Rear sag with travel trailer

[Jeff]

My wife and I are planning on taking a 1 year trip around the country in a travel trailer. I have a 2026 trd off road hybrid. I have figured out all the specs except how to deal with the rear axle sag when the trailer is in tow. I looked into both airbags and heavy duty springs. The airbags take away from my off roading ability and the springs give me a stiff ride when not having the trailer hooked up. Does anyone have rear world experience with this.

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[pmedicj]

Keep weight within specs and get a Weight distribution hitch.

 

[Jeff]

I took the truck to a certified scale to get it weighed in with a full tank. It came out to 5400lbs empty of all gear and people. The gvwr on the door jam says 6505 which means the true cargo weight capacity is 1105 lbs.

 

[SteveS]

As asked, are you using a weight distribution hitch?

 

[SteveS]

That is a lot of rig to tow for a year with a 4R. You would also be close to or at the limits.

 

[Van Solo]

@Timbren
https://timbren.com/en-ca/products/2024-toyota-tacoma-2023-2024-toyota-sequoia-2wd-4wd-sku-torseq3

further more you can add the Dobinson Rear Srping Spacer to further assist.

 

[Joey_Midnight]

How are bags limited your off roading?

 

[Scrappopatamus]

I would go the route of airbags. Not all airbags are created equal. I have 2 differing 1 ton trucks that I tow with and what a difference airbags make. As stated earlier, I would also explore springs and possible good shocks before contemplating a hitch. You need to rid yourself of the rear squat for handling, braking and making your vehicle weight distributed itself taking into account the load you intend to tow. Every truck I've owned over the past 30 yrs were always dangerous when hooking a loaded trailer in stock form. I have hauled horses when my daughter competed at upper levels along with towing construction equipment short and lengthy distances sometimes on a freeway and often on smaller state and substandard roads. I agree that an excellent hitch is required but maddening to think a hitch for towing over lengthy distances with a vehicle that's not capable without attention to the suspension first. Also understanding hitch setup regarding tongue weight and proper brake biasing play a crucial role. I would also step up to a E Load Tire and if your trailer came with Chinese Tires, replace them with something more dependable and run tire pressure that is required instead of worrying about the plushness of your vehicle; We often take the easy way out on a lot of things in life. Not exploring and setting your rig up properly is extremely dangerous and puts your life and others at risk. There are tons of resources available on the internet and businesses that manufacture and sell these items. Good luck and shout should you need direction.

 

[Vincenzo]

Are you talking about tongue weight? It is inherent in anything that is connected to a hitch. It is why there is a “rake” from the factory. 500# is the max for tongue weight. I don’t know what your towing experience is but get that wrong and it’s a recipe for disaster. Too much is just as bad as too little. I would imagine that you will also have gear. If you have too much tongue weight, pack that extra stuff aft of the trailer axle/axles. Before you start adding rubber dohickies . Verify tongue weight. Weight distribution in your rig might be the cheapest alternative

 

[Goalie3Nine]

I tow a fiberglass travel trailer that weighs about 4k lbs with 400lb tongue weight. I've only done one short trip with my 6th gen SR5, but many trips and miles with my 5th gen SR5. I just have stock Toyota suspension.

I highly recommend you look at a weight distribution hitch (WDH). It will level out trailer and tow vehicle (no sag!). My tow experience also improved a lot with the WDH (not as bouncy), and the one I'm using also prevents sway in windy conditions. I'm using the "Equal-i-zer" brand hitch.

It's a little more complicated to install and setup, but once you get the hang of it, it only takes a couple extra minutes to hook-up and unhook. I'll never tow long distances without one again.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents, look into a WDH and you won't need to make any suspension updates.

 

[SteveS]

Some great and informative information here. I have not seen the OP chime back in yet?

 

[bvlaw]

Most manufacturers, in my opinion, tend to overstate the real-world towing abilities of these smaller SUVs/trucks.

 

[SteveS]

Agreed. I remember when I was you and stupid (not just old and stupid), I have a Jeep Wrangler. Plenty of power from the 4.0 6cyl. I had a small utility trailer and picked up a30-40 5gal drums of road seal to do my driveway. Of course, the place was 20 miles across town. Well, it had plenty of power but, my brakes were probably 70% less effective, steering was so light and scary. I got home but it was touch and go.

I now have a real truck, F350 and have towed an RV trailor studing the factors and still using a weight distributing hitch. 8000lb trailer and the truck does not even notice it. I can still brake safly too

I would never get close to the manufacturer maximums, espetially on a 1 year trip.

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