Prospective owner

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Kevdc77,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

You need to check the weight ratings of your Tundra on the sticker. I'm sure some of our other members will jump in soon.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
If your Tundra is rated at 10,000 lbs for towing, you should be OK. The 32BUDS has a GVWR of 8600 which is well under the towing limit. Just remember to include passengers and cargo and near 900lbs of loaded tongue weight when figuring out your trucks cargo carrying capacity.
 

APT

Well-known member
Half ton tow rating rarely has any meaning for RV towing. You'll likely exceed the trucks GVWR, rear axle rating, and receiver limit anywhere close to tow ratings. You have a very capable powertrian, but I suspect your payload is limiting.

Take a look at the yellow tire and loading on your driver's door or door jam. Every vehicle 2006+ model year has one with the as equipped payload. Mine says I have 2051 pounds of payload:
apt-albums-misc-picture175291-2011-suburban-2500-tire-loading.jpg width=640


If you have a Crewmax, you will be under 1400 pounds, maybe 1200. Not much left for 1000 pounds of hitch weight and a family. You'll be at 8000 pounds with 900-1000 pounds of tongue weight your truck has to support with that RV.

Subtract estimated weight of your family and stuff you'll put in the truck bed. Divide by .13 for a fair loaded tongue weight for a loaded TT weight.
 

ZNK

Well-known member
Here is some food for thought. With the 5.7 Tundra you will be pushing it with the 32 BUDS. I have the 29 BUDS and a F250 6.2L with a 1200 lbs towing capacity. This is plenty of extra room. You can probably get by with your truck but a weight distribution hitch is a must. You will also have to take it very easy going up hills etc. The extra strain on your truck is not advised. I suggest looking into getting a bigger truck if you are contemplating a 32 BUDS, or consider the 29 BUDS.
 

Kevdc77

Member
Now I'm getting nervous. We just bought the Tundra so we could upgrade our TT. So it sounds like it doesn't matter how much I can tow because I will almost always max out the carrying capacity of the Tundra. I say this because as my 3 kids grow older they get heavier and now the Tundra is useless to me!! Does the weight distribution help with these #s? I need to feel better about this.
 

ZNK

Well-known member
I think your biggest problem is Toyota Tundra. Toyota does not really make trucks designed for towing. There most powerful truck is the Tundra and it maxes out at about 8100 lbs on the 2012. If the 32 BUDS is 8500 gross your already over. If you really want a larger TT like the 32 BUDS you need to look into a 3/4 ton truck or better to be safe. The weight distribution hitch does not decrease the weight...it simply disperses the tongue weight which makes for a much smoother ride...less whip lash effect and with a sway bar you get less fish tail in the trailer.

I have a 29BUDS. At first I had an F150, which was rated for 8300 lbs towing capacity with the 5.4L. The towing was quite difficult and my trailer only weighed 6300 lbs. I upgraded to an F250 and I can hardly tell the TT is there. With interest rates so low right now and the fact that trucks are not hot sellers, it is the best time to upgrade. Just make sure you get a big enough truck because the odds are you will want to upgrade your TT at some point.

Hope this helps a bit...
 

ZNK

Well-known member
However....keep in mind the actual weight of the trailer may differ...for example my 29BUDS is listed at 6700 lbs the actual weight sticker in the door jam has it at 6200 or so...So that could help you a bit. But with your Toyota Tundra you may want to consider something far smaller.
 

olyfire

Active Member
I have a 32BUDS and I pull with a 1 ton duramax. Most of the time I almost forget it's back there until it comes to mountain passes. The truck is definitely doing it's job, I'd hate to have anything less than a 3/4 ton. We were in 40 mph steady winds today with gust to who knows what, was sure glad I had a heavy truck.
When we first started pull years ago we had a truck that was really borderline for pulling our large 5th wheel that we had at the time. Yes the truck could pull it but can you stop the extra weight your pulling. We had to run a red light once because we just couldn't stop that weight quick enough. Lucky that no one was coming. We came back and bought the heavier more HP truck. I will never pull and be borderline again. It's so much more relaxing to have lots of wiggle room.
Good luck and enjoy the 32BUDS if you go that way, we sure love ours.
 

Kevdc77

Member
So I'm checking the Tundra forum and there are many owners pulling way more than 800#s of tounge weight and say it pulls like a dream. So confused!! It's not an option to get another TV because this Tundra is our new TV over our problem plagued 04 Yukon.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
There have been many similar discussions involving 3/4 ton diesels towing various 5th wheel models. Most focus is on the towing capacity, which depending on your Tundra configuration and whether you have the towing package, could be up to about 10,000. With a GVRW of 8600 for the 32Buds, and 1000# of clothing, cargo, etc, you'll be near the max.

Your payload spec is dicier. Depending on your Tundra model, you could have a payload approaching 1700. Assuming 1000# tongue weight, that leaves a bit of room for you and the family.

So as the kids grow, you'll be either near the limit, or a bit over. When these questions come up on the forum, there are 2 types of answers: one group says you need to stay within the specs to be safe and to avoid excessive wear on the tow vehicle. The other group says they're doing it with no problem. The comments on the Tundra forum are of the latter type.

I would mention that if you're planning on towing in the mountains, gasoline engines lose power as the air thins at higher altitude. So if you're near the limit, you might need to stick to the east coast, and maybe pick your mountainous routes carefully.

You might ask some of the people on the Tundra forum about the handling at highway speeds and in crosswinds. As tongue weight goes up, the balance of the tow vehicle can change, affecting handling.

I myself tend to go with the safety group, but I've had our actual weights measured and we almost exactly at our payload limit. And even though we have 1000# of margin on towing capacity, we probably need that margin because we drive through the Colorado mountains all the time.

So where you plan to go, along with some more specific feedback from Tundra owners may help you make your decision.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Now I'm getting nervous. We just bought the Tundra so we could upgrade our TT. So it sounds like it doesn't matter how much I can tow because I will almost always max out the carrying capacity of the Tundra. I say this because as my 3 kids grow older they get heavier and now the Tundra is useless to me!! Does the weight distribution help with these #s? I need to feel better about this.
Kevdc77, the weight distribution hitch doesn't remove any tongue weight, it only moves the weight forward on the frame so some of the tongue load is transfered to the front axle. I still feel you should be OK with the Tundra as long as you stay within it's capacities. You say it has the towing package. I don't know what your GVWR is on the truck but as long as you stay within the capacities you should be safe. Here is a LINK to Tundra's capacities, just pick your truck
 

Kevdc77

Member
After doing the math I think we will be good. Maximum the trailer can carry is 8600#s with dry weight and cargo included so that gives my truck a difference of 1200#s to spare. The carrying capacity of the Tundra is 1380#s but that does already include 150 for driver and full tank of gas. So after factoring in the tounge weight, propane, battery, weight distribution set up, wife, and kids I have a little over 200#s to spare. My wife won't dare to carry anything in the bed of the truck(afraid of scratches til we get spray liner). We don't go far when it comes to traveling so that's not an issue either. The furthest we will go is Virginia Beach for now.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
After doing the math I think we will be good.
I'm really glad to hear it's worked out as it must have been a gut-wrenching couple of days for you. Hopefully it'll all be fun from here on out. If you have more questions, there are a lot of great people here who can help.
 

ZNK

Well-known member
After doing the math I think we will be good. Maximum the trailer can carry is 8600#s with dry weight and cargo included so that gives my truck a difference of 1200#s to spare. The carrying capacity of the Tundra is 1380#s but that does already include 150 for driver and full tank of gas. So after factoring in the tounge weight, propane, battery, weight distribution set up, wife, and kids I have a little over 200#s to spare. My wife won't dare to carry anything in the bed of the truck(afraid of scratches til we get spray liner). We don't go far when it comes to traveling so that's not an issue either. The furthest we will go is Virginia Beach for now.

I really think you should re consider the size of your North Trail. You are really putting your families life on the line with this choice. The Toyota Tundra does not have the power or drive train needed to pull this rig. If you do not consider an upgrade you are going to spend more time worrying about how the rig is pulling than on enjoying it.

Be careful asking on the Tundra forum. Remember they are biased and want to try to prove that their truck is capable of anything.

I am not sure why you did not consider the towing capacity when purchasing a new TV when you were upgrading for that purchase?
 

ZNK

Well-known member
Your towing capacity is 8100 lbs. The trailer dry weight is 7,000 pounds empty. Add any propane, water, or anything else in the trailer and this will get dangerously close to 8100. Your payload is fine, it is the towing capacity that you should be concerned with.

Like I said I have a rig that weighs slightly less and HAD a F150 with a towing capacity of 8300 lbs, with a towing package and more suitable rear axle ratio. It was very difficult to pull the trailer and my stopping distance was increased drastically.

As you can see I am very worried for you if you choose to stick with your current combination. Better safe than sorry is my opinion.
 

PeternLiane

Well-known member
After doing the math I think we will be good. Maximum the trailer can carry is 8600#s with dry weight and cargo included so that gives my truck a difference of 1200#s to spare. The carrying capacity of the Tundra is 1380#s but that does already include 150 for driver and full tank of gas. So after factoring in the tounge weight, propane, battery, weight distribution set up, wife, and kids I have a little over 200#s to spare. My wife won't dare to carry anything in the bed of the truck(afraid of scratches til we get spray liner). We don't go far when it comes to traveling so that's not an issue either. The furthest we will go is Virginia Beach for now.

You're going to be fine with that combo. The towing capacity is 9800lbs not 8100 lbs. There is an owner who pulled their 32Buds from California all through Colorado (I-15 and I-70) with their Tundra 5.7 Liter and back. Like with any other truck you'd be a complete idiot if you don't use a Weight Distribution hitch and Sway control. Only idiots drive with out them.
 

ZNK

Well-known member
Wow. That wasn't coming up for me. Thats a pretty good tow rating for that size truck. With that you will be good, but still recommend the weight distro hitch.
 
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