Suspension Setup For Camper

I recently got a Four Wheel Camper for the 2019 TRD OR and am going to spend the next year living out of it. The camper weighs in at over 1200 pounds so going to do some suspension work and think I have settled on the following but still have some question I need some help with. Primary use will be overlanding, a lot of wash boarded roads, maybe trails like White Rim in UT, nothing too extreme.

Tries:
265/75/r16 E rated Wildpeaks or BFG KO's

Front:
Bilstein 6112 with new coils (600lbs or 650lbs, not sure)
Not sure on the amount of lift, I think they max out at 1.8 inches on the Access Cab?

Rear
Bilstein 5160's
New Leaf pack, something heavy duty for a constant weight, not sure what brand. Will all the added leafs this will likely result in a 2.5 inch lift in the back (unweighted) right?

I have Firestone Airbags installed right now, might keep those and get cradles for them.

Thoughts on the suspension?

Thanks in advance!

 

Sounds like you got it covered. I run just with the ride rites and I’m good

 

If it was me I would look at moving to a full sized pickup, the extra size will be well worth the extra cost to upgrade.

 

Is this a folding camper? A teardrop? Hardside? Bed mount?

Is 1200 lbs the Tare (empty) weight or GVWR of the camper?

 

I too suggest this for someone with an fwc but the tacoma is nice that its a smaller package. It technically shouldn't have the FWC on it but plenty of people do this. But seems already purchased the FWC so its a mute point.

Campers are also a whole lot cheaper for full sizes than mid-size in the used market. Maybe not FWC type but plenty of other brands and more suitable to living out of.

I can't get rid of my tacoma and have just decided to build my own wedge/camper to my liking since lead times are so long.

 

For a camper in/on the bed? I'd definitely look at a full size, better yet a 3/4 or 1 ton
@hiPSI said it best, ,,,,"those guys who carry their house with them are all over max payload."

 

Hindsight is for sure 20/20 and knowing a year ago what I do now, I would have gone full size. But its too late to get the toothpaste back into the tube, so sticking with the Tacoma.

1200lbs is the dry weight.

 

I think a lot of people have good luck with the HD dakars. They can also be switched to MD dakars by removing the third leaf I am told, if the HD is too stiff.

 

Have you tried the FWC thread? I recently posted about my Northstar camper over there. I'm running Dobinson's with a bunch of extras.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/four-wheel-camper-fwc-thread.520138/page-14#post-24371613

 

Id recommend calling Deaver Suspension, tell them what setup you’re running on your truck and how you plan to off road it, and they can build you a set of leaf springs tailored to your truck.

Deaver phone number:
714-542-3703

 

I empathize with your dilema, but you also don’t want to compound the problem. 1200 lbs dry weight translates into probably closer to 1700-1800 lbs loaded minimum. It isn’t just the spring rate, you also need to consider your axle, gearing, transmission, brakes (drum rears), wheel bearings, etc. The Tacoma was never designed for that type of load. Sometimes we just have to take a step back and reconsider our situation and readjust. Living in a camper full time makes it even more important to have the right equipment for the job, not just for comfort, but more importantly, for your safety as well. Having worked in the trucking industry as a winch tractor operator I saw first hand the results of pushing gear past it’s intended purpose, unfortunately too often resulting in tragic results. Anything other than running at very moderate speeds on flat open roads will be a very miserable experience at the least, and at the worst, endanger your life, and the lives of others.

 

Awesome, thanks. Very helpful so far. Nice rig BTW. What size tires are those?

 

Its nice to have someone with experience chime in, thanks. Seriously considering your thoughts.

 

look at Icon RXT leafs too. They come with the additonal leaf that you can configure with 3 different options depending on weight.
https://www.iconvehicledynamics.com...coma-multi-rate-rxt-leaf-pack-w--add-in-leaf/

 

Brake upgrades would be smart too. To the best of my knowledge 3rd gens use the same 13wg caliper as my 2nd gen 4 banger which already doesn’t feel wonderful on hard stops.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/brake-upgrade-stoptech-rotors-trd-performance-pads.523829/

 

285/70/R17 LT Toyo AT III's

Made in USA

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-toyo-open-country-a-t-iii-tire.655094/page-22#post-23959160

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