Will a 4Runner pull a 21' Bass Boat? I was wonderg if a Toyota 4Runner with a V6 will pull a 21' Bass Boat.
Thanks,

Probably...

However I do not think it would be a good idea to do it often or for very far.

I have a friend who pulled a high end ski boat all over the place with a Ford Thunderbird... worked but was not really a good safe way to do it.

Basically I would worry about the tranny giving out prematurely or being able to handle the load. Also will the brakes be able to stop it in an emergency...

Check the tow ratings it may be fine. I have no idea what they are for the year/engine/tranny combo on your 4 runner.

Good luck

It will pull it. But, i'm worried about the transmission over time.

I pulled my old 20-foot center console with a Jeep Cherokee and at about 70-mph it was all over the place. Stabilizer bar might have helped, don't know. Got rid of it and bought a pick 'em up truck and no more problems.

If you do, be prepared to replace either the Tranny or the Rear Axle gears. Been there done that.

Of course it will, but good luck during any kind of an emergency stop in the rain !

I pull my 21' fish and ski with my 4runner with 170k miles. I ordered a tranny cooler which helps with towing. The majority of tranny problems come from overheating. The tranny cooler will help.

I pull my 18' deep-v with my 2000 4Runner. Six years and 95,0000 miles and no problems...no transmission cooler either.

You need to look at the 4runner/boat weight ratio. When I used to pull my 18' Ranger with a Jeep Cherokee (4.0L inline 6) the problem wasn't power. The problem, as has been discussed, was stability at highway speeds. Getting passed or passing big trucks can really push the boat around and you just don't have the gross vehicle weight in the two vehicle to overcome that without a little side to side going down the road.

If you can financially afford it, I'd pull it with something heavier. If you can't, please drive safely so you don't jeopardize others on the road around you.

I have pulled a bass boat with a honda civic (don't laugh it was just to transport the boat). You will be fine hauling the boat with your 4runner, but the most important part is stopping! Hauling a heavy boat without a trailer with brakes can be very dangerous. I hauled a 20' boat without a motor with my Mitsubishi Monterro.. engine and tranny did great, but I almost had a really bad day when an 18 wheeler pulled directly in front of me doing 60 mph.... i evaded well but it did get the heart pumping. I 100% could not stop. Take it to heart that you will be put into that situation...

My wife drives our 4Runner. It's an 03 with only 23,000 miles on it since she works less than a mile from home. 2 years ago I pulled my partners 18 foot Skeeter with it and had a few instances where I puckered a bit. Mainly trucks passing on 2 lanes roads and sometimes pulling the boat from the lake up a wet ramp.

I now have a 21 foot Skeeter and haven't even tried to hook it to the 4Runner. I can't imagine trying to tow it with the 4Runner after having pulled the 18 footer. I've had times my 5.3L Chevy Silverado would spin the tires going up a ramp with this boat. If I had been using the 4Runner on those trips, I'd still be there spinning my wheels.

I might use the 4Runner to pull it across town if I needed to, but no way would I use it to take the boat fishing.

It sounds like you're in my same situation. I have a vehicle that is rated to tow my boat, but it's a little questionable. My typical area of use and typical length of drive doesn't really warrant purchasing a new tow vehicle.

I have a '99.5 Pathfinder 4x4 with a 170 hp V-6. I have 98,000 miles on the clock. I pull my 21 foot inboard ski boat with it (about 4,500 pounds loaded). (I also pull my 18 foot aluminum bass boat, but that does help in this story). I've towed it all over North Texas and Texoma with no problems, but I've made some modifications--and I always take my time.

Brakes - I converted the trailer brakes from a surge brake hydrolic system to electric brakes. The advantage is that the trailer brakes now engage a fraction of a second before the truck brakes; this helps in the pucker factor.

When I first started towing this boat with the Pathfinder, the surge brakes worked well, but the delay in the engagement of the brakes nearly caused me to jack knife in a emergency stop situation (18-wheeler pulled in front of me, too). I researched electric brakes for boat trailers and decided to get them converted. Now, I can slam on the brakes and know that I won't have any problems (well, at least that I won't jack knife).

I have had the brakes for almost 3 years. In that time I've towed the boat all over the area behind the Pathfinder and on a trip through Northern Arkansas/Southern Missouri behind a 4x4 Expedition.

The electric brakes are a must when the truck is so close to being over-matched. I use a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller...it can be moved from vehicle to vehicle. This conversion cost about $500 all in.

Transmission cooler - I have a large, auxillary transmission cooler installed to keep the temp down on my tranny. It is installed so that the flow of the fluid goes from the transmission, to the auxillary cooler, to the stock cooler in the radiator, and back into the transmission. Running through the stock cooler in the radiator after auxilary cooler keeps the fluid from being over-cooled (which can also damage a tranny).

4x4 - I've used a full-size Bronco 4x4, a 4x2 Suburban with a low rear-end and towing package, a full-size Chevy Silverado 4x2 with a V-8, and my Pathfinder to tow this boat. We never put the old Bronco in 4wd and never had any trouble getting up the ramp. The Suburban sometimes had a little trouble on wet ramps, but always got up. We always use 4Lo on the Expedition because it's easy to use and is easier on the truck. The Silverado needed 2 big dudes jumping in the bed of the truck to get up the ramp as it spun it's tires. I always use 4Lo in the Pathfinder and have never had a problem.

I'm happy enough towing with this setup around the metromess and on up to Texoma, over to Fork, or even down to Livingston, but I wouldn't want to take this into any mountains of any kind.

The bottom line is that your 4runner can probably handle it if you take your time and don't really plan on any long trips. You'll probably want to look into upgrading the trailer brakes to electric and adding a tranny cooler if you plan on towing the boat much.

If you pull it very far you will burn up the transmission, rear end, motor, and/or brakes. All the add-on stuff (transmission cooler and trailer brakes) will help but in the long run that is too much boat for too little truck. It would be OK for a short trip to the lake but it is not going to be reliable for longer trips. This is why they make diesel pickups.

It will but it wont go very fast and it sure wont have any solid Brakes. Of course all this depends on Boat Size and type of Terrain. I know a few Guys that Travel the Tournament Trail driving a Lexus LX470 pulling a 21 ft Bass Boat. It's kinda similar to your setup. They dont seem to have any problems..

Just put a transmission cooler on the 4Runner if it doesn't already have one. I wouldn't worry so much about pulling a 21 footer as I would being able to stop it!!!! A word to the wise, if you do decide to use the 4 runner, when backing down the ramp to launch, put the Runner in neutral instead of reverse. You won't have to worry about the boat dragging the Runner down the ramp.