Finally found our TAB

MadCityJack

The journey to finding our, new to us, 2017 TAB Q Max, was too long but the right situation came up and we took possession last week.  We live near Madison, WI and are seniors who are coming from tent camping.  This camper is a great upgrade and the learning curve is a challenge, but overall fun.  Backing up, as for most new comers to towing, certainly will require much practice.  We hope to do at least one camp outing before deep winter snow sets in.  We are winterized, have a cover and will store our TAB outside.  

Question: We are towing with a 2018 Toyota Highlander XLE and learned that the Highlander spare, which is not a full size tire, is not suitable for towing, so if anyone has addressed that concern let me know.  We have AAA, but still.  I really appreciate the wealth of information available on this forum and the kindness of the membership.  

Horigan

Congratulations on your new T@b!  Our first T@b was a Max Q.  If it were me, I would swap the spare tire to the front axle if you had a rear tire failure.  The factory jack should be able to lift the Highlander high enough to get both wheels off the ground.  Be sure to chock the wheels well on the other side.

I didn't know that that era Highlander has a smaller spare.  Our 2013 has a full size spare.

tabiphile

It may be an optical illusion but it looks like you need a bit more drop on your hitch to level your tow out......

VictoriaP

Congratulations!

Where is the Highlander spare carried? Under the cargo area floor, or mounted beneath the car?

I’m a Subaru girl, so I can only suggest from that background, but a few minutes searching on a make & model-specific forum told me that my current Outback cargo wheel well was sized to hold a full spare, and the underbody mount of the Ascent will too, but only if you deflate the tire first so you need to carry an inflator. Maybe a similar solution to these is viable on the Highlander? If not, you may decide to carry a full spare in the cargo area, or on the car roof. Some people also opt to learn to plug small holes in tires themselves and carry a plug kit, because most tire issues tend to be small leaks rather than full tire loss.

You are correct that typically you cannot tow on a donut, so it’s worth investigating now. Also worth confirming with AAA what your exact coverage is when towing a trailer, because their RV coverage differs from state to state. You don’t want to find out after an incident that you don’t have trailer towing. In my case, my trailer insurance also covers towing.

And I agree with @tabiphile, you look a little tongue high in those pics, but I suspect per your post these were taken when you first came home, so being off level might be because trailer and car were both empty. I’d put a level on the tongue when hitched up next—AFTER you’ve loaded for a trip. You may need a different hitch insert if it isn’t level when loaded.

MadCityJack

VictoriaP said:

Congratulations!

Where is the Highlander spare carried? Under the cargo area floor, or mounted beneath the car?

I’m a Subaru girl, so I can only suggest from that background, but a few minutes searching on a make & model-specific forum told me that my current Outback cargo wheel well was sized to hold a full spare, and the underbody mount of the Ascent will too, but only if you deflate the tire first so you need to carry an inflator. Maybe a similar solution to these is viable on the Highlander? If not, you may decide to carry a full spare in the cargo area, or on the car roof. Some people also opt to learn to plug small holes in tires themselves and carry a plug kit, because most tire issues tend to be small leaks rather than full tire loss.

You are correct that typically you cannot tow on a donut, so it’s worth investigating now. Also worth confirming with AAA what your exact coverage is when towing a trailer, because their RV coverage differs from state to state. You don’t want to find out after an incident that you don’t have trailer towing. In my case, my trailer insurance also covers towing.

And I agree with @tabiphile, you look a little tongue high in those pics, but I suspect per your post these were taken when you first came home, so being off level might be because trailer and car were both empty. I’d put a level on the tongue when hitched up next—AFTER you’ve loaded for a trip. You may need a different hitch insert if it isn’t level when loaded.

The spare is mounted below the car and a full size will fit, although it hangs down a couple inches more, but not more than the muffler.  

There was no weight at all in the back of the vehicle or in the TAB, with gear we will see.  The hitch receiver is 17” at the top.  The hitch has a 2 1/4”drop.  When we are loaded up I will check level.  If it is about the same, I will use my 4” drop, but I think a 3” would be perfect.  

pthomas745

I'm betting that is a close in cell phone photo with enough distortion to make a basketball look like a football!

VictoriaP

@jesherman I’d probably accept the slight change in clearance with the full size spare. I added one to my new car almost immediately for the same reason...never mind that in 30 years of driving, I’ve never once needed a spare at all, I do not want to be in a situation where The donut keeps me from pulling the trailer. But, there are certainly people who don’t worry about it. So many new cars don’t even have a donut, just a can of Fix-a-flat!

Loading up with gear will definitely shift that tongue height, I bet you’ll be fine.

@pthomas745 I’m judging more on the full shot of both car & Tab. Back end of the Tab looks a bit down.

dragonsdofly

@jesherman, congratulations on your new trailer. Great pics. Thanks for that. Agree that the trailer looks a little tongue-light in the  photo. 1 or 2 inches more of drop appear necessary, but sometimes looks are deceiving.

MadCityJack

Thanks for input...Full-size spare has replaced original donut.  Fits perfectly, adds some weight, but not noticeable.  Purchased RV Plus for AAA.   Used a slightly lower hitch receiver and purchased a Reese Friction Sway Control bar.    Will likely have it installed, but it doesn’t seem difficult.  Thought I would combine that with Glycol replacement, bearing repack in Spring.