Options to increase payload

You forgot tol provide a link to legal precedents...

 

DOT will let you slide if you're 10% over GVWR, unless you're being an asshat to the officer. I used to drive a commercial truck, and am still licensed to do so. I can tell you they aren't going around weighing passenger vehicles.

 

Criminal Penalties

In Connecticut, there are a number of criminal charges that prosecutors may bring against government vehicle drivers, under certain circumstances. These include manslaughter, assault, and reckless endangerment. Typically these charges are brought only when the failure to comply with maximum weight restrictions causes an accident that results in death or serious injury.

Manslaughter. Manslaughter in the first or second degree may be brought against the owner or operator of an overweight truck if the weight of the truck is the proximate cause of a motor vehicle accident that results in death. The law allows for a charge of first-degree manslaughter when anyone “under circumstances evincing an extreme indifference to human life, (a person) recklessly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to another person, and thereby causes the death of another person” (C.G.S. § 53a-55).

David Wilcox, the owner of American Crushing and Recycling, was charged with first-degree manslaughter after the infamous Avon Mountain crash. Four people were killed on July 29, 2005 after one of his truck's brakes failed while descending Avon Mountain. Wilcox was charged with first-degree manslaughter because, according to the prosecution's arrest affidavit, his failure to correct brake defects of which he was aware created a grave risk of death for the traveling public. This is comparable to a situation in which an owner or operator knows that a truck is significantly overweight, but still chooses to drive the vehicle. First-degree manslaughter is a Class B felony punishable by a term of imprisonment up to 20 years, a fine up to $15,000, or both (CGS § 53a-55).

The owner or operator of an overweight truck could also be charged with manslaughter in the second degree (CGS § 53a-56)). Under the statute, a person is guilty of manslaughter in the second degree when he recklessly causes the death of another person. The Penal Code defines the term “recklessly” as the “conscious disregard (of) a substantial and unjustifiable risk. . . of such nature and degree that disregarding it constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a reasonable person would observe in the situation” (CGS § 53a-3(13)). Second-degree is a Class C felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine up to $10,000, or both.

In the case of a fatality stemming from the operation of an overweight truck, the decision to prosecute and ultimate disposition of a case will depend on whether the reasonable person in the owner or operator's situation was aware or should have been aware of the degree of danger the vehicle's weight posed.

Assault. If the victim of an accident caused by the excessive weight of a truck is severely injured, prosecutors may choose to charge the owner or operator of the vehicle with assault. The language of the first-degree and second-degree assault statutes mirrors the language for first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. Under CGS § 53a-59, a person is guilty of first-degree assault if he causes serious physical injury to the victim “under circumstances evincing an extreme indifference to human life.” Under CGS 53a-60 a person is guilty of assault in the second degree if he recklessly causes serious physical injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument other than a firearm. In this instance, an overweight truck could constitute a dangerous instrument. First-degree assault is a Class B felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years, a fine up to $15,000, or both. Second-degree assault is a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Reckless Endangerment. Finally, Connecticut's Penal Code would also permit charging the owner or operator of an overweight truck with reckless endangerment. First-degree reckless endangerment is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both. Second-degree reckless endangerment is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

A person commits first-degree reckless endangerment if he, “with extreme indifference to human life recklessly engages in conduct which creates a risk of serious physical injury to another person (CGS § 53a-63). By contrast he commits second-degree reckless endangerment when he “recklessly engages in conduct which creates a risk of physical injury to another person” (CGS § 53a-64). Because motor vehicle accidents by their very nature are likely to result in serious physical injury, prosecutors would perhaps be more inclined to charge overweight truck owners or operators with reckless endangerment in the first degree.

https://www.cga.ct.gov/2007/rpt/2007-R-0214.htm

 

That's for commercial vehicles - vehicles over 26,000 pounds GVWR

 

Well back on topic then. Which of the aforementioned add-ons have you installed to increase payload capacity and how do they work for you?

 

Perceived "stiffness/harshness" is tough to describe accurately. Which shocks you run affects how quickly jolts, bumps and ruts punch you in the spine, while the leaf springs control the point of equilibrium for the tail end of your truck. The bed of your truck follows the movements of the rear shocks, and the springs control what percentage of the shocks' travel is copied at a set payload. Over the most extreme terrain that you will encounter, I'd imagine most people's goal would be to get the body travel close to average/no travel.

Without any weight over Dakars+AAL, the tail will bounce around and always feel like it's being pulled up into the air like a duck's tail end with a fish hook in it. With a bed cap and extra weight over the bed/towhook the bed will bounce slowly up and down as you smash over sand berms at 30mph. For bed cap (about 200lbs) and pulling a trailer (150-500lbs sitting on hitch) Dakars with AAL would work great, for 600lbs in the bed, Dakars with AAL would also work great. Tweak the ride to be aggressive or more soft/dampened with your choice of shocks. Whether you go stiff or soft for shocks, heavy duty springs without any weight over them will always ride like this:

 

I agree with those who have said this is a bad idea. He is not talking about carrying 600 lbs. He wants to increase this allowable payload by 600 lbs, meaning he wants to carrying 1800 lbs. I would be concerned about brakes, the frame, CG, even the grade of bolts used for load carrying components, etc.

 

Frame would be fine, although it would likely bend after collision caused by no brakes.

 

WheelInThSky, help us all understand... You stated that the brakes are fine towing 6,500lb in addition to the truck's own weight, but would fail to stop the truck if it was only carrying 1,800lbs instead.

How did you come up with that?

 

1

 

Let's not get bogged down in the details

A 6,500lb load would require trailer brakes....really though, an extra 600 over payload wouldnt be an issue for the brakes if you drove accordingly and allowed for additional stopping distance.

 

So here is the issue with the Tacoma and everyone knows it, they sag and sag bad. We can throw AAL and dakar pack out OP didn't ask for a lift. You have only a few options for adding support, custom leaf curved the same as OEM leaf, air bags or overload spring. The op asked for 600lb of support, so lets drop the oh snap it will be overloaded crap. I was just here with the same issue, wanting to put 500lb ish in the bed without my bumper getting dragged around. AAL and overload spring will add stiffness all the time, airbags and extended bump stops are controllable. I went with SumoSprings they are a hybrid, airless airbag. They work great and do add a bit of stiffness but not bad compared to overload springs. With 500lb in the bed you only get 2 inches of sag compared to 4. I would replace stock shocks to help with the extra rebound under a load. Here ya go with 800 in bed at 2.5 inches of sag. Oh for all the nay Sayers I hauled a 9000lb excavator the other day no problem.

 

Technically you can't increase the payload

 

@justdoit, he is specifically looking to increase payload capacity.

"I'm looking around for options to increase rear payload capacity by a good 600lbs."

 

Thanks, best answer so far. I'll get the SumoSprings. Are yours the

$280 SSR-610-40 | SumoSprings Rear for Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Titan

SSR-610-40 model?

 

Woahhh easy there, Trigger. I did not say that.

 

Yes

 

Air bags.

They dont ride like crap with no load like overloads or add a leafs do.
I have had all the options out there and for stock height there is nothing better then air bags.
Having done it with older trucks and current Taco and full size.

That said Im going to pull mine off as I will be trading the truck as soon as the truck I have on order shows up.

When it gets closer I will pull them and post for sale.

 

I did not care for that style on the small trucks.
Not enough room and on the highway at bumps and bridges when you hit it acts like you are floating then hit the bump stop for a hard pop.
They are just softer bump stops.
They work great on trucks with stiffer springs, different gap but on soft springs they just stop the axle from uptravel too fast and hard.

 

I like my Firestone airbags...