Diamond Back Bed Covers for Tacoma’s

How’s about dialing it down and stop attacking other members? There are opinions other than yours.


OP, I owned a Diamondback HD (the one with the 15-1600lb capacity). I think using it as you described is a great idea. What I would do is to research the weight of the DB cover and the weight of your ATV and all of your gear going in the truck. My concern is the total weight of the payload of the truck plus tongue weight vs the rated payload of the truck. I think you might be exceeding your rated limits. Your tongue weight is what you might be forgetting to calculate into your payload weights. 1,175Lbs is the auto capacity of your truck or 1,155lbs for the stick if I read the brochure correctly.

 

I somehow managed to miss the "towing a travel trailer" part. My bad.

 

No way you're at 1,600lb payload. Care to post a picture of that sticker in the door jamb? I'm only at 1k lbs. As are most of the other DC 4WD's I've seen.

 

Can’t speak to the ATV question, but I can say that I own a diamondback cover and I absolutely love it. Amazing quality and should last at least the life of truck. It essentially turns your entire bed into a diamond plate tool box, but with more options.

 

Yah you are right 1,175, so 10% of the trailer tongue weight is what you add on? Wife and I together are under 300lbs wheeler is 450lbs. I’ve got a weight distribution hitch and the trailer has 450lb tongue weight...

 

Yah, my bad it’s 1,175

 

Yeah, that is more like it. Although, I'm right at 1k lbs. Not sure how you're getting 175lbs more than me! Things like this, I wish for a Hilux with some decent payload. My minivan has more payload than my truck.

 

1175 - actual tongue weight (should be 300-500lbs approx but needs to be weighed because how you load the trailer will change this). Then subtract weight of passengers including your dog, luggage and anything in the truck. Subtract the DB and your atv.

I am not 100% how you add in the weight of the driver or if there is a allowance for the driver.

 

Yes, tongue weight (~400lbs), ATV at 450lbs, you and wife at 300lbs. You're right at your 1,175lbs (did you verify this with the sticker? Or just going off of a brochure. The brochure doesn't factor in options. You must always go off of the sticker). Anything over that, you're over payload. Can't imagine you don't have your bed full of stuff? Either way, you SHOULD be fine. It's not like your truck will explode once you're over GVWR.

 

Doesn’t the weight distribution hitch take additional weight off the tongue and distribute it back to the trailer? How on earth do you calculate that? Regardless it towed fine with very minimal sagging and this was before adding airbags...

 

You keep saying 10% of tongue weight. I don’t know if I am understanding what you are saying? Tongue weight should be approx 10% of your trailer weigh loaded. That means you need to load it so 10% of the weight IS on the tongue. That doesn’t mean that automatically 10% is your tongue weight. It doesn’t mean that 10% of the tongue weight is added to the truck.


If I understand things correctly all of your weights are taken BEFORE you install the weight distribution hitch.

 

Yes, correct. And technically, anything stored behind the rear axles of the truck would be considered and added onto "tongue weight." When a WD hitch is used, most of the weight is distributed between the front and rear axles of the vehicle, leveling it out. It doesn't magically make the weight disappear. You should not take away any portion of trailer tongue weight from payload just because you use a WD hitch.

 

Got it so I am less than 100lbs over max payload, But 2K under Max Tow... Did it all last year thinking I was good and it seemed to tow just fine

 

Just make sure you’re going off of that door jamb sticker. I bet you’re closer to 1k lbs. So 300lbs over.

 

Yah, not gonna do the Diamond Back I guess, although the local towing shop is saying with my Firestone Airbags I would be ok... I do feel kind of stupid though, had no idea you need to add tongue weight to overall payload...

 

In the event of an accident.........



1175 - 450 (trailer tongue weight) - 300 (passenger/driver) - 105 (Diamondback) = 320lbs.

So I would consider your tow setup safe IF the base payload capacity is correct and you don’t load the atv. But you are at limits or exceeding depending on what you put in the bed or on top of it. You really need to get accurate numbers and fill in everything when calculating. I am not sure if the WDH needs to be added to payload or tongue weight. I can’t see it being left out of the calculation.

Either way you are approaching limits no matter what. I question the overall setup if you try to load the atv with the trailer. Atv and diamondback is fine based on the numbers and you drive based on the load you are carrying.

 

Yah, I wasn’t including the Diamond back. prob gonna leave the ATV at home and figure out something else for it. I’ve got my dirt bike anyways and In that case I just won’t get the diamondback.. Towing shop said the weight distribution hitch takes a lot of the tongue weight off the hitch and distributes it back to the trailer. That with the Airbags above my leaf springs, they seem to think I would be fine. Oh well