We tow an off-road camper that is similar in weight when fully loaded with gear and water. The GX tows it amazingly well, including on some tough 4x4 roads. I added Timbren SES bumpstop helper springs for a recent trip. They were great for the highway and smooth dirt roads, but they were pretty rough on washboards and limited articulation in 4x4 situations. It’s pretty easy to switch between the original bump stops and the Timbren so I’m going to use them when I believe the pros outweigh the cons. I’m going to explore different spring options as well so I can dial the suspension for the weight I’ve added (@Airdowngearup drawer system with fridge, rescue gear, tools, and a dog kennel). The tongue weight of our camper is around 600lbs, plus another @200lbs for everything else.
Tongue weight rating on the GX? (1 Viewer)
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That's really helpful! I was looking into suspension upgrades to go along with a weight distribution hitch with sway control. I have the lux + so I feel like I should be fine with one horse in an aluminum trailer with the 7600 tow cap with those mods, but if I add another horse I need to swap to the stock over trail tires and rims for the extra tow capacity.
Just to be clear, my GX is an Overtrail and is rated for over 9,000lbs. You might want to check the load rating on your tires, and make sure you’re not exceeding the GVWR for your Lux +. I towed our camper with a Tacoma with a 6,500lbs towing limit, but I added airbags and heavy duty leaf springs. The limiting factor on the Tacoma was power and brakes. I run E-rated KO3 tires on the GX for towing off-road. I can deal with the harsher ride in my daily driving to avoid flats off-road.
Lux + stock tires and rims are rated for 7600 lbs of towing. so for an aluminum trailer, one horse and gear I am well below that (approx. 5500lbs). If you add another horse (1200-1500 lbs) you would want the higher towing rating (9300 lbs) for that with the over trail rims and tires.
And of course at the end of the day it's not the towing it's the stopping with horses...not sure the GX is built for 2 horses stopping wise, all depends on how it handles one.
And of course at the end of the day it's not the towing it's the stopping with horses...not sure the GX is built for 2 horses stopping wise, all depends on how it handles one.
Great advice. I accidentally had P tires (!) installed on our '04 GX470 many moons ago which was fine for everyday. However, when towing our boat, the GX was all over the place...it was hell. I ditched those tires and learned my lesson! Load ratings matter.
Good thread.
I can confirm the above lessons and advice on my ‘24 OT too.
With a lift kit consisting of heavier shocks and stronger springs matched to each other my GX experienced improved towing characteristics. The final key was installing the E rated Toyo AT3 285-70R18 tires. With hitch height experimentation and final adjustment everything is now level and the lateral stability is excellent.
If I was pulling a significantly lighter trailer then I could have stayed with the stock suspension and my previous Nitto TG G3 275-70R18 tires.
I can confirm the above lessons and advice on my ‘24 OT too.
With a lift kit consisting of heavier shocks and stronger springs matched to each other my GX experienced improved towing characteristics. The final key was installing the E rated Toyo AT3 285-70R18 tires. With hitch height experimentation and final adjustment everything is now level and the lateral stability is excellent.
If I was pulling a significantly lighter trailer then I could have stayed with the stock suspension and my previous Nitto TG G3 275-70R18 tires.
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