Rear suspension issues

I've got an 08' tundra, dbl. cab. I'm in construction and first off put tools in back and put a construction shell with integral ladder rack on it. First thing was the suspension couldn't handle the weight on the rear so installed Super-Springs. Held up for awhile, then the bump stops started to degrade, mostly on passenger side!!! Was told by my guys at the "Tred Shed" , they installed the super-spring set up, that I should have bought a 3/4 ton Ford or Chevy or Dodge!!!! Well I didn't so here I am, can't get replacement bump stops, I'd have to purchase an whole new Super-Spring set up!!!! That doesn't seem like a good option, since they've failed. Any ideas out there??? I've only got like 88,000 on the truck and it runs like brand new and I hope to keep it til I retire, whenever that might be. Thanks for any ideas you guys might have to beef up the rear, so to speak, and keep me on the road, and not in a ditch somewhere.

 

I’d think upgrading the leaf springs in the rear would be a better route. Maybe a double AAL or something along those lines if you’re heavy enough. I believe it was @JTP who did a double on his truck, and there’s one guy on here who combined two leaf packs to handle the weight of his flatbed and welding equipment. He just cut down the extra leaves to fit in between the ones he already had. Have ya ever had your DC weighed on a certified scale to get an idea?

 

Contact Alcan for custom leafs.

They will design what you need for the weight

 

Welcome Joseph. Air bags might be your solution.

 

May want to do both, air bags and a heavier duty leaf spring pack. I second the suggestion of contacting Alcan springs for the latter. And besides replacing the bumpstops with new ones, you may also want to look into strengthening the rear part of the frame for added insurance (welding on a custom cut flat plate, much like fish plating, but maybe adding it on to the outer side of the frame as an example).

 

This^^. Or, like your buddies said - buy a bigger truck. Tundras are not very strong in the payload department.

 

5.9 Tundra CAN pull 10k pounds, stock suspension can't haul it. My double real steel leafs are as tight as the day I put them on. I would have blown an airbag in less than 25 miles. Ive got 3 trips up and down the ALCAN Highway now on this setup (4300 miles each way) plus another 6k miles local hauling right up to 10k pounds.

Not one issue.


This is a recent light load. The front of the trailer is loaded down with Pressure treated 2x6x10's with a stack of 3/4" OSB. There is also 40x40 worth of metal roofing and all of the gable and eve metal stacked on top of the 2x's and on the other side of the OSB. There is also French door on top of all of that.

The back of the truck is loaded down with windows

Notice that the REAR of my truck is still higher than the front.

Its actually at the EXACT SAME HEIGHT WITHOUT A LOAD AT ALL IN THE BED OR A TRAILER

 

No one seems to get that you walk into a leaf and spring shop, tell them to DOUBLE the rear leafs, set the ride height to stock, lifted, or what ever you running, don't take NO for an answer, pay them to do it, and your truck will now PULL AND HAUL 10k pounds all day long with NO ISSUES what so ever.

I happen to have 6 Inches of lift, 20" wheels, 37" tires, and 4:88's

WILL WORK ON ANY SET UP bone stock to crazy lift, wheels, and tires.

My truck could be completely stock with these leafs and still pull the same weight with no issues. THEY ARE LIGHT IN THE ASS ENDS and built that way to save weight and supposedly get better fuel economy. LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

My 6 Tacos were even worse in carry capacity.

 

Nobody said that the 5.7 couldn't pull 10,000. I actually think that the newer Tundras are rated for doing close to that.

OP seemed to be hinting of more of a hauling issue, not a towing issue. The rear leaf springs are only part of the equation. You still have axles that were built for a 1/2 ton (granted, they are pretty beefy for a 1/2 ton) truck, but they are still 1/2 ton axles. So new springs may make it so your truck doesn't sag any more, but if you are constantly overloading the truck from a payload standpoint - you will probably have problems earlier down the road with your axle components.

 

Install an Air-Lift system with an on-board compressor, and drive on.

 

Good point. There’s also the frame to consider. Too much weight, especially oscillation from trailer tongue weight when towing, might compromise the frame. I know that the 1st gen Tacoma frames from the rear axle back were weak and prone to bending with excessive weight. DeMello even sells frame plates to be fish-welded for that reason. Granted, the 2nd/3rd gen Tundras have bigger frames than a 1st gen Tacoma, but they may be rated only for 1/2 ton use commensurate with the kind of occasional hauling and towing typical for 1/2 ton pickups. Just thought I’d mention another factor to consider.

 

As far as over loading, your also mistaken. Ive maintained equal / balanced trailer loading and appropriate tongue weight distribution for my hitch. Im not an idiot.


Its my understanding is that the axel in my truck is 3/4 ton not 1/2.



Why would Toyota put in a 5.9 and rate the truck to pull 10K and only put in a 1/2 ton axel?

The truck is HUGE compared to an F150, Chevy, dodge, or any thing else 1/2 ton.

Tundras are 3/4 ton trucks.



You guys need to check your facts before opening your mouths and posting on here.


Ive done my research and checked my facts, my double leafs made my truck perform as it should and how I wanted it to perform.



Taking 75 plus years advice form a leaf, spring, and chasis company who has worked on every make and model truck its entire existence was not wrong.


ALL manufactures are under tremendous pressure to get MPG numbers

They do this BY REDUCING WEIGHT

They do this by taking out / reducing the HEAVY STEEL

Toyota is still building the heaviest frames, suspension, and drive tranes out of all of them.



I beefed mine up.

Its safe

it works

and I for sure extended the useful life of the truck


Not discussing this any further

 

I never said that "you" were overloading your Tundra. The OP indicated that he carries a lot of tools and such in the back of his truck, and that it would sag the truck. Tundra pickups have pathetic payload ratings. That is the first indication that they are NOT 3/4 ton trucks.

You have a 5.9 in your Tundra? Strange.

The Tundra is not a 3/4 ton truck. The rear axle weight rating is 4,150 lbs.

Now, let's look at a Ram 2500 rear end. Rear axle weight rating is 6,000 lbs.

Yes, the Tundra rear axle is beefy. But it isn't a 3/4 ton axle.

You beefed up your leaf springs. That is great. But you didn't do anything to the rear axle. Sure, it will probably be fine. But, if you run it heavy often - heavier than what it is designed to handle, it will fail earlier than it should. Also, if you happen to get pulled over and are overweight based on what your door sticker says - they aren't going to give a crap what you did to the truck with aftermarket stuff to "beef it up".

 

Wow that's ironic.

 

I don’t know if Tundras have the heaviest frames, and even if true, I don’t know if “heavy” equals strongest in terms of yield strength or less likely to crack or bend. I do know that the Tundra’s frame is fully boxed under the engine, has some kind of double c-channel under the cab, and then goes to a single c-channel somewhere under the bed by the rear axle back. I’m no metallurgist or mechanical engineer, so I can’t explain the pros and cons of this design and setup, nor do I know how to compare the same to that of a typical 3/4 or 1-ton pickup. Here’s an interesting article discussing truck frame design, load and fatigue that might help others interested in this topic:

https://www.trailer-bodybuilders.com/distributors-upfitters/tips-truck-frames

I do know that the rear single c-channel by the rear axle back is relatively thin, thinner than the slightly bigger and thicker c-channel my old fullsize Bronco used to have. That would cause me some concern with respect to continued heavy towing and hauling, even with capable leaf springs, air bags and beefy axles and rear diffs, which Tundras admittedly have. As a layman to automotive chassis design, though, my uneducated concern could very well be unfounded. As stated above, I only mentioned it as another factor to consider, which you appear to have already done. If you’ve found additional info on Tundra frame strength, though, please share it here for the rest of us wanting to learn more about this issue.

 

The term 1/2, 3/4, and 1 ton are hold over names form the days when a truck could actually haul that amount of weight.

Every new truck on the road today should be called a 1/4 ton.

Based on everything else that is out there and looking at what Tundras are/have in the way of frames, suspensions, and rear ends...

on a "modern sliding tonnage scale" I would say that Tundras are 3/4 tons vs what all of the other mfgs are putting out

I "supplemented" my leaf springs to carry at least that amount without sagging.

 

We have sustained below freezing here for 4 straight months at a time. Compressor, lines, and bags would fail under those conditions in my neck of the woods.

 

Let's look at the payload ratings for all of the "other mfgs":

Payload ratings for a 4X4 Crew Cab short bed with a gasoline engine:

Ford F250: 3,370 lbs.
Chevy 2500: 2,943 lbs.
Ram 2500: 3,690 lbs.

Now, let's look at a Tundra Crew Max (heck, I'll even throw a double cab in there just to bump up the payload number a bit)
Tundra 4X4 CrewMax: 1560 lbs.
Tundra 4X4 Double Cab: 1630 lbs.


Yeah.....not even in the same ball park. The Tundra isn't even close to a current "3/4" ton. I don't care that the terms 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 ton are outdated - they still imply something. A 3/4 ton is heavier duty than a 1/2 ton.

 

Will post us some video I guess of my buddies new F150 that will not carry 500 ponds.

 

I have plenty of pictures of my "truck" on this site. I just don't have any that show it being clearly overloaded.

Sorry if you have taken offense. One of my pet peeves is people that flip the bird to payload and towing ratings and think that just by throwing on a new suspension and some new springs that they are all of the sudden able to haul and tow like a heavy duty truck.

 

Thanks TJ,

Nice new GIF, I have asked my wife to do that to me buyt no luck.

Back to my quiet, PEACEFUL, new life. Thought Id stick my head out of the woods for a bit and brag on the under engineered rear end of my truck and the simple inexpensive long term fix but almost got my head taken off.

My big Black Moose has performed perfectly for this adventure. Wouldn't do anything differently

 

Yeah, they don't like cold temps.