xfea

Hey there - I don't have much experience towing with my LX, but from what I gather the 2015 LX 570's 7,000 lb. tow rating is very conservative.

If that is the case, what's the opinion of doing short distance towing...50 miles or so with a 7,700 lb total weight trailer?

This is a boat - so my 2015 LX 570 would also launch the boat, navigating a launch ramp.

Thoughts / opinions much appreciated.

ndmiller

I was under the impression one should not exceed 80% of tow capacity for safety reasons. I've seen way to many videos of "Boat Launch Fails" with vehicles that hadn't exceeded their tow capacity with other things going wrong.

With a beater pickup truck, sure. With a $98k luxury vehicle I want to keep, no way, rent a pickup.

hzhao

Lexus uses SAE rating which in compare to how Dodge and Ford rating, it is about at 80% of true capacity. For launching ramp, put in 4-Lo shouldn't be any problem with 7700 lbs.

hankinid

I assume you'll use a brake controller for the trailer, or does it use surge brakes?

Gordj

I tow a travel trailer that weighs in close to the 7,000 lb limit with no issues at all. 10,000 plus miles so far. I also have a 4,500 lb boat and in my opinion you will have no issues at all. Boat trailers are completely different to tow and tend to follow like they are on rails. Look ahead and don't worry.
And as a jet boat owner who has launched in quite a few sketchy launches with absolutely no issues I can tell you that you will have fewer problems than almost any other vehicle. The traction control and power will be obvious after watching others in lesser tow vehicles struggle as you wonder what the big deal is.
There are tons of pictures of boat incidents that look bad but you have to remember that boat trailers are designed to make loading and unloading easier (sliding on and off) and the methods of attaching boats to trailers are woefully inadequate. The winch mount tends to be under-engineered and the rear tie downs are similarly inadequate. Fast stops will result in the boat on top of the tow vehicle. This is my personal opinion based on quite a few stops at commercial scales with trucks carrying poles, hardware and transformers which are regulated to make sure they stay on the trailer. Just make sure you are looking ahead and try to avoid surprises. I would not hesitate for a second to haul a 7,700 lb boat 50 miles occasionally, why else would we own this beast of a truck?

xfea

It has surge brakes.

Chocolate

They used to rate the earlier LX 570s at 8500 pounds... not sure why they rerated later. SAE spec changes?

xfea

And here is our new boat at Port Sidney B.C.

I didn't know!
That makes me feel better...it was that last item in deciding to buy the boat.
So we did....all up wet weight is about 8,440 lbs.
The only towing we invision is to the launch ramp ( 0.75 miles) and annually into winter storage around 50 miles.

This is at Lake Tahoe - elevation around 6,300 feet.
Just towed it yesterday and went on the water...
The LX felt fine! Very capable.

Thanks to all! It's gonna be a fun summer!

xfea

Thank you!
Your reply was a big vote of confidence!

Gordj

Reggie1

I'm glad your tow went OK.

I've used a gen2 and now gen3 LX for towing. So much so that I've replaced the puny side view mirrors with real towing mirrors. They make a huge difference in visibility when towing a horse trailer. They are made in Australia for Land Cruisers and LXs, and mount easily with the Toyota factory hardware and wiring already there. They adjust with the factory mirror controls. I also tow a dual axle equipment trailer to move my tractor and implements and haul hay bales and such. It's rated for 14,500 pounds, but I never load it to that limit unless I'n using my 2500HD pickup instead of the LX. The equipment trailer weighs 2,950 pounds without any load. A limiting factor towing with the LX is that I have to use a 2 5/16 inch inch hitch ball in the Lexus little 2 inch receiver.

When close to or over the max rated tow capacity, I would not want surge brakes. Electric brakes give you the ability to activate just the trailer brakes if necessary.

A trailer over the recommended rating may also place too much weight on the tongue, but that's way better than not enough. With an equipment trailer it's easy to shift the load slightly to obtain the best tongue weight, something that probably can't be done with a boat trailer. I use a Weigh-Safe hitch for getting the tongue weight right for each trailer I pull and its load.

The scariest thing to me about towing a trailer with the LX is the LX's stock tires. They are passenger SUV tires and are not engineered for towing applications. I have switched to light truck tires which give me a higher load index. They do sacrifice a bit in speed rating, but I'll never be driving that fast anyway. And my ears and seat of the pants don't detect any reduction in ride comfort or increase in road noise compared the the old Michelin Latitudes they replaced.

Another factor to consider if towing over vehicle's tow rating is your personal liability. You may be violating the terms of your insurance policy. But I have no legal credentials - just saying. Plus you have already admitted on the internet that you are intentionally planning to tow an overweight trailer. Michael Avenotti would love it!

Gordj