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I have a 1986 Toyota mini motor home sunrader 22 feet four cylinder 22RE EFI rear wheel drive would I be able to tow a jet ski or a 12 foot aluminum boat  ?Legally I can carry four people and I will probably travel light and not have to much equipment in the vehicle I know that engine has enough weight to pull already and want to respect that lol.

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The reason why a 20-21 foot Toyota RV is not rated to pull anything is not because of the engine size.  It is because of many factors that are already maxed out, e.g. transmission, brakes, rear-frame, etc.  Regardless, many people have pulled small trailers and done fine.  The original owner of my 1988 Minicruiser with a 22RE and auto trans pulled a 16' boat for many miles and years.  Note though that I am in northern Michigan and the roads are all pretty much flat. I would NOT want to try it in hilly places.  Trailer-tongue weight would be my biggest concern.  A trailer-hitch on the rear of a 20-21 foot Toyota RV is so far back from the rear-axle - it has a dangerous amount of mechanical advantage to rock it and make it handle poorly if any substantial weight is on back.

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1 hour ago, jdemaris said:

A trailer-hitch on the rear of a 20-21 foot Toyota RV is so far back from the rear-axle - it has a dangerous amount of mechanical advantage to rock it and make it handle poorly if any substantial weight is on back.

True, it's way back there, but tongue weight on a 600lb trailer would be what? 100lb? There are lots of Toyota MH driving around with lots more than that on substantial structures/platforms weighing more than that when loaded up with generators, coolers, gas cans, inflatable boats, outboards and kitchen sinks. :)

The One Ton (SRW) pickup was given a 8500lb GCWR by Toyota. I've never seen a figure published for the 1-Ton DRW C&C but I can't imagine it would be less than the SRW.

" The gross combined weight rating or gross combination weight rating (GCWR), also referred to as the gross combination mass (GCM), gross train weight (GTW), or maximum authorized mass (MAM), is the maximum allowable combined mass of a road vehicle, the passengers and cargo in the tow vehicle, plus the mass of the trailer and cargo in the trailer.[1][2] This rating is set by the vehicle manufacturer. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_combined_weight_rating

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8 minutes ago, Derek up North said:

True, it's way back there, but tongue weight on a 600lb trailer would be what? 100lb? There are lots of Toyota MH driving around with lots more than that on substantial structures/platforms weighing more than that when loaded up with generators, coolers, gas cans, inflatable boats, outboards and kitchen sinks

It's not just the static tongue weight. It's the forward "see-saw" bias when you hit a bump or surge of some sort.  Several companies used to make little tongue dollies just for the this sort of use.  E.g., a tow vehicle that cannot handle tongue weight.   I wonder when there are no equipment trailers for highway use with zero tongue weight like done with farm trailers and hay-wagons. Or maybe there are, and I just haven't noticed.  

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do you have the 6 lug rear end?

if so, a jetski or small aluminum boat is fine, especially if your not going over the rockies. I want to tow my 22' sailboat with my v6 but its definitely pushing it too much.

reinforcing frame extensions is a good idea. transmission is the other weak link, but my old 1987 mini cruiser had a sufficient transmission cooler from the factory. I did, however, need to get the rear main bearing and seal replaced because of excessive play and leaking. this can be done without dropping the transmission, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Edited by bicoastal eric
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1 hour ago, bicoastal eric said:

do you have the 6 lug rear end?

if so, a jetski or small aluminum boat is fine, especially if your not going over the rockies.

The pulling capacity of a 6 lug dually differential is no different then a 5 lug semi-floater.

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I live in Washington state Vancouver Washington USA which is by Portland Oregon near the columbia river we have some hills here lol. 

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Toyota says no towing. The big issues are stopping and tong weight. The mini home has marginal brakes to begin with. My Tacoma no doubt will pull 10,000# but I could not stop it or if things got out of hand I would be going for a ride.

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Brakes should not be a "normal" issue if the trailer has its own brakes.  I say "normal" since you don't want to die in a crash if the trailer-brakes fail.  It almost happened to me pulling a 12K lb. trailer down a long hill with my diesel Ford F250.  Lost my trailer-brakes and had to rely on the truck brakes and transmission holding me back.  By the time I got to the bottom of the hill - brakes were glazed and non-functional.  When I jammed the truck into low gear the rear tires just skidded.  It was a 4WD but my front hubs were not locked. Otherwise I could of put it into 4WD and let the trans hold me back.

Tongue-weight is what I regard as the major issue for a Toyota RV pulling a trailer - unless we are talking about a little Toyota Chinook.  The Chinook allows a max of 150 lbs. on the tongue and a max of 1000 lbs. for a trailer.

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As to the 6 lug not changing towing capacity, I suppose not, but if it had the 5 lug I would say definitely no.

But knowing you have the true one ton axle, and assuming everything is in good condition (brakes, atf, suspension, etc.) I would absolutely feel comfortable towing a 12' aluminum boat. 

However, I would want to cut down some weight by only filling the water tank half way and only two people riding in it, others can take a separate car. That would more than make up the difference in weight.

But hey, that's just my opinion. 

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