# 230rs And '08 Tundra



## obx-rider (May 12, 2009)

I've been lurking here for a while and 'think' I have my choice narrowed down. I already own an '08 Tundra w/ the 5.7 engine and tow package. I want something comfortably within it's capability.

I will be hauling 1 street bike (400-700lbs) or 2 dirt bikes (600-700 lbs) on trips from a couple of hundred miles to a coupla thousand.

There will only be two of us on most of these trips and my wife and I are relatively used to confined spaces having done week long trips in s 27' sailboat and 
are currently on a 3,000 mile motorcyle trip sleeping in a tent most nights. From that perspective the 230RS seems positively spacious.

I have also just about decided to go with Holman's near Cincinatti.

I only have light trailer towing experience, mostly motorcycle trailers weighing less than 3,000 lbs and a little towing a 5,000 lb boat.
I don't mind paying extra for hitches etc. that will make towing safer, more pleasant, easier, etc.

And are there any other problems with my approach?


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

As long as your truck's tow rating can handle the mass back there, and if you have weight distributing hitch and sway control set up properly, you should be golden. Have fun.

Bill


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

The primary weight to be concerned with on the newer Tundra's is payload capacity. You will find that you can exceed it surprisingly fast. Good luck!

-CC


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## SDCampers (Oct 29, 2008)

I have an 08 Tundra with 5.7 and tow a 23RS. With the weight dist. hitch you hardly know it's there. I would think a 230 with the bikes would not be a problem.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Seems like this combo will be ok, but I'd like to see your real towing limits and recommend tongue weight.

Do you have thses handy?


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

obx-rider said:


> I've been lurking here for a while and 'think' I have my choice narrowed down. I already own an '08 Tundra w/ the 5.7 engine and tow package. I want something comfortably within it's capability.
> 
> I will be hauling 1 street bike (400-700lbs) or 2 dirt bikes (600-700 lbs) on trips from a couple of hundred miles to a coupla thousand.
> 
> ...


How do you plan to haul the bikes. 1000lbs is all that is allowed in a roo garage? I think adding 1000-1200 in the bed plus a 600 or so pound hitch will put your truck way over.

Your hitch weight will be 1200 with only 800lbs in a front garage. It will continue to go up if more weight is added.

We get 2 full size and one smaller bike in ours, but 3 full size bikes is gonna be a very tight squeeze.

Carey


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## obx-rider (May 12, 2009)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Seems like this combo will be ok, but I'd like to see your real towing limits and recommend tongue weight.
> 
> Do you have thses handy?


10,300 on tow limit, 1505 on vehicle capacity weight, I don't know off-hand the recommended tongue weight and don't remember seeing that figure.


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## obx-rider (May 12, 2009)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> I've been lurking here for a while and 'think' I have my choice narrowed down. I already own an '08 Tundra w/ the 5.7 engine and tow package. I want something comfortably within it's capability.
> 
> I will be hauling 1 street bike (400-700lbs) or 2 dirt bikes (600-700 lbs) on trips from a couple of hundred miles to a coupla thousand.
> 
> ...


How do you plan to haul the bikes. 1000lbs is all that is allowed in a roo garage? I think adding 1000-1200 in the bed plus a 600 or so pound hitch will put your truck way over.

Your hitch weight will be 1200 with only 800lbs in a front garage. It will continue to go up if more weight is added.

We get 2 full size and one smaller bike in ours, but 3 full size bikes is gonna be a very tight squeeze.

Carey
[/quote]

No, no... 1 street bike *OR* 2 dirt bikes, not all three at the same time...


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## 'Ohana (May 20, 2007)

obx-rider said:


> Seems like this combo will be ok, but I'd like to see your real towing limits and recommend tongue weight.
> 
> Do you have thses handy?


10,300 on tow limit, 1505 on vehicle capacity weight, I don't know off-hand the recommended tongue weight and don't remember seeing that figure.
[/quote]

How much will you be planning or carrying in the bed by way of camping or other gear ie...fire wood, bicycles, lawn chairs etc...

Also is your Tundra a single, club cab or crew cab

Ed


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

We pulled our Roo with a 02 F150 for the first 9 months or so. Here is what our experience was:

1. The trailer will have a very high tongue weight - it exceed the maximum of our truck with weight distribution bars with our two dirt bikes.

2. We live in Oregon - the best riding areas are over some pretty extreme passes - the F150 did it, but did not make any land speed records and there were some times that we felt like the trailer was oversized

3. We weighed ourselves fully loaded (water, bikes, full propane, two batteries, a bed full of wood and all the other stuff) and we were within the gross vehicle weight, but it was close. (Keep in mind, the 02 had lower a weight maximum than most of the 1/2 pickups do now)

We have upgraded the truck now - that diesel does not even know the trailer is back there and makes for a much more comfortable ride.

Just my two cents worth.


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## obx-rider (May 12, 2009)

'Ohana said:


> How much will you be planning or carrying in the bed by way of camping or other gear ie...fire wood, bicycles, lawn chairs etc...
> 
> Also is your Tundra a single, club cab or crew cab
> 
> Ed


My other camping is either backpacking or motorcycle camping, hence lightweight compact gear. I just started carrying a compact 'Kermit' chair motorcycle camping and consider that near embarrassing luxury...

I have an 'extended' cab, the smaller back seat setup....but the only folks that may go with us occasionally are grandchildren, 4 & 6.

Maybe I phased my question improperly. Two guys I work with have the next size up Chevy and Ford trucks, I've driven them, and no offense to anyone, but I hated them. Ride just to rough for what is essentially to me a passenger vehicle 95% of the time. 30 years of military flying followed by the last 10 civilian has left me with a tender back that will for some reason tolerate motorcycles but not stiff riding trucks.

So I guess the question is, is the 230rs too big of a trailer and if not what gear will help optimise towing?


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Since its a front loading trailer all of the garage/bike weight ends up on the tongue of the trailer.

So for what should be a 1/2 ton towable trailer, ends up being a trailer that works best with a 3/4 ton. Only because of the tongue weight, not becasue of the size.

Not saying you cant be comfortable towing this trailer. You are gonna need a suspension helper and a wd/sway hitch that is equal to or just a bit less than the actual loaded tongue weight.

You will be in the 1000-1200lb tongue weight area. There are no 1/2 ton trucks, yours included that can handle that much tongue weight and still have a ride and stability that is comfortable when using just the standard hitch methods.

If you add some LT tires, air bags, and an equalizer hitch of the correct size this can be done using your truck. The Eq hitch needs to closely match the actual tongue weight, and then the Eq hitch will need to be close to its maxed out settings to work well with the air bags.

Carey


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Here's an example of the calculations you might want to do to figure out if you have enough weight. Check my numbers. They probably aren't right, but they are what I found on the web...


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> Since its a front loading trailer all of the garage/bike weight ends up on the tongue of the trailer.
> 
> So for what should be a 1/2 ton towable trailer, ends up being a trailer that works best with a 3/4 ton. Only because of the tongue weight, not becasue of the size.
> 
> ...


Uh...Carey. Have you forgotten that a Tundra IS a 3/4 ton?
















Just kiddin' around!!!

-CC


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## obx-rider (May 12, 2009)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> Since its a front loading trailer all of the garage/bike weight ends up on the tongue of the trailer.
> 
> So for what should be a 1/2 ton towable trailer, ends up being a trailer that works best with a 3/4 ton. Only because of the tongue weight, not becasue of the size.
> 
> ...


Would I then be better off to look for a rear loading garage type trailer. Dang, I really like the looks of the 230rs, especially the closed off garage feature, I hate the open garage type.

Would it be possible to load all the other gear (probably only a couple of hundred pounds in my case) and offset the motorcycle somewhat? Where is the water tankage etc., would that help or hurt?


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

obx-rider said:


> Would I then be better off to look for a rear loading garage type trailer. Dang, I really like the looks of the 230rs, especially the closed off garage feature, I hate the open garage type.
> 
> Would it be possible to load all the other gear (probably only a couple of hundred pounds in my case) and offset the motorcycle somewhat? Where is the water tankage etc., would that help or hurt?


When we would pull over large passes we would leave the water tanks empty and fill when we got there. The other thing you could consider is adding a deck to the back to offset some of the tongue weight - another Carey mod and one that we are doing as well

Not trying to sell anything here, but send Carey a PM and ask him about his hitch - might be exactly what you need.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

obx-rider said:


> Since its a front loading trailer all of the garage/bike weight ends up on the tongue of the trailer.
> 
> So for what should be a 1/2 ton towable trailer, ends up being a trailer that works best with a 3/4 ton. Only because of the tongue weight, not becasue of the size.
> 
> ...


Would I then be better off to look for a rear loading garage type trailer. Dang, I really like the looks of the 230rs, especially the closed off garage feature, I hate the open garage type.

Would it be possible to load all the other gear (probably only a couple of hundred pounds in my case) and offset the motorcycle somewhat? Where is the water tankage etc., would that help or hurt?
[/quote]

Water tank full doesnt help much, but it is in the rear. The rv is so nose heavy I bet it would take 500lbs in the rear before an offset of weight off the front is gained.. I have a big rear deck on mine and a generator. It weighs about 250lbs.. Still doesnt change the tongue weight much. Everyone that own Tundras tell us they handle heavy tongue weights much better than the avg 1/2 ton.. So about all I can say is get one, load it up, go weigh it and see what youve got.. Im sure we can find a combo that works for ya. And yea my hitch would fix all this, but Im not selling any right now, and it wont be till I see the economy picking up before I put more money in it, so forget that for now.

If you buy this cool rv, just be willing to spend 400 or so for a quality wd hitch and another 4-750 for air bags, depending on how fancy you want. If your willing to do this, I bet you can dial it in to where it will be safe and comfortable.

This wont be the normal buy and hook and camp.. You will need to be patient and willing to work with and take advantage of whats out there to help you.. We have helped a ton of people with hitch problems here.. You have hundreds of years of combined experience right here on your screen.. Im sure a combo can be found that suits you.

Carey


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## obx-rider (May 12, 2009)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> Water tank full doesnt help much, but it is in the rear. The rv is so nose heavy I bet it would take 500lbs in the rear before an offset of weight off the front is gained.. I have a big rear deck on mine and a generator. It weighs about 250lbs.. Still doesnt change the tongue weight much. Everyone that own Tundras tell us they handle heavy tongue weights much better than the avg 1/2 ton.. So about all I can say is get one, load it up, go weigh it and see what youve got.. Im sure we can find a combo that works for ya. And yea my hitch would fix all this, but Im not selling any right now, and it wont be till I see the economy picking up before I put more money in it, so forget that for now.
> 
> If you buy this cool rv, just be willing to spend 400 or so for a quality wd hitch and another 4-750 for air bags, depending on how fancy you want. If your willing to do this, I bet you can dial it in to where it will be safe and comfortable.
> 
> ...


I'm used to weight and balance stuff from a lifetime of flying but I know absolutely nothing about weight distribution hitches etc. I was just thinking since my problem is tongue weight rather than total tow weight that rear loading the trailer with anything would help...but perhaps the arm isn't long enough to matter much.

I am not at all hesitant to spend money for something that will really help. I have access to scales to weigh tongue weight if that helps in setting up the w/d hitch. I just don't understand how that works. I had air bags in my Isuzu trooper for towing motorcycles and thought they were great. Any recommendation on brand/type?

I could also carry lighter bikes like my DRZ400 for offroad or VFR800 for street....I only really need my ST1300 for long mc trips which I won't need with using the TT as base. I had planned to carry my wifes Super Sherpa when I carried the DRZ but she could probably wait until I get this thing right.

Coincidentally I am headed to Denver,Colorado this very minute where we will drop off my truck/mc trailer tonite and begin a motorcycle ride thru Colorado, NM, AZ, back up thru UT then back into CO. Dang I wish I could stop and get a cup of coffee with you and get a better grasp of how weight distribution hitched work...


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

lol I prolly passed you yesterday. I pull rv's for a living out of Indiana. Im in St.Joe, Mo. And heading esatbound. Prolly passed you in Ks yesterday.

Maybe someone can post a link to the explanation of a wd hitch. You can go to Equalizer and learn there too. Just google equalizer hitch. They are out of SLC, Ut.

Air bag brand doesnt really matter anymore, as they are all made in china. They all are about the same anymore.

I would have the dealer throw in a 1200 Equalizer hitch, and a set of installed air bags with compressor so you can adjust it. You might get all that for a good deal if you tell them your not buying till that is factored in. Try Lakeshore RV or Holman out of Cincy, Oh. for the best prices in the US.

You will need the brand Equalizer to make this work.. I use a Reese pro series that is very similar to Equalizer, but they are brand new and kinda unknown, so Id stick with eq, because thats what everyone knows and can help you with easier.

This rv has a max load of 1000lbs. We haul between 8-900 in ours. So once you get it, just play with what works on bikes.. You will see that it doesnt make much difference though. Any sort of load over 500lbs and the tongue weight gets heavy quick.

Man, have a great trip.. Sounds like a fun ride!

Better hit the hwy...

Carey


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## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

Nathan said:


> Here's an example of the calculations you might want to do to figure out if you have enough weight. Check my numbers. They probably aren't right, but they are what I found on the web...


Was that an actual website? Where did you find that?


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Man, I hate to see you give up on your dream RV!!! We have an '07 Tundra CCab .... with a 28krs .... and a Hensley hitch. It's a perfect combo and has handled every situation we've found ourselves in, from Maine to the Tetons, over the past 3 years. btw, the "toy" is a Honda Shadow (600#)


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

TexanThompsons said:


> Here's an example of the calculations you might want to do to figure out if you have enough weight. Check my numbers. They probably aren't right, but they are what I found on the web...


Was that an actual website? Where did you find that?
[/quote]
It's an Excel Spreadsheet. pm me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you.


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