400 LB Alcan Spring

Hello,

I'm going to order some 1.5" Alcans. We agreed on 400 pounds of additional carrying capacity due to occasional dirt bike hauling and camping equipment. Otherwise, the bed will mostly be empty around town.
I will have 5100s installed in the back.

Will this ride like a dump truck?

2001 Quad Cab V6

 

Without additional weight in the back, yes.

If you're only occasionally hauling loads, a better option might be to install some air bags that you can inflate when you haul. Then, when the bed is empty, you have the nice "soft" springs that match the empty bed.

 

I installed a full OME leaf pack on my 2003 double cab when I had just an ARE commercial shell that was under 200lbs. Rode fine.
Then I had a 400+ lb Fiberglass camper (Flippac) and it was scary-ish to drive.
I sold the camper after a few months and never addressed the issue. Had a few years of two different SnugTop fiberglass toppers and it rode great "empty" and with full week-long trip loads, as well as the few times I transported my ~350lb KTM 690 on a hitch rack.
Then I got a ~300lb aluminum camper (Vagabond Drifter) and put in the OME add-a-leaf and things were good again.

So, for your specific bigger weight range different of completely empty to 400+, you may be better served by airbags.

 

Hmmmm those are some good points.

I knew it would ride more rough than stock. I was just hoping it wouldn't be super duper rough.

Alcan said it won't be terrible, but I started to doubt that and I think I can still change my order if need be

 

I guess it would be cool to know how much the originals were capable of carrying.
I can't really narrow that down. Everything I read says they're weren't capable of much.

Gross Weight 1504 lb
Curb Weight 3705 lb
Payload listed at 1399 lb

Definitely skeptical of the original leafs being able to hold 1399lb

But let's just say they are capable of carrying 200lb of weight in the bed.
It's that true, and I would like to have the ability to comfortably carry 400lb...it seems like I could have a custom leaf built with a request of 200 additional pounds.

This is likely a good question for Alcan, but definitely like to hear from people's experiences

 

One thing to keep in mind is that the OEM/stock leafs are designed to handle an occasional load. And, when you're carrying that occasional load, the rear end of the truck will drop down quite a bit, eventually riding on the bump stops (which you may have experienced if you put 400lbs back there).

With the Alcan's, the +400lb capacity that they quote you is a constant load. And, more than that, it's (in your case) a 1.5" lift with +400lbs. So, with no weight, you might be looking at 2-2.5" of lift back there, and a lot "jumpier" performance on pavement.

Personally, I had 3" lift, +400lb leafs from Alcan and loved them, but my truck no longer does daily duty and always has weight in the back. Without changing my gear (but sort of "looking ahead to a day when I might get a GFC or something similar), I replaced my +400 Alcan's with +700's. Definitely a lot rougher ride, and I've since removed a leaf in order to soften them up a bit (and I could bear to remove another, I think).

The great thing about air bags (or air shocks, which were one of my first - and now long gone - upgrades) is that they simply add support to whatever your spring system is for those occasional loads, allowing you to size your leafs appropriately for your normal pack-out.

You might find the first part of this guide interesting, as it discusses leaf spring options: Replacing Leaf Springs on a Tacoma – ADVENTURETACO

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This is good info. Thanks! And I appreciate the link and your personal experience

That article states the J59 is roughly 200lbs of additional payload. I just got a reply from deaver that simply stated "Rated for light weight loads like a shell or some camping gear."
I feel like I read many accounts that they are more for comfort and "wheeling" and won't be great for much additional weight. Really 200/300 lbs is all I should need for additional bed capacity at this point.

I called Alcan again and told them I'd basically have an empty truck bed 75% of the time. Otherwise I would have 200/300 pounds of gear. He suggested we switch my build to 100lbs. And that 200/300 won't really be an issue.

If I ever do get a dirt bike or start towing a camper, I will have to reassess my set up

 

I have +??? alcans in the back and haven't thought too much about the ride. They seem fine

 

There is a chance I'm overthinking

 

Some other thoughts:

Are the alcans the same price regardless of weight? Would you be comfortable pulling leaves if you decided they are too stiff?

 

For your use case, and the low cost, I'd go with Airbags. It won't negatively effect your ride like stiffer springs would. I wouldn't want to invest in heavier leaf springs if only hauling 25% of the time. If in the future you start carrying higher weight constantly, you might rethink moving to heavier leaf springs.

Personally no experience with Alcan, but I love my Deaver U402 Stage III for 700-1000lbs constant weight. I do run "empty" quite a bit, and yes, it rides like it has no suspension in the back unless I'm hitting stuff pretty hard.

 

Just an FYI, That Payload number isn't expected to be just sitting on the rear axle. It includes folks and cargo in the truck cab and in front of the axle, which would be supported by the front suspension as well.

 

Thank you, this is some good out of the box thinking. I think they are the same price for the most part. I would be comfortable removing one if I had too. But I think I've bugged Lew at Alcan enough to hopefully have them correctly made to order.

think this might be my answer. I'm gonna stick with Alcans "+100" spring at 1.5". If I begin to find myself really loading it down I'll look at airbags or different leafs

 

I have Alcan's, 2 inch lift plus 700 pounds constant weight for a truck that has a flatbed and dog box in the back. I honestly have not noticed any difference in the truck unloaded as far as rough ride goes. I've been driving it around town without the dogbox for a few weeks now and it rides very comfortably. I'm running OME nitro shocks.

 

Dang, that flatbed is sweet! It is probably a bit heavier than the normal bed, right? But still, +700 sounds pretty stout and cool that it rides comfortably.

 

Thanks, it weighs about 50 pounds more than the original bed/bumper combo. I honestly don't think you'll notice any difference in the ride quality unloaded, the alcans have a pretty sweet ride.

 

I have Alcans with 500# constant and zero lift. They were installed the day after my 350# topper was installed. I have a mild build-out(75#) which leaves me a little room for gear on my trips. With this set-up it rides a little stiffer than stock, but I'm not sagging either. I could have gone stiffer in the leafs, but it's my daily so comfort is a factor.

 

Well hmmmm, now you're making me think I should call back and up their capacity.
Lew over there at Alcan is going to think I'm a nut.
The way I have it set now, is +100. He agreed with the way I described my current usage, that would be good as an estimated 75-85% of the time, the truck will be unloaded.

Am I spitting hairs between asking for the plus 100 verse a plus 400? I wonder if there will even be that much of a difference in performance either way.

I will have to make a concrete decision soon, as I am driving out there May 5th to pick them up

 

If it were me I’d rather have the extra capacity so I never had to worry, but my use case is a lot different than yours. All I can say is unloaded mine drives just fine over asphalt and dirt.

they’ll probably think your crazy, but you’re also spending over 1k for leaf springs, so we already know you are

 

Haha probably true. Thank you for experience and advice