New Member with some CT/TV questions.

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi Alpha One Nine,
The trailer looks like new, great find!

I think you are off to a great start and the nice part about picking up a trailer that is already enclosed, is you can still get out while you are finishing it! Of course you miss out out on the build, but you can get get a head start on camping ... so to speak.

Looking forward to see the build progress ...

[citylights]

Looks like a great trailer for an awesome truck. Just a few thoughts...

Good choice on single axel trailer. That is going to save significant weight and you don't need the extra carry capacity with your 5k vehicle limit. If you were going to go mini toy hauler in the back of the trailer, say ATV or Motercycle, double axel for sure. But then you would be at the limit for your tow vehicle too. As a normal, lighter weight camper, no problem with single axel.

I would want the v8 4runner if doing a mini toy hauler.

Regarding towing with the v6 engine, keep your camper construction light weight to keep the overall load down. I would shoot for 3k maximum load. Your 4runner could take the full 5K load, but performance is going to suffer. As you have, trailer brakes and transmission cooler are a must. At 3k weight in calm winds, you will likely only drop one gear on most grades. No speed drop, if you live with the higher RPM on the grade. Say 2.5K RPM 5th to 3.5K RPM 4th to maintain 65-70 mph on grade.

(Hey, don't look at me like that! Nevada has open road 75 MPH speed limits, with no reduction for trailer hauling. Oh, how I hate traveling in California with the mandatory 55 MPH with trailer!)

Then the only thing you have to worry about is wind load. That will be a challenge, but shouldn't be horrible. In a headwind or cross wind, you are going to feel it! That is just the nature of a box trailer. I would expect to drop two gears, from 5th to 3rd, when going up grades in a head wind. That is going to drop your speed to 55 MPH at about 3.5k or 4k RPM. There is no way around it. Just be glad it is not a bigger box!

I had a v8 4runner. I loved it! I was sad when I had to let it go during the economy crush, but I am also thrilled with my FJ now. V6 FJ and V6 4runner have similar engine, and same towing capacity. I don't even know my 1750# teardrop is behind my FJ, except on grade. On grade, it drops one gear (5th to 4th) and holds that pretty easy. Also only dropping one gear, it holds speed, albeit at higher RPM. So far it has never dropped to 3rd... But I expect your 4runner, with heavier and more wind resistant trailer, will.

Bottom line, v6 4runner should do great! At about 3k load, I wouldn't even worry about it. As you approach 5k load, I would probably install premium high temp resistant transmission fluid and keep a close eye on transmission temperatures just to insure long life.

Hmmm... I did a little more research. 2002 4runner 3.4L v6 is 183 HP 217 ft-lb torque at 3500 RPM. Also a 4 speed automatic. (No 5th gear overdrive) Not exactly a beast. For comparison, FJ is 260 HP 271 ft-lb torque at 4.5k RPM.

I revise my estimate. At 3000 lb trailer, you are going to commonly drop one gear down to 3rd gear on grades and drop to 55 mph. You should still be able to hold that in headwind.

But that means at 5k trailer you would be 2nd - 3rd gear cycling at 30-45 MPH on grades... Shudder! Just keep the overall trailer weight down around 3k.

[Alpha One Nine]

Hi John,

Yes I have the Gen3 4Runner with the 3.4L V6. Fairly under powered by today's standards but it's what I have and I love it.
I think I should be fine if I keep the total trailer weight under 3000 pounds and take my time getting places.
I do plan to haul up to two motorcycles at times. One is a 400ish pound dual-sport and the is about 260 pound dirt bike.
I have already figured out that wind resistance drag could be a bigger factor than the weight just from pulling it home empty.
My 10 foot camper on my 1-ton pickup wasn't too slippery in the wind either and I learned to just take it slow at times.

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi Alpha One Nine,
Remember, it is not just the pulling that's difficult, in an emergency situation, it is the stopping that becomes a real issue ... most states and a number of mfg's limit the gvw for single axle CT's at less than 3000 lbs. (usually around 2900), even though the axle may be rated at 3500 lbs. or more. The limit is in effect because most single axle CT's are not equipped with brakes ... an area of concern that should not be overlooked. Make sure you check the maximum trailer weight, with or without brakes (as the case may be), that your TV is rated for ... it might just save you from a serious accident down the road.

I once owned and towed a heavy glass bass-boat with a large OB_I am guessing the package wet-weight (30 gal. of fuel, 3 batteries, tackle, live wells full, etc.) was around 3000 lbs. The TV was a Full size van that pulled the load great and even stopped when I wanted to ... I thought. Once when towing home from a tournament, all the cars in front of me slammed on their brakes and I had to brake quickly ... the trailer load just kept pushing me and I could not stop!! Fortunately, I had room to maneuver to the side of the pile-up and avoided a serious accident!!

Emergency braking with a heavy loaded trailer, with no trailer brakes, can be a disaster waiting to happen ... as the saying goes, an object in motion ... Be safe ...

[Alpha One Nine]

Adding trailer brakes is the #1 priority right now.
I plan to order an electric brake kit this weekend once I take some measurements and read the label on the axle.
I already have a P-3 brake controller sitting in my office waiting to be installed in the 4Runner.
I did the Tundra front brake upgrade on the 4Runner over the winter to and it stops much better than before.

[Alpha One Nine]

So I got my Fan-Tastic vent installed a few weeks ago and picked up three sheets R-Tech 1-1/2" rigid insulation today.
Here is the link to what I bought: http://www.homedepot.com/p/R-Tech-1-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Foam-Insulation-310880/202532855?N=5yc1vZbaxx
It has reflective foil on one side and white plastic sheet on the other. The R-Tech website indicates the foil should face the "dead air space".
My plan was to completely fill the gap between the roof skin and what ever I decide to use for interior ceiling panels.
Am I required to have a certain amount of dead air space for some reason? If not, should the foil face the roof skin or the interior?

Below is the pic of the vent installation framed with 2x3 studs.

The actual thickness of these studs is 1-1/2" and fit nicely with the roof bows so I figured 1-1/2" rigid insulation would be be a good idea but not I'm not sure.

[MtnDon]

To take advantage of the reflective foils ability to increase the effective R-value there needs to be an air space between the foil and the adjacent hard surface (exterior or interior wall panel). In a building that air space is usually 3/4 to 1 inch. Not too practical in a trailer wall. So if I was installing this foil faced insulation in a trailer (and I have used foil faced polyiso in ours) I would not worry about which direction the foil faced, unless I built in an air space. I would seal the foam to the exterior as well as I could with the idea being to keep moist interior air sealed away from the exterior skin, where it may condense in cool/cold weather.

[Hiflyer]

I tow my featherlite conversion which is almost 9' high with my 07 FJ and my 08 tacoma both with the 1grfe 4.0l v6's with not too much problems

With the fj, I'm also running 285/75/16 tires so it may strain a bit on the biggest hills

The tacoma has the tow package & pulls no problem


For a year I tried towing it with an 02 tacoma with the 3.4l v6. The extra 40-50hp the 4.0l is very noticeable

[Alpha One Nine]

Thanks for the clarification MtnDon,
I will be working on this today. It's probably going to be a slow process as it's supposed to hit 100*F here today so I will be taking a lot of cool down breaks.

Thanks for the TV info Hiflyer,
I have towed this trailer with a significant load a few times now and it seems fine.
I still don't have brakes for it though and I can confirm it really needs them.
The tranny temp got a little high during a first gear 4x4 ascent to a very remote camp site in June but an external ATF cooler should help with that.

[Alpha One Nine]

Got some of the ceiling insulation installed. I decided to go foil side up but it would be easy to flip them at this point and if I hear any convincing evidence that I should.
There is a small (maybe 1/3") gap between the top of the foam board and the roof skin in some places.



I cut the boards a little wide so they are held up due to the very snug fit.
I plan to use foil tape and duct tape to seal things up.

[BC_Explorer]

Got some of the ceiling insulation installed. I decided to go foil side up but it would be easy to flip them at this point and if I hear any convincing evidence that I should.
I cut the boards a little wide so they are held up due to the very snug fit.
I plan to use foil tape and duct tape to seal things up.

Don't use foil or duct tape. Instead use Tuck tape which is used in residential homes to seal vapor barriers. See the photo below on how it will look. I also used sill plate gasket to cover the steel support bars as they are big source of both heat and cold conduction.