1500lbs

I have a 2013 longbed tacoma and carry a fourwheel Camper on the back. Its a loaded popup camper and weighs about 1500lbs with water onboard. Once loaded with food and equipment, its probably around 2000lbs.

I've had old man emu leaf springs put in 100lb airbags at 40lbs with bilstein shocks. My suspension guy is happy with the setup for the weight, but he's not my transmission guy! I keep the camper on 98% of the time and just put 2000 miles on it. It all ran fine. I was using premium fuel on that 2k trip.

We are looking at adding 1/4 ton trailer to the mix to bring more s%&$ when we go camping. I'll assume eyes are buggin' on the weight we put on it, but hoping the suspension adds helps. Probably a load on the transmission but I'm not pushing it too hard. Brakes, I downshift going down hills slowly to keep them from smelling.

What do you think? Am I going to kill my truck with the existing load? how much worse if I add the trailer do you think?

 

I think it is too much. 1 ton on the back of a taco is a lot of weight regardless what you have done to the suspension.

 

I believe you are waaay overloaded. The available payload for the 2nd gen Long bed Tacoma's are 1260lbs.

This number is to include the weight of the occupants/gear/+trailer tongue weight.

So with this number; with the camper alone you are already over the stated payload, then add on each persons weight, and everything else you load into the cab. Sure the truck might be able to drive with more weight, but don't expect it to last long (transmission)

*Edit: I am confused with the 4-wheel camper comment. Do you tow the camper, and looking to switch it up? Or is the camper in the bed of the truck, and you are looking to haul a 1/4 ton trailer as well? Either way, 1260lbs is the number to play with

 

Does the camper, gear, passengers, and misc. exceed gvwr? I’m pretty sure it does. If it does then I wouldn’t consider adding anything to it. When you exceed gvwr it affects many things such as steering, braking, tires (blow outs) and others. It can even break or bend the frame. It can affect your drive train engine, tranny, drive shaft, rear end. What ever suspension modifications you’ve made does not mean you can safely exceed Gvwr. I doubt that your “suspension guy” would want to put in writing that his modifications make it ok to exceed gvwr. It is dangerous for you and others on the road to drive a vehicle exceeding gvwr.

 

You're overloaded and it is only going to get worse when you add in the tongue weight from the trailer. Move the camper to a trailer.

 

I remember seeing a picture on here of someone’s frame braking in half because of excessive weight. Sounds like you have a pop up slide in camper and want to pull a trailer behind you. Motor and tranny will be fine, but brakes and frame would be my concern.

 

Thanks. I was afraid of that.

 

You need to upgrade your trans with synthetic fluid, an auxillary cooler and a temp gauge so you can monitor it.

Why?

That means you're underbraked, overloaded or over braking. Or a combo of all.

If not the truck, you, your family or someone who gets in your way in a panic situation.

A lot. Even with trailer brakes and anti sways.

 

He's not currently towing. All that weight is loaded. Or overloaded to be more precise. And he wants to add to it via towing.

Not the same as your situation. At all.

 

Put rear axle bearings on an accelerated replacement schedule. Might as well add shaft bearings to that as well.

 

Agreed.

 

Time for a bigger truck imo. Way to much weight for a 1/4 ton pickup. You need a 3/4 ton to do the things you're already doing. At least a half ton.

 

I would consider a Tacoma a half ton truck, 500 lbs sounds a little low for a payload limit.

 

No a tundra would be a half ton. Tacoma is still a 1/4 ton

 

A half of a ton is 1,000 pounds, and a Tacoma can carry a payload of just over 1,000 pounds. That is my logic, may be wrong but doesn’t seem like it.

 

It's not about payload it's based on frame weight. So a Tacoma frame would weigh 500lbs and a half ton trucks frame would weigh 1,000lbs

 

We will have to agree to disagree on this one..

 

Keep in mind the old quarter ton, half ton, three quarter ton, etc etc system originally had to do with payload weight back in the 1960s. Same with the numbers on the sides of trucks. A GM 1500 or F150 could originally carry 1,500 pounds, hence the original half ton were actually trucks like the Sierra 1000 and F100. When Toyota came to market it was long after this system had gone from relevance to simple classification. A modern half ton can easily carry one ton and a modern full ton can often carry two tons or more of payload. That being said it’s commonly accepted that a compact or mid sized truck is a quarter ton, full sized trucks are half tons, and heavy duty light trucks are 3/4 or 1 tons.

 

I agree with all of this, I was just pointing out that it is a reference to payload.

 

Whut?

That is one of the nuttiest things I have heard in a while.

I disagree.