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ok, a couple questions

suspension

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#1 303Dizzy

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Posted 14 May 2018 - 04:50 PM

I've had my Fleet on my Tacoma dclb for almost an year now.  I feel like the front of my truck is being lifted a bit with the weight in the back.  So in return the front wheels seem to float a smidge due to this.  Anyone feel like they have the same issue.  Thinking about a bigger bumper in front to help balance the weight.  I have a OME 3 inch lift with Dakar springs in back.  Also have airbags to assist a bit.  Guess I want to know if anyone feels like the front is little lose due to rear weight and if not, what kind of suspension setup do you have?    27238237757_a2ed1fb359_b.jpgDSC_4384 by Shannon Dizmang, on Flickr


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#2 trikebubble

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Posted 14 May 2018 - 04:52 PM

Inflate the airbags more?  I have a Tundra with the Dakar leaf packs and HD coils up front and have not felt that feeling at all. Even before I added the front bumper and winch. I also just added and extra Dakar leaf to my pack this past weekend, to relieve the airbags of some of their responsibilities.


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#3 Stan@FourWheel

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Posted 14 May 2018 - 05:08 PM

Does you truck have the short 5' bed ?

 

Or long 6' bed ?

 

 

.


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#4 kluber

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Posted 14 May 2018 - 08:37 PM

Great rig!

 

Do you have any extra weight out the back?  Motorcycle rack, big ole bumper with fuel cans, etc?

 

I run a 2017 Taco DC + a Fleet.  Mods = RideRites that are kept at 60 psi.  Rear tires at 45 psi.  Front tires 40 PSI

 

I try to pack heavy equipment in the second seat space to reduce the weight on or behind the rear axle. 

 

No front end lift that I've been able to appreciate.

 

Look for modifications that make you more stable without adding weight. Any way we do the numbers, our weight is as much as a Taco wants to haul already : )


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#5 PackRat

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Posted 14 May 2018 - 09:08 PM

Go get your ready-to-go-camping, totally loaded up rig to the scales and find out the front, rear and both axel weights. Then compare that to what the VIN tag says your maximum Front GAVW and Rear GAVW and gross weight for both axels is.

 

If you are riding so low that oncoming traffic is flashing you to get your "high beams" turned off when they already are.....and you can visibly SEE the rear of the truck/camper sitting WAY low when you are on flat ground.....you are probably overloaded.

 

I think adding weight to the front bumper to try to get the truck to sit lower will only make the overall weight of the rig even worse and probably you'd need quite a lot of weight to even do that.

 

I firmly believe that just jacking up the rear end so the truck rides level is a cosmetic approach to a much bigger problem in that you are probably overloaded on at least the rear axle by quite a bit.

 

Too much weight for any vehicle means the brakes may wear out faster or just need too much more roadway to STOP in an emergency and when a semi going the other way at speed pushes enough AIR, you might experience the rear of the truck getting squirrely on you. With the front end up in the air like you stated, the steering is "light" and in case you do get a bit squirrely or are on ice or wet pavement, you could easily over-steer and lose control.

 

I'm a worry-wart about overloaded rigs, but safety first is paramount, and ending up in the ditch on it's side is the possibility you don't want to face.

 

They say, "Don't send a boy to a man's job" and that is certainly applicable to choosing a truck because we like it and then overloading it beyond what it was meant to carry SAFELY.

 

Get it weighed properly and compare the VIN information (not just the GROSS, but each axle) to see where you stand. 


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#6 JaSAn

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Posted 14 May 2018 - 10:07 PM

I've had my Fleet on my Tacoma dclb for almost an year now.  I feel like the front of my truck is being lifted a bit with the weight in the back . . . Thinking about a bigger bumper in front to help balance the weight.

 

I agree with PackRat: you need to get front & rear axle weights.  Ideally you need to weigh the truck/camper fully loaded and the truck without the camper.  Without these we are just guessing.

 

  • IF the front axle weighs less with the loaded camper than without, you have a serious problem that springs, shocks, airbags and/or thinking pure thoughts is not going to fix.  You will need to transfer weight to the front not add weight to the front.
  • The Taco experts on this site can give better advice if you are over the rear GAWR.
  • Do not overload your tires!  BAD.THINGS.HAPPEN.  Tire max load rating is molded into the tire sidewall (in very tiny print).  If you are close to 2Xmax, you will need to find somewhere that can get a left/right weight distribution to be sure you are not overloading one of the rear tires.

 

Driving a vehicle that feel unsafe (real or imagined) sucks, so I hope you can get this fixed to your satisfaction.

 

jim


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#7 DavidGraves

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 12:35 AM

Howdy

 

Not sure where you live but if you are in Oregon the DOT highway scales remain on 24/7 and are self serve.

 

If no one else is waiting to use the scale you can weigh all four tires separately as well as front and rear axles.

 

The margin of error is around 50 #.

 

Side to side weight differences can be fairly common.

 

I would not want to feel a light front end or an overloaded truck.

 

Good Luck

 

David Graves

 

PS most any truck stop may have a scale but the fee can be high because they must certify the weigh.


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#8 PaulT

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 01:31 AM

+1 on the Oregon scales. I find taking a photo of the scale display after positioning a tire/axle on the scale makes the process less error prone & faster.

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#9 moveinon

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 01:56 AM

It is hard to tell from the picture but it looks like you have the Fleet (made for the long bed mid sized trucks) on a short bed Tacoma.  If that is true you have a lot of the weight hanging off of the back of the truck behind the axel instead of more centered like a long bed.  If your front end is floating at all it can be very dangerous in avoidance maneuvers and for roll over.  For my fully loaded Fleet on an Access Cab long bed Tacoma I am 300 lbs overweight, which is very doable, when packed with two people for camping.  Assuming yours is in that neighborhood the last thing you want to do is add any weight to the truck whether it balances it or not.  It certainly would make sense for you to cut the rubber bumpers on the front of the Fleet as much as makes sense for your truck and move the camper forward on the bed.  Just a couple of inches might make a big difference in working towards balancing the weight  And as others have said shift as many things with weight forward as you can.  Any other adjusting almost has to be done with your air bags and suspension in the back.  I have firestone air bags, upgraded shocks and e rated KO2 tires and my truck rides well with the Fleet.  I am in Oregon and have used the scales to weigh my truck and truck and camper front and back.


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#10 PackRat

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 08:33 PM

Post what you find at the scales and on the VIN tag....then this discussion can SAFELY proceed.


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1988 Ford F-250 HD Lariat 4x4 8 Ft. bed

1976 Alaskan 8 Ft. CO camper






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