Advice for rear suspension (airbags, leafs, etc.) on Tacoma to haul a Kimbo :)

Hey guys, I know it’s been discussed a bit but wanted to get some Kimbo camper owner’s inputs/experiences. I just got a 2023 Tacoma TRD off road and I’m picking up my Kimbo for full time living late December. Im a nurse and rock climber and will be living/working on the road for 2023 and I’m pressed for time so I want to get it right the first time.

I plan on dropping the Kimbo off the truck on occasion for a couple weeks here and there, and was wondering what suspension upgrades I should go with for this. I also will use my truck as a daily driver after my time living in the Kimbo ends. I figure I would want to go with airbags because they are versatile and can be adjusted for when the camper is on or off, but do any of you recommend adding leafs or upgrading to 5100 bilstien shocks? Like I said I’m new to this truck camper world and there is a lot of information out there about different options. I will be spending a lot of time in the mountains and off roading to get to remote spots, so any recommendations from personal experience is very much appreciate. Thanks a lot!
Andrew

 

Bags and heavier shocks, 5100's are a good choice for sure.

I'd also consider a sway bar in the rear, there's way more body roll with campers.

https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/inde...=32504&zenid=221c6e99612fb473cd73893e48506856 (23 is same as 05-22 models)

What I've seen in my professional experience a few times is the air bags aren't maintained or inspected and the camper ends up inverting the rear springs.

Ideally you would want a gauge and onboard air to make sure there's consistently enough air to level the truck. (not raise to stock height)

So https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/air-compressors/firestone/standard-duty/firestone-2158-single

and

https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/firestone-2407-ride-rite-air-bag-kit-toyota-tacoma-4wd-2005-2022


You could and should run heavier leaf springs later on, but the air bags will take the brunt of the extra weight and make the truck a lot better to drive when the camper is off.

 

I’d get a different truck, the Kimbo alone exceeds the payload rating of your truck without factoring any of the stuff you actually need to live or your own body weight.

 

Bishop thanks for the thorough reply, extremely helpful. I may have some more questions for ya. I’ll shoot you a message.

Crazysccrmd… the Kimbo is designed with the Toyota Tacoma in mind.
This is from the people at Kimbo…


So the caluclation is this. GAWR (Front Axle plus Back axle) less GVWR = the additional payload.

In this example (2910+3280) - 5600 = 590 more pounds to payload.

Largest airbags on back axle and E class tires ( you can always run these at lower pressure when Kimbo not on say 50lbs vs 80lbs to give some cushion to the ride).

 

The folks in the Kimbo thread might be able to help the most with advice: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/kimbo-camper-bs-and-mods.651104/

 

That is not how payload works. The rating is on your door jamb sticker, usually around 950-1050lbs on an off-road listed under your name. Assuming it’s just yourself and you’re an average size dude you have about 800-900lbs maximum carrying capacity with the truck.

When I was looking into buying a Kimbo the lightest dry weight advertised for a barebones model was 950lbs and up to just under 1200lbs dry weight for one with most of the options added. Both exceed your available payload without any water, propane, food, clothes and important stuff like beer. For full time living in a camper a Tacoma is just not the right truck.

 

A lot of people live full time in the tacoma with in bed campers, they just have to beef up the suspension with airbags additional leaf etc… ‍♂️

 

My bad I thought I posted this in that Kimbo tread… ugh haha

 

As someone who has done it before and been way overweight my advice is to start with the right truck that can carry the weight of the camper and your stuff safely. It sounds like you’re already set on the idea of a Tacoma/Kimbo though so good luck.

 

firestone ride rite airbags with daystar cradles, at least an add a leaf pack to the stock leafs if not a leaf pack. I carry a FWC on my tacoma with this setup.

 

Hey!

Timbren Industries makes a kit designed for these types of campers!

if you are not familiar with Timbren products, this is a progressive rubber spring that features no air. It is designed to keep the vehicle level under load while reducing body roll and sway.

Works great for slide in campers and heavy hauling/towing.

Part # TORTTN


4 leaf version of the kit -

https://timbren.com/i-30498046-timb...it.html#!year=2023||make=TOYOTA||model=TACOMA

 

Lots of people carry over the rated capacity of their Tacoma’s. You can too!

 

hi there,
i'm trying to understand all about the payload and the kimbo on a tacoma, as i saw on this web site, in 90% people who haul a kimbo with a tacoma are overweight, but they increase the handling with aftermarket suspension, E tires, brakes etc....

*A SR5 4x4 v6 access cab 6' bed have a 1445 lbs payload. kimbo +/-1050 2 adults +/-290lbs, so you got an extra +/-108lbs for things and stuff. a 2x4 get more payload with an acces cab and with the 4 cylinders you increase again the payload, but does it enough with the kimbo??

*with a ford ranger xlt 4x4 crew cab 5bed you've got an extra 272 lbs (max payload 1609lbs with the ranger)
*with a f150 2l7 ecoboost 4x4 crew cab 5'5 bed, an extra 423 lbs (1760lbs payload) and no modifications needed

i really like the taco and the kimbo together, but we need to make a lots of modifications for haul a kimbo and be in security on the road....i guess

Can people with experience tell me if all i said is ok?

 

I can tell you the Colorado breaks frames to the point there is a stiffening kit available and the Ranger ecoboost is very unreliable. Your concerns are valid but I can tell you first hand and in the circles I run in that the Tacoma will do just fine... I have a 21 doublecab long bed with a alucab and with all of the offroad gear weigh 3440 front and 4280 rear with no problems. Every built Tacoma for overlanding will be a 8k truck. The way to address this is improving the suspension, brakes and gearing and you will have a capable truck that will last decades. Suspension wise there are many options. I wanted to have a load balanced suspension for handling purposes so I needed a longbed to properly distribute the weight so I was not tensile loading my chassis. Tensile loading is when you have more weight behind the rear axle than in front. This causes poor handling and can cause the frame to fail as the rear is constantly wanting to lift the front using the rear axle as a fulcrum. I had Elka make custom coil overs so that I could get the height slightly raked and have the same loaded spring rate so that every irregularity affected the front or rear exactly the same way. The result is a truck that carries on the highway with no wiggle, no wallow and no surface upsets the poise of the truck even on sweeping corners at speed such as overpasses with patches or bad expansion joints. Truck just stays absolutely planted and straight where you point it. Airbags are a bandaid but work if you constantly load and unload the truck. I run Deaver 1k Expedition stage 3 progressive leave springs with Elka remote reservoir shocks in back. Progressive springs allow absorbsion of small fast impacts yet stiffen up under compression to control larger slower impacts. Result is it rides comfortably on the highway with a smooth ride yet has control on mountain twisties it does not lean or sway. Gearing I used 5.29 Nitro gears which completely transforms the truck. I can rip up any grade at speed with little effort which it did not even do stock. I am rarely ever over 1/4 throttle. With the 6 speed auto the 6th gear actually an lock up at 70 and cruises at just over 2k... little rollers and it may drop to 5th... I have been running this 3 years and absolutely love it.
I looked at all the campers and here are my thoughts... Kimbo looks ungainly like a big tumor on the truck... I liked the inside but could not stand the outside. I also had height concerns as I do a lot of backcountry and with trees or tree branches and off camber switchbacks this was not the way for me. Traditional pop ups are fussy to lift and have lift mechanism failures and no storage to speak of. I would have to unlatch 4 latches at each corner and have to contend with wind no matter what direction it was coming from. I would also have tools and recovery gear under the sink or the dinette.... Alucab Khaya is low profile and has storage outside which is perfect for us. The tilt top is 2 quick latches from the back and it is up. Nothing to mess with or fail and I can weathervane into the wind. I carry a spare on a swing out off the back. I have heat, solar, hot water and a 60L fridge/freezer which is a larger fridge than most pop ups and the national luna is one of the most effiient and quietest 12v fridges you can buy. Wonderful to live with. DO your research and find what works best for you camp wise but the Tacoma is a solid platform that can be made to work above the lame GVWR... Most of this is due to the soft spring rates for north america. Hilux's frame is what the tacoma is based off and hilux leaf packs are interchangeable with twice the GVWR. Tacoma can handle it.