Tacoma haul a slide-in camper?

I am contemplating the purchase of a new Tacoma. Couple of questions before I complete a purchase.
1. I plan to haul a small, pop-up slide-in camper..about a 1,000 lbs. Is the composite bed on the Tacoma approved for slide in camper use? This camper is designed for small trucks and won't fit on full-size pickups.
2. Would someone mind taking a measurement from the floor of the bed to the top of the cab on a gen II Tacoma? Short of going to a dealer and measuring it myself, I cannot find that information anywhere on the 'net.
3. Is there an aftermarket source for frame mounted truck camper tie downs for the Tacoma? These are brackets that bolt to the frame below the bed to secure the camper.
4. I would like to buy a double cab, long bed. Is there a payload difference between the various packages such as base, Pre-Runner, SR5 and TRD? Which one rides smoother or quieter? I am not interested in 4X4.
5. I think the payload of the Tacoma is around 1300 lbs. Is there an aftermarket source of overload springs and or airbags to increase the load capacity? Are these products recommended? I understand "thou shalt not" exceed manufacturers GVWR regardless of what the overload springs/bags do to increase load capacity.
Thanks in advance for noobie advice.

 

Start here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=75

and http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/

 

I know this is a late post to the first question, but if anyone is considering a Palomino Bronco B-600 for your Tacoma, DON'T DO IT! In spite of what Palomino says on their website, ads, or what their dealers tell you, it's NOT suitable for a Tacoma, period. We got one installed on our 2014 Access cab, and after much fiddling around with the suspension on our own (after they botched the initial installation), we took it to a truck scale and found that the dry camper and only myself, husband and 50-lb dog (no water, food, clothing or additional camping gear) was exceeding the GVWR by 560 lbs! We are now trying to get the dealer to take the camper back, since we never got in on the road, and feel it is unsafe and grossly overweight and there is no way in hell that we would ever be able to take it off-road, let alone on the highway! Are looking at a more scaled down pop up camper like four wheel campers. Buyer beware, do your own homework, and find an RV dealer you can trust!

 

Yup, very old thread... but I've had two of these campers and they are the bomb.

www.fourwheelcampers.com

 

Yep, that's what we're considering next, after we resolve our issues with the Bronco. Could you tell me what model of the Four Wheel Camper you have on the Access cab, and how it is set up? Do you take it on really serious four-wheel drive roads, and if so, how did it perform? What's the attachment setup, and did you have to make any alterations to the truck to accommodate it? We put Timbren SES suspension enhancements on our truck, which we found to be much superior to the StableLoads the RV dealer installed, they were cheaper, and they don't have to be engaged or disengaged. Also, we were told (also contrary to what the RV dealer told us) that there currently is no air bag system available for the 2014 Tacoma, and besides that, such a thing would have to be adjusted based on the load, which the Timbren system does not.
Thanks!

 

Firestone Ride-Rite airbags are a fairly popular suspension upgrade on Tacomas, and I plan on getting some myself eventually. I don't know why they wouldn't work on a 2014 Tacoma because there haven't been any major changes there for some time now. Get those, some airbag cradles (so they don't overextend) and some heavier LT rated tires and I think you'd be good to go.

As far as the GVWR, I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong but those numbers are much more conservative than they used to be. The 1996 T100 had a much higher GVWR than the 2014 Tacoma but they're pretty much the same size truck and the Tacoma has more horsepower and higher towing capacity than the T100 did.

 

For what it's worth, if you are going to mount a slide-in camper on a Tacoma, you almost certainly going to exceed the GVWR. Even with a light 750 pound shell by the time you add in people, luggage, propane, water, you will be tipping the scales past the legal mark. However, based on my experience I would agree that these trucks can safely handle more weight provided that the tires and suspension are upgraded, and care is taken with speed and braking.

I took a trip to The Yukon with my '06 Tacoma, a Bigfoot camper (probably at least 1200 pounds 'dry', 3 people and a dog. I figure we had something north of 2500 pounds in the truck. The truck had OME suspension, which is much more robust than stock, but also provides about a 2 1/2 inch lift, which increases the center of gravity (not good for stability). At no point in the trip did I feel that we were unsafe. This included some pretty rough backroads, and windy highways. I'm about to mount a similar camper on my '13.

My point is that if you are going the slide in camper route, staying under the GVWR is probably out the window, so you are going to be relying on common sense and good preparationto to make it work. You will not be legal, but you can make it reasonably safe.