7 replies to this topic

[jw]

hope this topic hasn't been beat to death, but i need some opinions. in 2009 i bought a 6 cy tacoma and had fwc manufacture an eagle for it. i only made 2 changes to the rig. i had airbags installed and had 10 ply tires put on. two and a half years later all is well with the pair. most of my travels are on pavement , but i do get onto forest roads once in a while. my dilemma is that i always feel the truck is overloaded. i've been researching leaf packs and shock upgrades but i'm not sure if either will help that much. it's a nice setup and nearly paid for- but i keep thinking i'd like to move up to a 3/4 or 1 ton w/ hawk or grandby. i know there are some similar rigs on this site. opinions will be appreciated- i need to get some sleep.


- jw

[Gerdo]

The air bags should be carrying the load just fine, right?
Why do you feel that it is overloaded?
Stiffer shocks will reduce bounce and some body roll.

[busboy66]

The truck feels heavy with the camper because, well, it just is. The Taco, like my truck has about 1,100 lbs cargo capacity including humans and beer. A loaded Eagle, depending on options like water, will take roughly half of the 1,100. With all your gear, human(s), dog(s), beer etc. you are magically at or exceeding the max cargo capacity of the vehicle. Air bags help keep the truck from sagging, and do eliminate some sway. There are other posts on WtW indicating folks had good luck with Deaver spring packs, good quality shocks, and other methods like timbrens, supersprings, hellwigs etc.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig. The truck was designed to carry a certain amount of load...period.

I tried timbrens, but they made the ride harsh. I have supersprings now - they raise the back end to match the torsion bar lift I did in the front. With the camper on, the truck sits dead level. The truck still feels heavy, especially on the back roads. I take it easy, and all seems ok. I did a little 4 wheeling in Moab area this year, and all went well, but I was always conscious not to go too hard for fear of breaking something. I will try some better shocks next year, Bilstiens for all 4 corners will only cost about $250. I think good dampenining will help the rolly polly feeling.

The other thing to be concscious of is where you load stuff - try to keep heavy items as close to the front of the camper as possible. I generally carry my 6 gallons of H2O behind the seats in the cab, along with my tools, a small cooler, drinking water and beer.

A lot of folks here have Tacos with FWCs or ATCs on the back. They are great trucks, and guys like Kodachrome are in their rig for extended periods of time. Maybe ping him for some thoughts.

When I purchase my next truck, I will most likely go fullsize 3/4 or 1 ton. It really seems to me the wisest decision.

[Alex]

I know exactly how you feel. I have TRD supercharger on mine and that makes it much better/derivable. The stock shocks do not have enough damping in them for the weight of the camper. I switch to Bilstein 5100 and that helps. Since your truck is close to paid off, maybe adding a SC and shocks is an option.

[Overland Hadley]

The stock springs and shocks are made for carrying groceries, and not much more. Having just airbags with the stock suspension will help carry the weight but will not help the handling much.

The best setup for a fully loaded Gen2 Tacoma is a full set of coil and leaf springs and matched shocks from Old Man Emu (OME). I have it on my rig and I am very happy with it.

[Argonaut20]

If you think you need a 3/4 or 1 ton, go for it. I like my Tacoma/Bobcat combo and don't feel it overloads the truck as long as I am careful to load light. I don't do extreme off road and the usual forest road is not a problem.

The 3/4 ton would give you more load carrying capacity and make a bigger camper possible. As long as money isn't an issue, that is not all bad.

[Cort]

I think other members have made good observations. These campers do push the weight limits of our Taco's but as many have indicated if you are frugal with what you pack and you do the proper mods the setup does pretty good. My 01 Tacoma with a Bobcat does not feel overloaded......I do feel the weight. When I first started out I added just the airbags and I quickly realized that was not going to do it. I had Deaver build me a spring pack based on some weights that I gave them and the type of driving that I do. I also replaced the front coils with OME, added bilsteins, raised the brake proportioning valve, and changed out my rack bushings. I can't tell you how different the truck is. It feels solid and does not have much body roll.

Having said all of that if 3/4 ton is an option for you I would go that route. I am currenlty looking for a 3/4 ton truck because the Taco just does not have the room for our family anymore.

Cort

[jw]

thanks for the suggestions. the old man emu coil, spring and shock set seems like a great option. i found a place not to far away that can install the set. i plan to call them next week. also for now, the camper is sitting in my garage staying dry.

- jw