Hey guys, new here to the forum. We have a 2016 Toyota Sequoia with a 5.7 L V-8. We are told the towing capacity is around 7,100 lbs. Would like your feedback about towing capacity. We have 4 quads, 3 full size Polaris Sportsmans and a Honda Recon 250. Can our Sequoia be able to pull a toy hauler that can hold all 4 quads? Would it be safe?

 

All depends on the trailer. If it's just an enclosed trailer you should be fine. If you're talking about an RV toy hauler then you may be pushing it.

 

Pay attention to what your loaded tongue weight is expected to be. A properly loaded "bumper pull" enclosed style trailer should be in the range of 12%+ of the loaded trailer, weighed at a scale, do not use advertise specs as those are useless unicorn specs. You then need to understand what payload you have left after you load up your Sequoia, with passengers and everything else, to determine if enough payload is left over to support the tongue weight of the trailer you have previously calculated.

A Toy Hauler that is also a camper, you can pretty much expect that no way will your Sequoia safely tow it. You will be fine with an open trailer but even a large enough enclosed trailer is going to be questionable. Enclosed trailers and camper Toy Haulers are like pulling a big sail down the road and is impacted by multiple, uncontrollable outside forces. Getting into a situation where your tongue weight is too light will only result in a very white knuckled experience. Remember, it is not just if your vehicle can move the weight forward, it is if your vehicle can maintain a safe movement forward while also being able to safely stop the weight.

We have a 2010 Sequoia that was somehow "falsely" advertised with 9100 lbs max towing capacity. I have towed an 8500 lbs travel trailer with our Sequoia from coastal Oregon down to northern CA and back. After that trip, I purchased a 6.7L F350 and that is what I use today. My conclusion was no way should that Sequoia ever have been rated at 9100 lbs TC and 7100 lbs is probably more accurate. However, check your tongue weight as that is where the Sequoia is going to be short first.

 

Thanks for your feedback guys. I figured that my Sequoia with 5.7 L V-8 would be equivalent to a 1/2 ton truck, vs 3/4 ton or 1 ton, so should be towing well below its factory rated 7100 GVW to be safe. Will need to look for enclosed trailers that are on the smaller side. In the meantime, will focus on getting an open trailer we can use with tie-downs.


This is our current trailer, not really meant for quads but for transporting a car or truck. Can fit a few full size quads, but that’s it, due to not being wide enough. We will be putting this one up for sale and getting a wider one where the bed extends over the wheels.

 

I also think towing capacity on a lot of 1/2 ton vehicles is inflated to some degree. Many 1/2 vehicles have powerful V8 engines like the Sequoia but that's only part of the equation. A heavy and tall trailer like a toy hauler, will catch a lot of wind and will be hard to control with a lighter 1/2 ton vehicle. A heavier 3/4 ton vehicle won't get pushed around as much and will be better able to stop as well. I prefer not to max out towing on any vehicle. If it can tow 7000 lbs, it will tow 4000 lbs without any effort. I'd look into aluminum trailers like Aluma. They're definitely more expensive but no wood floors to rot out, lightweight and will never rust. As long as you don't exceed the load capacity or wreck one, they will last much longer than anything else. Like one like this. 2020 ALUMA 7820TAESA - #AL98160 (countryblacksmithtrailers.com)Its a 20ft trailer but it only weighs 1200 lb empty, that's about half the weight of a steel frame trailer.

 

Also your vehicle should have a trailer towing pkg from the factory. These include an oversize radiator, heavier cooling fan, trasmission cooler etc. A high tow rating is only for factory equiped towing pkgs. Without towing pkg the rating is at least 33% lower! Dont forget to add passengers, extra gas and gear, etc in your total wt.
By using your VIN you can find if your vehicle has a tow pkg