The adventure begins!

[Jim Bennett]

Looks great, Theron. Love the furry doormat too.

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by tjhva

Tongue weight on my 17' SD was 360Lbs as I left the factory with empty propane tanks

Haha, somebody likes the new doghouse! Squat doesn't look to bad.

How does it tow?

[Glenn Baglo]

I don't know or see squat.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I don't know or see squat.

baglo, you have finally added something to this forum that nobody is going to argue with.

[David B.]

Originally Posted by Jared J

They make a poor shock, poor suspension part, and you risk ripping your shock mounts off. They were never designed to take that. I would never use them, IMHO.

I would think that a couple of inch squat correction IS what they were designed to for. Our Pontiac mini vans came standard with an automatic leveling system using these from the factory. I am 60, and have used them for years on various applications without any poor dampening characteristics or ripping off any mounts.

[Ed Harris]

Theron
Congrats on the new rig!

I have towed my 17" with both a Tundra V6 2wd with the same motor as yours and with a Tundra V8 4wd and the latter with both a single bar WDH setup and without one.

The V6 should be fine for you and while the V8 is mostly more fine, the V6 had some qualities I actually prefer to the V8.

As for the WDH I have towed extensively both with and without it and though I had ZERO issues without it I still prefer to use it in every situation since I have gotten it.
It is hard to describe the difference in ways that make sense to anyone who has not tried a WDH setup but I can assure you the whole feel of the pair is better and more cohesive than without the WDH.

I have TRD shocks on the Tundra and the sag was minimal as well as the Tundra is just better able to manhandle the trailer but the overall ride and handling with the WDH in place is better than without in every way I can think of.
I also use a Friction anti-sway device and again though I had no issues with sway without it I will continue to use it if I have the choice.

I have argued and sworn about this with a lot of people who have not tried either yet but never with anyone who has.
I think that sort of speaks for itself that the improvements to ride and handling not being a subtle upgrade.

Have Fun,

Ed

[tjhva]

The best way I can explain the towing feel is this 1999 Tacoma with the 3.4L V6 now feels like my old 1993 Toyota Pickup. That truck had the 22re 4cycl engine. Power wise is what I mean!

I loved that truck

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by David B.

I would think that a couple of inch squat correction IS what they were designed to for. Our Pontiac mini vans came standard with an automatic leveling system using these from the factory. I am 60, and have used them for years on various applications without any poor dampening characteristics or ripping off any mounts.

Coming standard with it is one thing, it's built for it.

I've seen plenty of vehicles with broken shock mounts without having air shocks, I'm not going to stress them beyond what they were built for, each to their own.

I would rather use airbags designed for that, putting the weight where the factory designed for it, and using the shocks for the purpose they were intended to be.

It might have worked for you, but I've seen more than a few that have cracked or torn shock mounts with air shocks.

[Francesca Knowles]

In the interest of full disclosure:

I have towed trailers with WDH systems installed because the logistics of the combination required it. I've also towed others that don't, and that includes my present small combination.

Others in this forum can say the same, and I think that well qualifies us to understand the difference and act/advise accordingly.

There can be no hard-and-fast rule one way or another- it all depends on the combination and of course any restrictions imposed by the designers of both vehicles involved.

Francesca

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by David B.

I would think that a couple of inch squat correction IS what they were designed to for. Our Pontiac mini vans came standard with an automatic leveling system using these from the factory. I am 60, and have used them for years on various applications without any poor dampening characteristics or ripping off any mounts.

For sure, this is the specs out of my Pilot manual for a 4WD. These estimated weights are found taking the difference in hitch height with no trailer, and the height with the trailer attached. I have only weighed my tongue once, and it was just about bang on. I normally have about 1 1/2 to 2" of height. 450 lbs is the max allowed, with two occupants.

If the difference is:
5/8’’ - 150 lbs (68 kg)
1 1/4’’ - 250 lbs (114 kg)
1 3/4’’ - 350 lbs (159 kg)
2 1/4’’ - 450 lbs (205 kg)

If the difference is more than 2 ¼
inch, you have too much load on the
tongue. Redistribute the load or
remove cargo as needed.

The owners manual covers towing better for this car, than most others I have owned. Much of it can be applied to other vehicles, as it is mostly common sense, with a bit of vehicle limitations thrown in. HERE is a copy of it, if at all interested. The towing stuff starts on pg 438.

[accrete]

Originally Posted by tjhva

Sounds like I need to look into adding a leaf to my Old Man Emu suspension

Greetings, As i read through your thread i thought of the same thing. We towed our ~2300lb Aliner behind a 2007 Tacoma v6 4x4 TRD off-road. It came stock with 3 leaf springs...then i read there was a free-upgrade if you could prove your rig was sagging when attaching a trailer that was in design limits of the rig...ours sagged...brought both into the local dealership and they installed the 4th spring at no charge. That 4th spring made all the difference!

Cheers,
Thom