Full OME with a LOT of weight inback

Anyone running (or has run) a full OME with a 1st gen, bonus points if a doublecab, and as much as 800-1000lb in the back end? How did the truck ride?

When I took everything out of the back of my truck recently before driving it to the dealership to have the frame replaced... I discovered I had been daily driving with as much as 900lb in the bed of my truck. I'm working as a land surveyor, so I need to haul all that gear & supplies across rough rangeland to forest service / construction access trails.

I'd like to start wheeling with some of the TW folks here in Colorado this year, and I figure I'll take most of the survey gear out when I do that... so I'd probably get down towards 500lb for those times.

If the OME Dakars with D43XL's won't handle the weight very well, I'm probably going to go the Alcan custom rear leaf route.

Looking for advice / suggestions from those that have been there, done that. Thx in advance.

 

Maybe a better way to phrase the question is: how would OME Dakars with D43XL's handle 800-1000lbs as a daily driver work truck? Highway driving -> rough pasture land -> forest service roads & construction access roads (some can get quite rough and steep in the Colorado Front Range foothills.) If I want to go wheeling... I'd unload the work stuff, and probably be running 4-500lb of camping stuff.

 

I'm not finding a whole lot of specs on how much weight that spring combo carries. 900 is less than the rated load of the truck though, so I don't doubt that it would be fine. The question is more of how long they'd last before sagging which is going to be hard to predict.

That said - what about some helper air bags? They'll lighten the load on the leafs for the nasty daily stuff and extend the life of the fancy springs.

 

I called ToyTecLifts today and spoke with David in Sales. Kudos to David for answering all my questions even though I was asking questions about stuff they didn’t carry, e.g. Fox 2.0 rear shocks, All-Pro Expo rear springs. It was he who mentioned Alcan could manufacture a “dual-rate” spring that could handle the heavy daily work stuff, yet still be good for the trail with a lighter load (e.g. 500lbs).

Lincoln at All-Pro off-road said the Expedition springs wouldn’t do well with 900 lbs in the bed. But he too, mentioned airbags, but he added the magic words “on-board compressor.” But an on-board compressor in addition to airbags and new rear springs is probably more expensive than just getting custom Alcans.

I don’t have to have 3” of lift. It would be nice, but if full OME can give 2.5” or so, handle the heavy daily work weight, yet spring back higher when I download for the trail, I can live with that.

Even after 2+ years or so carrying this much weight daily, after I unloaded her for the drive to the dealership to get a new frame, I perceived a difference in handling feel, and seemed to be higher. So if stock springs would seem to come back that much, I am thinking OME Dakars with the D43XL extra leafs which are supposedly designed for heavier overlanding in Australia oughta handle the load? Si I thought i’d ask here.

 

WTH do you take camping that weighs 400lbs?

 

Maybe it’s just me, but I installed the OME med duty leaf pack last month and it dam near looks like the spring sits “straight” back there. No sag, no buckling. Just straight from eye to eye. Don’t know if that’s normal but I will say, with no load back there, my rear sits high as hell. 2 inches higher than the front with has 6112s on the 4th notch.

Also, they say rated for up to like 400-500 pounds I believe. Could be wrong

 

Lear 100R topper... 129lbs
Upper custom wood survey gear box... 57.5lbs
Lower custom wood survey gear box... 89lbs
6gal water container... 50.5 lbs (12gal?... 101lbs)

Weight starts adding up quick. The survey boxes pretty much live in the back. Not easy to yank out, put back.

 

I'm running OME all around with dakars w/ their AAL. I constantly have that much in the bed when I'm out camping. With that much weight you definitely notice it. The ride is not harsh at all, pretty nice actually, but definitely mushy and a little sloppy when cornering. Eventually I will look at a custom alcan pack when the time comes. I generally have two rows of firewood stacked to the top of the camper shell along with a 6 gallon water jug, coolers, action packers with gear, etc. so the weight does add up quick. Oh, the RTT doesn't help save weight either....

 

I haul loads like the OP and at times pull another 2000 pounds at most .

I like my Super Springs with the weight off it rides like a normal Tacoma

 

If you're getting into offroad you may end up with a compressor anyway for airing back up. At that point the bags become a more viable option as well as being more ride adjustable. Even with a compressor added they'll still be lighter than what a HD spring pack adds.

 

I have the OME leaf packs on my 03 double cab and I have at least 300-400lbs of constant weight in the bed from my cap, drawers and tools. I’ve had the leaf pack in for a little less than a year now and They’re definitely sagging and going flat. I’m going to be installing the AAL soon to remedy it but it’s still surprising to me that the Dakars went flat so quickly. My vote is to get custom leaf packs made for your rig. Especially with the amount of weight you’re carrying every day. I’m pretty sure that’s the route I’m taking when the time comes.

 

Some will swear by sumo springs or timbrens. I prefer the adjustability and light weight of bags over those or heavy spring packs which cut into weight capacity and get weaker over time anyway. It's more complexity though and not for everyone.

 

custom alcans and shocks. i plan to look into this sometime in the future

 

I run an OME full HD exp pack and the AAL and it does ok, not totally sure how much weight but easily between 600- 800# daily for the last 4-5 yrs(?) They are basically straight, so the rear is even or lower than the front most of the time. The ride is pretty good but squishy on corners - no sway bar. I am used to it and I just go slower through curves-like you should anyway.
That said I will be adding another AAL - maybe the OME- sold out everywhere that I can afford shipping from- as a stop gap until I can go with a custom pack in a 2-3 years.
I might also go with Timbrens in the short term or some taller bump stops as I did bottom out a few times from Destruction Bay to Beaver creek this year.
Always something isn’t it...

 

remember that the OME leaf pack is rated for "Stock" weight, not anything above that. the extra height you get (2-2.5") is from the leafs actually IN the leaf pack itself. You would want the AAL D43XL if you are carrying over 150-200lbs extra on a constant basis. if you are carrying more then you would probably start going with a custom pack or air bags for the "heavy" days

 

I'm using the full OME kit with Dakars and I carry about 700 pounds when I throw 2 quads in my bed with gear etc, and the truck sits level.