New Torque TQ261 owner

DingoDave

Member
Hello and greetings ...I just ordered a TQ 261 from the factory dealer which is about 50 mi. from my house, in Elkhart IN. It is about 3-4 weeks out. I wanted some options that the dealer didn't have on any of the units on his lot. This is a great TT toyhauler & it is engineered to be towed with a 1/2 ton pickup. The dry wt. is somewhere between 7200 lb. & 7600 lb. depending on the options you load on it. I also looked at the coachmen 301 blds a couple feet shorter & lighter but not built as well as the Torque. The Torque can push the upper limits of some 1/2 ton trucks but not dangerously from all I can calculate. I have a Tundra with the 5.7L I-Force V8 & the 6 speed auto with a tow package. I hope to be doing a lot in the coming year with it. I retired in Jan. of this year so we are heading out next spring. We winter in Fla. so we won't use it much until April or so. I hope there are some other 261 owners out there on this forum so I can pick their brain some.


DingoDave
 

danemayer

Well-known member
DingoDave,

Congratulations on your decision. I'm sure you'll have many years of enjoyment with your new rig.

When it arrives, I'd suggest taking advantage of the lot behind your dealer to stay for a few days so you get a chance to try everything out, ask any questions, and get any necessary adjustments made before you leave.
 

DingoDave

Member
Dan ...thanks for the Welcome & we have been talking over if we wanted to do the Dealer camp out thing. It makes sense to me to do it mainly to check for problems & to learn how to & how not to operate many of the different items of the TT. I think we will be doing the shake down camp, thanks for the info.
I see you are in TX. just north of Austin. We leave Sunday for San Antonio to visit my wife's Dad & then off to Houston for Labor Day week end. Take care & God Bless!

DD
 

gfvillano

Member
DD, I was curious how the Tundra is at pulling your TQ216. I have the same truck and am considering purchasing a TQ261 in the near future.Many thanks,Greg
 

DingoDave

Member
DD, I was curious how the Tundra is at pulling your TQ216. I have the same truck and am considering purchasing a TQ261 in the near future.Many thanks,Greg

Greg

Hello ... been busy camping & just got back. I am a bit discouraged, as I said I contacted Heartland & was told that the 261 & 271 were designed so 1/2 tons could haul them. Well I have the 5.7L V-8 and it can tow it (plenty of power) but the gas mileage stinks. I was getting nearly 20 mpg while not towing, While towing I barely get 9 mpg. I don't have sway control or WD hitch yet which may help a bit. My particular 261 has a dry Wt. of 7813 lbs. which was more than 600 lbs. more than the base model 261 which puts my wts. (GVTW,GVCW,GAW,TW, etc.) all right close to their limits. The Tundra can tow the load & stop alright but the MPG really suffers and in mountains I don't know how well it will do. If you plan on hauling a heavy load in the garage I believe you would be over the Wt. limits or at best you would be dissatisfied with it's ability to tow the unit. There are some other toyhaulers that are almost the same floorplan but are lighter though they aren't as well built as the Torque. I am not as optimistic about the Tundra's or any 1/2 ton's ability to tow the 261 or 271 with a full load. Hope this helps and it doesn't discourage you but I would say go lighter on the toyhauler unit or go with a 3/4 ton to tow it. Greg ...I don't want to tell you that the Tundra can't or won't handle the TT & it's load, but it will be at it's limits & MPG will suffer. I would say to get the Torque & see how it goes then make a choice about upgrading your truck if it is a real disappointment in either MPG or hauling characteristics. I don't think it is unsafe to haul it if you crunch the numbers.
 
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danemayer

Well-known member
I was getting nearly 20 mpg while not towing, While towing I barely get 9 mpg. I don't have sway control or WD hitch yet which may help a bit. My particular 261 has a dry Wt. of 7813 lbs. which was more than 600 lbs. more than the base model 261 which puts my wts. (GVTW,GVCW,GAW,TW, etc.) all right close to their limits. The Tundra can tow the load & stop alright but the MPG really suffers and in mountains I don't know how well it will do.

Dave,

For a gas engine, I don't know that your mpg is out of line. It may not be what you expected, but gas engines develop max power for towing at much higher rpm than normal driving - I'd expect it to consume a lot of fuel.

Others with gas engines may want to jump in with their own experience on mpg.

And you're right, mpg will drop quite a bit in the mountains. My diesel loses 20-25% in the rockies. A gas engine will probably lose more because of altitude/thin air issues.
 

westxsrt10

Perfict Senior Member
Your towing gas milage seems spot on, i would not be concerned. If you want to increase your milage to 10 mpg try not going over 55mph. (expect around 6-7 mpg towing in the mountains)
I get 10.5 mpg towing my 7500lb cargo trailer with my 1/2 ton Ram. I also get 9.2 mpg average towing my 8500lb Sundance with my 6.8L Ford 250.
 

JWalker

Northeast Region Director-Retired
Your milage seems close to what I was getting while towing our first North Trail T.T. It was less weight, around 6500lb. I averaged 11mpg between the flats and the mountains. I had a 04 F250 with the 5.4 gasser and 4:10 gear ratio.
 

DingoDave

Member
Thanks guys for the responses ... I would like to go to a 250/2500 but it isn't possible right now. So I am going to hang with the 1/2 ton & take it slow & easy with short pulls, being retired that isn't a problem. We usually don't have to rush or make a certain distance in any one day. I wish I would have not listened to the factory and bought a 3/4 ton rather than a 1/2 ton but that's water under the bridge or over the dam, now.//heartlandowners.org/images/icons/icon8.png I think for the most part my Tundra will do fine until we head west into the mountains, then it will really suffer in the MPG area. //heartlandowners.org/images/icons/icon13.pngI haven't gone over 65 mph with it and mostly pull at 60 mph, but as has been said I may have to drop down to double nickels to help with the MPG. Thanks again for the info. //heartlandowners.org/images/icons/icon11.png
 
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