Tacoma as a work truck . Shell/Rack. Air bags? Leafs?

So the Snug top hi liner is around 175 lbs or so, round up to 200. The rack it 3000 series lumber rack in aluminum is about 100 lbs, and about 210 for the steel version. The aluminum rack is rated for 500 lbs and the steel rack for 1000. It would be nice to have the ability to carry the extra weight with the steel rack, but that's another 100 lbs off payload. The aluminum rack is about $600 more. Would anybody with experience say that the full time 400lbs or so in added weight just from the rack and canopy justify beefier springs? Also if i got springs that raised the truck up an inch or so in the rear? Would i need to shocks? And is there any problem in lifting the rear and not the front? I wouln't mind having the truck raised an 1" or 2", but its not something i care about if there is no benefit.

 

Even bed empty with just the snugtop rebel mine was prone to bottoming out when hitting a rise or drop(uneven spots at overpasses) at freeway speeds and I’m hardly ever bed empty so with just the bags I need 35-40 psi for ~400lb load and more if I carry lumber on the roof or sackrete in the bed. I’d probably be better served with add-a-leafs plus the bags since my minimum load is so far above the 5 psi bag minimum but it works as is and I haven’t had a load yet that couldn’t be leveled. I’d have to drive carefully if I ever get a sustained leak though. I’d suggest add-a-leafs to start with and bags in addition. IMHO full HD leaf packs are for those who drive at or near fully loaded more than half the time, don’t mind a harsh ride, or simply prefer it for the look.

 

Thanks for the input. What type or lumber rack do you have?

 

Sumo springs are the route I went

 

Since the shell itself is supposedly limited to 200lbs up top I just use the Thule tracks and bars that it came with(bought the ‘14 used in ‘17 w’33k on the LDO). I added bedwall brackets to prevent tailgate spreading and have had way more than 200lbs up there(16-20’ 2x6 green redwood) but mostly now it’s just ladders or a few sticks. I’m past the age of needing a full on cab-over lumber rack. What I did do is install ditch mounted tracks on the cab so I can put the front bar there to carry long stuff. Besides long sticks or trim it’s carried 5’x16’ hogwire panels. Normally the bars are stowed in the cap on the passenger side because there’s a 2 mpg ding when they’re up on top.

 

Hi - I also work my Tacoma - 2019 TRD Sport DCLB V6 AT. Just a few days over a year old with 21,000 miles on it and that includes the 2 1/2 months it sat my driveway during Covid lockdown.

The truck is currently stock. I have hold everything in it from lumber to scrap metal to 2500+ pounds of hardwood flooring. No issues at all with any of it.

I think trying it out before making any major investments might be the smart money. Once you get a real feel for the truck and what you can handle you might then consider appropriate alterations/upgrades.
Just one mans opinion ...

2500+ lbs hardwood flooring



Almost 600 lbs scrape metal

 

That truck must have been sitting on the bump stops. Do you have a side view with that load?

 

I do:

Here is the side view with load -

 

Cool. I thought it would be squatting worse than that. How did it drive with that load?

 

Actually, surprisingly well. Once I got onto the highway I said I better keep this around 50 to 55 mph. At one point I looked down and I was doing between 70 and 75 and didn’t even realize it. Really not too much mush or sway at all. However, I was I did try to be careful about applying the brakes a little bit earlier than normal due to the load. All in all it was a smooth 32 mile drive.
I had the ECT Button pushed, but honestly I’m not even sure I needed it.

 

The problem with driving with not much bump stop clearance is anytime you bottom out on a pothole or anything else that shock goes straight into the axles and bearings. Eventually it will kill your leaf packs too. Stock leafs are pretty soft to begin with and don’t heal after being over stressed. Do your research but don’t put off an upgrade for too long if you’re bottoming out routinely. Your suspension should be designed to float your loads with enough travel left over to absorb bumps without bottoming but still be able to flex or you might as well not have springs at all.

 

I work with my Tacoma as well, and have added a fair amount of weight, including a cap in July. Everything was, more or less, fine before adding the cap. I'm currently looking at adding Roadmaster Active Suspension, for a few reasons:

I'm a licensed PCO and spray for mosquitos. Between the ARE cap, molle rack behind the back seats, tools I carry on board, recovery gear, dry granules, full 50gal chem tank and myself, I'm sure I'm coming in over 1,000 pounds fully loaded.

There's a clear sag, and I just want to eliminate that as wewhat's happening with the headlights. Adding the roadmasters with the 40% disc should solve all of my problems, but I'm interested in sumo springs as well.

Because my load weight is actively changing over the course of a service day, I'm not as interested in the airbags.

 

This is why I went with Sumo springs instead of air bags. In a typical day I might drive my empty truck to the lumber yard, load it up and drive to the jobsite and then drive home in an empty truck.

Bed extender can be useful for those extra long loads on top or in the bed.

 

I found out about Roadmasters before I found out about Sumo springs -- would you recommend one over the other, or adding both?

 

Sorry, I don't know anything about Roadmasters.

 

I had this rack custom made - helps haul just about anything. Purposely made tall so I can have my paddle board up top.

 

It looks like the road masters accomplish what bags, sumos (or timbrens), stiffer leaf packs do in increasing the spring force acting on the axle but do it using a different geometry. Sumos and add-a-leafs are the cheapest options, air bag kits run around $300 and road masters around $450 but that’s just from a quick web scan. Add-a-leafs can get saggy just as any other leaf pack but if you stay in the low to medium load range they could be a very reasonable choice. I don’t know how Sumos wear but they certainly seem simple, light, and durable, but also not adjustable. Air bags can split or spring a leak and I don’t know how often that happens but otherwise retain their capacity throughout their lifespan and as long as you can add air they can support the load. They do require frequent filling which many find tiresome but they’re also one of the lightest options since they carry the load using air instead of steel or some other solid. Road masters look like gas charged horizontal cylinders that leverage the spring packs from the shackles to increase spring rate. Don’t know didly about them as far as how they compare for reliability but they look nifty. HD leaf packs have to be by far the heaviest option but for some that’s just the cost of doing business. I wouldn’t go that route unless I had constant loads of several hundred pounds most if not all of the time.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys good stuff here. Any body got pics to show off with lumber racks over canopies? Particularly over the sport hi liner? Or maybe pics of making other racks that work for carrying long heavy things around.

 

So i now have my canopy and lumber rack on the truck, as well as a sleeping platform and drawer. the leafs are just about sitting on the overload spring. After doing some research I am thinking of just getting a new set of leafs. Did you have to lift the front end as well with Dakars? Truck looks good in the pic!

 

Here is the new truck with canopy and rack.