Suspension Upgrades for towing.

AGREED X1000
The tundra is a joke compared to 2500's and 3500's in the respect of towing 10k plus pounds. I really wish the dealership would stop pushing the whole, it towed a space shuttle as a selling point. Sure it towed it, but stopping it was a joke. As much as I loved my tundra, it was never meant to tow the race rig loaded at 13k lbs.

 

• This is a great discussion. I will continue to respond below. I will copy and paste to keep things cleaner. My responses are bulleted. I have removed the "unnecessary text".

I will answer your comments and address your concerns inside the quote in color. I will tread lightly, as I have said in the past since moving to a 1 ton diesel doesn't make me king ding-a-ling towing Jesus. However, I do have a rather long history with towing and over 150K miles of that loaded. This does not include my Commercial Driving time.

• I value the input of those with more experience than I. I love to learn and read and think so keep it coming.

I often wonder if people towing 8000-10K with their Tundras and say "tows great, I don't have any problems" have ever truly towed with something solely designed around towing loads or "something superior" to a half ton gas motor? I'm thinking not. We have a few members that have diesel 3/4 or 1 tons and Tundra trucks due to enjoying the Tundra much like I did for daily duties and what not. Towing long distances and in mountains it just was not safe in my opinion.

• Not willing to say unsafe. However, I will say that you need to know the limits of the truck and the setup. If you respect those limits and keep your speed and expectations in check you will be fine.
• However, If you want to have the truck that will "tow like there is nothing behind you" and you want to drive as if you truck were unloaded, you should probably never tow!
• A bigger truck designed for a bigger load will be able to safely go faster than a Tundra. This is not a racing issue.

Now I no longer even use a LDH, it isn't even required until past what I am even towing. Get the right tool for the job, ask questions from reputable people that will not lie to you "just because that is what they have"...

• In my opinion you probably should be using a WDH for nothing more than to keep the weight on the front axle. My opinion.

A little about my trailer and my decision to pull it with a Tundra:

• I have a 2004 Jayco 29BHS. It has an advertised 5,500# dry weight with and advertised 700# tongue weight. As loaded for a normal camping trip I am at 6,500# and 850# (rounded numbers but they were scaled). I am sure that when we loaded for our three week trip that these numbers went up. I did not weigh the camper but I estimate that the trailer was around 7,200# and the hitch was likely pushing 1,000. You are correct in that I did not know for sure.
• https://www.jayco.com/tools/archive/2004-jay-flight-tt/
  
• My goal in purchasing a camper was to stay below 75% of the truck's capacity so that I had some overhead for people etc.
• IMO this was a little bigger than I wanted but it was a great price on a very nice used camper. IMO it should fall within the Tundra's abilities.
• The Tundra is not a 9,000# tow vehicle. It is not the truck I would buy to tow daily. I believe that the driveline is probably up to the challenge but they need to put a different frame and suspension under that truck before I would buy it for that purpose.
• I still believe that I can make it work to tow my TT.

When I returned home I read many of the same stuff you are quoting. I agree that I was compensating for soft suspension with my WDH. This is why the hitch bent. This is how I setup my bags/hitch.

• I first adjusted the hitch so that my front axle was neutral. The rear of the truck was down about 4" this way.
• I then brought the pressure up 5 psi at a time and adjusted the hitch so that the front axle did not move.
• Several interactions later brought me to my 25psi and I forget how many shims etc. on my hitch.
• There is a lot less hitch adjustment now than there was. I know why my hitch bent.
• I agree that the suspension should be allowed to travel but not as freely as the stock suspension was allowing it to - hence the airbags to augment that.

I have never really been impressed with Toyota suspension from the factory. I have always had to upgrade it to make it work properly. Anyone from Tacoma World can attest to that for sure. This is why my 14 Tacoma Long bed doesn't get loaded at all with much more than 8 bags of mulch, 6 bags of concrete (60 lbs bags).

• I have long argued that Toyota could take some lessons from other manufacturers.
• I had a 1992 Pickup. That suspension was too stiff and the springs were well known to break. Bad design that most replace.
• I had a 2000 Tacoma (RIP - frame rust). That suspension was WAY too soft. I ended up rebuilding the spring packs to make it act properly and not squat multiple inches with only a few hundred pounds. I loved the truck but.
• I had a 1996 Land Cruiser. Again the thing was great empty but put 4 people in and you were bouncing off the bump-stops.
• My Tundra is the best so far but the frame in the rear is very wimpy (thus the need to bolt the trailer hitch on with 16 bolts). Shoot the hitch makes up half the rear frame.
• The springs on the Tundra are too soft till you get to the overload. Thus it bounces of the bump stop way too much.

I can't argue with most of what you say. My dad drives and F250 PowerSmoke and my brother a 2500HD DuraMax. They are hauling machines but I could never live with one on a daily basis.

I am committed to making the Tundra happen. I think I can make it work with my current TT. If not, I will buy smaller.

 

I have also had some very long conversations with the Toyota dealer. They pointed out that the Tundra's upper limit for tongue weight is 900# PERIOD. I have not been able to prove them wrong. They advertise their hitch as a class 4 but apparently it is not really it. My bent trailer hitch would agree.
There are only two hitches available for the Tundra. With tow package which comes on the truck and the accessory hitch which does not come on the truck. I have the tow package.

 

My truck will very likely find a new hitch at some point in the future.

 

A new TT is probably more appropriate.

 

I just purchased this trail in September of 2015. It was basically never used and stored inside and is therefore in excellent condition. The family loves it and ........... For now.

I never really looked into tongue weight ratings because of the class 4 trailer hitch statement. Independent of that I am of the opinion that if a truck is rated at 10,000# it should be rated for at least 10% of that in tongue weight (Ideally 15%). If you told someone you were going to tow a 10,000# trailer with 900# of tongue weight they would tell you it was not a good idea.

In my book the Tundra now has a 9,000# max tow rating. Sorry Toyota fans. If Toyota wants consideration in the HD truck market they NEED to up their game (brake control issues, marginal suspension, wimpy frame, sub standard trailer hitch). All this aside, I do love my truck.....

For the next couple of years we are keeping things local so I have few worries that the Tundra will "tow the line". However, when we go far again, it will be with a new truck or a new trailer.