Suspension upgrade for medium to heavy loads?

I might soon be looking for a 4th gen to replace my 2nd gen. I presently have a deck for my ATV/Sled and running BP-51's with the OME HD leafs + airbags and SPC UCA's. I'm thinking of going the same way if I'm going with a 4th gen. Half of the time I only have the deck (about 400 lbs) and the other half, I have my ATV or sled on top, and I usually load up a couple hundred lbs under the deck + in the rear seat. The BP-51's have served me well to compensate for the rebound created by the airbags in rough terrain. Any thoughts on this or on other possible combo's for wide variations of loads other that getting a 1/2 ton truck?

 

ATV: 600lbs
Carrier: 400lbs
You: 150-250lbs
Gear: Additional 300lbs

Cargo capacity remaining:0. (-450 lbs over capacity)

It's not the right truck for the job without overloading it.

 

I'm well aware that I'm over capacity using a Taco in those conditions. I'm at 265K km with my 2012, without any signs of unusual wear, event though about 100k km were under those loads on forestry roads. I'm willing to take that risk. Hopefully the Gen 4 is as, or better built than a Gen 2.

 

As someone on the roads with you, I don't agree to take that risk.

 

We are increasingly entering an era where any risk is unacceptable risk.

 

If you really want to overload your truck you need a Hilux. Toyota knows their customers and builds them accordingly.

 

“I’ve gotten away with it so far” isn’t really a logical justification.

Suspension mods to support higher loads don’t offset the resulting longer braking distances, and may also impact ability to maneuver our of a potential crash.

Insurance companies can void coverage if you’re operating in a way that violates regulations or manufacturer specifications (like exceeding weight limits). Check your policies carefully. Are you willing to gamble losing everything you and your family’s worked for?

Smarter thing is to buy a truck that has the capacity you need.

 

The people have spoken. It sounds like you have to get a 1 ton GMC Denali Dually with a flatbed.

 

I also post over on the F150 forum. I've noted that Canadians tend to overload their trucks a lot more than we do here in the lower 48. Perhaps liability concerns are much different there.

I'm of the opinion that there have been very few trucks that don't get overloaded from time to time. And for occasional use I might load my Tacoma that heavy. But it's not good for the truck to do that on a consistent basis. You have 256KM's on the truck. But how many of them loaded that heavy? Probably only a fraction of them.

Modifying the suspension only hides the problem. When you overload the bed and hitch it takes weight off the front axle even if the truck doesn't squat. With too little weight on the front axle steering and braking are greatly compromised.

If that were the only truck I had, I'd make do with it for occasional overloads. If you want to haul that much weight it all needs to be in a trailer. You can easily pull that much and not overload the truck.

If you're buying a new truck anyway, I'd seriously consider something with more capability that a Tacoma. Don't ASSUME that just any 1/2 ton is going to be better. Forget about what the specs say. In the real world most 2nd gen Tacoma's have 1200-1300 lbs of payload. The 3rd and 4th gens are 1000-1100 lbs.

Ford Ranger, Honda Ridgeline, and Chevy Colorado will be right around 1500 lbs payload. Moving up to 1/2 tons payload is all over the place. Some are as little as 1100 lbs, no more than a 4th gen Tacoma. Some could be very close to 3000 lbs. Most will be in the 1700-1900 lb range so you have to choose carefully. Tacoma only offers 1 axle ratio and one engine. Ford offers 5 axle ratios and 5 engines. Choose the wrong combo and you have a weak grocery getter. Other combo's will rival a 3/4 ton diesel.

FWIW, I traded my F150 for a Chevy Colorado Trail Boss 2 weeks ago and kept my 2007 Tacoma. I no longer wanted a big truck but wanted more capability than Tacoma could offer. It has 1481 lbs of payload and is rated for 7700 lbs towing. That's 140 lbs less payload and the same tow rating as my 5.0 V8. It has just a tiny bit less HP than my old Ford but way more torque. It's also 1500 lbs lighter.

 

Interesting responses. So what about pulling a 6500 lbs trailer vs breaking distance? I feel my breaking distance is great, lots of weight on the axel, especially in snow, and a long way from having 6500 lbs from a trailer pushing my a$$. I'd say I pull that type of load 1/3 of the time, with more than half of that on logging roads. My cabin is at about 60 miles on a logging road and I need my ATV/sled for the last 3 miles. Not to mention, being an exploration geologist, I carry my ATV very often with a whole bunch of rock samples. I'm worried about people texting and driving, had a few close calls with that. I like being free of a trailer, no place to turn around with em where I usually go. And I do wish I could buy a Hilux.