Hey gang,
I recently purchased a toy hauler and seem to have a sag in my trailer set-up that I can't remedy. The dealer set-up had a little tail dip in my truck and they claime that once loaded with toys, the weight would distribute more evenly and I'd be good. However, my toy hasn't been purchased yet and will only be a lightweight jon boat for bass fishing. As a result, I lifted the hitch slightly. I'm at the upper limits of the hitch and have raised it to the point where the trailer tongue jack can't reach the ball unless I put a block under the jack. I have managed to reduce the sag a little but still think I have room for improvement.
I've tried attaching some photos I took recently. I don't like the fact that even with a WD/sway bar set-up I still get the pronounced "dip" in my tail. Could part of it be the suspension on the TRD pkg just isn't stiff enough?
I'm considering installing air-ride/air-lift bags to stiffen the tail up a bit but want to make sure that's the right move. Am I addressing the symptom instead of the disease?
Sag is inherent with TT's of any kind. Most WD hitches can remove some or all depending on the tongue weight. I'd get the air bags. They work. They get high praise on the forums. They are cheap (<$300). They are adjustable through an external air valve so inflate/deflate is very easy. You can remove them if you want/need to. They can lift up to 3000 lbs.
I looked at your pictures but I don't see any weight distributing (WD) bars. Do you have some and I just can't see them?
I use 1,000 lb (rated) bars for towing our Outback 26RS. Tongue is over 800 lbs, so the WD bars are a necessity! Once adjusted properly, my truck and trailer sit nice and level together.
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My daily driver - 2008 Vios 'S' sedan. Tinted windows in the rear, TRD anti-sway bar for the rear, 17" rims - Samurai SC02 Hyper Black. TRD lowering springs. Megan Racing header.
My favorite ride - a 2001 SR5 4x4. With - RCD 6" lift, JBA Titanium coated headers, JBA y-pipe, Unichip PnP, ARB rd-129 air locker (rear), Camburg UCA's, custom front Sway-A-Way coilovers, custom Sway-A-Way's with remote reservoirs and billet mounts for the hind-quarters, PolyPerformance limit straps with adjustable clevis's, Stubbs Welding rock sliders and custom front skid plate, 315/75/16 Toyo Open Country M/T's, on all 4 corners wrapped around 16x8 MB Motoring Blitz rims, cryo'd 4.88's set up by Inchworm Gear, Trenz billet grill upper, T-Rex billet grill lower, on board VI-AIR aircompressor and 3 gallon air tank, AutoMeter A-pillar pod with trans temp gauge (sending unit in the tranny pan), Long Tru-Cool LPD tranny cooler, 10" Flex-a-Lite tranny cooler fan w/thermostat, TRD billet oil filler cap, TRD air filter, TRD dual exhaust, and TRD add-a-leaf rear springs. Superlift TruSpeed Speedo Recalibrator. Warn Trans4mer system with a 9.5ti winch running Amsteel Blue winch line. Budbuilt traction bar. Staun tyre deflators. Spitz Lift portable crane. Marlin Crawler 1.5" wheel spacers. Our home away from home, 2004 Outback 26RS travel trailer with 15" MB Motoring Blitz rims to match the Tundra.
The bars get lost in the photo but they're installed. I was supposed to receive an Equalizer brand hitch with the purchase of the trailer but the generator platform on the trailer got in the way of the Equalizer's mounts. The hitch that's on there doesn't have a sticker that I can read anymore, so really, there's not telling what brand I have. That's a whole separate subject.
Now, I will say that I don't think I'm getting optimal use out of the WD system. When there was more pronounced sag in the beginning, I raised the hitch up and canted the ball back for more of a diagonal posture. I don't think I've hit the "sweet spot" between having the right hitch height and tilt. Either way, I think I need to beef my suspension up a little.
Depending upon the model of hitch and so forth, you may be able to upgrade the 'weight' of those bars. If they are 750 lbs models, they may be undersprung for your use. Can you get a tongue weight of your trailer when it's loaded and I mean actual, not the one provided by the manufacturer? Judging by your pictures, the WD bars are not transferring enough weight back onto the front of your truck. I'm still not convinced that you need to upgrade your rear suspension unless you really want to.
__________________
My daily driver - 2008 Vios 'S' sedan. Tinted windows in the rear, TRD anti-sway bar for the rear, 17" rims - Samurai SC02 Hyper Black. TRD lowering springs. Megan Racing header.
My favorite ride - a 2001 SR5 4x4. With - RCD 6" lift, JBA Titanium coated headers, JBA y-pipe, Unichip PnP, ARB rd-129 air locker (rear), Camburg UCA's, custom front Sway-A-Way coilovers, custom Sway-A-Way's with remote reservoirs and billet mounts for the hind-quarters, PolyPerformance limit straps with adjustable clevis's, Stubbs Welding rock sliders and custom front skid plate, 315/75/16 Toyo Open Country M/T's, on all 4 corners wrapped around 16x8 MB Motoring Blitz rims, cryo'd 4.88's set up by Inchworm Gear, Trenz billet grill upper, T-Rex billet grill lower, on board VI-AIR aircompressor and 3 gallon air tank, AutoMeter A-pillar pod with trans temp gauge (sending unit in the tranny pan), Long Tru-Cool LPD tranny cooler, 10" Flex-a-Lite tranny cooler fan w/thermostat, TRD billet oil filler cap, TRD air filter, TRD dual exhaust, and TRD add-a-leaf rear springs. Superlift TruSpeed Speedo Recalibrator. Warn Trans4mer system with a 9.5ti winch running Amsteel Blue winch line. Budbuilt traction bar. Staun tyre deflators. Spitz Lift portable crane. Marlin Crawler 1.5" wheel spacers. Our home away from home, 2004 Outback 26RS travel trailer with 15" MB Motoring Blitz rims to match the Tundra.
Th obvious question is: With the gen set on the tongue, what is your tongue weight at the hitch ball? It looks like the tongue weight is exceeding the capacity of your WDH hitch/truck suspension. I also do not see your WDH spring bars in the photos. They should be clearly visible underneath the hitch. The problem with just beefing up the rear suspension is that this does not solve the excessive tongue weight problem. Even if the truck looks "level" too much weight on the hitch ball will remove weight from the front tires and severely affect your steering and tire wear. The uneven weight distribution can also affect trailer stability.
Also what is the weight of the trailer? Those toy haulers can be scarily heavy.
Another option is to install a roadmaster active suspension system. It is a bit cheeper than airbags and you never have anything to adjust. You simply hook up and go. I have them installed to handle the large amount of firewood that I collect on a regular basis, and I couldn't be happier. They also reduce sway quite a bit (no need for a Helwig) without giving a harsh ride.
Trailer Sag on 2003 Tundra w/TRD Pkg
Linear Mode
