Hammer Hangers® by Archive Garage 2005-2023 Tacoma Shackle Hangers

If I have Dakar HD V2's and AGHH V3's do I run the HH's stock or back?

 

Have you looked into Deaver expedition stage 2 or stage 3? Probably your best bet with the weight you’re carrying. I think shock relocation kit with bypass shocks will also help your rear end keep up with the front.

 

Why a bypass? Coming from someone who’s run a bypass with weight and SOA. It’s a fine line saying a bypass performs any better than a well-tuned smoothie and a tuned bump zone. Don’t get me wrong, with some lighter SOA setups, a shorter stroke bypass can work. But for almost all overlanding setups, it’s a complete waste.

 

More for the greater adjustability if you’re doing more than driving flat fire roads. Sometimes my ‘overlanding’ experiences have come across whoops, rocky terrain and high speed sections. YMMV.
Edit: I suppose if you don’t have a bypass up front, then a smoothie in the rear will suffice.

 

It already 2hrs past my bedtime so the details and thoughts will come later but I had to put it out there;

To anyone on the fence:









Serious eye for the little details.

 

Without the crossbar, do the hangers encroach on the interior dimension that would prevent me from keeping the 32" spare underneath as it is now?

 

You should be fine, I have a 33" spare and it fits snug but without issue.

 

There is 33.5" between the hangers, but I think the spare is slightly off center stock. Search the thread, I think I remember one customer said he got a 295/75/16 in between.

 

Alright so my initial reaction above was written after just a quick 5 mile shakedown run to Taco Bell and back.

Here's some more complete thoughts after a little highway driving.

These things are phenomenal.

They look sturdy in all the photos and even on the one or two trucks I have seen with them in person like @TacoFMS but when I picked them up from @Dayman Karate I was impressed by their heft, after finally wrestling off the old hangers (which honestly seemed flimsy even when I first got my truck as bone stock) I have to say these Hammer Hangers are Beefy Chonkers!

The old hangers I could flex with just my hands, and after cutting the rivets out and holding them in my hands I realize they get most of their rigidity through being riveted to the frame, they were easily bendable by hand and deformed greatly as I used both hands to wiggle and pry them off before the last remnants of the rivets would let go.

I have to say it's honestly like Toyota didn't want these sobs to ever come off.



They're absolutely flimsy, I had one minor spot of rock rash on one of them as I've only gone on more technical rock crawling trails a handful of times but they were still tweaked up, hell even just torquing the bolts to factory spec pinches the stock hangers shut some.

That said, the only saving grace in this job is that the rivets and gangers were relatively soft steel.

I think I threw every trick in this thread at them, ball joint press (more trouble than just more drilling but less hot steel rain?) drilling part way through and sir hammering (mildly successful) drilling through larger (most successful) air hammer (mostly just makes noise) sawzall (great for getting rivet heads off so there's less to drill and grind but went through a lot of blades due to force and angle) cutting through part of the hanger to get the vertical rivets, (recommend this, don't even bother trying to save the factory crap) grinder with cut off wheel, flap disc, and even a grinding wheel, and ultimately brought out the air due grinder with burr bit.

Those rivets just do not want to let go!!!

If I had some extra hands I would have pulled the bed and used my plasma cutter, as was did this all solo and was on a time constraint so didn't want to rip apart the whole truck.

Ultimately I drilled them out at 3/16, 3/8, and 1/2 and still, the passenger side I had to use the air chisel between the hanger and the frame to get it to come off enough that I could work it off by hand the rest of the way as there was a thin bit of rivet left just barely hanging on but that was enough to hold fast.

Honestly I was a little surprised with the bit of rust that was behind them, hit that with a wire wheel and went over it with some Rust-Oleum contractor spray enamel.



At least with these if I ever feel the need I can unbolt them check and wire wheel or repaint as needed easily, but being as I never see salt down here in the southeast I'd be curious to know how much rust is behind the factory hangers on a Northern truck. Anybody who still has the factory hangers may want to try beating on the inside of the frame opposite the brackets or checking for any kind of swelling from corrosion between the plates.

Still not sure if these are mounted forward given I'm using the forward holes or rearward given they are further back on the truck.





Next up the cross tube, came with a shim, shim wouldn't have fit so not sure what it's for.



As is after torquing down the HH's I had to start the high clear cross tube from the back near the top and persuade it forward with some solid hand smacking then pivot it up into the X brace and use a spud to align the holes. Don't know if that means my frame itself was tweaked in too and not just my factory hangers... Hopefully not, either way the cross tube noticeably firms up the rear end and that's even before driving it!



I was really impressed by the little laser cut "A" that pops up perfectly centered in the gap of the factory bracket, clever, a little "Apple'y", unnecessary, never going to be seen and I'm sure it adds a step in manufacturing but still, clever, it really gives a high quality "this was really thought about" feel.



I was using a Timben active off-road bump stops and U bolt flip kit but they're really tall, a positive and a negative more on that in the ride quality section, decided to try the wheelers super bumps, also put in Dayman's old OME HD packs and added a 1⁰ angle shim "fat" end forward to pinion down, plus the middle leaf from an original factory 3rd gen leaf pack as the Dakar's tend to "W" under load and my truck is heavy, I do not regret the time it took at all definitely seems to help so bow I have Dakar HD+ pack?





Install tip, if your U bolts are splayed a bit wide at the top a squeeze clamp makes them a lot easier to get in the plate holes.



The geometry on the HH's is really good, the shackles went right into them (though getting the nut started on the rear most bolt was a small pain as it's in such a tiny pocket with access from only one end) with just a tiny bit of pulling down on the rear leaf eye and the bolt slid all the way through easily.


Might finally be giving my TRD cat back the trail slash as at full even droop left/right it makes light contact, at uneven droop I imagine it will touch harder and when I get the shock relocation done it's definitely going to be in the way.





The question is should I just hack it or do side exit "boat" exhaust?



Specked Deavers are still on the "eventually" list though but for now a lot better than it was.




It looks so good though!

And considering the amount of overhead drilling cutting grinding (especially that dang air die burr bit making billions of tiny needles) the number of burns and embedded metal slivers in my hands knees and back were minimal, wear safety glasses and a face shield too!

So onto road test impressions:

WHY DIDN'T TOYOTA DO THIS TO BEGIN WITH!?

The factory hangers are an embarrassment!

Hammer Hangers and the cross tube nearly completely eliminated all my "driveshaft" vibes which were apparently just the flimsy hangers flapping in the torque.

If you're lifted and or running larger tires I would honestly consider these mandatory, the sticker shock is a little high so I'm extremely thankful for the timing and hell of a deal of Dayman selling off his kit, but the end result was well worth the drive the 16hrs of driving as the next who knows how many hours of driving will be so much smoother, confident and call me crazy but quieter too!?

My backup monitor and passenger seat used to headbang like it was listening to an unheard death metal band, now there's barely a little wiggle on the highway.



Everything about ride quality has been improved, still getting used to the change in turn in though, before I guess the whole frame used to twist and it's now a lot more rigid plus I was hitting my bumps stops going down the road as there was only about 1/2-3/4 of an inch from the top of the bump to the pad so when I would turn in the bump stop would support and reduce roll so now it feels like it rolls more as it doesn't contact the bumps but it definitely feels more planted and a bump in a turn doesn't cause an upset or wobble.

Truck feels very planted the "tail wagged the dog" before now it just snaps when changing lanes and wiggling the wheel whereas it tended to sway and wonder before feeling kind of vague in the rear.

The take off shudders that I thought was just due to the stage 2 clutch and big tires on stock gears are gone, completely, especially in reverse where no matter how gently you let out the clutch with as little throttle as possible would chug the whole truck.

GONE.

It's smooth and faster off the line as all power is going into moving the truck and not winding up the leafs, I need to take a gopro vid of the diff now, before the diff would snap up and down violently when under hard acceleration and changing gears doesn't feel like it is pivoting up and down at all now it just goes and goes confidently!

Feels completely different and I can't believe I spent so much time measuring angles of the drive shaft shimming the carrier bearing up and down different axle wedges to pitch the diff flange up and down digital angle finders etc etc only to have had the lion's share of vibrations be due to the absolute crap rear hangers and frame flexing.

I regret not doing these sooner.

I plan to get the Archive fabbed shackles to complete the kit when I get Deavers down the road.

This kit makes me love driving my truck again!

I can't wait to go play in the dirt with more confidence and capability.

I will say though that my truck's rear was even if not 1/4" lower when loaded before but now I have a pretty aggressive rake.



Questions? Comments? Need clarification? Please ask! Happy to share my experience and help anyone attempting this install.

I will say it was a fair amount of hard work and I am currently a stiff board made of lactic acid but well worth the sacrifice.



10/10 @ARCHIVE you're my hero.

 

Thank you for doing the in depth write up! Couple things. The cross tube shim is ONLY for when the hangers are moved forward to "stock" location, because the frame rails taper apart.
Fitment can be complicated by aftermarket bumpers. Look how thick the frame plates are on that bumper, the bumper will definitely move the frame rails where the bumper is built to, especially after you remove the rivets, and the aftermarket rarely cares about accuracy as much as Archive Garage does and delivers in every kit.

The Dakars with Hammer hangers in rearmost position will lift slightly because the Dakars are so short. If you were to move the Hh to foremost "stock" location (and use shim with X-tube), then you would drop down a bit.
Also, looks like your side shot was taken right after you pulled it out of the garage haha, for some reason some peeps measure right then, before they drive it.

 

Yeah, bumper is an All-Pro Off-Road (I know you have reservations about their springs in the very least!) so that may certainly be a factor in regards to fitment. The bumper reduced torsion of the rear some but the weight also made the it sway and roll more side to side when added. (Rectified by the Hammer Hangers and bar) The bumper fit pretty well, if anything it was slightly wider than the frame and pulled the frame out ever so slightly. While I do have some minor complaints about the bumper in general for what I paid for it (used) I'm happy.

From what I have read All-Pro actually has an outside shop jig build them so the accuracy was there generally speaking for me at least.

They're definitely thick frame plates, they pass through the bumper and become the recovery shackle mounts.

I'll leave the hangers in the "rear" position as eventually I will probably go custom spec Deavers. I'm not entirely against a little rake and I'm sure it will settle some, the side picture was indeed taken immediately after install and before driving though after 120ish miles it's still riding high!

My understanding is the fabbed shackles may also give me 1/4" drop ish?

The fact that my "order of operations" was wrong on install (torqued the HH's first before fitting the cross bar) yet the cross bar still went in square with minimal convincing as well as how the HH's fit in position while still providing clearance for a rear plate bumper mount plates again highlight the consideration and precision of their design.

So a few more notes after a little seat time, I do still have a slight vibration on the highway but it's liveable. I'm confident it is actually the drive line angles (at this point it may even be a bad U joint after jiggling like a paint shaker going down the road for so long) as I haven't even attempted driveshaft realignment tuning since install but I'm confident realigning this time won't be in vein now as the larger issue has been rectified. Again the present vibes are minimal and liveable, didn't notice them on my first highway drive barely noticed them on my second would have just blamed the road if the road I was looking for vibes on wasn't a smooth freshly opened stretch of highway.

The truck tracks straighter and more true, no dog tracking and hands off the wheel it still wants to maintain straight ahead no pulling to either side. Previously it would tend to drift to the slightly.

The truck is planted stable and steady at all speeds straight line even up to unnecessary speeds where as previously approaching such speeds the truck would begin to feel floaty and vague like it was starting to get light.

It's also more consistent and planted in turns, the consistency and predictability being most welcome.

On that note the truck feels lighter, my truck is heavy, in excess of 5700lbs, but it feels "lighter", the weight is controlled, when changing lanes it's snappy and sporty, previously changing lanes or wiggling the wheel in my lane would make the truck sway and you could really feel the weight as there was recovery time before it became stable again.

They're resurfacing the highway near me and there's a section of uneven road surface at a shallow angle crossing the lane, the lip is probably 2 inches hitting that would upset the truck as the rear tires wouldn't want to climb it due to the shallow angle of intersection would make the truck feel unstable like I had to be careful with my steering input or the rear would want to step out I did my best to avoid it before however I hit it intentionally yesterday, it's now a non issue.

Semi's blowing by me I could really feel the air blast pushing my truck around especially with the topper on also more or less a non issue from what I have felt now.

I swear my truck is quieter that one doesn't make much logical sense but I swear it's true, may just be a reduction in NVH that was being perceived as noise.

With the frame no longer touching the bump stops in turns the initial body roll does seem to be slightly more (though not excessive just notation of a chance in handling characteristics) but as it doesn't make bump stop contact anymore bumps in the road don't jolt up on the body and upset weight balance so I call that a great trade off.

Without the rear hangers tweaking the rear stays stable predictable repeatable and controlled even when hitting bumps through the turn.

Hitting bumps at all feels like one solid hit instead of a wiggly multi-bounce mush mess.

The truck doesn't want to break loose like it used to, depending on your point of view this may be a negative but when it does it is more easily controllable and predictable with steering and throttle input.

I believe I was overcompensating for the rear with my front suspension, I do like a stiffer ride but I may soften up the adjusters up front as I no longer need the front firmness to stabilize for the rear.

It is a truck after all not a sports car but the Hammer Hangers do bring sportiness back to the platform, I'm afraid they're going to get me in trouble.

Can't wait to take them off road.

 

This is what the rear end felt like it was doing before the HH's and cross tube.



Truth be told, on a small degree it probably was.

 

Status on order R904378871 )

 

The floaty feeling at higher speeds can be a front alignment issue. Not enough caster or toe. However, as you found out, front and rear suspension interact with each other in complex ways. Always difficult to say.

 

So ... yes ... all of it is true.

I had HHs installed on my 22 OR. First, just the way the the HHs are shipped are an indication of the company you're dealing with. I've never seen a more thoughtful, or better, packaging of large, heavy objects. Yes, even the box they came in was fun.

Second, the hangars themselves are a work of art. The engineering and welding are next level. The welds are spectacular. The truck will crumple around the hangars, they are that robust.

Most of my driving will be city streets and the HH purchase was basically an impulse buy (after lots of study/asking questions). The HHs exceeded my expectations. The ride is smooth and the truck feels properly stuck to the ground.

So, all of the positive comments are true. This is the internet but I am a real customer who is happy.

 

Proof

 

Welcome to the cult of the hung hammers.

 

I'll add that over the last 5k having these on the most dramatic difference I've felt has been while towing. The rear end is far more stable going over rough spots on the highway that felt borderline out of control before the switch.

 

When I bought my tundra that I’m using for towing the first thing I did was go to archives site and see if they offered HH for the tundra but sadly they do not, but it’s only because the shackle orientation is totally different than the tacoma.

 

Damn I hadn't even thought about that factor yet as I haven't towed anything yet.

I will add if I haven't already it seems to break better too, the rear feels like it's doing more and not nose diving.