Toyota Tundra 5th Wheel Towing Capacity

Toyota Tundra 5th wheel towing capacity. Toyota Tundra (1) (8) is the largest pickup from Toyota (2). Since the turn of the millennium, the Japanese company has had this big presence in North America (3) (4), tailored entirely to the preferences of the Americans and Canadians (5), or in other words: to compete with Ford F models, GMC Sierra, and Chevrolet Silverado (6) (7). For RVers, one of the most important specifications we will consider for our selection of trucks is the tow rating (10) (11) as it is related to the towing capacity (12) (13). Therefore, we will discuss here the Toyota Tundra 5th Wheel Towing Capacity and see what kind of 5th wheel vehicles these truck models can pull (9).

Toyota Tundra 5th Wheel Towing Capacity ranges from 8,800 lbs. to 10,200 lbs with a modal average of 9,400 lbs. making the Toyota Tundra models unsuitable to pull the heaviest 5th wheel RVs whose average weight in the marketplace is 13,000 lbs. Hence, the towing capacity of the Toyota Tundra would be only adequate to pull lightweight 5th wheel RVs and the majority of travel trailers in the marketplace.

TOYOTA TUNDRA 5th WHEEL TOWING CAPACITY TABLE
Vehicle Type	Toyota Tundra SR	Toyota Tundra SR5	Toyota Tundra Limited	Toyota Tundra Platinum	Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition	Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
Base Curb Weight	5,200 lbs.	5,200 lbs.	5,340 lbs.	5,480 lbs.	5,480 lbs.	5,740 lbs.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating	6,600 lbs.	6,600 lbs.	6,800 lbs.	7,100 lbs.	7,100 lbs.	7,100 lbs.
Maximum Payload	1,500 lbs.	1,500 lbs.	1,560 lbs.	1,520 lbs.	1,520 lbs.	1,580 lbs.
Maximum Towing Capacity	8,800 lbs.	8,800 lbs.	10,200 lbs.	9,400 lbs.	9,400 lbs.	9,200 lbs.

1/2 ton trucks, such as the Toyota Tundra, are generally inconvenient for towing fifth-wheel RVs. Toyota does not have a vehicle that allows more towing capacity, such as a 3/4 ton, despite the existence of a good market for them and the ability to compete better with other vehicle manufacturers specialized in trucks and towing vehicles.

The Toyota Tundra 5.7L V8 Tow Package includes towing receiver hitch, 4.30 axle ratio, TOW/HAUL mode switch, trailer brake controller, heavy-duty battery, 170-amp alternator, and 4-/7-pin connector.

Therefore, despite a quite good tow package included, the Toyota Tundra 5th wheel towing capacity suffices only to tow lightweight 5th wheels and a majority of the travel trailers in the current marketplace.

Can A Toyota Tundra Pull A Fifth Wheel ?

A Toyota Tundra can pull lightweight fifth-wheel RVs as its towing capacity is limited from 8,800 lbs in the Toyota Tundra SR5 to 9,400 lbs in the Toyota Tundra Platinum, on average.

Toyota Tundra Gooseneck Hitch

As our readers know from our comparisons between gooseneck hitches and fifth wheel hitches, a 5th wheel trailer can be pulled with a gooseneck hitch as long as there is sufficient weight capacity and the correct adapter is installed. A 5th-wheel-to-gooseneck adapter plate can be installed into the gooseneck hitch, providing a set of 5th wheel rails that can then accept a 5th wheel hitch and that will work well with the Toyota Tundra 5th wheel towing capacity.

The suitable Toyota Tundra gooseneck hitch requires a 2-5/16 inch diameter ball. This gooseneck hitch has a gross towing capacity of 30,000 pounds and a 7,500-pound tongue weight, which is the vertical load limit.

To pull a suitable trailer, commercial or not, within the boundaries of the Toyota Tundra 5th wheel towing capacity, we require to install a gooseneck under the bed of the truck, apart from a 5th-wheel-to-gooseneck adapter plate.

The entire hitch is installed underneath the bed with just the hitch ball mounting hole protruding through the top of the bed, as well as the safety cable loops installed later.

The gooseneck ball is of course removable and you will remove it when you need to utilize the space of the Toyota Tundra bed.

Whereas usually you can simply take the gooseneck ball, turn it upside down and latch it again when you are not towing a fifth-wheel and store it there and getting a nice flat truck bed, this is not the case with the Toyota Tundra.

We just do not have the clearance between our axle and the gooseneck ball to store it in the lower position, and this affects later on the Toyota Tundra 5th wheel towing capacity, in practice.

This characteristic also limits the accessories you can use with it. Thus, most of the accessories that B&W or Draw-Tite offer are not going to work with it due to the aforementioned clearance issue.

The ball that comes included with the gooseneck kit (for example the SKU BWGNRK1257 from B&W that is the Gooseneck Trailer Hitch Kit 07-19 Toyota Tundra) is a 2-5/16 inch diameter ball. And this hitch has a gross towing capacity of 30,000 pounds. It also has a 7,500-pound tongue weight, which is the vertical load limit.

Now, as always, I recommend that you verify in your vehicle’s owner’s manual, and you ensure you do not exceed any of the Toyota Tundra 5th wheel towing capacity.

You can install the gooseneck kit yourself, as these kits are coming with instructions. You will begin your installation by drilling out a four-inch hole in the bed of the Toyota Tundra for the gooseneck ball to pass through.

In your instructions, you will have measurements for both your long and short bed trucks indicating you how far from the rear of the bed of the Toyota Tundra truck to the point that we will need to measure and then center it and then cut it out.

And we want to make sure that when we are measuring, we are going from the end of our truck bed, not the tailgate, but the end of the actual truck bed thereof.

Conclusions For The Discussion About The Toyota Tundra 5th Wheel Towing Capacity

A Toyota Tundra tows a 30 ft travel trailer quite well. Very stable no sway. Pulls and stops great. However, it cannot pull many fifth-wheels due to its reduced towing capacity, especially compared with the competition

For anyone considering pulling an RV with your Toyota Tundra, consider some figures, as we explain below.

Determine out your pin weight on your hitch with items in the RV, as you will not be heading out with an empty RV, never.

Now add the weight of your passengers, luggage, full tank of gas, water tanks, fill the toy hauler as you would do, and anything else you put in the truck.

Take that number and subtract it from your Toyota Tundra’s cargo weight capacity. (This is not the same as the Toyota Tundra 5th wheel towing capacity.)

If you are in the plus, you have room to spare. If you are in the negative, you have problems. For those who already pull an RV while you are reading this, I hope that you have been to a truck stop weigh station to find out exactly what you have on your front axle, rear axle, and RV. Toyota Tundra 5th wheel towing capacity is just a number measured in lbs and there are other factors that can affect negatively this manufacturer’s specification.

Sources And References

1. “Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Announces Prices for 2009 Tundra Full-Size Pickup / Toyota” (Press release). US: Toyota. 2008-11-26. Archived from the original on 2010-07-29. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
2.  “Toyota Vehicles: Toyota to Reveal 2010 Tundra Pickup And New 4.6-liter V8 Engine at 2009 Chicago Auto Show / Toyota” (Press release). US: Toyota. 2009-02-11. Archived from the original on 2009-09-27. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
3.  Joseph, Noah (2008-06-23). “Toyota to offer Ironman packages for Tundra, Tacoma and FJ Cruiser”. Autoblog. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
4. “Racing Legend Ivan “IRONMAN” Stewart Announces Limited Edition 504+ Horsepower Tundra”. Business Wire. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
5.  Neff, John (2008-04-10). “Toyota readying Ivan “Ironman” Stewart Signature Series Tundra”. Autoblog. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
6. “Tundra 2011 brochure” (PDF). US: Toyota. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
7.  2010 Toyota Tundra Brochure. US: Toyota. 2009.
8.  “Toyota Unveils 2014 Redesigned Tundra Full-Size Pickup Truck at 2013 Chicago Auto Show” (Press release). US: Toyota. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
9. Wojdyla, Ben (2013-02-07). “2013 Chicago Auto Show: 2014 Toyota Tundra Gets Tweaks”. Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
10.  Elmer, Stephen (2013-02-07). “2014 Toyota Tundra Gets Sexy New Interior, Same Old Engines”. AutoGuide.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
11. Febbo, Michael. “2014 Toyota Tundra”. Motor Trend. Peterson. Retrieved 2014-11-08.
12. “2014 Toyota Tundra Brochure”. Toyota.com. US: Toyota. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
13. Toyota Tundra”. US: Toyota.