First off, I'm curious what the payloads are of the specific generations of pickups. I know the Tacoma generally is about 1000 pounds rated payload give or take about 100 pounds depending on the model (according to the Toyota Canada website - this may be different as published on the Toyota USA site which I think it is). I am guessing the 89'-95' (3rd) gen of trucks probably had a similar or maybe even better payload capacity than the Tacoma. They just seem to me like a heavier duty truck even though they're all about the same size. Not sure though - perhaps correct my impression if I"m wrong and if you know exact specs on payload.

Then I'm curious what you've all hauled in your various gen's of yota compacts. I know a guy who works with my mom who has a 93 SR5 4x4 V6 ext'd cab 3rd Gen and he beefed up the rear suspension and he hauls around for weekends around a 1400 (fully loaded) pound camper. He says the back end sags a bit and the gas mileage is horrendous when it's on but the beefed up suspension helps obviously (although it does ride like crap in the back!). I know 1/4 tons (or true 1/2 tons if you go by complete payload rating) aren't neccessarily made as your everday haulers of serious weight, but what do you haul? What do you pull around with your workhorse 'Yota?

 

I put about 2,200 lbs of cinderblocks in my old truck, while it was lifted. It did fine, my front tires lifted off the ground only once, and there was no such thing as acceleration, but it was ok. It's not something that I would do very often, but it can handle it.

As for the new truck, I just got a canopy (180lbs) and a camping set up back there (200lbs). That's in there all the time too, so it isn't too bad.

 

Go to Home Depot or a Lowe's Home Improvement, you will be amazed at how people just overload cars and minivans, anything that is a pickup or a trucklike SUV is properly loaded to a safe weight.

So many times I've seen a Caravan pull out with the rear tires rubbing the fenderwells

 

I've towed my friends 95 Civic hatchback several times before. We're talking about a Civic with a heavier Integra motor, and my lifted truck on 33's with stock gears.

I think that's pretty good considering that I never even intended to haul heavy loads with it.

 

On my old '93 2wd Toy Pickup, I used to load it level full of crap such as sand, dirt, gravel...oh yeah...and manure.

My 4Runner regularly hauls about a half ton of people, gear and dogs.

 

I've had 13, 80lb bags of concrete mix and it didn't even sag much.

 

I haul @ss

 

I've towed a Mazda 626 (about 2500 lbs, with the dolly) cross country with my V6 Taco. It didn't even blink. IIRC, it's rated for 5000 lbs.

 

I hauled 30 bags of 80lb concrete a couple of weeks ago in my 1991 4x4 pickup. Total of 2400lbs. Made the rear suspension almost bottom out and the tires compressed pretty well. Did pretty well on the 6 mile drive home.

 

A bit off topic but...

I've crammed 8 guys (VERY VERY TIGHT: 3 in back seat, 2 in rear, 2 up front, and me!), 1-45lb backpack each (on roof or on lap), subwoofers, amp, and box. As well as a full gas tank. Luckily, this was only about a 30 minute drive.
Thats probably pushing 2000 lbs.
Did we sag? HELL YES, even with OME's!

 

I've loaded 1500lbs into the back of my 4Runner, usually I try and stay with nomore then 600-800lbs just cause I would still like to be able to have some control and the ability to stop just incase, plus the amount you can haul is cargo plus passengers.

At one point I had about 1500lbs in weight plates in the back and with the rear air suspension the thing never even saged a bit, when I unloaded it the rear end shot up an additional foot but after start up it drops back down to the normal level

 

Did you bend your axles? You might check to see if the wheels wobble.

 

Stock 4Runner suspension rated 0.62 tons, loaded with 0.30 tons over the rear axle.

 

i'm not sure about everyone else but my GVWR is over a ton more than my truck weighs...

let's just say i've hauled more than my share of firewood

 

I've hauled 1000 in the back of my 4runner...
My cousins tacoma pulled a 7000 pound trailer :wow: that was scary...

 

Hi, I am rebuilding my 102 YO farm house, well back in the 60s they installed a poured concrete raised slab porch to replace the original deck style. I rented a jack hammer and busted up the 35' x10'x5" thick slab and started loading rather larger chunks of concrete to haul to a local land fill. Well I got impatient and thought, this stuff cant be that heavy, lets load it up. Well we stacked the crap in like a game of Tetris, filled the entire bed tight and half way up the cab, bad bad idea. I made it to the land fill but I bent and ruined my passenger side rear spring, bent the bed so now it looks like the rear coner is about 2" lower than the other and put nice knots and lumps on my rear tires!!! The truck is my other bone stock 1988 V6 4x4 rust bucket beater/parts doner/work truck and did I say beater! I upgraded the rear springs on my daily driver to Downeys and installed the stock ones on the beater, had to get new rear tires and am still hauling away with it. I cant believe I didnt bend or break the axle or a wheel or a shackle, needless to say if a state trooper would have seen me that day I would have been stopped, I would not reccoment putting probably 3 tons of concrete in your yota, I am sure that the frame is probably bent also and the rear bump stops are still a little compacted

 

Ive had 13 people in my runner before...
3 in the front seats, 3 in the back seat with one accross their legs, 4 in the back, two standing on the back bumper and one in the basket on the roof.
Even with the HD Omes and HD bilsteins, the back tires were completely stuffed. Thats the most loaded ive had my truck. Oh, and incase you were wondering it was for only a block durring a fire drill, from one dorm to another. I wish I could find pics, but I can't.

The other time was getting beer... lots of it Seeing as your a nakedcoed This might come in handy. We fit 8 kegs in the back of my runner. I can't rememer how much a keg weighs but... there were 8 of them.

 

Man, my 4Runner really has it easy. All it ever usually has to haul is me and sometimes camping equipment or a bike.

 

I have to pull one of these everyday at work.

Well mine is red and pretty beat up, but same exact trailer. It's pretty heavy, and caused me to get stuck in the soft stuff a few times. :cry:

 

During the winter I haul 30-50lb bags of salt + 2-9hp snowblowers + gas + shovels + 3 small spreaders + 2 guy's and myself. Don't ever have to worry about traction in the snow. I don't even need to put it into 4wd until we start unloading the salt. I'm also concidering puttin a 6.5' plow on the front to level the truck back out.