Leaf spring options for towing.

Guess it depends on how radical your idea of "off road" is. You will lose ground clearance and of course flex.

Pine needle forest road meandering to a campsite will be all right.
I use a Reese Dual Cam to pull my #4500 19' Airstream and have since 2006 with Tacomas.
I have added a rear Hellwig sway bar, 3 leaves to the pack, beefed up my shocks and run Sumo's.

(currently driving a '17 TRD 4X4 AT Sport. It ain't no Gen II. Wish I bought a Tundra )

 

I wouldn't use one to get out of my driveway, let alone off-road. (They are still great for on-road, mind.) WDHs redistribute weight by severely limiting the motion on one plane of articulation. So any steep dip (imagine your trailer is tongue down while truck is nose up) is liable to break some shit once you pass the point of full flex.

Back to how they work- an overly simplistic diagram is that the WDH forms a bridge between trailer axle and steering axle, thereby taking weight off the drive axle. Taking it off-road is like grabbing either end of that bridge and trying to fold it backwards, like a gorilla breaking a semi-flexible stick. So one of three things will happen: best case, the bridge holds and your drive axle just dangles hilariously in the air while you try to get that unstuck. Worst case, the bridge still holds but your frame rails don't. Most likely case is that the WDH fails in a very loud, explosive fashion.

WDHs really do have their purpose, they help immensely on the highway, but like any device using mechanics to gain advantage, there is always compromise. If you run WDH, be prepared to unhook it if you need to pull off-pavement, and take it sloooow.

 

my truck had the tow package and all that equipment. look at the decal inside your door. thats the real story not the owners manual. every truck is a little different. like i said towing 3000 pounds isn't the problem, its payload capacity is where the toyota tacoma and tundra lack...

 

tongue weight ??

 

WDH do a lot more than just raise the ball position. I think you’re overestimating how much you know about physics if you think they do the same exact job as airbags or springs.

 

iv been reading these posts for years

‘ Pay Load Capacity “ takes several factors into consideration

stability weight follows weight

many are simply concern with pulling & speed

another factor SELDOM discussed is braking..................true they have electronic controllers

yet a huge % of single axles dont have electric brakes

there are many examples of guys towing well above the weekend camper

they know how to load/distribute & get on down the road

simply referring to pounds disregards other important factors

1 ( sadly only 1 ) actually weighrd his rig good to go & was surprised & enlightened

does not take very much to get ‘ HEAVY ‘..................

wife 2 kids golden retriever cooler sox & underwear

grill + the kitchen sink & Ur over

 

What lift did you get from the Hellwigs and what is the unloaded ride like? I don't tow much or haul a lot in the bed frequently, but I do some. The Hellwigs look interesting but I don't want to lift my 4x2 much, preferably not at all.

 

OP, what did you go with? I'm struggling with the same decision for my 2000pound (that's unloaded) pop up. The up and down feels worse on my 2021 than it did on my 2017 (both SR5). At least it doesn't really go left-right. Also don't want to lift it.

 

The stock ride and the unloaded ride seem about the same to me. These things act like an overload spring so don’t come into play until I get a load on them.

It appeared to me that over time the rear had sagged a bit and after installing the Hellwigs and adjusting to max I got about 3/4” lift. It appeared to be back to stock height not really lifted. I could take a Hellwig measurement and you could compare to your stock measurement to see for sure what the “lift” is. Center of hub to bottom of fender flare.

 

Thanks. Looks like I'll be ordering the Hellwigs in the next couple of months.

 

Just my opinion, but if the stock leafs won't cut it, you have too much tongue weight, or your towing heavier stuff than the truck is actually rated for. Imo, toyota has these truck rated for more than they really should be.

 

That’s kinda silly. It’s easy to get significant sag with a well-loaded trailer and some cargo without exceeding weight ratings. Soft springs make for a good unloaded ride but mods might be needed for regular carrying of loads.