Best options for my bringing up my rear

Hi everyone. First time posting since I purchased my cute little Tacoma about 7 months ago. 2010 double cab, manual, TRD off road.

Here's my situation, would love assistive feedback for my next steps.

My typical use cases for truck:
- I tow ~4500 lbs at most, I have a tiny horse and a tiny trailer and keeping a comfortable ride for my horse is VERY important. (I have the tow package, so far so good.)
- I travel often, my tacoma becomes my house when I find myself in remote places, usually in the UP of Michigan. I don't quite identify myself as an "overlander" but I will experiment within my own limits to locate remote places for the sake of primo photography, hikes, & biking. (prioritizing the safety of my Tacoma and myself).
- I'll be adding a cap in the next couple of months, open to suggestions there. (I can sleep perfectly in my back seat, for now.)
- I want what's best for my truck and what's most sustainable (as in, once I complete this project I want it to last a long time.)

I may have gone about this out of order but here's my question(s)...

I just installed new suspension all around, with a 2.5 lift in the front, as expected, my rear sags about 1-1.5 inches. My mechanic suggests throwing a block in there and calling it a day... I'm not totally oppose to that solution, but I also don't want to rush into that solution just yet.

With how my brain works, the image of me towing with a block freaks me out, and seems abrasive over time. Replacing my leafs and/or adding a leaf wasn't really in scope for this project but I have not ruled it out, especially if it's the most sustainable/reliable option (my current leafs seem to be in fine condition). Though, more recently I have learned about adding airbags (concept still quite foreign, would love insight on this). Based on people's experiences with the airbag solution, towing seems like a breeze.

My goal is the get my rear up slightly above my front, to eliminate my sag all together, and hopefully eliminate ANY sag while towing. Have any of you went through this decision process with similar use cases to my own? What did you decide?

Please note: until I find the right solution and implement it, I wont be towing anything.

 

Your mechanic is an idiot for suggesting blocks on a truck that tows/hauls.

IMO, since your truck is a '10, your leafs are shot. I would suggest to either get new leaf packs (look into OME Dakar's), or get airbags.

I also suggest to contact Marie at Headstrong Offroad (a vendor on this site). She is very knowledgeable about our Tacoma's, and will set you up.

 

1k rated Deavers..especially when you are looking to add a cap and tow. I had the HD Dakars and they were capped out pretty much with a cap, RTT and high clearance swingout bumper.

Buy once cry one.

 

Agree with the dude above^ get some OME dakars and some airbags. Also get shocks if your lift kit didn’t already replace those.

 

Get a new leaf pack. This was the difference between stock TRD Off-road vs Bilstein Pro Kit and Icon RXT’s option 3. Wish I would have done this the day I bought the truck.

 

Catchy post title. I almost suggested squats and rollerblading for bringing up your rear, but ride rite bags and add a leaf will fix you right up. I can tell ya from experience adding a leaf does great for unloaded look, but I just got back from a CO trip with two people, gear (heavy ice chest, recovery and camping gear, plus RTT) for two people and adding a leaf may have increased the capacity but I was saggy...too saggy for comfort on some of the tougher passes. Read up on Ride Rite...one of the guys that went with us had those bags and they performed great offroad with him being loaded with tons of gear and an RTT. I was skeptical, but if you're gonna be towing that much, you should look into them b/c 450 lbs tongue weight is a lot without assist. Stay away from body lifts...just my opinion.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-lair.495066/page-3361#post-21271869

 

I've been running Dakars for 3+ years now and would recommend going that route for a more budget friendly leaf pack. My truck has a cap, high clearance rear bumper with a swingout, and I have a hundred or so lbs of gear in the bed at all times. Sometimes I carry a second spare, a few hundred lbs of additional gear, and a RTT...other times I'm hitched up to a 5,500lb trailer with a 600lb tongue weight. When towing the travel trailer I use a weight distribution hitch (much better option than airbags since airbags don't shift any weight off the rear axle like the WD hitch does).

 

This dude looks like he's hauling some heavy loads, just get some huge blocks and 37's and you're golden.





Pretty happy with my HD Dakars as well. I've thrown a lot of weight in the bed and it just doesn't sag. With the Kings the ride is real nice. It's only a little bit bouncy if the bed is empty, but just the weight of the topper (130lbs?) smooths it right out.

Edit:spelling.

 

If you are not offroading a bunch and don't want to spend a whole lot of money get air bags

 

I went with OME Heavy Duty Dakkars. Some people think the ride is too stiff but I don't mind it. I put a lot in my bed and barely notice any sag

 

I concur, I just ordered a set of HD Dakars from Marie and they were on my front doorstep in 3 days. Excellent company to do business with!

 

I happen to have a set of air bags for sale...