I built a DIY GFC Style pop up camper for my truck. I tried to make it as light as I could manage, right now it weighs about 350 pounds or so. 31 inch tires, Bilstein's front and back, what looks to be stock rear leaf springs, no lift. Attached is a photo from a recent camp trip to Ventura, CA.

I notice the back end is starting to sag with the additional weight of the camper and gear, and started looking into rear spring replacements and upgrades. I came across some articles, and it's a bit of a rabbit hole. I don't really know too much about suspensions and come seeking guidance on what the best route to go in terms of bolstering the rear end and helping it deal with the added weight, and any improvements in ride quality would also be nice. What do you think?

Edit: Just measured the ground clearance to the wheel wells. It's 36" in the front and 32.75" in the back, for your reference.

I appreciate all your help.


1987 4Runner with DIY Camper.

 

Zuk mod to help the rear suspension, you can remove it easily when you do not have the popup camper in the truck:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...o-weld-305501/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...r-turn-251897/

I would like to add some members hate this mod. I installed temporally in one of my trucks a few years ago, but it performs well, so I did not remove it.

Nice truck and cool setup! What did you put in the tailgate panel?

 

Yea, the set up looks pretty cool!!! More pics please

 

Thanks! I'll grab some photos of the tailgate setup later, I used 1/2" HDPE to make a panel with some drawers for storing recovery ropes, tree straps, etc.

After looking into the zuk mod, that seems to be the best option other than trying to put together a different leaf pack. The stock replacement packs (based on my research) don't seem to prevent the rear sag over time, and the Old Man Emu pack would probably lift my rear end too high and might require different shocks and ball joint spacers. The camper will probably stay on there pretty much full time, so I'm looking for the best long term solution for the weight. Add a leaf seems to be an option but a lot of complaints about the ride quality.

Seems like an 5" X 11" spring around 125 (or 150?) lb rate would be the ticket, right?

I also forgot to mention I'm planning on adding a water tank in the spare tire well, so that'll be another hundred or so pounds to consider.

 

Some useful info here:
http://www.ruinedadventures.com/2011...attention.html

 

Also curious about your tailgate, as I have a soft top and I removed the glass, motor and guts from my tailgate.

 

If you are going to keep the additional weight full time, heavier springs are needed and the Add a Leaf might be enough? They only have a harsh ride when you remove the load. If you have a spring shop near you they can make you a set of springs. You can make your own spring packs too.

On my Tacoma I used air bags and they worked perfect. Adjust as needed. I also have them on my Ram 2500. Probably not a kit available for your truck so there would be fabrication involved but not that complicated. They just mount where the bump stops go. Firestone and Air Ride bags are not that expensive and if you can handle some basic fabrication of brackets you might be very happy with the adjustability.

Nice job on a nice truck! Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Here's a few photos of my tailgate setup. Everything is still a work in progress, but the panel was made from 1/2 HDPE (Starboard) with SS hinges. If anybody wants a drawing for this panel I can send a CAD file.

 

perfect candidate for the OME cs009r springs or even the heavy duty ones

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/1974-T...hoCImIQAvD_BwE

or air bags. If you don't T the line you could use the bags to help level out the truck for camping.

 

Very nice tailgate storage solution, I'd like the CAD file for future reference. I need to get something like this cut for my truck so I can store items in the tailgate. Those are boat latches on the little doors?

What do the gas struts do there on the sides?

Thanks jon for the pics.

 

Thanks!

Just noticed one of the latches is twisted, need to tighten that one down. I got the boat latches from amazon. When removing the tailgate, the original damper spring was broken and I opted for some gas struts to dampen the lowering of the tailgate. It gets pretty heavy when fully loaded with gear. When I get home I'll put together a zip file with the CAD.

 

Would the OME springs require me to get different rear shocks? I currently have the yellow Bilsteins. There's a local place called North County Spring in Escondido, I was going to give them a call and maybe get a quote, but I'm sure going with the OME springs would be cheaper.

 

Attached is the CAD file for the tailgate cover in DWG format. I used a 1/8" bit so I could use the drop from the openings as doors. This is to scale.

 

I believe OME springs will lift the rear 2-3 inches, they require longer shocks.

 

If the camper shell and roof top rent you have now weighs 350 lbs i don't know how much heavier that is than the stock parts you took off. stock ride height has a difference of 2 inches from front to rear. the lip of the front fender is 2 inches higher. so the rear off yours is 1.25 inches low assuming the front is stock height. stock height is 13.5 inches front and 11.5 inches rear measured from lip to top of the wheel with 15 inch wheels. your wheels look like 16 inch tacoma wheels so adjust accordingly. that being said it looks like you have other gear that is adding weight.when i put the ome rear springs on my 88 4runner it raised it 3.75 inches. i pulled the 2 overloads out and drove it like that for a while and they settled down some. i put the long overload back in and it sits 2 inches over stock. also the other day i put 2 50 lb plates in the back and it lowered .25 inches.

 

I second that. Roll-up window and heavy mechanism that rely on electricity and add around 23 pounds to the tailgate suck.