20 replies to this topic

[Doff]

Hi all!

I am new to the forum.  I have been reading threads for a while trying to find some information.  Theres so much out there I thought I would be start a thread and see if I can get some of my questions answered.  

 

In January my wife and I are purchasing a new 202 Tacoma TRD Off Road Double Cab with 6ft bed and tow package.  At the same time we are going to order a new Four Wheel Camper Fleet Model.  Four Wheel Camper has about a 4 month build time.  During that time, we plan to do the needed modifications on the Tacoma.  

 

I know that the biggest issue for placing a FWC on a Tacoma is the suspension due to the weight.  FWC suggests installing Firestone airbags and Daystar cradles.  Reading through threads on here, it sounds like we will want to do more suspension upgrades than that.  However, I have read dozens of different suggestions and build descriptions...all are different.  I know there is no one right answer, but I am hoping to figure out what would be best suited for our situation.  I should also add, I am not very mechanically savvy or have a lot of mechanical or truck build out knowledge....so I am kind of starting from scratch here.

 

A little background about our planned use for the rig.  My wife and I are both nurses and get long six day weekends twice a month.  We live in the Sierra Mountains and pretty much camp every time we are off work.  We have 3 dogs and a kiddo on the way.  We never camp in actual campgrounds..we try to get far away from people as possible.  That almost always means dirt roads and 4x4 trails.  having said that, we won't be using the rig for any serious wheeling or rock crawling, but we want it capable enough to get us deep into the backcountry and be able to handle moderate 4x4 trails.  The Tacoma will also be my daily driver, so we will be taking the FWC off the Tacoma when not in use.  From what I understand, that can cause some problems with the suspension...it can become a rough ride when the camper is off, if the suspension is not done correctly.  

 

Long story short...I am hoping to get some input into what suspension modifications I should plan to do.  I think the airbags and cradles are obvious.  But in addition to that, should I plan un upgrading the leafs? Coils? shocks? And what products would you suggest?  

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have!

 

[Kolockum]

Welcome to the forum! On my last truck (2002 Dodge Dakota) I added an extra leaf in the back. It leveled the truck and handled the camper ok. My shocks wore out quickly. I ended up putting much beefier shocks on. The suspension was never right on that truck and it would do weird things like "hop" on some dirt roads and 4x4 trails. 

 

Now that I have a 2017 Tacoma I want to take the time and spend the money to set it up right. I tried Bridgestone airbags but was not impressed. I am thinking about going the Firestone route. The rear leaf package on our trucks is super soft and I bottom out with my canopy on. I would like to upgrade Old Man Emu (OME) suspension and use airbags to fine tune that. But that is close to $2k. (the add-a-leaf for the dakota was ~$100).

 

But this topic is a can of worms and there are plenty of different opinions.

[paulclancy]

Here's a thought .....

We have a 2017 Tacoma double cab with less than 16,000 miles on it.

With a 2018 Fleet flatbed  on the back.

It's all built out with suspension, tires, front bumper; nothing more to add to it, ready to drive away.

All work done at the FWC dealer and all truck maintenance records from the toyota dealer.

We were planning on selling the whole package in the Spring, but would consider selling early.

If you're interested, email me at paul@northpeakdatasystems.com

 

[kluber]

I agree with the advice above.  2017 Taco Quad Cab.  Went with Firestone airbags out of the gate, but we did not like the feeling AND did not like depending upon an air system - if it breaks somewhere deep off road or far from home, limping back is going to be trouble.  

 

Soooo....Deaver Springs in Orange County (or someone closer to you) can add the carrying capacity by adding leafs.  

 

We weighed in at a moving company ($10) and Deaver used that to determine what we needed.  With a Fleet (Rollover Couch + Kitchen with Hot Water Tank) our set up weighed around 6,000 pounds. 

 

The new springs feel really good and we're not worried about failure of the airbag system.  In the end, I wish that we had not spent money on the airbags and gone straight to a spring rebuild.  The exception is for folks who need to take the camper on and off and use the truck as a daily driver - heavy springs would make a rough ride with the camper off.

 

Good luck.  Stoked for you - you're gonna have so much fun with that set up!

 

Karl

[knoxswift]

From your description I wonder if a Full Size would be a better choice for you than the Tacoma? (Coming from a Tacoma/FWC owner).

You, Wife,  Kids, Dogs, FWC, probably some toys like bikes/boats whatever?

I'm thinking you are getting way up there in Weight for a Tacoma that is something like 1100Lbs payload? DC with 6ft bed is the lowest payload in the Tacoma lineup.

 

But if Tacoma is the choice I'd say if you plan to go deep wilderness stay away from bags and build with springs. Though will be stiff without camper more reliable off the beaten path. 

Edited by knoxswift, 04 November 2019 - 11:19 PM.

[Kolockum]

My folks just bought a F150 to tow a small tab camper. It gets almost the same mileage as my Tacoma.... Ok it gets better than the Tacoma especially with the start stop technology. The only downside is Ford recommends premium gas but plenty of people just run it on regular. Sometimes I wish I had a F150 with a FWC Hawk (or ATC equivalent), then I squeeze through a really tight trail and am grateful for the small size.

 

Side note: Up here in Washington when the weigh stations are closed the readout monitors are turned to face the window so you can see what your vehicle weighs.

[Kolockum]

I agree with the advice above.  2017 Taco Quad Cab.  Went with Firestone airbags out of the gate, but we did not like the feeling AND did not like depending upon an air system - if it breaks somewhere deep off road or far from home, limping back is going to be trouble.  

 

Karl

 

My Bridgestones popped when I bottomed out on washboard. I had approx 45 psi in it at the time. 

[Doff]

I Definitely want to stick with a Toyota.  I have been a Toyota guy through and through.  Our initial thoughts were for a Tacoma for 2 reasons.  1- its cheaper than a Tundra and 2- it can get us down tighter trails than a larger Tundra would.  Also, from what I understand the pay load for a Tundra isn't THAT much more than the Tacoma.  If we went a Tundra route, would we still be having to do basically all the same suspension upgrades?

[knoxswift]

I Definitely want to stick with a Toyota.  I have been a Toyota guy through and through.  Our initial thoughts were for a Tacoma for 2 reasons.  1- its cheaper than a Tundra and 2- it can get us down tighter trails than a larger Tundra would.  Also, from what I understand the pay load for a Tundra isn't THAT much more than the Tacoma.  If we went a Tundra route, would we still be having to do basically all the same suspension upgrades?

 

Actually the Tundra has a payload between 1500 and 1700 depending on configuration. The Tacoma is between 1005 to 1600. The 4X4 PRO Models on both models have the WORSE payload numbers due to weight of the equipment added to be setup that way.

I can only think of 1 trail so far the Tundra would not have fit where my Tacoma did and that's because the trail was washed out (In Colorado and I really should have turned around but I went for it). 
One Really has to think how extreme are you really planing to go and if you are OK with the liabilities of going over the GVW. For me the Tacoma does quote OK with the camper but I also changed the Gearing which is the #1 best change I've done to the Tacoma and setting up for FWC but also the most costly mod.... Liability wise I'm over the max weight. I'm betting a Tundra you'd only have to consider some Helper Springs and not a full replacement of suspension...but I'm sure there are some Tundra Guys who can chime in.

Last, I'm totally with you on the Toyota thing. I've test drove the RAM 1500 and even thought about it quite a bit, but my last 3 Toyota's have been so solid, I can't seem to make the switch...  

[moveinon]

I have a 2011 Tacoma access cab long bed and fleet.  Certainly upgrade to E rated tires.  I have KO2’s because they are quiet on the freeway, have great sidewall protection, and have snowflake rating (We ski), other folks on here recommend a variety of other tires.  I upgraded brakes to ARB slotted rotor and green pads.  Not because I had to, the stopping was OK without but I needed brakes anyway and OEM brakes aren’t the best and it does stop better with this upgrade.  I have Firestone air bags with commercial air hoses separately connected to each bag.  I have over 400,000 miles on two sets of these with and without cradles and have never had a leak or problem even running way over GVW at times.  Other airbags do not get the same rating from those who have had them.  I have a compressor for airing down tires and use the air bags to do final leveling when camping which is great.  King, Old Man Emu, or Fox shocks can hold up better on longer rides on gravel roads and reduce the bounce you get from air bags.  Shocks are not necessarily something you would need to upgrade right away.  In the summer after you drive on a bumpy gravel road just get out and carefully touch the shock.  If it is close to being able to fry an egg on you need to upgrade to a quality remote reservoir shock.  I had spring upgrade with air bags on my last truck but it rode awful when not loaded.  On this truck I run stock springs and am much happier when the camper is off for the winter.  You can get a backup camera from a wrecked Tacoma at a junk yard cheap to attach to the back of the camper which can be very helpful at times -just plug and play.  If you have a thick wallet the gearing on the new Tacoma is not as good as the gearing is on my 2011 so folks who are really meticulous about wanting everything perfect re-gear them (see Hodaka guy thread on here).  I chose the tacoma VS Tundra for three reasons.  In my garage I can fit out Tacoma, Tesla, and camper side by side and still get in and out - could not with full sized truck.  I drive into parking structures regularly and the spaces in those things are as small as they can get away with.  Without the smaller size and turning radius I could not get into a lot of those spots or even some in regular parking lots.  I have a couple of favorite spots that I go to fish and need the much tighter turning radius to get around trees and rocks - a full sized truck could not go there.  For most places I have gone, especially the old logging roads around here the size would not matter, but there has been a number of times that the turning radius is critical to get away from the road where I want to go.  I am sure you will think about your use and where you want to go and make a good choice for you. 

Edited by moveinon, 06 November 2019 - 11:42 PM.