Air bags for rear suspension

They mount differently on our Tundras, but with 1st gen Tacomas, the air bags replace the bump stops. Can't remember what the Firestone instructions said for the Tundra. I had already removed the stock bumpstops to put Sumo Springs on there.

 

It's entirely possible, and obviously you'd know better than me. My assumption is that even with a high quality HD leaf pack, 900-1,000lbs in the bed of a truck is going to require airbags. At least if the leaf springs are going to ride like anything other than a tank when there's no weight in the truck. So I figured high-quality leaf pack or not, with that much weight I'd need air bags. So there wouldn't be savings. If you've got leaf packs that ride pretty good unloaded, don't give me 2+" of lift and can take up to 1,000lbs in the bed without sagging, I'd definitely want to compare costs and would lean US-made even if it was a bit more expensive.

I've already tried all the stuff and found something fully adequate (except for the Sumo Springs), so I'm happy with what I have. ATS HD leaf springs + Firestone air bags works great for me. But if I were starting from scratch, I'd definitely look into Archive.

 

I use Airlift brand bags....just as a data point and they have worked perfectly for me. They go next to the bump stops on the leaf springs rather than replace them.

However you do it, make sure the bags are each on a separate circuit. This reduces body roll, while if they are on the same circuit, it can increase it.

 

I got that, I’m just wondering how necessary it is to have a bump stop that is tall enough to contact before any damage can be done to the airbag in the event that I bottom out.

 

The air bags won't let you bottom out. At least with Firestone, you must keep at least 5psi in them. Even at that low pressure, they act as bump stops. Even with an "off-brand" air bag, I would think they'd tell you what precautions to take. If they require taller than OEM bump stops, the cost savings of going with a cheaper product dwindles pretty fast...

 

Yup, as said above, the airbags are designed to not bring your bump stops into the picture.
I’ve heard that some of the Firestone knockoffs are just as good and plenty of people have had good experiences. I would have totally tried them if I needed some now.

 

Looking back at the photos from this thread (which all happened before I joined), I'm jealous of your previous setup. Something like the camper you had is what I really want. I got what I have because it was so cheap, but a lighter pop-up is what I'll have someday.

 

Not sure if you mean me? I went back to look and I saw I started this thread.
I’ll say that I wanted an older/lighter pop-up camper, and I would not put something as heavy as that Northstar on my truck again. I loved the quality of it, but it was heavy.
I see older or deconstructed pop-ups for sale for cheap. I would grab one of those if I were to do it over.
And I sure do miss that truck.

 

Yup, you. I did wonder about the weight. I notice a lot of people have popups in first gens but...that doesn't mean they should. Yeah I can't afford new bare-bones Four Wheel Camper style popups, but something older I could manage. With some, if they're being honest about the weight, I've seen claims of 1,200 wet on a nicer, old-ish popup. I figure with any of those, I'd take out the fridge and whatever else makes sense and probably be able to drop it to 1,000.

 

Ya an older one would be the way to go. You could get pretty light starting with a shell and adding what you need. I went through the weight drop exercise too.

Drop the water heater, maybe the fridge, smaller clean water tank, one battery instead of two, etc.

 

I just saw this pop up for sale. Still a steep price but the weight is half of my old camper.

 

Nice. Yeah that's exactly what I'd want. So far, can't justify a camper that's significantly more expensive than my truck.

 

This T100s popped up in my area and I had to snag it, 1200 wet and the dimensions are nearly perfect for our trucks. Putting the airbags on today.

 

I hear ya. That one is pricier than what I've seen pop up and that one is fully built. I've seen old 90s 4WC shells come up for $3k - $5k that look good condition but I haven't looked in a while.

 

Looks great! I remember seeing a couple Six Pac campers come up when I was looking, and they looked nice. Never trust other people's weight claims...but depending on how well outfitted it is, I could believe it.

 

Nice. I'm trying not to look right now...But I remember the old ones were heavier. What happened to me, which you'd think I could predict by now, was that after buying my camper for $550, I've now probably put $1,000 more into it. When I started looking, I wasn't planning on buying anything. I just finally had a truck that could handle one, and I wanted to get a sense for the market. But when I saw mine for $550 including the trailer it came in, I couldn't resist. But once I had it I couldn't help but make it how I wanted it. But...had I just saved up for the total amount it will have ended up costing me, I could have a reasonable quality popup, which is what I really wanted in the first place. Maybe this time the lesson really sunk in?..We'll see.

 

Funny how that goes. I'm all about a bargain and usually don't count my sweat equity into the overall price. Cuz if I can do it for less then it's a good deal. But sometimes it's worth paying a little more for the right thing instead of trying to make something work.
When I was looking, I wanted something cheap, but decent knowing that I would only get a couple years out of it. I wanted something for wife, new baby, and dog so we could camp and be comfortable. I was looking in the $5k - $8k range. My wife wanted "nice" and I ended up with a 2021 Northstar that was 3x more expensive. I think we lasted 2 years and out grew it, but luckily recouped just about all the price. Now my wife keeps asking if we should get a camper. Nope!

 

Nice. I've realized that for just me, the camper has limited utility. I had it in the truck early in the summer for a couple weekend campouts and music festivals, but realized when I'm at that kind of event, hanging out with people, all I did was sleep in it. Otherwise, I was outside all day. It's just as comfortable on the sleeping platform I built for the back of my truck, with the topper on. I could see it coming in handy for longer trips (if I want to deal with hauling the weight that far), but otherwise I think it's going to be pretty strictly a hunting camper.

Before this I used a pull-behind camper and I used it a lot, but that's because I lived out of it for 8 summers. It was perfect for that. Now that I'm over that stage of life...I don't feel like I need the camper trailer. Hardly even need this slide-in. I'm getting the trailer ready to sell.

 

This truck makes me miss my 2000 AC real bad