Tundra and camper

[Gunnair]

Good day, all,

I recently bought a 2009 Tundra. When hauling by 8 ft camper, I noticed a decent amount of flex when driving on a rougher road.

I hadn`t noticed it quite so much in my old chevy. Has anyone else experienced that?

As well, what is everyone's experience of the handling of their Tundra with a camper - or any truck at all for that matter. I found it a bit uncomfortable, but I suspect that may have ben due to my loading of the camper. As the box was too deep for the camper, I put 2 x 4 struts under each end of the camper, but not in the middle.

Thoughts? Thanks

[leolkfrm]

slide in campers should have frame mounts, not bed mounts. it affects the flex in the bed. As for a tundra I am no help as i have no desire to own yotas etc

[Gunnair]

Originally Posted by leolkfrm

slide in campers should have frame mounts, not bed mounts. it affects the flex in the bed. As for a tundra I am no help as i have no desire to own yotas etc

Thanks. They are frame mounts - Tork Lifts.

[leolkfrm]

If I under stand correctly torklift only hooks from the frame out, not across the bottom, that would cause frame flex.

[fbhart@wk.net]

gun,

was your old chevy a 3/4 ton, as most folks I see with one of those top heavy, slide in campers run a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup.

If so, the Toyota may have more power, but not as heavy of a frame.

may have to add sometype rear spring helpers.

[Springs]

The flex is to the weight of the camper. You probably need a new "beefier" spring to counter act the weight of the camper. That is if you plan on driving with the camper on daily. If it is just a weekend camper I would not worry about to much.

The more you drive with a lot of weight in the bed the faster your suspension will wear out.

cheers

[tyler62]

I have a 2005 Tundra with a 4.7 engine and a payload of 1580. I am trying to decide whether to put the camper on this truck or buy another truck. any suggestions will be much appreciated.. thanks
_______________________________
Happiness is never stopping to think if you are.

[eponator]

Everything I have heard about the frames on those toyotas has not been good. Did you see the test videos of the new tundra against the F150 and the Chevy? The Toy had lots of frame flex on rough terrain compared to the other two. I haven't had the pleasure of driving one myself so I have nothing to say regarding personal experiences.

Helper springs or overload springs could help you out if your suspension is sagging a bit in the back, as well as an air bag setup. These will make the ride harsher but will prevent the back end from rocking around on you. You could also swap out your springs completely for a higher rated pack.

A suspension shop could even build you a pair to meet your specific requirements. If you carry the same load regularly on the vehicle this will probably net you the most comfortable ride as the springs can be rated specifically for your need.

Other than that, upgrade to a truck with a bigger frame. More durable and can resist the urge to wobble under the load of your camper better than the toy's. Hope I helped.

[USAFGM]

With any truck you will have to beef it up if you want to haul a heavy camper. 1/2 ton pick-ups are, for the most part, useless in regards to a camper. Unless you buy a very light pop-up slide in you really need a 3/4-1 ton truck. Air bags or beefier springs should also be installed. I just went through this process of getting a new truck with a slide in camper in mind. They have to mess well. So basically you either have to buy a camper for your specific truck or vice versa.

[leolkfrm]

if you beef up the suspension...always remember not to exceed the axle rating capacity. camper built with yota cab and chassis were noted for premature failure because of this