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Old 01-22-2016, 01:40 PM   #1
Bob_Dobson
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Default Towing Visa 19rds w/2015 Toyota Highlander

Hi all, I have a 2015 Toyota Highlander AWD with a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs. Looking at buying a 2012 Visa RDS which I gather has a dry weight of about 2830 lbs. Add to that one 200lb adult, two 75lb kids, 3 bicycles, 3 sets of golf clubs (2 kids' sized), clothing and food etc. I figure the extras will weigh about 900 - 1000 lbs, putting the total weight at about 4,000. I realize that's well under the Highlander's limit but I am planning to drive across Canada (some long inclines north of Lake Superior) and possibly into the Rockies and I have been told (by one person with some experience with another trailer) that I may want to look at a lighter (and smaller TT. I'd prefer the Visa so I don't have to convert the dinette every night.) Can I do this trip with the above mentioned criteria? Do I need to lighten the load? Or do I need to look at smaller TTs altogether?

Thanks in advance!

Bob
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Old 01-23-2016, 06:40 AM   #2
atreis
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Default Re: Towing Visa 19rds w/2015 Toyota Highlander

Weight wise, you're in good shape. My only recommendation there is to not carry water in the trailer's water tanks. That adds A LOT of weight. Also, be sure and use a good WD/sway-control hitch (Equalizer, Reese Dual Cam, Hensley, ProPride).
I regularly pulled a 6.5% interstate grade with my old Sienna and have pulled long grades as steep as 9%. The engine and transmission in these (and the Highlander) is strong.

For the advice below: Practice some in the foothills even though you don't really need to, just to get a feel for the car's capabilities.

How to climb mountains:

Your goal here is to shift as little as possible and keep the engine near the same RPMs.

1. Figure out where your engine's power band (RPMs) is. (Most likely it's around 4000 RPMs on the Highlander, but play around a bit to figure that out for your specific vehicle.) Do this before you get into the mountains.
2. As you start the climb and the car starts to slow and moves toward shifting, shift it into 3rd and put the engine into the power band.
3. As you climb, keep the engine close to the same RPMs - in the power band. Ignore your speed unless you find you're going too fast - only pay attention to the RPMs. You'll slow down. Don't worry, you're not in a race.
4. If the hill is seriously steep and long, you'll end up downshifting into 2nd while keeping the engine in the power band. Don't let it shift back up again unless you're starting to go too fast - even so, allow RPMs to drop before allowing it to shift back up again. (You want to avoid shifting as much as possible.) Just keep the engine in the power band and you'll do fine (and very likely not shift to 1st - but if you let the RPMs drop out of the power band you might need to).

Your speed pattern going up will be to gradually slow down, speed up some where the hill becomes less steep, then gradually slow down again as it gets steeper.

How to descend mountains:

Your goal here is to use your brakes as little as possible.

1. As you come to the top, don't speed up! Let the RPMs start to drop and keep going slow.
2. Let the transmission shift up into 3rd, but not higher (keep going slow).
3. As you descend control your speed as much as you can using the engine and transmission, not the brakes. If you're starting to speed up, downshift to 2nd. (If the RPMs are too high, the transmission computer will override you.)
4. You'll need to brake some - when you do, apply the brakes firmly - slow down way below the speed limit, to where the transmission will easily go into 2nd, and then use the transmission and engine to control your speed again - don't give it gas unless you really need to, gravity will take care of that for you. Braking strongly, but seldom will keep your brakes from heating too much and give them time to cool before you need to use them again.
5. As tempting as it might be, DON'T RIDE THE BRAKES. They'll overheat, fade, and you could end up in a dangerous situation.

Your speed pattern will be to gradually speed up, then slow down quickly when you apply the brakes, then gradually speed up again as gravity does its thing.

Above all, take your time. Don't plan on being able to go as far in the mountains during a day as you can on the flats.
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Old 02-05-2016, 12:10 PM   #3
Bob_Dobson
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Default Re: Towing Visa 19rds w/2015 Toyota Highlander

This is super helpful.

Thanks so much!
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Old 02-11-2016, 02:07 PM   #4
philorion
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Default Re: Towing Visa 19rds w/2015 Toyota Highlander

Bob,

I tow a 2016 Gulfstream Vista Cruiser with a 2013 Toyota Highlander V6 AWD. The 2013 Highlander came with the towing package installed. That towing package allows one to tow up to 5000 lbs. Make sure your Highlander has the towing package installed. The newer 2014 and 2015 Highlanders do not all have a towing package as an option. You will also need to install a receiver hitch and the 4 pin accessory kit. Then you will need to install the extra wiring and components to have 7 pin capability. You also need a brake controller and a Weight Distribution System (WDS). I installed a Husky Model 32216 Centerline TS WDS and a Prodigy P2 brake controller.

Those or similar components will allow for the safe towing of a +3000 lb. Visa trailer. Make sure you buy a WDS that has "sway control" as a capability. My Vista Cruiser 19DSR has a dry weight of 3150 lbs. and is higher than the catalog statement. Final dry weight depends on what accessories (TV, power awning, power jack, microwave, etc.) were added to the trailer. My pull or loaded weight is around 3650 lbs. with no water. The weight on the ball hitch is 420 lbs. The Highlander can only handle 500 lbs. on the ball hitch. The extra trailer weight comes from things like sewer hoses, chocks, leveling blocks, tool kit, 100 ft. power cord, two bikes, bedding, towels, pots/pans, utensils, food supplies, etc. It adds up pretty quick especially if you are carrying food and clothing for more than a couple of days. In your description you seem to note that 2 kids and an adult were part of the trailer weight. Those "weights" are in your Highlander and not in the trailer and should not be counted as "added trailer weight". The weight of the adult/kids will have an impact on the Highlander and will manifest itself by lowering the height of the Highlander. Your WDS is designed to "re-distribute" the weight on the ball hitch to both the trailer axel and the front axel of the Highlander. This allows for a safe towing condition. Without a WDS your Highlander front wheels would be elevated and you would have an unsafe driving condition.

Not sure about the older Visa but the 2016 Vista Cruiser rear bumper is what is called a "C-shaped" bumper and it CANNOT hold a bike rack. I had to cut and grind off the bumper, buy a 2" x 4" piece of box steel with a wall thickness of 1/8" and have it welded on to the two trailer frame rails that stick out the back. I also had two "L-shaped" brackets welded to stiffen the connection to the frame rails. I bought a 2" receiver plate that can be attached to the new bumper and then I insert my hitch mounted bike carrier rack. I have hauled 2 adult bikes up to 350 miles with no problems. Your existing bumper will be a twisted pretzel if you use it the way it is.

I have mostly been towing on fairly flat areas and in that scenario I get between 11 - 13 mpg. I have been to the Rockies (without towing a trailer) and I would say that the Highlander does not have enough power to handle some of those grades and the altitude as well. If you plan to tow in the Rockies I would recommend you get a truck. You might want to poke around some of the other sites to see what other people think but I believe the Highlander will struggle when it gets in the Rockies.
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Old 03-30-2016, 12:17 PM   #5
jcwilde1
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Default Re: Towing Visa 19rds w/2015 Toyota Highlander

I don't have a highlander, but have a small 2010 Nissan Frontier and I just bought the 19erd. After a week of towing it around (over 1000 miles) it towed pretty good. I have a E2 weight distributing hitch which helped a lot. I noticed some sway and huge gas mileage drop (9 mpg) on a day it was windy. The other days I got around 11 mpg with a best of 12.5 mpg on a clear day going 60mph.

The frontier is a V6 and I never felt like it was lacking power, unless I was trying to go 70 mph, but 60-65 wasn't a problem. Only wish is that it was heavier so that when I went over bumps or dips at 60 mph it would control it a tad better bounce wise. However once I drove it a bit I didn't notice it was back there all that much.
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