Rear Suspension recommendations: Airbags or Leaf Springs? Or Both? For a 1200lbs popup camper

Hello,

I recently got popup camper (and my truck!) and would like some recommendations on how to properly beef up my rear suspension. My intention is to have the camper on my truck most of the time, so instead of going to the Firestone Airbags (with daystar cradles), one of my friends suggested something more permanent, since I will leave my camper most of the time on my truck (he also told me, if I go for only leaf springs, the truck will feel very stiff when camper/weight is not sitting on the truck's bed) . It would be nice to have the option to have a smoother ride when the camper is not on (or I might sell the camper one day, who knows?!) but since I also will be doing some off-roading with it, I'm interested in the option for something more solid, specially because I heard these airbags can fail/be puncture (I'm guessing higher probably that could happen when off-roading?!).

Besides that, I most likely will get new shocks.. I'm leaning towards bilstein 5100 !? In any case (leaf spring, airbags, or both?!), I'm guessing my truck will be lifted some, then do I need to get the shocks accordantly to whatever amount of lift it comes up to? Should I wait to see how high will be, before purchasing the shocks?

Any help would be very appreciate it. Thanks!

 

My dad hauled a dirt car when i was growing up, and he had a set of helper springs we’d install for race night, and remove during the week. Took less than an hour.

i know some people on here are running the HD leafs, if the ride was too rough, im sure id remember some complaints, but nothing comes to mind, so maybe they’re not too bad.

 

I have air bags for my pop top camper, like them so far. I’m more 50/50 with it on and off, so that made sense for me.

 

I considered Archive Garage's MD leaf's but then I got talked out of that and bought Firestone Airbags. I've notice with any weight in the back, the stock leaf's don't hold any weight. I plan on towing my Tacoma and for that reason, I decided to buy the air bags. If you're concern of failure, you can buy an extra bag to replace it but the bags are pretty tough.

Archive is a more permanent solution and I also hear that Archive leaf's unloaded still ride pretty nice. @alb1k has Archive MD leaf's, he may have some input.

https://archivegarage.com/explore-archive/ols/products/archive-shackleton-med-springs

OR

https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle_Suspension/Firestone/F2245.html

 

@2006Tundra Thank you! So you are saying, even with the airbags, I would still have to probably do something else, like add a leaf? Or use a Heavy Duty Leaf Springs right? I like the ones you sent, do you know about "Deaver" Leaf Springs? I was looking at his one: Which seems a bit more "heavy duty" than the ones you sent. Thanks again!

 

@Mrdecember Thank you! Did you just do the airbags or anything else (like add a leaf) to your rear suspension? Thanks!

 

Just airbags for me. Another cool thing about airbags is you can level the truck side to side. My camper seems to hold more weight on the driver's side, so it's nice to be able to account for that

 

Looks into RAS

Look into RAS, sounds like it would be perfect for your needs

https://activesuspension.com/products/toyota-tundra-1999-2020-hd

 

No, air bags would support your load but you can get new leaf's if you want. I'm staying with my stockers for now and installing bags.
I have a set of Deaver's on my Tacoma and they DO NOT hold any weight. They're not made for towing, just performance. I suppose you can buy Deaver's and install Bags... never really thought about it.

 

Ride Rite airbags, have used them on everything from the T100 to the Gen 2...never an issue.
Should be mandatory equipment on every truck that hauls any real weight.
Bilstiens-5100 are a great call, and slotted front rotors are another plus.

I may put the compressor set up under my incoming '22, until now I've always gone the manual route.

 

@frichco228 This looks great, definitely keeping that in mind. Thanks again!

 

@2006Tundra Cool, thanks! I just got off from the phone with Deaver, and they told me exactly what you just said. These heavy duty leafs are not intent to hold weight. What @frichco228 just recommended seems like a good option. I guess at this point, I'm deciding if I go with these RAS setup OR airbags (maybe add a leaf or 2 in each side too?!). Thanks again!

 

Im positive i had over 1200lbs on my truck. Leveled it nicely, and rode like a dream. Wouldnt have been too happy about fast bumps, but nothing upset it over almost 300 miles of highway. But i can see a constant load weakening the springs over time. If i had my druthers, and a pop up bed mounted camper i’d get the airbags, cause the camper would only be in the truck every now and then. My trucks gotta do truck things.

 

@2006Tundra I guess the only thing I'm concern with the airbags is if I keep my camper on it all the time? Would that "wear" them quickly? OR do you see any problems with that, and/or deflate them when I'm just parked?! thanks!

 

I think at 1200 lbs, air bags alone probably, they would level out any sag I think, and if the springs aren't up to the load you could fit helpers later. This way you can maintain your softer ride. I'm thinking about a pop up too am interested which way you go.

 

Ride rite recommends that when not hauling a load to keep 5lbs in the bags.
If they are installed properly, they will hold air indefinitely. I've had them hold air for six months with a busy Summer of camping.

I use a line union with mine to allow for single valve filling.

 

I don't see an issue if you keep the camper on at all times. Think about the long haul trucks, they use an air bag system. Even public buses use air bags. Everything eventually wears. Air bags will deteriorate after YEARS of use, after all, they are rubber but air bags are tried and true. They're cheap to replace.
If you take the camper off, you still need to maintain at least 5psi of air in the air bags without any load. I feel pretty confident you'll be just fine.

 

Dumb question; Do the airbags significantly change the ride at 5 psi when unloaded?

 

Agree with this, they don't "wear" quickly. My pops has had a Firestone air bag system in his 2nd gen Tacoma for five years now without an issue. They're easily exceeding 1000lbs with a camper shell, steel ladder rack, gas air compressor, plenty of tools and drywall in it all the time. The bags have worked great for that application.

 

Nope not at all, hard to even notice.

 

In my case anything up to 20 psi rides similarly to stock. 5psi will feel soft like stock does.

 

The leafs in these FGT's are sooooft. And likely worn out. I would get some new HD leafs like the General springs option. Then maybe the RAS for fine tuning the ride. They can be backed off when not hauling heavy. The airbags is a good solution also, although I've heard to not "Y or T" them together. When the load or the road shifts and puts pressure onto one side airbag it pushes that excess pressure to the other side through the T line inflating that side more making the lean temporarily more severe.

My 2000 can hold up to one small bag of charcoal before the sag begins. Need new leafs.....

 

Is there anything as utilitarian and cool, yet ridiculous looking as a truck bed camper? Makes me want one. Also, you are on the right track, airbags are the answer. Will give the best ride loaded/unloaded for the best price. Maybe you have to replace every few years in a worse case scenario, but that's cheap and easy.

 

@mountaingroan Thank you! I will go with the airbags for now. By the way, what tie downs setup did you use on your 1st gen tundra there? I look at torklift but they are very pricy new and hard to find used.. Also, happijac seems good but they don't make a direct fit for 1st gen tundras. But I'm looking for something like yours: rear anchors on the bumper and front anchors between the bed and the cab. The bumper anchors doesn't seem to be an issue because I can just buy universal/generic ones, but I didn't find any direct fit for the front anchors, that goes between the cab and the bed. Any thoughts? Thanks again!

 

I used the Happijac plates that are made for the F150....I had to tweak them a bit with some heat, but otherwise they work great.
They won't work for the Gen 2 due to the contour and closeness of the cab to the bed.

I hope to use the same F150 plates for the Gen 3, not sure how the composite bed will work, but I suspect that with some backing plates for the bolts inside the front bedside it'll be fine.
The rear will be a challenge with the cheesy bumper set up. I may try and simply span down from the camper to the rear inside bed attach loops--there isn't a ton of stress at the rear with hauling the lightweight pop-up camper....still thinking on it.

 

@mountaingroan Thanks! Yeah, I think I will go for the bumper anchors on the rear since my camper if not that heavy?! (1200lbs dry) .. but definitely interested in the front setup you have. Do you know what Happijac model number is that and/or made for which years of f-150? Thanks a lot!

 

eTrailer.com .....Replacement Front Anchor Plates for HappiJac Truck-Mounted Camper Tie-Downs - Qty 2
Item # LC182876

 

1,200lb camper would be miserable in any 1/2 ton. My mom has a pop up in her f-250 and you can absolutely tell that it’s there.

Air Bags and rear sway bar at a minimum and 55mph.

 

This. ^^^

Tying the two sides together turns your airbags into a lean/sway multiplier (think the opposite of an anti-sway bar). It adds body lean and roll which you really don't want under heavy load -- especially one carried high.

BTW, an anti-sway bar (like Hellwig) might be a good option too.

 

I have mine Tee'd together and a TRD rear sway bar. I have less body roll with bags + sway bar through turns than I did with the sway bar alone. Very positive change in the overall on-road handling of the truck with any load. One of the problems I've always had with stock valving on soft spring-rate trucks is how much the truck rocks back in forth when you hit a bump or dip while turning (not evenly head on). Hitting something like that would upset the truck and it take a good 3 or 4 rocks back and forth before it settles back down - the added spring rate of the bags and rear sway bar calms that oscillation down significantly. The TRD Bilstein trucks have less trouble with this rocking than standard valving trucks.

In theory, the idea of bags Tee'd together adding body roll makes sense - but I feel the exact opposite in practice. Maybe that's because I have the sway bar