Hondo Garage's New Thing

I’m about half way between Rochester and Syracuse... pretty far from you I think. I won’t be at the outdoor expo in PA. I was referring to Overland ExpoEast in Asheville NC in Nov...

If you’re in SE PA and wanna day trip up to see it maybe we can work it out. There’s another in Western MA @macdadmorgan don't know him personally but I get that he’s a fisherman... he may get closer your way sooner than I will. Can’t hurt to ask....

If you’ve got all these plans for your truck... maybe you should consider a day or two at Expo.... than you’ll REALLY be inspired.

 

It might be a dumb question (I'm full of them), but doesn't your OR have the pitch and roll angles in the center display (below the compass screen)? Or, do they not work well enough for leveling?

There's a TW'er working on hacking the head unit and center display. I am hope that if it works, this angle display can be unlocked for the non-OR / non-Pro crowd?

Thanks!

 

Head unit display is not precise enough to level camper.

I have bubble levels like most others here stuck on the extrusion. Smart phone levels also work really well when held against the camper edges for leveling.

 

Thanks! Bubble levels are easy enough, like you said.

 

So I was thinking a wrap or something as I am going black on my quicksand. There is a company in Bozeman that does this. SCS Unlimited is the company. https://scswraps.com

Not sure if the textured sides of the GFC will have a good bond but the folks at SCS are aware of GFC and said they'd love to work with me and them to do a wrap. Just a note, I'm not looking at a full wrap but rather a landscape to blend the quicksand with the black.

 

I worked with SCS and highly recommend them. I was originally going to wrap mine as well but the samples I received didn't quite match my quicksand truck. If I was able to get my truck in front of them, I think they would have been able to color match much better. I ended up going with white panels, not my original plan, but I actually dig the look of it and it works out well in the AZ heat.

 

IMO - when you get that heavy the best option is custom leafs. Get your truck weighed and call up Alcan or Deaver and they'll make something that fits your application exactly.

 

I got my BP-51 kit with the 096 leafs (which is the Heavy version) from Headstrong. Great to work with them and the kit came with free SPC UCA's which was awesome. The difference between the 095 (medium) and 096 (heavy) is simply an added leaf. So if you have the 095's you can turn them into the 096's by adding that leaf. Also I think I read somewhere buried in this thread https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-ome-dakar-leaf-pack-review.489540/ that someone added that leaf to the 096 pack for an Extra heavy duty set up.

I won't leave my GFC on all the time as I'm going to build a hoist for it in the garage so I'm trying to compromise with something that rides okay with an empty bed but also supports the ~600 lbs I'm planning to have. The 096's are a little harsh with an empty bed, but ride like a Cadillac with weight.

I may also remove the added leaf to turn my 096's into 095's and go with the Firestone air bags and Daystar cradles...not sure yet, waiting to get the GFC and see how it all goes. @Hodakaguy modified his Daystar mounts to work with his OME leafs. Looks like a pretty ideal set up: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.528480/

Attached pic is my current set up: BP51's set to 8mm preload upfront and 096 leafs out back with the second overload removed. There are 16 totes in the bed (4 of which are full of books) overall that's probably heavier than the ~600lbs I'm planning on. Ride height in that photo is 23" all around measured from center of hub to the fender flare. Unloaded the rear is at about 24.5"

 

quoting both of you so you see this...

I called up Wheeler's and also a camper company that makes some heavy campers for tacomas. I am currently running ~600 pounds constantly, and will add another ~400 pounds when i get the camper and go on my trip with a couple more things in the back. I do not plan on removing my GFC, so I will be at a constant of about 1,000 pounds. Below is what both places said:

Wheeler's: I was able to show them photos of my current Dakar Heavy Duty leafs and their current wave with my 600 pounds I am running constantly right now and mentioned the added 400. This was their exact response, "They are definitely starting to get a little wavy, not necessary bad though. I would add one of the AAL to the pack to help give it that little extra but honestly you are dealing with a lot of weight on a Tacoma though so for long term I would consider doing air bags with the daystar air bag cradle that way you do not lose any suspension travel but get the support you need. I would do a combination of AAL and bags, but would start with the AAL."

Camper Company: I asked them about running 1,000 pounds constantly. Below are the 4 things they told me...
1. Do EXACTLY what wheeler's said above (OME AAL, Firestone Bags, Daystar cradle). This he said would be good enough.
2. Do a Timbren Bump Stop (he was not a fan of this but it was an option he mentioned. He didn't like this route because you cannot control if you are leaning one side or another like you can with bags.)
3. He did not recommend the custom springs from Alcan or Deaver because they were having issues with them leaning to one side.
4. What he mostly recommended over any of the above was to just get Dobinson's leaf springs because they have ones that are extremely heavy (rated for 1200 pounds constant load).

Hope this helps some people out! I just ordered my AAL and if that doesn't work I will go with the Dobinson's I think.

 

Thanks for doing the legwork RK, I’ll owe you a beer at Expo. Let me know how the AAAL (add add a leaf??) works out.

 

Just keep in mind that at 1000lbs constant load you will be pretty much at or over max gross weight and payload wih two people in the truck. Might not be a bad idea to upgrade the brakes if you haven't yet.

 

well good thing it is just me and no second passenger! I can't really do anything about the weight. It is what it is. I am going to be on a 6+ month road trip and have sold my house. I have all the important crap with me and have done several shakedowns. I will be upgrading the brakes in the next few months before my trip

 

My custom Alcan's came side specific and addressed the taco lean pretty well.

 

Don't know then! He said they used to recommend them but started having issues. Glad yours are good!.

 

Pretty sure you can get your rig weighed to each wheel to have side specific leafs like @Squeaky Penguin was talking about. Believe @jberry813 has custom built leafs that are specific to each side as well.

 

I know the shop she called. And they are a Dobionsons distributor, so it’s not super surprising they’re going to recommend there own products. I mean they’re in business to sell....

That said I’m still liking the idea of bags best for me.... so far.

My truck is perfectly level with my GFC, Decked System and gear with my HD spring pack... tire swing, extra spare, hi-lift or maybe a trailer sometimes the rear will sag.... in my feeble mind I’d like to be able to add support for 0-500 more pounds if and when needed... plus the idea of leveling the truck at a site or side to side is kind of interesting... i feel like there’s more flexibility. My truck is not a daily driver so it’s always loaded and heavy but not always with the same weight....

I’m not seeing a drawback to bags... I’ve heard they can tear when they are stretched (axle droop), does someone make extended bags for lifted Tacos??

 

That's what the Daystar cradles are for. It replaces the fixed lower mount and instead has a cup that the bag nests in. That way you can still get you full flex/droop without any worry of damage to the bag. My only hesitation would be rocks getting into the cradle and then wearing on the bag, but I haven't found anyone complaining of that issue.

 

I think the Decked system is the common denominator. It’s about 210lbs...

GFC 250
Decked 210
Fridge/ slide 75
Bumper/ tire swing 125?
Hi-lift Jack 40
Spare tire.... ext...

Idk it just adds up. I feel like i keep pretty minimal to be honest but with close to 500lbs just in the GFC and drawer system that weight adds up fast.

Weight is why i went GFC to start with. With a drifter or treehouse it would have been another 100-150 more just to get started...

Perhaps I can cut out 80lbs of beer and replace it with 10lbs of whisky. That may help a little. Hahahahahahaha

 

LOL... I have a decked system that then holds all my camping/hiking gear. I have a steel rear bumper with a custom gate on it along with full size spare, gas cans (not always full) and jack. Then my recovery gear and me. Some other crap like clothes and what not. Then add the GFC and I may have to put my storage container on the top (hopefully not). My estimates are kinda on the higher end to be safe. I don't see how others when they go overlanding aren't this heavy. Especially with the nicer camping gear people drive around with.

 

@wileydavis is this product meant to remain on the truck at all times? I'm trying to figure out my payload with the GFC. Assuming the GFC is 200lbs and my spouse and I together are 350lbs, I'm looking at around 500-600lbs for the remainder of my gear?