Towing with a Land Cruiser

So I have been towing for years and I tow a car hauler with various cars on it a few times a month in Texas so it's mostly flat highways. Towing, it does fine but I am sure I am right at the limits of its capacity and that worries me sometime.   It sags in the rear, but it pulls straight. I get 10 miles per gallon and we know the Land Cruiser is reliable, but I'm always on the hunt for the next best thing and even though I really don't need it would a pick up be better since a longer wheelbase?   Will it be safer on the road? I only pull at 65 miles an hour so speed isn't an issue   I haven't felt any hairy moments whatsoever. Should I add to my fleet or just continue with the status quo? 

Wheelbase is your friend when towing. A longer pickup truck will likely give you a less stressful towing experience and possibly even at higher speeds, but if you haven't felt uncomfortable in the Land Cruiser and don't plan on towing anything heavier than what you've done so far, you might just want to do a sway controller to be on the safe side rather than upgrading your tow vehicle. I went from towing with a Nissan Frontier to a 2015 Silverado this year, and the extra capacity of the bigger truck just makes the whole experience a lot more relaxed and enjoyable. Lots of people will tell you that you can tow X with a 4 cylinder Ranger across the Rocky mountains, and I'm sure you could, but at no point will you enjoy that drive.

Invest in an equalizer hitch. That will help with the rear squat.

lownslow said:

Invest in an equalizer hitch. That will help with the rear squat.

100% correct! Even the cheapo at the hammer store will do the job you need, but setup can be confusing to some. 
There are easier to use styles, but many at MUCH higher prices, probably rolled of the same assembly line!

The easier to use ones, are , mostly, worth the extra cost - but not because of better quality. 

Hammer store, new in box $100

Didn't check your location, but if I have to tow next week, I might get this myself!

Is it me or can that RAV4 go much farther back? The looks like at least 25% tongue weight, so dropping it back to 15% would take off a lot of tongue weight while still be very stable. 

Holy smokes, the J100 is only a  112" wheelbase! Same as my Sklasse.

I'm not sure where the jury on this board lands, but you could be a good candidate for something like a trailer towd.

In reply to cyow5 :

It definitely can.  I can try that with next load.  

If it's always flat and straight, and you're sticking to 65mph, I don't see any issue with what you're doing there; but for comparison since I've been through a few tow vehicles all with a similar (sans wind deflector) open trailer now, I used to tow with a GMT400 Yukon (almost the same wheelbase as your rig) and now use a 2011 Tundra with a 164" wheelbase.  There's almost no comparison- the Tundra is more comfortable at 80mph than the Yukon was at 60, and if things are flat it'll return 12.5mpg doing it, closer to 10mpg if it's hilly.  We're generally towing a long way so the reduction in stress after 12+hrs of it is a wonderful upgrade.

I tow with a 1st gen Tundra so I imagine the experience is similar. I haven't used a WDH but I did invest in big bump stops to level the rear. I cheaped out with an Amazon version of Wheelers Offroad/Sumosprings style set but they work great for leveling and maintaining stability. You didn't mention braking, do you have a brake controller and electric brakes? If not that's a huge safety/stability upgrade you can do for not too much money.  

I had a 100-series. Good rig but terrible tow vehicle. I'd love to a truck. But if you want to stick with an SUV, I like the 5.7L in 2nd gen Sequoias. Much much better to tow with (also longer wheelbase). 

if what you have works for you, investing in a weight disributing hitch seems like a better use of money than throwing a ton of cash at another vehicle.

unless you're towing all the time, then it might be worth considering what a longer tow vehicle could do for you.

I bought my GX460 to tow on the rare occasion and took the 65mph max recommend towing speed and shorter wheelbase as solid tradeoffs for it's much shorter length over a standard pickup in day to day use.

Given your experience towing with a Land Cruiser and the concerns about sagging in the rear, it's crucial to consider a few factors when evaluating whether to switch to a pickup or enhance your current setup. If your vehicle is sagging under load, investing in a weight distribution hitch could help redistribute the weight of the trailer, improving stability and reducing sag. Additionally, upgrading your rear suspension with air bags or heavy-duty springs designed for towing can enhance load capacity and reduce sag. A pickup truck typically has a longer wheelbase than an SUV, which can improve stability while towing, especially in windy conditions or on uneven road surfaces. This longer wheelbase can also aid in weight distribution, reducing the likelihood of swaying or fishtailing.