Beefed you suspension for extra weight on back of truck?

I’m putting a lumber rack and Snugtop on my 2015 TRD Pro. Plus will be carrying some tools in bed of truck. I was wondering if i just need to add another leaf spring to be alright, or what? Also, some links to what I need/should buy would be helpful. Thanks!

 

It doesn’t sound like you are talking much weight. A camper shell, some lumber on a rack and some tools in the back of the truck. I don’t think the weight from all of that will even be noticeable. How much weight do you estimate that to be max? I have a Leer camper shell on mine and have carried several hundred lbs. of thing like bags of concrete, lumber , fire wood etc. simply not noticeable. I suggest wait until you have your shell, lumber and tools in it and see if there are any problems. If there is (and I really doubt there will be) then you can look into some suspension modification.

 

^ this... But if your going to do anything to a pro don't just add a single leaf. That would be super stiff. Dakars makes a heavy or medium leaf pack that would work perfect if you find what you have isn't enough.

 

If you want to put weight in the back of the truck, semi permanently, ditch the factory leaf springs entirely. They are well known to sag over time anyhow.

Dakars are the way to go for many. And as mentioned above you can get a Heavy Duty or Medium load variety these days.

 

Airbags. Keep minimal psi in them to level out the day to day load of the rack and cap. Add another couple psi when loading up with gear.

 

Or you could do what I did and build what is referred to as a "bastard pack". I added 3 leafs in between my other leafs. They are from a 3/4 ton Chevy. But I also have a 400# flat bed.

 

This
If your going to use the truck for work buy some bags and thank us later.

 

Most of these trucks will sag with caps and racks.

Not sure why people think thats not a lot of weight. Thats around 300-350lbs which is around 30% payload.

My truck sags with a few hundred lbs.


The dakars should do well on a pro. They lift a normal Taco 2.5”. So your pro might not experience height different with them.

 

Dakar’s will still raise the back of a pro the same as a non pro. They come with the same leak pack. But 2.5” will restore the factory rake to the truck.

 

Sumosprings and be done

 

"sumosprings" are just glorified long bumpstops for $$$

OP, if you dont want a lift in the rear, Airbags HANDS FREAKING DOWN. if you want a lift, dakars.

 

I

My reservation with airbags is, I think could hurt it’s value, long term. If they made more then 1500 of them, I’d definitely do it! I want to modify it, to work for my purpose, but keep it original as possible and not void the any warranties. Plus how do airbags do 4x4ing?

 

I’ll also have an additional 100lbs going in back with a bed slide.

 

If your worried about value take them off when your selling. It’s a bolt in system.

If you off-road search daystar cradles. They allow full flex.

 

Not sure what you mean by them making more than 1500 of them. Firestone has been making and selling these for a long time to fit everything from light trucks to semi tractor-trailers.

I've had airbags on several trucks. They've been on my Taco for 4 years with Daystar cradles. They work great on and off road. When I put on my heavy duty Dakar leaf pack, I kept the air bags and cradles on there. I never need air in them anymore, but I'm thinking about buying a slide in pop up camper. The bags will be nice with over 1000 pounds in the bed.

 

Riderite has been around for a long time. Solid product, pair with cradles and you can get full droop without over extending bags.

 

I think bags are the least invasive option of any, and what I would like to have for my truck. The Firestone Ride-Rite system seems pretty simple to install and not to expensive either. If you haven't seem them there are several threads, including an install I believe.

 

So why don’t you just get the shell, rack, and put some tools in it and lumber on the rack and then see if you need to modify the suspension. I think you may likely be wasting your $$$ modifying the suspension before you do all this and see what it’s like. I still doubt you need to do anything but you won’t know til you load em up.

 

I looked into airbags but had concerns about 4wheeling too.

Deaver spring pack and timbren bump stops
Done
Doesn't sag with quad or a load in the back and/or trailering.
Already had a lift on the front tho.

 

I have a. ARE cap, fridge, sleeping platform, and soon a hard shell RTT on the back. I first had an AAL with this setup and found that I had bro lean. So I swapped those out for a Dakar medium leaf pack and Bilstein 5160's. I'm very happy with my setup. It handles great, is fun off-road, and maintains height.

FWIW, I have no experience with air bags so this is a bit biased.

But as someone else posted above, load the truck up and see what the results are, then plan what you need to do. Good luck.