Suitable trailer for a Toyota 4Runner TRD off road 6 cylnder rated to 5,000 lbs with a towing package

[LSMarnell]

@Sun_Hill_Farm

you are addressing one of those people who has done this for years and who sees and knows a lot. I and my kind know what works

Okay then. Why are you asking us if you know it all already?

[OnAMission]

I think she’s saying she knows what she’s doing with camping and hauling into the remote places but she’s trying to get info on those specific trailers to see if they will work with the 4Runner. You sounded as if you had the impression she has never hauled down a bad road to a good trailhead but to me she’s got that part handled. The trailer is the question, not any other aspect of what she’s doing.

[Sun_Hill_Farm]

thank you.

[punchy]

Sure, but the OP also keeps saying that their situation is unique and that they don’t know anyone else who hauls the way they do with a 4Runner and a euro trailer. So all the OP is going to get from us is opinions. Which they repeatedly say they don’t want.

OP, sounds like nobody here does what you want to confirm can be done, so I’d move on. Maybe talk to some European drivers in the Alps or something.

[SBrentnall]

The trailer speed limit in CA is 55mph.

[irishchick]

@Sun_Hill_Farm

There’s more to it than weight. There is also aerodynamics, and braking ability and most importantly, tongue weight.

That’s absolutely right. My point was, even though it won’t tell you everything, it’s something you can do with the equipment you already have that will give you some nonzero amount of information about how well the tow vehicle you are considering can handle a load of that weight, which might either close the door on this path or verify for you that it’s something you want to explore further.

[OnAMission]

She asked for info and it is very true nobody here does it but the thread isn’t closed, someone out there might see this and have the exact experience she’s asking about. She’s had a lot of input to pick through, some useful, some not, including my own, but it’s worth the ask, in theory at least. lol

[endlessclimb]

Now I have a proper rig but I used to haul an American made 2h with a v8 grand cherokee. My tow limit was 5500. I rarely had engine to spare.

[firecracker]

I mentioned up thread that I had a Highlander and a Brenderup, and I guess I’ll expand a bit since there’s been a lot of discussion here.

My Highlander has lower clearance than a 4Runner, so that was the limiting factor for me - not so much the trailer. As others mentioned, the point of connection between vehicle and trailer was the spot I had to watch out for on uneven terrain. I also had an American made steel trailer, and I don’t think there was a huge difference in clearance between the steel trailer or the Brenderup. If I still had the trailer I’d get measurements, but it’s been sold. I’m sure any of the Bockmann dealers would be happy to provide that info if that’s a euro trailer you’d look into.

Again, as mentioned before, I never had any issues hauling a single horse in my Brenderup with my Highlander, which has a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs. I did haul down some ranch roads that were a bit rough, nothing crazy, but I did have to pay attention to where I put my tires. I think so much comes down to common sense. You get to know your rig, and the kinds of roads it can handle. If there’s a potential issue, I would scout out the road before without a trailer first.

I would not hesitate to take a Highlander and Brenderup down a fairly well maintained dirt or gravel road with some bumps and divets here and there, and with one horse, reasonable elevation gains were not an issue for me (I did some hauling in NM mountains with the Highlander).

Best of luck OP.

Edited to add: I was always very careful and aware that I did not have a big heavy tow vehicle, or a strong steel trailer. I always erred on the side of caution, but I did not really feel limited with my Highlander and Brenderup.

[firecracker]

Y’know… I have a friend with a Tacoma that hauls to trailheads in Oregon with a Brenderup. She’s never mentioned having problems. I might shoot her this thread and see if she can share more about her experiences.

[Sun_Hill_Farm]

That would be a big help. Thank you.

[Myta]

said Oregon friend here. While I’ve driven up some unpaved, switchback, single lane forest roads up here that we have to weave around downed trees, I haven’t taken the horses on that extreme of a road. We’ve done some forest roads, but they’re mostly paved, and pretty good condition, if a bit narrow; or crazy nice gravel, not perfectly level, but not acute washouts. I adore my Brenderup, but the braking system, inertia, isn’t ideal for potholes. Every time the truck hits a pothole, the spring compresses, engaging the brakes on the trailer, which yanks us more than the pothole itself did. If your roads are all washouts and potholes, that trailer is not the smoothest. I’ve done 100-200 foot stretches of extreme washouts and just crawl through them, but I wouldn’t want to do 5 miles of road like that, just because I move so incredibly slow we’d never get there. The clearance in terms of trees is a concern as well. The fiberglass roof isn’t going to brush off any hefty tree branches. My trailer runs a 9’2" overhead height, a lot of smaller roads aren’t cleared for that. If you have nothing but pines with dinky branches overhead, cleared for logging trucks or the bigger fire vehicles, you’re likely to have no trouble, but I’ve definitely had to watch my overhead clearance on some smaller roads. So that would just come down to what kind of roads you frequent. Personally, I’ve never considered road access when picking a trail and have never come across anything that made me nervous with my rig, but I do drive crazy slow on some of those little roads with the trailer.

My Brenderup is a 93 royal, fitted with slightly larger trailer tires than the originals (75s instead of 65). It has the highest road clearance of any trailer I’ve ever owned. We have never considered bottoming out on any kind of road or transition. I’ve owned some trailers in the past where you really had to come out of some gas stations at a severe angle to not bottom out, but that’s never been the case with the Brenderup. My truck is an 07 Tacoma, 5300 lbs tow rating, 2wd, v6, she’s sitting around 328k miles right now. When I moved out here, it had 2 horses in the trailer, 1050 lbs and 1800 lbs, weights from an actual scale, a carriage in the bed of the truck, and crossed the rockies and cascades with no problem (on highways). It’s worth noting the smaller Brenderups have a lower gvwr than my truck has, so watch the specs on the trailer if you’re hauling 2 larger horses with hay, water, etc. Personally, I adore my brenderup and have never regretted it, but I may not do the roads you do.

[Xanthoria]

@kaya842

And yet the Brenderup handles it beautifully while the Hawk got big stuck.

Now I will say, EquiTreks have extremely low clearance. They wouldn’t be my choice.

I’ve towed a Brenderup Baron for 10 years, and an EquiTrek for 5 years, both with a 4Runner. The Brenderup regularly caught on dips in the road (leaving gas stations for example) but the EquiTrek never has once. Yep, even with 13” wheels. The ground clearance is better than the Brenderup. .

[Xanthoria]

@Sun_Hill_Farm

From the little that I understand so far about European trailers, towing my current trailer, even if it fell within specs, wouldn’t tell me much about how the 4Runner would perform with a European trailer. There’s more to it than weight. There is also aerodynamics, and braking ability and most importantly, tongue weight. I have a couple of other options here–talking to horse folks in Europe, or talk to 4Runner enthusiasts, or both.

I only just learned that 4Runners used to have a V8, so that is good to have in mind, in case people say they didn’t have a problem, I will enquire as to which engine they had.

I didn’t have a problem towing a 1950# Brenderup Baron (250# tongue weight?) with two horses and a lot of gear up to Tahoe, using a Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 with 4WD rated to tow 5,000#. We weren’t going fast, but we got there and back safe and sound.

At around 250k miles I traded that car in for a Toyota 4Runner SR5 V8 with 4WD rated to tow 7300#. It’s been towing a 3000# EquiTrek (300# tongue weight) up and down the west coast for 5 years with one or two horses.

I prefer the bigger engine. i think the build quality on the Brenderup is better, but honestly the things I looked at on the ET that made me nervous (tiny wheels, some plastic parts) haven’t been an issue at all. Yeah their jockey wheel design isn’t great, but where else are you going to find a side load (super wide and low ramp) rear facing trailer with living quarters that can be towed easily by an SUV? Nowhere. Horses love it, load easily, and I’m considering upgrading mine.

So there you go: input from someone who has towed two Euro trailers for 15+ years all over the place. Tongue weight, aerodynamics, braking ability - none of those are an issue with 4Runners and Euro trailers.

[FLeventer]

Before I moved to Europe this past year, I towed my Brenderup Baron with my 2022 Toyota 4Runner Limited. I towed it with sometimes 2 horses on short trips and the longest trip I did was a 4 hour round trip with it (1 Horse). No issues on the highway or improved roads with the trailer. I don’t know if I would do unimproved roads with the trailer though.

I was living in DC area and there was no way for me to keep my F350 - parking garage issues and practicality. I went from 4 horses to two so honestly, I downgraded everything and I really did like the trailer. Most of the things I did were less than an hour from me. If I ended up staying in the states, I would have probably upgraded to the Equi Trek - but it wasn’t meant to be.

[Salty]

I have a Chevy Silverado 350 with the towing package, and just got a 4 Star trailer that’s been customized by the previous owner with heavy duty axles, brakes, and suspension. It also has an aftermarket ramp. Because I feel better when I 'm overprepared than when I 'm underprepared.

I love the look of the EquiTrek but it didn’t seem practical for what I do.

[Sun_Hill_Farm]

Thank you so very much for coming here to post your experiences. Sorry it took me awhile to acknowlege your post. I didn’t get a notification and I only just thought to pop back over here to see if there was anything new.

I’m happy to hear about the good ground clearance and about your ability to haul that kind of weight with that sized vehicle over big mountain passes.

I was not planning to get a Brenderup because of the parts issue. Do you have problems with getting repairs done?

What is the ground clearance, in inches, if you don’t mind? That might help for points of comparison with other european trailers.

[Sun_Hill_Farm]

The issue with the trailer’s brakes and potholes does sound suboptimal. I am now thinking I might buy a euro trailer–used, if I can find one–and not sell the 2500 truck or my current trailer until I’ve taken the euro trailer out a few times with the 4Runner and made sure both can do the job.