Son in Law's new Taco suspension question

My son-in-law just replaced his '98 SR5 with a 2015 TRD Sport. Full cab with 6' bed. Nice, clean, low mileage example. Nice upgrade for him, the SR5 was just worn out at 270k miles.

But, he's concerned the load capacity might not be enough for the camper they plan to buy next year. So, he will need to upgrade the suspension on the TRD to get a little more ground clearance and increased load capacity. Been looking at the OME Suspension kit (2" Light) at around $1,400. Thoughts? Any other kits that people have had success with?

Not going to crawling rocks but will be on some fairly rough back roads for camping and hauling firewood, etc.

Thanks.

 

What's your estimate for your weight, both constant and max load?

 

So it will normally run empty, just passengers and lite stuff, camping gear, within the load capacity that is stated at 1425 lbs. Dozen times a year will have 2/3 cord of wood, about 1500-1800 lbs. Camper will probably weight 1500 lbs plus gear.

In addition to load, he'll need a little more ground clearance than stock.

 

Heck I’m just curious what wood your getting that 2/3 a cord weighs 1500lbs. Is it petrified?

 

Good question. I found this info on the Google, so it has to be true.


"An average cord of seasoned firewood weighs 2,000 to 3,000 pounds and can be carried in a 1/2-ton or 3/4-ton pickup.”

He's gathering oak, which is on the heavier side, so I just guestimated he's hauling about 2/3 of a cord from pics he's sent me in the past. Thus, 1500 lbs. Give or take a few logs.

 

Wow. Ok that's a lot. I would definitely look into the OME Dakar HD.

On my access cab with 300 lbs in the bed I'm lifted about 3.5 inches over stock. When I load up to 1000+ I'm probably 1 or 2 inches higher than stock.

If that's not enough you can even buy an extra leaf to insert into the HD pack and have yourself a super duper heavy duty spring pack.

Double cab or Access cab?

 

A good leaf pack like Dakar would be a great upgrade over stock. The HD option may ride pretty stiff unloaded.. but you're talking about carrying some serious wood.

Also check out some over-axle airbags. I think Firestone Ride-Rite is a common brand. They're great for extra support when you need it.

 

for what your doing I was going to say the HD OME Dakars and the Ride-Rite like you said. My buddy runs a similar setup for when he needs that extra lift in the rear.

 

If he's going to be loaded out I would not get the HD Dakars. They're rated at 600lbs static. I have them and they're not enough with my Drifter camper, fridge slide and Alu-cab awning(always mounted). I will either be adding bags or going Deaver for a much higher load rating.

 

100% agree there. I am running the old Dakar with extra leaf. Ie: old HD setup. Its not enough for my truck. Truck is sitting at around 7k lbs.

 

Just for reference a cord of wood is pretty hard to fit in a Tacoma. A full cord is 4' x 4' x 8'. 128 cubic feet. A six foot Tacoma bed would be way over full 2/3 of that. On a second gen Tacoma long bed you're looking at 1.5' x 3.75' x 6', 34 cubic feet (I know the bed is 4' wide but that's only above the wheel wells and three or four inches below the top of the bed and behind the tailgate. A long bed tacoma might be a couple hairs over a 1/4 cord stacked tight and right at the the top of the rails.

Lightest dry weight for a cord of oak I can find is 3200 to 3500lbs. If he filled his bed with just over a 1/4 cord of dry red oak it'd be 850 to 930lbs. Even here he'd be way over hd dakars.

But going by what you say then you would need air bags or some load assisting bump stops and you will still be over loaded with the heavy duty set up. Need a true weight or better estimate to really help.

 

I was reading in a previous thread that replacing the suspension will not increase the load carrying capacity. It will only help to level out the truck when loaded. The thread went on to explain that there are several factors in determining the load carrying capacity of a truck to include the entire drive train, suspension, brakes and frame construction. These are the variables that I could remember. You may need more research on the subject to be sure.

 

Correct. Load capacity is determined by axle strength. The leaf springs, air bags etc do nothing to increase load capacity it is fixed unless an axle swap is done.

 

The TRD Sport long bed has a load rating of 1425, at least I read that somewhere. If the load of wood weight is closer to what Hartford estimated at around 900 lbs would that mean there is still 500 lbs for passengers and stuff, right?

I guess the wood won't be an overload but something like airbags would keep the back from sagging.

So would that mean the OME lift kit is just for the 2" of ground clearance? And no extra load?

 

1. Yes, the load rating is for the stuff in the bed, the driver, passenger and gear.

2. Yes, I have airbags that would be capable of adding 2,500 lbs. of load capacity when fully inflated but that is NOT the way it works. I still only load about 1,000 lbs. in my DCSB when hauling stuff. They are only for leveling the truck when loaded. I've seen people overload their trucks and while it might still drive, it is very dangerous and detrimental to the truck.

3. Yes, the lift kit is for "lift" only. Does not increase load carrying capacity.

 

Yes and no. As Chuck W says the rated capacity is the rated capacity. No amount of suspension work will increase that, but it will help the truck manage overloads better and more safely.

While it is never safe to exceed max capacity, heavier suspension may make it safer. There is a safety factor built into all ratings and the limits can often be exceeded with no adverse effects up to a point. Not sure where that point is with regards to Tacoma payload. There are many members here that have built very heavy trucks.

 

Quick update. He installed AirLifts to help keep the truck level when hauling loads. First load was a bunch of firewood and the AirLifts did their job, nice and level with about 50 lbs pressure (max is 100 lbs). Comfortable and easy ride home!

Next will be the OME lift kit, the standard one, per recommendations. Can always add the heavy duty leaf spring later if necessary. Kits are backordered everywhere so still searching for one. OME Customer Support said they should be back in the country in another month.

said