Tacoma Habitat AT

First Habitat I've seen color matched. Looks terrific!

 

what is the best suspension setup that handles the weight of the habitat? From the pictures that I've seen, the suspension on these tacos don't appear stock.

 

I don't have one of these but I would venture to say that for a lifted application OME Dakar rears, All-Pro Expedition Leaves or the Deaver Expedition Leaves would be in order. Closer to stock height the Wheelers 5 leaf pack would probably do the trick.

 

I like the idea and the overall execution. The factors against it to me are if you need your truck to be a truck, you need a place to store it, and it's a bit on the pricy side.

If I could afford one I probably would take one.

 

You're correct I'm not riding on stock suspension. I've got an OME suspension, but most importantly added leaf springs in the rear. At ~300 lbs the habitat doesn't require any changes to the suspensio. but as noted extensively on this sight, tacomas are notoriously soft on the back end. Adding springs or stiffening the suspension helps for on and off-road driving characteristics, especially with a little extra weight in the back. But short answer- no mods to suspension necessary. In fact unlikely you'd see any difference in ride height

 

Depends on what you consider a 'truck.' I have MORE bed storage with the habitat than. I did with my ARE z series topper. No change to functionality regarding what goes inside the back. Obviously I'm not hauling fridges around, but that wasn't the case with previous convential bed toppers too. Depends on what you want. Regarding price- you either justify it or you don't; can't say what others value.

 

The price scared the shit out of me and im sure their makin a few pennies to offset production cost ect. The bottom line is i think it will do most everything I need at this stage. I had a snug pro topper baja racks cvt rtt heavy steel bumper, sliders ect and It was a pig. got rid of the crap I didnt need, truck lost a lot of weight, alum front bumper and skids now and ordered a Habitat in dec. my hopes is it will be lighter with the Habitat and have a good starting point for a modular set up so I can still use truck as a truck when needed.

 

I pretty much never haul anything in my truck that wouldn't otherwise fit under a shell, but that's one reason why I was interested in the flippac/habitat route, because it combines the security of a shell with the convenience of the tent while still preserving some function of utility in the bedspace.

Also, I went with All-Pro expos for my rear suspension since I intend to carry pretty heavy loads with the shell. We'll see how it handles when I get the habitat on Tuesday. It hasn't been too bad riding on them with a completely unladen bed, but definitely rough going.

 

All-Pro Expos are not enough.

They're only OK if you've got a bed rack, RTT, and a swingout, and some gear. And will last for about 2-3 seasons.

If you're going with a rear plate bumper, swing out, tire, hi-lift, 20 gallons of fuel, a propane tank, refrigerator, secondary battery, solar panel, spare cv, spare prop shaft, spare uca, tools, recovery gear, cabinets, extra fluids. You're looking at more realistically 1400lbs.

Alcan makes good leaf packs. Deaver makes good springs, but they usually give you really weak-ass ones a couple of times until they give you something that can support the weight. The Expo IIs from All-Pro seem useful, but they're rated to 700lbs (even though they say people with 1200lbs loads aren't sagging).

It should also be noted that leaf packs, like many other items on these vehicles are wear items.

 

It's going to be a while before I have plate bumper or pretty much anything else you mentioned, so for now the only weight I'm carrying will be the shell and any camping gear etc I'll have for trips. My next move is going to be building a platform/drawer for the back.

At ATO right now getting it on today.

 

Looks really nice. Price is nuts though lol. It's as much as my pop up camper trailer and that has a fridge, sink, water tank, hot water heater, heater, stove, etc.

 

If you're looking for a more affordable option, look at @Iggy or @Overlanerd -- Custom Built in California.

 

I've got All Pro Expos on my third gen. Might be the version II you mentioned, not sure. Just got them a few months ago.

Recently had about ~1200-1300lbs of extra weight on a 16-day trip, and the Expos did great. Still had about 3" of lift in the rear (vs stock). Time will tell how they hold up.

 

Very jelious, i thought i saw it outside, i drove by grabbin lumber for deck extension. Good for you, one more closser to getting mine. Hey what number were you on the white board production list

 

That's good. My original expos reverse raked about 2" after I loaded up for my thanksgiving trip, I had installed them 4 months prior and literally installed the cap and swing out the same week. @jAndyMendo got pissed off at me during the day when I had my lights on during our dusty runs because it affected my angle. Now with only my swingout in the rear, my headlights are aimed too low.

 

I was thinking of buying a pop up camper trailer, but I can't offroad to a secluded destination towing one. So a RTT seems like the best decision.

 

I just tent camp then. To each his own, but with small kids the heater is pretty important.

 

No more ground sleepin after 25 years in the Army with many light infantry units. To each there own got a taste of the elevated world with a RTT and il never go back. Waiting on Habitat and il be back in the air, I rather enjoy the over watch view as well.

 

Everyone has their own budget and sense of value and worth. 'Nuff said

 

Indeed they do, Just voicing my opinion on ground camping and keeping myself and family off the ground. life is about choices. Hope your enjoying your Habitat. We are in the Habitat forum.