22re personal towing experiences

DMiller

DMiller

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2014
Location
Charlotte, NC
Done a little bit of research... from what ive gathered, a 22RE toyota pick up can tow 2.5K factory, and 5K with towing package... Kind of hard to believe with a 4 cylinder. I use to own a 4 cylinder s10 that could easily feel 500#s...

Anyone have experience actually pulling some "serious" weight with these trucks? And I gathered the brakes are another issue, but I already have ideas for this.

Looking for a small, simple, manual, tow vehicle for my light weight buggy. Thanks.
 
Hell the 22RE can't get out of is own way. A 1st gen Tacoma, Tundra or T-100 may be your best bet but the set up it going to be at the limits. I think the Tacoma is rated at 5500 pounds. I've towed at that and prob at 7k which was fucking stupid but it did it.
 
I had a 4 door longbed taco with a 4.o I think it was rated for 7800 and I towed close to that all over the east coast and it did ok
 
My 94 22re pulled a 1986 Isuzu trooper ii ( minus rear axle, tires and interior) 14 miles at about 40-45 mph on a single axle 5x10 to the scrapper. She would have gone faster if it weren't for the trailer wanting to wag. Same truck did NOT want to pull the same single axle 5x10 with two dual sport bikes from Waxhaw to Marion NC to ride Mt Mitchell: The hills were 3rd gear only. Have towed the same trailer with a 450 race quad, 125cc dirt bike and a 500cc Polaris in the bed with no problem at high way speed. Trailer balance is everything when you're working with 2 hamsters and a rubber band.
 
okay. thanks for the input and experiences. Been reading a lot of different stuff on the internet and wanted liable resources to confirm the impracticality of it all.

The idea was to scrap the trailer idea and stretch the frame, run a dual axle, and load the buggy on the back (flat or dropped bed). But I havent made a tow vehicle purchase yet. I know they made some U-hauls and campers out of the 22RE, was thinking that would be a good base, but was still unsure its capability...

Anyway, thank you for the input. Any other cheap, simple, manual, smaller pick ups that could possibly get the job done?
 
I agree with P Woffrd. A Club member used to flat tow a CJ, with a early S-10 / 4.3. He Said it did ok, but wasn't fast. I'd get the newest version affordable, & longest wheelbase. Ext cab & Long bed.
 
Just get a Silverado with a 5.3 and be done with it. Or even an old 90s F150 with the inline 6 or bigger.
It's not about pulling the weight so much as it is stopping it, and handling it in turns. Towing anything more than a four wheeler or lawnmower with any of the small trucks mentioned sounds like a nightmare to me. I'd sure hope my family is not on the road near you towing another vehicle with an S10 or similar.
 
I dont mind doing the 5.3/5.7 route... I just haven't had much luck with used 1/2 ton chevy autos. But I agree. I will also definitely look into the f150 as well even though I know little about them.

This isnt going to be a tow vehicle as in towing a trailer. I wouldn't feel comfortable towing a trailer behind a little 4000# vehicle.. My idea was to extend the rear wheel base and run a dually axle in the rear, and drive up on. My buggy is not much bigger than a RZR and weighs roughly 3000#s. (And ill stop you right there, yes, the brakes and suspension would need to be beefed up to match the weight, but also the frame would need to be rebuilt to hand the load.)

I had the cummins, I had the 30ft gooseneck, camper, yada yada... Ive done the whole 9 yards. I am also tractor trailer driver, so I am not new to the game when it comes to hauling SAFELY. In fact, if you read any of my other posts on towing.... safety is my main concern and I do everything by the book. Even my own personal trucks and trailers would pass DOT if it was searched.

And yes, I know you were just stating the "you" in the last sentence as in "anyone"... but myself being such a huge advocate of safe towing all these years, I feel obligated to make it known that I go above and beyond when it comes to this stuff. Cause as much as I don't want to hurt your family... I sure as hell don't want to hurt my family or myself.

Agreed, 1/2 ton pick up would probably be the cheapest route too as long as there's no major trans issues, but just like any vehicle.. its the luck of the draw, any vehicle can bring you headache. I'll bump up my search for a 1/2 ton..

And thank you Phillip for making the point about how unsafe it is.. cause I see more often than not vehicles pulling huge trailers that are obviously over the rating or incapable of doing so. Just because it WILL pull doesn't mean it WILL stop. And ive seen A LOT of vehicles jack knife due to incorrect weight distribution, and I am even talking about 1 ton pick ups... Don't even get me started on the diesel guys.. If I hear one more, I pull 30k with my 01 cummins (which is only rated for around 20,000# combination BTW) and it handles it just fine... ughh, bothers me so much. If your pulling 30k, buy a 2015 thats rated for that...
 
Sounds like you have a plan. I too hate seeing these folks pulling a 35' camper with a Ford Escape or explorer or some dinky vehicle.
 
I did awhile back. After talking to an owner i realized that it wouldn't be practical for highway use since the gearing is so low. Plus they had other issues which I cannot remember. This was a year ago or so. Thought went from those trucks, to a u-haul truck, to a box truck... But not really interested in a box truck.. it would be nice to just have a regular style truck, with a long flat bed that would fit the buggy. That way I could use it daily if needed and not as a single purpose vehicle.

The reason why I am trying to stay away from trailers is due to parking space, yearly $$, maintenance, more tires, the additional trailer weight, and of course weight distribution with a bumper pull.

looking at the past, my biggest issues always ran into the trailers themselves it seems.. (although they do have their benefits).

Just trying my best to cut down weight and remain small, but practical. I will have to do a lot more research and see what people have done cause I know there has to be folks out there that have tried the same.
 
I dragged a stock 86 SB toyota 4x4 on a dolly from fayettville to apex w my 4.3 S-10 w not alot of trouble. Mostly 55 mph and braking and following distance did need careful attention. My carbed 22r/33s on the 4.10s came w a trailer hitch. After I towed about 2000 lbs w it I knew the hitch was useless, maybe ok for a small trailer and a riding lawnmower or short trips in eastern N.C./flat land, but hit a hill w a ton or more and you'll be downshifting quicklyo_O
 
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Well, came to my senses. Picked up a '99 suburban for a really great price. No weighted tags, and plenty of space inside for lockable storage and camping gear. Now I know why so many are running suburbans as tow vehicles, so many benefits, wish I did this years ago. Its something I won't mind jumping in and going cross country with. Now its on to finding a small trailer.

Thanks again for the help.
 
Oh, and side note, found this a few weeks back during my hunt (not for sale, just web surfing). I ended up stepping up my search for a 1 ton flatbed which was ranging anywhere from $2.5k - $5k. but most of them were in rough condition and high miles. I do think it would still be a great idea, quick load time, and smooth ride, but just not in the cards for myself.

But just for fun, here's some photos, I am sure some of you have seen this before....
 

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I towed a full size bronco on a heavy trailer with a 2.7 Tacoma and it was very scary. I only had to move it 10 miles but I will never do that again
 
Just throwing this out there.

I pulled a 8.5x16ft twin axle mobile home trailer weighing about 9k. The trailer had no brakes and I was able to get the suspension off the bump stops with a weight distribution hitch and throwing all my tools and some cinder blocks behind the trailer axles.

It had more then enough brakes, it wasn't even scary. I could get up to 50mph on the flats, and starting on the hills in Seattle I didn't have to be in low range but I did just to save the clutch alittle. In low range it barely felt the trailer.

Oh, I got 14mpg doing it too. I took the trailer 40miles in 1.5hrs through downtown seattle to kent.

92 toyota pickup 22r, weber 32/36, 4.88 gears, 31x10.50 tires. Engine has almost 300k on it and runs great not burning any oil.
 
Adam6969 said:
Just throwing this out there.

I pulled a 8.5x16ft twin axle mobile home trailer weighing about 9k. The trailer had no brakes and I was able to get the suspension off the bump stops with a weight distribution hitch and throwing all my tools and some cinder blocks behind the trailer axles.

It had more then enough brakes, it wasn't even scary. I could get up to 50mph on the flats, and starting on the hills in Seattle I didn't have to be in low range but I did just to save the clutch alittle. In low range it barely felt the trailer.

Oh, I got 14mpg doing it too. I took the trailer 40miles in 1.5hrs through downtown seattle to kent.

92 toyota pickup 22r, weber 32/36, 4.88 gears, 31x10.50 tires. Engine has almost 300k on it and runs great not burning any oil.
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What in the hell were you looking for where you found a six year old post about towing with a 22re on a website based clear across the country?

Duane
 
93redzj said:
Is it me or does it seem this happens quite often? Someone creates an account, replies to a 5+year old thread for no reason then ghosts :confused:
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It's called Shawnposting. Similar to shitposting, but Shawn creates a new account and drags up an old topic to stir traffic. :laughing:
 
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