Toyota Highlander Basic Towing question

[gudmund]

go to the "What does everyone use for a tow vehicle" section here and check out the latest pictures just sent in by Sheddie and what his dad used to tow.

[gudmund]

always like the saying I read here on the forum awhile back ..."you can go downhill slow a thousand times, but the first time you try it fast, it could be your last"........ Yes- I agree GOOD BRAKES

[Sabatical]

I found this thread this morning and read through it. I thought i'd chime in due to having a similar tow vehicle and medium sized travel trailer. We haul from northern New York to Arizona in the winter. It's roughly 3000 miles and we take 4 1/2-5 days for the trip, each way. Our tow vehicle this year was a newly purchased 2015 Honda Pilot. I think they are very close in specs to the Highlander. It's tow capacity, with factory tow package, is 4500 lbs. I only needed to add a brake controller and 7 pin socket to complete the package.
Our camper is a 19' (17' box) double axle factory built camper. We have heavily modified it for our 3 month winter boondocking excursions. It weighs approx. 3000 lbs empty, and maybe 3500 lbs with our stuff on board. We travel very light. My biggest challenge was meeting the tongue weight limit. We use a weight distribution hitch so even though we might have been a bit heavy on the tongue, we travelled level down the road.
Towing with the Pilot was painless, except for our backsides from the horrible seats. Our mpg's were not good at all, but given the weight and size of the load, i shouldn't expect any better. Side note here...we travel at the speed limit and had i been willing to go slower the milage could've been better. By the time we got to Arkansas, my wife says "next year i want to take the tahoe because it's more comfortable." The Tahoe has 230k miles but rides great and gets better mpg's while towing.
One last thought. Weight ratings are there to protect the manufacturer but also can be a liability for the vehicle owner. By that i mean, if you knowingly exceed the rating and have an accident, you may find yourself accused of negligence. Safe travels and best of luck with your project.

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

[Adirondackersouth]

4 months?

I will answer with a question. Can you find any other build thread on this forum that completed a ground up build in that amount of time (that wasn't a production shop or retired person... even including those...), and if so, was the end result to the level of detail and quality that you have in mind for your build?

How many times have you read a thread that said the first time builder expected to assemble their trailer-in-a-box "today"; then it took three days to get it sorted out; and the bearings had still not been repacked, the wiring wasn't done, it wasn't level, and they had some other gripe that the store couldn't resolve the same day?

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but it is better to have a realistic view. Yes, things may go swimmingly well for you, and I hope that is the case; but I advise that you be prepared for a longer trip. Even on a simple build.

Not trying to be adversarial, just trying to share my experience and the overwhelming evidence that I see posted all about this place. I budgeted from 3 to 5K and from 1 to 2-1/2 years. I haven't added up the receipts since crossing the 6.5k mark (probably closer to 7.5k with all of the epoxy/FG supplies and misc. stuff adding up... so far). After a year in design the actual build crossed the 4 yr mark in February (5 yrs and counting). Yes, mine is a much more detailed design with a self built trailer and what I hope can be considered a high level of fit and finish, but everything is relative. I am not alone in this hindsight. Very few get built on time; fewer within budget. Just saying.


Maybe you can use this dissenting view as motivation to prove me wrong. I'd like that. Go for it!

Hello friend
I understand that we are both interested in quality, and from what I can tell you are a master craftsman and to do credit to your abilities it takes time and money to make a teardrop of quality. I can ogle and appreciate the work you have done. That is how everyone learns anything, by observation first then application of what you learn.
The biggest factor that stops my future build to be so expensive is the biggest limiter to my projects, lack of money. My goal is to start one, a decent one. One that is dry large enough for someone of my build, and comfortable enough and can sit on the 1965 Cox popup frame well enough that I can enjoy it. And to see if the whole teardrop building process is as rewarding as I imagine it is from all the smiling and enthusiastic build reads I have seen.

David
Ashland, VA

[Dusty Mark]

I worked about 3/4 time and completed a quality, high-budget build in 3 1/2 months in 2016. I had the chassis welded professionally and then took it to a powder coating shop. I definitely lived and breathed the build though...