Best lift under 3" for $1500 I pull a light Bass boat

If you are considering mainly street use and maybe some of road because, well, you probably will want to. OME is good stuff but I will stand by my initial suggestion.
Bilstein 5100's set on the "0" notch and OME 885 coils ordered assembled around ............$450
(This combination reides great on the street and works well off road as well about 2 1/2" of lift)
Wheelers or Headstrong 3 leaf progressive AAL................................................................$160
(Again this rides well on the street and works well off road plus adds to your carrying capacity)
Bilstein 5125's.............................................................................................................$140 for a pair
Great all around shock and pairs well with the 3 leaf AAL just make sure they order the right ones that match with the AAL as there are several different lengths)
So you are at $750-$800 for parts IDK about tax and shipping. If you can get some guys down there to help install labor is free or you could at the least buy pizza. This leaves you money for an alignment as well as you can upgrade your bumpstops if you so desire.

I will suggest for you to get the most bennifit out of this consider perhaps a set of Light Racing upper control arms they will help with getting a good alignment ( you want around +3 degrees castor) and just help the front suspension work better...........$450

Your still considerably under your budget with a pretty decent suspension.

@JaCado or @EatSleepTacos or @TacoFMS please feel free to jump in and correct me if I am wrong

 

No you nailed that right on the head! OP, listen to this man.

 

He will likely pay shipping but no tax if he lives out of state and orders from @HeadStrong Off-Road .
What you have mentioned have been solid suggestions. Probably why no one has wanted to add confusion to solid advice.

 

I am running, and highly suggest, the Old Man Emu medium kit, which will give you around 2” up front and 2.75” in the rear. I have a rake that is close to factory. This comes with 885 front coils, and Dakar rear leaf packs EL095R. As well as carrier bearing drop. No UCAs necessary as your alignment will be all within spec. I have a 2010 dclb sport with a canopy and bought this kit mainly for the fact I tow a 20’ aluminum jet sled. The medium duty leaf springs are more than enough and I absolutely love them. I also Offroad quite often as well. I couldn’t be happier.

The kit will run you 1000-1200 or so.

The other options that have been added above me are also very popular and work extremely well for what you are using the truck for.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks OP! I was going to ask this same question. So much good information/people on this site.

 

OME is a great route to go IF you're not including $ for an install. OME Dakars are their replacement rear leaf pack, the stock leafs just aren't great for towing.

Alright, so now you're armed with a a bit of knowledge and a few keywords. Now learn to use that search button. Tacomaworld is an awesome source of knowledge!

 

Look into fox 2.0

 

Those typically come in just over his proposed budget.

 

I've been looking around the roughly around 1100 to 1300 for the set

 

All great suggestions, guys.

Bilstein’s, or OME are great products.

Just my $.02, I suggest to keep your lift no more than 2-2.5”. You should really get UCA’s (upper control arms) if you go higher, but they're another 500ish. That will also help your budget.

 

I most certainly appreciate your advice! I am now looking at each component you recommended. How can I tell what the correct length is for the AAL?

 

The 3 leaf aal only comes as one size. If you call and talk to Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road and tell her what you are interested in she may be able to put you a package together. I haven’t ever ordered from them but she is quite helpful and they MAY off a TW or Military discount. Worth asking anyway. I have done a couple of the 3 leaf aal’s in fact I have one in my truck now. I always leave the overload in. It makes the rear a touch higher than the front but I like the rake and I pull trailers so it levels out under load.

 

I will give @HeadStrong Off-Road a call and see what she can do for me. If you live in Culpeper you are just up the road from my in-laws in Fredricksburg so I wouldn't be opposed to swinging up your way if you wouldn't mind giving me a hand when I get this project going. I am just in the research stage at the moment but I think I am going to go with the advice that you have given. I plan on doing this in the next 2-3 months. Just an idea, you let me know what you think.

 

We will have to cross that bridge when you get to it. My work is very uncertain right now I don’t want to committ and then have to back out. Just give me a hollar when your ready or you may even find a mod day down your way

 

I second the suggestion of calling Headstrong for all the pieces. I would suggest staying under 2".
Installing isn't a hard job. Search around there are plenty of videos on the subject.

And if you have any major issues I am in the Chesapeake Va which isn't to far from Williamsburg.

 

No worries I completely understand. I will continue to search for mod days.

 

And that’s another idea

 

A few things to consider in your budget... An alignment and replacement alignment cam hardware because they may be seized up and need to be cut out in order to get your alignment. It's a common issue for our trucks. If you do have to replace the hardware, pony up and get the factory Toyota stuff. The other aftermarket stuff sucks from what I have read here. So maybe another $150ish...