A little help here…please.

[justbecausetx]

new to the forum..wish I had found it earlier but here we are.

I would appreciate the experienced and expert evaluation of my rig. I prostrate myself before you. the rig is heavy. is she safe? recommendations on suspension upgrades? reputable dealer for service/upgrade work (ill gladly travel to Arizona for an evaluation and work (Mello Mike, do you do service work?) I live in west Texas.

recently purchased 2007 tundra limited trd 4×4 shortbed with 2004 outfitter caribou 8 (1400 dry). it also has a 125cc minibike mounted on front bumper.running Cooper AT3 305×20 (3195lbs/single) on XD wheels (3000lbs). smarter ultimate compressor w/airlift loadlifter air springs. rear sway bar.

weight.
gvwr=7100; gawr=8150

my actual weight
frt=3920 (with motorcycle)
rr=4540 (dry)

the combination is not ideal. she’s a little bouncy.

Thanks for the input…go easy on me.

Steve

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[lindsayandchristinecarr]

If you can try to get the weight down so you are under your GAWR your mechanical components on your truck will thank you. Your transmission and wheel bearings aren’t made for the extra weight even though engineers build in safety factors to their designs. Upgrade your shocks and brakes if you find either lacking. I guess what I am saying is either your wife or the mini bike must go 🙂

PS – you could also travel with empty water tanks to save weight but that would be a real pain if you boondock.

[justbecausetx]

thanks, considering suspension upgrades to include: leaf springs and shocks. only have 26 gallon water storage; I had considered traveling without water until I get to the point I leave civilization.

did you modify your suspension for your rig? if yes, what did you use and/or recommend?

Thanks

[Mike]

You can up grade the coil overs up front to a stiffer spring. Lots of Toyota compatible products out there. Toytec is one I have used. Good stuff.

[justbecausetx]

Thank you!!

[lindsayandchristinecarr]

justbecausetx wrote:

thanks, considering suspension upgrades to include: leaf springs and shocks. only have 26 gallon water storage; I had considered traveling without water until I get to the point I leave civilization.

did you modify your suspension for your rig? if yes, what did you use and/or recommend?

Thanks

So we have a Silverado 1500, 2 door, 8′ box with a 1850 lb (wet) pop-up camper with a total weight of 6850 lbs. The old school 2 door trucks with 8″ box have the highest cargo ratings. So We are over on our 6600 lb GVW but under on the 7200 lb GAWR. We added one helper spring per side on the rear (local spring shop), a 2″ front leveling kit (for appearance and to stiffen up the coils), heavy duty Bilstein shocks (likely your bouncing problem) and Power Stop brakes.

Everything worked well last summer including long down grades in the mountains and an emergency stop when a deer walked out in front of us. The Power Stop brakes are amazing and way better than the stock brakes. Despite the high price the Bilstein shocks took out any bounce we experienced on rural roads. This summer we have a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) installed so we can watch all 4 tire pressures and temperatures while on the road. Thats how we are set up which is much the same as you less the dirt bike.

[justbecausetx]

Thank you for your input!

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