2001 1/2 ton Chevy with the 5.3 V8 4 x 4. Put a 100 k on it. The engine handled pulling the boat fine but the transmission did not seem happy on steeper grades. Downshifts seemed to me to be particularly ugly. The diesel with the Allison transmission made a night and day difference. We never saw fuel mileage figures anywhere near what you stated on our 2001 Chevy. I must have a heavier foot or you are only going down hill. Even on the relatively flat 1100 mile pull bringing the empty boat home from Wefing's in Eastpoint Florida. Keeping a truck because you are afraid of someone breaking into a newer model seems like you need an upgrade your choice of Marina's. Maybe move to a new safer hood. We have towed our boat quite a bit and never had an issue with the truck and trailer at marina storage areas we chose. In Jersey City, N.J. we opted for a gated mini storage because the other options in the area looked shaky. We never leave anything of value in plain sight. In the cab or in our lockable cap that covers our trucks bed. We cover anything we want to keep i.e. generator, dink motor, coolers, etc. What they can't see is out of sight and out of mind. We only have a few more payments left on our 09 truck. Mr. Green

D.D.

Kushtaka · Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 2:50 pm Post subject:

Aside from my xterra I have a similar (1999) chevy half ton. The tranny and front end are a nightmare at 120k miles. I use it occasionally, but the xterra is preferred, as counter-intuitive as that sounds. The truck has spent it's life towing over its rating at low speeds, so the tranny and front end issues are to be expected. It's fine for around town, but if I were to take a trip I'd use the little truck.