SR5 Squats When Towing

I don’t have any experience with trailer sway, but it’s obvious to me that the axle needs to be far enough back such that the boat/trailer doesn’t fall over backwards when you unhitch it.

 

Yes! That’s the trailer that goes with the boat.

 

Hm. It seems badly setup to me, judging only by pictures and my limited experience of having only owned one trailer/boat. A taco shouldn’t struggle with a 2800 lb trailer. How often and far do you tow the boat?

 

I’m sure it’s heavy here in the pic, unstrapped and rolled the tractor back maybe 2”? You hear/fell the load change on the hitch. Actually towed very well but extra cautiously because of braking. I don’t think I would have tried without an MT.
Edit:rear tires are calcium filled, so balance on the axles was not far off.

 

OP, are there any drivability issues while towing the boat? Is it “proposing” excessively? Steering like it’s doing a wheelie? Braking like its a freight train?

 

Your tongue weight is probably 500 pounds or more. I'd bet you can't even start to lift that hitch off the ball and can only crank it off with the wheel. I do understand why boat trailers have their wheels further back but there comes a point where too much tongue weight is a thing.

 

It tows just fine. Rock steady under tow. Handles really well. Braking is not an issue. Thanks.

 

I agree! Because the trailer axle is so far back, the tongue weight is my biggest issue.

 

Two questions. Have you actually weighed the boat and trailer? And what is in the truck?

You may be putting more weight on the hitch than you think. A Tacoma won't have any problem PULLING 3000-4000 lbs. The weak link with Tacoma's is limited payload. Most Tacoma's will have 1000-1200 lbs payload, but a few may go 1300. That includes the weight of passengers, and any cargo in the truck as well as trailer tongue weight. 1000 lbs doesn't go very far. Most 1/2 tons will be 1800-2000. The Ford Ranger is 1500-1700.

While you may "THINK" you have around 300 lbs on the tongue it could be closer to 500 if the boat/trailer is really heavier than 2800 lbs. If you have a truck on the lower end of the payload spectrum a driver and one passenger could put you over payload. If you're carrying around several hundred pounds of tools or other gear under/behind the seats and in the bed, you could be overloaded with just a driver in the cab.

If a truck is squatting that is a visual cue that you are overloaded. You can modify the suspension so the truck sits level, but you will still be overloaded. Think of your truck as a see/saw with the real axle as the fulcrum. The more weight you put on the back of the truck, the less weight there will be on the front axle. You probably won't ever reach the point where the front axle actually comes off the ground, but you can reach the point where the front wheels don't have a firm grip on the road. Even with the truck sitting level. And the front wheels do about 80% of the braking and 100% of the steering.

Anything you do to modify the suspension only hides the problem. If you're working close to max, it may well provide a better driving experience. But it won't increase the amount of weight you can haul.

 

Thanks to everybody for the responses. It’s been quite helpful. I’m leaning towards sumo springs just to get a little help with the squat while towing. On average I’m towing once a week and my trips are seldom more than 2 hours one way. Since it’s driving okay now, I’m pretty sure it will address my concern. Thanks again.

 

Great info here. I’m swapping leafs and decided after a long ponder to stay stock height. But ya’ll know the story with the stock leafs.

I was searching to see if anyone was using the RAS/Sumo set up. But it’s sounding like it’s best to utilize the RAS only after seeing that video. I doubt the blue sumos will allow it to do its magic as I have not found much info on both being used.

I was curious to know if the U bolts are prone to being bent from the pressure of the RAS?

 

Heard from the Technical Support Manager, fuck yeah!