Safe camper towing weight.

If you drive fast enough can the boat get on a plane on just air?

 

get a WD hitch...I ran the stock leaf pack for two years and with the WD hitch set the truck was nice and level.

airbags are great for payload in the bed of the truck but the proper way to address sag when towing is a WD hitch that actually distributed the weight to the front axle of the tow vehicle and trailer axle(s). There's a great video on YouTube that covers this.

 

I'm in total agreement here, heavier springs, airbags, etc, are not going to help towing like a proper WD Hitch. But if you are not using one, your stock rear suspension will be needing at least some assistance or your ride can suffer and springs flatten out.

 

the tires on the Harbor Freight trailer would disintegrate before the boat and trailer would get off the ground. The boat and trailer was probably less than 500lbs (not including the motor that I had to pull when towing because I was afraid it'd rip the transom off).

 

I'd also like to admit I've driven a short distance with too much tongue weight. I found with my HD leaf springs that I can easily load my trailer too far forward without the truck noticeably sagging. I quickly shifted my trailer load rearward as it felt like my front wheels were barely touching the ground and I had very little steering. Was definitely unsafe, and I fixed within a mile of leaving my driveway. Never even exceeding 35 it was scary. Obviously this was NOT a travel trailer, but just trying to re-iterate importance of proper tongue weight.

 

I plan on getting a WD hitch. With that I should be able to get by with stock suspension then? Or just get a whole new leaf pack? I’m not looking to go the cheap way out I want to do it right however I’m also not trying to break the bank.

 

What aftermarket leaf pack did you get?

 

Start with the WD hitch. My trailer is 5,500lbs loaded and the stock springs were fine when the hitch was set up and the trailer loaded correctly.

I will say that now that I'm running Dakars I can tow the trailer to and from where we store it without the WD hitch and I'm not hitting the bump stops like I would have with just the stock pack. The WD hitch is still necessary for highway travels.

 

X2 running Dakar pack also with a Eaz-Lift recurve R3 WD hitch.

 

I have Deaver Expedition Stage 3 leaf springs. ~3 inches lift with 700-1000 lbs constant load. I am NOT suggesting these for your situation. My truck always has over 700lbs in the bed due to my AT Habitat, Batteries, Fridge, etc that lives on/in my truck. My truck gets about level in the rear when I am fully loaded for camping plus my car hauler trailer loaded up.

 

Keep a few things in mind. Towing with anything is a balancing act. The max towing weight is pretty useless information, the payload rating is more important. Most Tacoma's are rated to tow 6500 lbs, but in the real world that isn't practical to stay within payload. Around 4500-5000 is more realistic. Not just a problem with Tacomas's, an F250 rated to tow 15,000 lbs will have the same issues and many of them will max out under 10,000 lbs due to the payload. So don't be disappointed to find that a Tacoma won't really tow anywhere near the listed max. Virtually no truck on the road will.

Modifying the suspension only hides the problem, it doesn't help anything. The issue is weight distribution. Ideally all 4 wheels will have the same amount of weight on them for best handling and braking. Trucks tend to be light in the rear when unloaded, and when over loaded they don't have enough weight on the front axle. The one that does 100% of the steering and about 80% of the braking. Modifying the suspension so the truck sits level when overloaded doesn't change how much weight is on the front axle.

Some guys like to cheat by loading the trailer so that it has less tongue weight. Having 13-15% of the trailer weight on the tongue is necessary for proper handling. Too light on the tongue and you get this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jk9H5AB4lM