Bought a slide-in truck camper - suspension upgrades

Hey. I'm the very happy new owner of a slide in truck camper. It will be around 1100 lbs and while I do have the Canadian Tacoma leaf pack (TSB included) the truck will likely still sag a couple inches.

What should I get for something that won't stiffen the rear suspension when I don't have the camper on?

I'm thinking:
- air bags, or
- helper springs, or
- suggestions?

I like that air bags can be deflated when the truck isn't loaded, and if I am taking the camper off for an extended period I can easily enough take a helper spring off. I have also seen these StableLoad things by TorkLift which can be engaged or disengaged.

Anyone have suggestions or experience with this stuff? I had air bags on my 06 DCLB so I know what to expect with those. I was just hoping for a quick and easy 100 dollar improvement. Thanks.

 

Did you get a 4 Wheel Camper ?

 

No I bought a used northern lite 6'10". I've been looking for one for a while now. I'm pumped.

 

Pics.

 

I will once it's on. Don't have the tie downs yet.

 

These are the pics I have but they are the previous owners pics, mounted on his two tacomas. I am going to pick it up this week and will post more pics of my setup.

 

VERY nice. Congrats!

 

... and my tie-down setup.

I have Torklift tie downs on the front and made a hitch insert tie down bar for the back. 10" (5/16) insert with a 6 foot long 1.5" (5/16) span welded on top of the insert and heavily gusseted. I'm not worried about twisting it on a rock. Cheap rattle-can rust proof stone chip paint job on the insert and bar.

 

Sweet

 

Thanks. My wife and I have been wanting to do a road trip down the washington oregon and california coast so now I'm thinking this is the year. The owner said that the suspension handled it fine without any mods so we'll see.

 

Damn, that's bad-azz! I'd throw in some Dakar rear leaf's & a lift, but that's definitely out of the $100 "quick fix" category.

 

If it gets too bad you could probably stop at a parts store and pick up an add-a-leaf to slap on.

 

Air bags are your best bet OP

 

I don't always agree with OZ,but when I do, it has to do with air bags.

Maybe look at some aftermarket leafs, but CERTAINLY get a set of air bags for when you have the slide in...well...in.

 

get a rear swaybar from Hellwig. i have had a Jayco Sportser on a couple of different trucks, it is a hybrid (popup-slidein). to carry that thing you are going to beef up the springs and your tailgate. i would then add airbags, by the time you load up with propane, water, and other camping equipment you wish you had full size truck. it seems like it wore me out driving with it on, 1350 miles oneway on hunting trip to Colorado. you will also need LT tires if you don't already. my Jayco was for an 8 foot bed and when i put on a short bed, i had 3/4" plywood board to distribute the weight off the tailgate. good luck with it and slow down.

 

Thanks for all the feedback.

leafs - the CDN models have the extra leaf already but it's still not beefy.
airbags - did that on my last truck and wasn't a huge fan but it's a possibility.
tires - 10 ply michelin ltx ms2's already on. 10 ply blizzaks in winter (because I will definitely be using this in winter)
tailgate is off and staying off. The camper is 6'10 and I don't want the tailgate sticking out, in the way, and getting sprayed with rocks for the next 6 months.
I'm thinking the Timbrens may be the way I go. If the truck doesn't sag as is (as per the seller), the timbrens would be a nice cushion for those times I load the camper up a little heavy or for when I'm taking the camper down a windy switchback to a lake and it's bouncing around.

 

... and I like the idea of dakars but I don't want the ride to be stiff when the camper's not on - my wife's neck can't take it.

 

Well I put the camper in and it sagged pretty damn good in the back. About 2 inches of sag at the rear hitch. The ride quality was actually terrific though and it handled highway speeds +10 up and over mountain passes with ease; cornered well too.

I picked up a set of Timbren SES heavy duty bump stops (rubber springs) so they would help carry a load when loaded, but not affect the ride quality when not loaded. Based on my research and figurin' I decided these would ride much more smoothly than airbags. I installed them today in about 20 minutes and the ride is even smoother than before (with only my standard Canadian 4-leaf pack), and it levelled the truck out completely. I'm really happy with them. They absolutely eliminated the sag, improved ride comfort and handling, and installed in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.

The picture shows it parked in my driveway on an up-slope so you can't really tell but on level ground it has a little bit of rake in the back end.

 

Of course. Here she is. Next mod will be removing the pink curtains.

Sorry for the sideways photos

The bed's a decent size. I'm 6'1" and can lay in it stretched out but just barely.

 

thats so prime. im jealous