Howdy! This thread may be a zombie, but I thought I would contribute for people facing the same question.
This is my 3rd Gen Tacoma TRD Off-Road, 18' auto hauler, and BX23S on the day I brought the tractor home from the auction house.
I also tow a 3200# car, and have some experience towing just under the Tacoma's rated limits.
Some advice on the trailer:
Length: 16' minimum. 18' recommended. Mine has a 16' deck and 2' dove tail. This gives me some space to work with for getting the balance right, or to carry extra tools and implements. I would love a 20' trailer - but could not find one at the right price and weight.
Deck - No question, get a wood deck. Wood doesn't scratch or dent when you drop an implement on it. Wet wood is as slippery as a dry metal deck. Wood won't give you burns if you place your hand on it in the summer. Wood is also easy to modify (ie adding tie downs) and to replace. The only major downside to wood is that you have to replace it periodically - but this is not usually difficult. Mine just has a few tack welds holding it in. When the time comes, I may replace those with small carriage bolts, get some help from a neighbor, or take it to a shop.
If you can, get pressure treated wood. If it's not an option, then treat it yourself. I cheaped out, got untreated wood, and realized my mistake after six months. I treated my deck with a nice looking deck stain on top and sprayed a green copper based treatment on bottom. It looks nice, but won't last as long as a pressure treated deck.
Ramps - 6' ramps are perfect for the tractor. It gets on and off with no drama. I would not want them to be any shorter, as loading with implements would be difficult. Longer would be fine, but excess length makes loading more error prone.
Tailgate or drop ramps attached to the trailer with a hinge are super convenient loading or unloading a tractor. I would want them for a tractor dedicated trailer that I used frequently... But they reduce versatility and add drag.
Since my trailer is multi-purpose, I have ramps that detach and store under the deck. They are a pain in the back to move around, but I can leave them at home to save weight when they are not needed for a load, and the longer ramps needed for my car use the same hook connection.
Materials - Get an aluminum trailer if you can afford it, angle iron if you can't. Channel iron is stronger but weighs more and isn't really needed on a 7k trailer. For reference, my 18'x82" trailer constructed from 3x5 angle iron, with a spare tire and 6' ramps weighs 2160#. My BX23S with loader, backhoe, and a full tank weighs 2480#. A heavier trailer isn't a deal breaker, but it would limit the ability to carry additional implements, tools, fuel, or other heavy loads.
Brakes - The Tacos brakes need all the help they can get. We have rear drums, the low compression V6 doesn't do much engine braking, and our short wheelbase makes us easy for a trailer to push around. Get brakes on both trailer axles from the factory if you can. You can add a brake to an axle, but it cost me less as a dealer option than it would have to buy the parts myself.
Tie downs - Think about how you are going to tie the tractor (and other loads) down. I got a couple of extra stake pockets from the factory and added 8 recessed swivel D rings to the deck.
Some other advice:
Get a sway control and weight distribution hitch. I love my Blue Ox because I can easily swap bars for different ranges of hitch weight, but there are other good options out there.
Keep in mind that you need to be conscious of limits on:
- Trailer GVW: Trailer + payload
- Trailer hitch weight: portion of the trailer GVW carried by the truck
- Truck GVW: Truck + cargo + passengers + hitch weight
- Truck GCVW: Truck + cargo + passengers + Trailer GVW
- Individual axle weights
With my Double Cab 4x4, I am actually banging on the Truck's GVWR more often than the GCVWR or tow rating. I move weight from the truck to the trailer to make it work. Toolboxes and the spare tire are good candidates. 4x2 and access cabs should have less of an issue.
Don't guess - use scales. Fill up the gas tank, drive onto some CAT scales (there's an app for that), and do three or more weigh ins to figure this out:
1. Truck + cargo + passengers
2. Truck + cargo + passengers + trailer. If needed, shift the load and repeat.
3. Truck + cargo + passengers + trailer w/ weight distribution. Adjust bars and repeat if needed.
The first weigh in gives you the trucks initial GVW: front axle + rear axle.
The second weigh in gives you:
- Truck loaded GVW: Front Axle + Rear Axle
- GCVW: Front axle + rear axle + trailer axles
- Trailer GVW: GCVW minus the initial GVW of the truck.
- Hitch weight: Truck loaded GVW minus initial GVW.
The goal for adjusting after the second weigh in is to get hitch weight to be 10-20% of the total Trailer GVW.
The third weigh in is all about the balance of the truck. Crank the WD hitch bars to get the front axle's weight back to at least the initial value, but less than it's rated limit.
Two other items I have picked up that help:
- Ram style flip up side view towing mirrors. These are annoyingly large day to day, and cost me 0.5 mpg, but are very helpful when you have a load.
- Roadmaster assist springs. These are progressive rate and have several advantages over adding a leaf. I would get bags, but wanted to preserve suspension articulation.
Setup right, the Taco tows very well right up to it's rated limits, and I would not think twice about towing up to an L3301 or LX3310.
