Tow 2004 DM Tab with manual transmission vehicle

MikeT

My wife and I are considering the purchase of a 2004 DM TaB in good condition. It is being sold by a friend who is allowing us to borrow the TaB for a couple of weeks to see if we like it.

We have two vehicles that might be OK for towing, both with 5 speed manual transmissions: (1) A 2015 Tacoma Access cab 2wd with 2.7L 159 hp 4 cylinder engine. (2) A 2006 Volvo V70 wagon with non-turbo 2.4L 170 hp 5 cylinder engine. Both vehicles weigh 3600-3800 lbs. I recently weighed the TaB and it is about 1650 lbs.

Currently only the Tacoma has a trailer hitch, so I test-towed the TaB in our semi-mountainous area west of Charlottesville, Virginia. I found that 3rd gear is OK for speeds of 35-50mph and 4th gear is only usable above 50 mph. 5th gear is only usable above 60 mph without towing anything, so it would never be used for towing.

Our Volvo V70 is geared differently from the Tacoma, and it is likely that 4th gear will be usable above 40-45 mph.

Does anyone have experience towing a DM TaB or TaB 320 with similar vehicles ? Perhaps @ChanW would respond because he has a 2011 4 cylinder Tacoma.

@ThatJakePerry has a 2005 Volvo XC70 so his tow experience might be helpful. The XC70 is similar to our V70 except it has a turbo engine, AWD and a 5 speed auto transmission.

Thanks,

Mike

Maxcamp

MikeT, we tow a 320s with a 4 cylinder 2012 4wd stick tacoma. Much of the time you just put the pedal to the floor and see what speed you can coax out of it.
Its stressful passing trucks on start of inclines to maintain inertia at 60 and then pulling right and crawling in third for the latter half while everyone whizzes by.

 It would feel safer to match traffic speeds, save driving time, and cause less anxiety over drivetrain health, to have any six cylinder tow vehicle that can more reasonably keep up with traffic speeds. Most of the suv's and hybrids seem to be 6 or 12 bangers. 

Towing: 
Underpowered  for sure, but made it through the rockies for five weeks in second and third gears.  I keep it at 3000 to 3500 rpm, like spinning a bike.  Below 2600 to 2800 lugs.  Never use fifth gear even at 70 mph when towing, rpm too low and lugs.  Dealers concur.
Flatlands without a headwind we can maintain 65 to 70.  Passing or accelerating requires third gear at 4300 to 4600 rpm which should  best be avoided.

No issues with fluids temperatures.

Handling:
Great.  Stable, good sight lines around my cap with extension mirrors.  
Braking is fine.
Roughly 38 foot u turn radius required.

I believe our model tab is 2700 lbs or so.
Tongue weight dry about 210 lbs including genset and propane... on the light side.  LiFePo batteries inside, may shift some tools from truck to front boxes.

Clearances:
Tailgate hits Nucamp trailer Jack. You MUST replace with a side mount Jack or a removable jack.
Backing you CAN JACKNIFE and trash the end of aluminum front tray.  I weld aluminum now...
I found a straight hitch receiver is a hair below level and our heads were down when sleeping.  Took a standard 1.5 inch drop hitch and flipped the ball. 

Wiring: Lot of work to wire brake controller, 12v tow circuit, backup camera wires through firewall floor and chassis. There are no brake converter or tow harnesses on our year model.  

MikeT

@Maxcamp8 thank you for all the information. Did you add any helper springs or air shocks ? Since your Tacoma is 4wd it probably has stronger rear springs than my 2wd version. In my towing test of the 2004 TaB I had tongue weight of 130-140 lbs and the truck rear settled about 1 inch.

Mike

Nessmuk

I live in Albemarle county and tow a 21 320S Boondock with my 2015 4WD 2.7 5 speed. We just got back from Nova Scotia and towed it along. My truck came with an OEM hitch and 4 pin wiring. I added the 7 pin and brake controller (Redarc) and Sumosprings.
I have towed it over to Spruce Knob WV (Rt 33) without issue.

MikeT

@Nessmuk Thank you for the information. What gas mileage have you experienced at highway speeds when there is not much elevation change ? Have you used 4wd low range to back up the trailer in some situations ?

Mike

Nessmuk

Mike, I have been averaging around 17 mpg on interstates. Only time I have used Low range is when towing up an incline in a field. 

MikeT

@Nessmuk Do you know the capacity rating of your SumoSprings ? For your truck they are available in 1000 lb, 1500 lb and 2800 lb versions.

Thanks, Mike

Nessmuk

Mike, just got back online. I have they 2800 lb yellow ones. It’s overkill for sure, but they work nicely keeping things level. If I were to do it again I would likely get the 1500 lb pair.