Improve your towing: helper springs & sway control bars
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- When we moved into our nüCamp T@B 400 camper and 2019 Toyota Tacoma we couldn’t be happier. But, we soon realized that our truck would need a few improvements to handle the extra weight of the larger camper. Mainly, we needed something to help reduce the amount of squatting we were seeing in the back end of the truck when we hitched up the camper. We decided to install Hellwig helper springs and sway control. Here is a bit about our experience.
Read more details (with links) about the install here:
mandyleaphoto.com/2020/04/01/...
Tacoma Front Sway by Hellwig: amzn.to/2ylgg9z
Tacoma Rear Sway by Hellwig: amzn.to/2UUHZ8K
Tacoma Helper Springs by Hellwig: amzn.to/2yqivbS
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Love & Light! Cheers!!
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Well done. Happy travels.
Thanks Jan!
This was very useful information thanks for sharing! Be safe!
Glad it was helpful!
Informative! Simply put. Definitely consider this option. Thank you Kendrick.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the kind words! We've been happy with all three parts we installed!
Great review love that you took it out for a drive 👍
Really grateful for this one. Big thanks!
You're very welcome!
Nice job Kendrick!
Thanks for watching! Let's not get his ego too big or he'll want to do more :P haha
Thanks for the information. My wife and I tow a 2021 TAB 400 with a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder and I have noticed that we do sit low in the back. So.. doing my research I came across your video. We are new TAB (downsized from a 40 footer) owners and have been watching, Thanks for all the tips. Such as the paper towel holder, cutting boards and other storage ideas.
No problem! Check out the leaf springs, they helped us out a lot.
Very wise upgrade.
You are right. It makes a difference.
I think I saw your rig parked in San Antonio. It was in November (2020) in a neighborhood off Vance Jackson road. I have the same truck, and we're waiting on our ordered Tab 400, so the rig caught my eye. It was really sagging, so I am glad you addressed that!
I have added Sumo Springs to my truck, and will probably use a WD hitch with the trailer.
Travel safe, and thanks for the video.
You did :) Was visiting some family down there!
Great information! Thank you for sharing!
Glad it was helpful!
Of course! One thing I forgot to mention in the video is that the helper springs do NOT increase the truck's payload capacity. They just make the truck ride more level when near the max payload.
Kendrick Callaway That's good to know! Thank you Mandy and Kendrick!
Kendrick, Thanks for the information, the technique, pricing, installation vid (w Mark), and your analysis. Well done Vlog!
So glad it was well received. Never are sure when we make these things!
We were leaving in two days to meet 2 couples in Canada. We had air bags installed on our F150. Installed our truck camper and drove out of the driveway and the passenger side air bag blew. Because the 2 couples were already in Canada I had to find something to work on a holiday weekend. I a disabled man with arthritis that I can't take anything for pain and didn't want to craw under a truck but the only answer I could find was a helper spring. Managed to install the helper springs in 6 hours and put the truck camper back on the truck. No sag, no sway and lights were still shinning at their original height. The only thing wrong with helper springs is your over loading the trucks capacity. I wouldn't have realized this Hadn't I had my tires rotated. The mechanic told me my aluminum rims wouldn't carry the load and would crack from stress. His suggestion was to have my rims inspected every 6 months. Since I had free tire rotation I knew the mechanic wasn't just trying to get more money out of me he was interested in my safety. Valve stems dry up and can crack off they also checked my valve stems.
Hi Mandy
I watch your videos for the scienery and the fun. I do not own a trailer, but I enjoyed this video. Thanks for all the great photography.
Virginia in Ohio
Great video.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing your video. Did you find that the sway bars helped with sway you can get form towing your travel trailer? Thanks so much
Yes You DID!
I wondered how that worked out. My solution for my Colorado is more and more looking like a RAM 1500 Rebel. Lots more power for towing, 700 lbs more payload capacity, and a longer and wider bed.
Are you sure about that? According to the Dodge site, the payload of the Rebel is 1530 lbs. while the towing capacity is 7160lbs. Not that big of an upgrade vs the Colorado with the V6. The BIG HORN / LONE STAR models are definitely a bump up compared to the Colorado.
For us, it was tempting to go with a bigger truck. They definitely would handle the camper a lot better than a Tacoma. However, I really didn't want to get a HUGE truck. The newer Tacomas are already big enough for me. I wanted something we could still take out and drive on jeep roads without taking up the entire road.
@@kendrickcallaway3163 Yeah, that was my logic for getting the Colorado. Its definitely a trade off, about a foot longer, almost a foot wider, and heavier. But oddly, not that much difference on gas mileage.
The question you need to answer is, how many times are you likely to go down a road where a full size can't do it, but a midsize can? If its not too often, then the full size might be more appropriate.
I hope to be doing more traveling around the western states in a few years, so I'm curious what your thoughts on it are. I see lots of off roaders with full full size pickups, hell some of them are huge.
Very Cool Mod! 😎
Thanks! 😁
It got the job done. We still have to operate within the payload capacity of the truck, but when we're near it's max the mod helps the truck tow safer.
A side comparison of the Truck with the camper attached before and after installation might have been a good idea.
Yes! I was wishing I had proper images to show that, but I didn't take any that really showed how much it helped. It sits several inches higher now!
Think I need the helper springs for my wrangler. It squats pretty good with our t@g. Our 16 Tacoma pulls a lot better though. The wrangler tow capacity is only 3500 compared to the 6000 of the taco.
Ya, the Wranglers aren't really made for towing, could definitely help.
You're probably operating somewhat close to the max payload capacity of a Wrangler once you consider the T@G tongue weight and the weight of all passengers/gear in the Jeep. Helper springs would definitely help, but they could make the Jeep ride a little rougher without the T@G on it. Luckily, the springs are fairly cheap and easy to install. So, if you get them and don't like the way the Jeep rides without a load you can take them off.
This is really good information! Thanks for sharing. I have a question for Mandy. With the onset of covid19 do you plan to do any on line classes? My daughter has just become interested in photography and told her about you and your seminars.
@@maryann902 That's very sweet! I've been thinking about it. I don't have the content built up for an online class now but considered doing one on one stuff. For now, I'm focusing on catching up on this backlog of youtube videos!
I have a 4 cylinder taco. Do you think it could pull a 320 tab? Love your videos.
Does that teardrop really weight that much?
The tow rating is 6,800 on that Tacoma. I was shooting for a 21 foot camper that weighs 6,000. I admit it’s a lot for a Tacoma, so I was going to add a break controller and weight distribution hitch. For a camper the size of yours it seems like the weight might just be unbalanced in the camper. Make sure you have 45% behind the trailer axel and 55% in front of the axel (I.e. tongue weight). And you won’t see the sag like that.
Did your truck come with a tow package when you bought it or was it after market? Just wondering if tow packages come with those additions you added or would you still need to add that after the factory tow package. Informative video as I’m not very mechanical beyond changing the air filter.
This is a super helpful video. I know that you posted it a couple years ago and I've watched it a couple times already. I do have a question about your Taco. So I just placed an order for a 22 TRD Sport and I'm super excited to get it in 3-6 months. This truck is step 1 in getting geared up for our future TAB 400 in a year or two. My question is to do with bed length. I know it's a very personal decision and that you guys travel full time in your rig. Do you like having the 6' bed? Do you have an issue with the overall length of that and your trailer? Just curious. I can definitely get by with the 5' bed but I have never had one that short. Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom you might have.
We love our 6' bed! It does not really affect how we travel with the trailer at all, and it is nice to have the extra space. It was difficult to find a 6' bed with everything we wanted at a dealer, but after some searching we finally did get it!
@@MandyLea Thank you for the info. In reality I'm likely not going to have a big choice on what I get mostly because I really want the Sport in Lunar Rock. I can make either size work though. I have a Thule ladder rack for carrying longer things and a load bar extender will help when I carry our kayaks. But I am glad that you don't have issue with your TAB. Hope to meet up with you guys someday down the road when we are part of the nucamp family.
I'm considering getting a 2021 TAB Boondock 400 and a new tow vehicle. Both RV and Toyota sales people said the Tacoma with theTRD tow prep package would be fine for towing the TAB over mountains without any additional modifications other than a sway bar and electric brake controller to the vehicle. Should I consider a bigger tow vehicle?
Kendrick this question really have nothing to do with the video.But I would like to know if your tab 400 is it a boondock lite or just a tab 400 with extras? Thanks look forward to finding out!
It is a Boondock edition with the larger tires/axle :)
Wouldn’t a WD hitch and sway control do the same thing for far less money?
Was the sway bar installation hard? I am really interested in getting one for my Tacoma
Do you mind saying what kind of gas milage you get towing? I'm thinking about a taco to tow a trailer like yours.
Why switch the front sway bar?
👍
Light off road???
Basically some of the easier jeep roads around Colorado, but not while towing the camper. We like to drop the camper then take the truck out in areas like the San Juans in SW Colorado.
Are you not using a weight distribution hitch?
I was wondering this too. That should always be step 1 I'd think, before all this. I have almost no squat with my WDH, but I think I need a beefier anti-sway to help with handling of my Expedition. Those leaf helpers don't increase the stated axle capacity of the Tacoma!
Way off the subject but relevant....why are more than half of UA-cam videos accompanied by accoustic guitar, kick on all four, and either whistling or a chorus of Oooo Oooo Oooo's? That soccer music style is wearing on my nerves like hipster nails on a hipster's chalkboard
If you want to make ad revenue, you have to use royalty free music. The libraries are limiting. Very few people want to hear rock, hard rock, rap, etc... so that leaves you with generic folk music. It is what it is.
@@MandyLea folk music is what it is you're right. I called it soccer music because it's similar to a soccer crowd but it is just a new folk