RAS vs air bags vs ? for slide-in camper ?

[joelg31]

I have searched the forums and found much great info. but not quite what I need to address. Just bought a new 06 Tundra AC, 4X4, TRD, Tow package and have ordered a FourWheel pop-up slide-in camper, aluminum frame, dry weight about 800lbs. Loaded with H2O, food and the usual camping stuff I would guess 1200lbs or so. I live in western Colorado and will be off-road when camping, but not ruff & tuff 4 wheeling. Sooooo I am assuming I will need some suspension mods, right? The forums discuss different option for towing, but about my situation?? I am considering leaving the camper on the truck most of the year so i can head out on short notice. I am consdering air bags + Hellwig anti-sway or RAS. I will not do a lift. I want to preserve on high way ride .Thanks, Joel

[ebrusher]

Just installed RAS on my 05 4WD AC, TRD. I have leveling spacers up front. I put on the XL RAS, not the XXL which are a little more heavy duty. I do not generally carry a load in the rear, but wanted the RAS to prevent the bed from sagging when I do, due to the spacers up front. Very easy install with the right tools.

Impressions so far:

The ride is a little stiffer in the back, which I like. It does not rebound as much and has significantly reduced the body sway on turns. It did not increase the height at all, but like I said, I used the normal duty spring rate.

I like the RAS and am glad I went with it instead of a sway bar, meets my needs all around a little better and the total cost was under $200.

Good luck

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by joelg31

I have searched the forums and found much great info. but not quite what I need to address. Just bought a new 06 Tundra AC, 4X4, TRD, Tow package and have ordered a FourWheel pop-up slide-in camper, aluminum frame, dry weight about 800lbs. Loaded with H2O, food and the usual camping stuff I would guess 1200lbs or so. I live in western Colorado and will be off-road when camping, but not ruff & tuff 4 wheeling. Sooooo I am assuming I will need some suspension mods, right? The forums discuss different option for towing, but about my situation?? I am considering leaving the camper on the truck most of the year so i can head out on short notice. I am consdering air bags + Hellwig anti-sway or RAS. I will not do a lift. I want to preserve on high way ride .Thanks, Joel

Hi Joel...

Glad to see a fellow Coloradan here (and a fellow Mtn Biker!). You're making some really smart choices by going with the ultra light, low profile FourWheel camper and keeping your total added weight under 1200 lbs. I've had my truck (also a 4WD AC) weighed and there's realistically about 1100 lbs of capacity available in the rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR...3760 lbs total) for in-bed loading.

Always keep in mind that the Toyota engineers designed the rear suspension, frame, and axle to be about equal in strength. IOW, if you try to carry more than the rated load by "beefing up" the rear suspension, you're simply transferring the overload situation to the frame or axle. I've seen pictures of a broken frame and read reports of snapped axles (the axle is basically an extended Tacoma unit) when guys thought they could increase their load capacity by using overload springs and/or air bags on the rear suspension.

That all being said...and since you aren't trying to overload the truck...there is some gain in boosting the rear suspension for more travel, if for no other reason than to keep the truck from hitting the bump stops (a source of suspension/frame stress in and of itself). The problem is that you also really need to boost the rear shock rate at the same time the spring rate is boosted if you use a steel spring based approach. I'd therefore suggest using air bags...but using them very judiciously to only provide a bit more suspension travel when the camper is loaded for an outing.

I have a Hellwig and am one of the few who doesn't use it to try to turn the truck into a sports car. Fundamentally it turns the truck from a serious (but safe) understeering vehicle into a more neutral, potentially oversteering (less safe) vehicle. Nonetheless, I can state that it does reduce body roll and would be a very good aide for combatting the top-heavy effects of a camper. But it also does reduce rear suspension articulation in off-road situations so you need to carefully assess whether you're willing to give up some off-road articulation for some improvement in on-road body roll control.

[joelg31]

Thanks guys for your input.

[5 Speed]

I Have had the 4WheelCamper installed for over three years including a 20000 mile trip to Alaska. Took a little over 4 hours for me to install the Firestone Air bags on the TRD Access 4x4 and it is the best thing I have ever added to a truck after the Camper. The truck is always level and keeps the smooth ride. I hAVE two other smaller Toyota trucks and one has a add a leaf and the other has a heavier spring package and both ride hard when unloaded. In four months on the road the pressure never changed. I installed them with individual fill points under the rear fender on each side so if your load is uneven, just put more air in that side. I personally think the additional pump is not needed. I do carry a compressor but think the unit hooked to the bags is not needed. I would recommend (still have the stock TRD) a heavier shock for the rear because on the freeway at 65-70 hitting a big bump causes a little bouncing but never bottom out. I did at one time while in canada weigh the truck and it was over the GVW by 1100 lbs. I don't recommend this but it was only for a short time giving some people and things a ride. The only difficult thing about the install was getting the guts up to drill the 4 holes in the frame to mount the bag bracket. Love the bags

[Tundrarodney]

Hi Joelg31

I have a 2000 TRC 4x4 limited and an 8 ft. Sunlite truck camper that weighs in at 1402lbs. I have installed air bags at the rear with individual valves on either side of the license plate. When running empty I usually keep the air bags inflated to 8 lbs and notice no difference in ride quality. When carrying the camper I inflate to 40 lbs ( max. is 100 ) and the truck is nice and flat. Unfortunately, after three trips to Florida and one to California from Montreal, last year, coming through the Eisenhower Tunnel near Denver, my left oil seal gave out and I toasted a bearing and axel. $ 1500 dollars and three days later I was homeward bound. My dealer says that the camper is too heavy because loaded I'm carrying close to 1850 lbs plus my weight. So, I'm forced to trade it in and going to buy a Tab trailer and pull it. Your 800 lb. unit sounds just right.
Rod.

[joelg31]

Rod; Sorry to hear about frying your bearing and axel. ouch!!. When I bought my Tundra I thought I could just load on the camper and go, after all it is a "truck". Guess thats why they are called 1/2 ton P/U. I would have thought posted wt. limits would be on the conservative side to mitigate liability issues, but it appears they are right on, plus you can't carry a full load for long distances. Hmmmm. Did you use your rig off road? Thanks, joel

[ravencr]

What is RAS?

Is air lift a viable option for the Tundra, in addition to the firestone kit? I'd like a self leveling system, from side to side as well.

Chris

[Tundraman55]

Had a FOUR-WHEEL POP-UP Camper on my 01 Tundra AC (see my photos). Installed HD Bilsteins and Air-Lift air bags and the truck drove great, no sway bar needed. A sway bar will not help the sag from the campers weight. Enjoy!