Help- 2006 Toyota Tundra V8, 1835 lb payload

[Fla2RI]

I'm considering a 2006 Toyota Tundra ext.cab, V8 which has a payload of 1835 lbs. to haul a truck camper weighing 1750lbs empty. I will add an extra leaf spring to boost the payload. Any advice?

[Fla2RI]

I'm considering a 2006 Toyota Tundra ext.cab, V8 which has a payload of 1835 lbs. to haul a truck camper weighing 1750lbs empty. I will add an extra leaf spring to boost the payload. Any advice?

[Little Kopit]

I have a 2000 Tundra, V6, 2wd. In many ways I love it. I go a lot of intersting places in just 2wd.

Look closely at what goes into that payload. You put LT 245 75 R16 tires on it and that uses up payload. Then you count yourself and all of your passengers, plus all of your gear. You don't have room for that much camper.

Look at the pop ups, Outfitter, FourWheel, NorthStar. The largest hard side camper which I know of having been put on a Tundra is the SixPac, which is made by the same people who make FourWheel. I considered the SixPac. The company is very good on e-mail contacts.

[CyberVet65]

What Little Kopit said.
Add water, food , clothes, warm bodies, rods and reels and you will be over weight big time. You can carry it but you won't be happy with the performance of your truck. And you will end up doing a lot of extra maintenance on the suspension and drive train.
You can add sway bars, leaf springs, adjustable shocks but all of that will not change the numbers. It will make it easier to tote around. The frame, axel bearings, tires all add up to that max weight.
Chet

[BigRedLancer]

If you really want a truck camper, I suggest that you find the camper that you want and get the truck to haul it around. I had a one ton truck with dual rear wheels and I still didn't have enough truck for the 11 1/2' camper I hauled. Also be warry of the stated weight of the camper. Many models weigh more than the sticker.

Good luck.

[Little Kopit]

BigRedLancer,

I can see two other points.

1. $ for it all vs. means.

2. What else a person uses a truck for. Being vertically challenged, this last item is very important to me.

[Harald]

If this camper is like mine, it'll weigh more than the listed dry weight. My 2900 lb brochure dry weight camper arrived with a placard on the side that said it was 3200 lbs with options. Without even trying, I know it goes over 4000 lbs once I load gear for a trip ( I weighed the truck and camper together and then the truck alone to calculate real weights).

Truck manufacturers are also notorious for overstating their payload capacities. I would bet good money that your proposed combination would be overweight with just you sitting in the drivers seat with no clothes on and only enough gas in the tank to drive around the block. I'm not a stickler about staying within manufacturer recommended weight limits, but I think you'll end up WAAAY over.

My biggest concern with the Tundra would be whether it had floating axles. I know that many (most?) 1/2 ton trucks carry the weight on the rear axles. If you overload too much, you could end up with a wheel falling off with the broken axle attached. I can take the axle out of the Dana 80 rear end on my truck while the camper is loaded and nothing will happen (other than the fact that I won't be able to drive anywhere). The beefy bearings support the weight on my truck.