First Time Caller, Long Time Listener

Hello Everyone -

This is Kimberly from Perris, California.

I have been ⛺ camping for years and ready for something different. I have been reading the forum for a few months, checked out some other teardrops and decided on the 560.

I plan to place an order in November.

Currently, I have some tow anxiety and wanted to know if anyone toes with a Toyota FJ Cruiser.

 

I don't have an FJ Cruiser but do note that the published towing capacity of 4700 is a bit more than 3 times higher than the heaviest of camp-inn teardrops. I can't imagine you'll have any trouble with power to tow or braking with that tow vehicle.

 

There have been owners who tow with an FJ. As Handben states, it is more than adequate for towing trailers much larger and heavier than a teardrop. Towing a teardrop is pretty straight forward, and is probably a bit easier in an FJ than most of the more common tow vehicles, as I suspect the FJ is probably as wide as the camper, whereas the majority of tow vehicles are a bit narrower.

The biggest skill to master with a teardrop is backing up - they are harder to back than big huge trailers due to the short wheel base. Find a big, empty shopping center parking lot and practice backing up. As others have recommended, put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move the wheel in the direction that you want the trailer to go. Go slow and make small adjustments to the wheel.

Start with shallow turns and work up to making sharper turns. And don't be afraid to pull forward and keep trying for as long as it takes. We all have.

 

This forum is so awesome. Thanks for all of the detailed advice.

Please note: I have never towed anything, not even a small U-haul. But these responses eases my anxiety a great deal.

 

Towing a teardrop is a breeze. The hardest part is remembering that you are towing. You'll be fine.

 

For a while after we first got our CI, I would glance in the mirror and think someone was tailgating me really close. You will forget it is there like others have said especially without that tow vehicle.

 

Hello Kimberly & welcome! We use both our 2014 FJ Cruiser & 2004 Sequoia to tow our 560. It's a breeze with either one! I hitched up & towed the camper (with the Sequoia) all by myself for the first time last year to our campsite an hour away from home because my DH couldn't come until a day or two later for the weekend & I did just fine. I even got myself out of a tough jam that my GPS got me into..........took me down a road leading to the State Park that was closed due to the bridge being washed out by spring flooding....a NARROW TWO LANE ROAD with NO shoulder that I had to back up a ways to a side road where I could manuever and turn around, but I did it & was pretty proud of myself! And the great thing about a teardrop.......IF you ever have trouble backing it into your campsite, just unhitch & push it where you want it!

We tow with the Sequoia most of the time mainly because we have 4 kids, which equates to a bunch of stuff that we usually need the extra room to haul. But the FJ is a super fun vehicle & did great the trip or two we have used it towing the 560! The only issues for us so far have been that the FJ factory towing pkg came with just a 4 pin so my DH converted to a 7 pin so all the lights, etc. on the camper work; and the factory tow pkg is not wired to charge the teardrop battery while towing, and we have been quoted that is going to cost around $350.00-400.00 to get the work done so it will charge the battery while towing in between boondocking/back country sites like we hope to do sometime soon.

Happy Trails with your FJ & CI soon!

Casandra

 

@Cassandra:

Thanks so much for adding the issue with the 4 pin connector. I was very concerned if a 7 pin connector existed. Do you happen to have a link for purchasing a 4 pin to a 7 pin.

Also, did you get electric brakes for your 560? I live in California and we are required to have electric brakes if the trailer is over 1500 lbs.

I am so excited and LOVE this forum.

 

Something like this is what my husband bought & converted the 4 pin to a 7 pin just to make all the lights/turn signals work while towing the camper. Amazon.com : Trailer Adapter plug, convert 4 way flat to 7 way RV trailer (97015) : Trailer Connectors : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Our 560 does have electric brakes, but they still will not work with the way the FJ comes wired from the factory unless you get the after market $350-400 wiring conversion done that I mentioned. It is really a pain & I have no idea why Toyota did this.......it's our understanding the FJ is the only vehicle they wire this way.......all their other vehicles with a tow pkg come with a 7 pin & ready to tow an RV so that everything works as it should.
Casandra

 

That seems pricey for the wire job. FWIW, it's not beyond the ability of a mildly competent DIYer. If you search through the forum, you will see that Cary notes that the number one problem they see on new owners' tow vehicles is a botched wiring job, even those done by alleged professionals. Our TV is a Honda Element. When we got our 550 three years ago, I was determined to do the wiring myself to assure that it was done correctly (and cause I'm a cheapskate). The Element was also prewired with a four-pin connector, but I was able to assemble all the goodies and convert to the seven-pin and install a brake controller without a lot of difficulty and a total cost of <$75 for parts, following Cary's notes on the forum and with a couple of hand-holding email exchanges with Necedah. I don't remember the exact details of how I did it, but the key is to use heavy gauge wire and make sure you've got a good ground.

 

I tow with a 4Runner, which has a lot of similarities to the FJ. That engine isn't exactly the strongest in the world, but it's fine for any Camp Inn. I got 15.6mpg on a recent 3600 mile trip into AZ, UT, CO from Austin, TX. On the highway, I move the shift gear from D over to the manual mode and flip it between 4th and 5th. Otherwise overdrive kicks in and out and gas mileage was worse. The brakes on your TV aren't great, so you want the electric brakes/brake controller...your confidence will be much higher when the light turns yellow too! FJ will be an awesome tow vehicle! And your Camp Inn will be the best base camp around while you're taking that FJ where other's can't go! Love my 4Runner/Camp Inn combo!!!