Solution to Eliminate Sag When Towing Ski Boat with 2000 Toyota Tundra

Question

Question:

I have a problem maintaining level when towing my 20foot ski boat. My vehicle is a 2000 Tundra 4WD TRD. The rear has not been lifted, however the front has been leveled to match the factory rear. When I hook up the ski boat, I get 2 1/8inch of sag at the receiver and 1 5/8inch of rise at the front bumper. The ski boat and trailer create about 298 pounds of downward force at the hitch. I am interested in eliminating the sag and was looking at the AL59530. I wanted to see what you thought about this product or others eliminating the sag when towing the boat..... I do not use the truck to carry a lot of other heavy loads and thought that the 59530 with a 2000 lb rating would eliminate the sag. A few questions..... if you could answer I would appreciate it: 1. On an air bag product like the 59530, does the rear of the vehicle lift as air is added or is the height maintained with the added air only resulting in more resistance to sag? 2. On some of the other QandAs on this site I see that some people are referencing the tire size of the vehicle. It seems to me that once your vehicle is level, it would not make much difference what tire size was used, as long as all four tires are the same size. Currently the tires on my Tundra are sizs LT265/75R16. I was considering changing wheel and tire size in the future and need to know if using the AL59530 would lead to any limitations in tire ion. I am thinking about changing to something in the LT285/70R17 range. 3. Will the AL59530 work on the TRD 4WD 2000 Tundra? Thank You.

asked by: Ben B

0

Expert Reply:

The Air Lift Ride Control Air Helper Spring kit, part # AL59530 is compatible with your current tire size on your Tundra. As air pressure is added to the springs, the rear height of the vehicle would increase slightly. You are correct in your assumption about tire size.

This being said, an air spring kit is primarily meant to suspend a load carried in the vehicle. To overcome sag caused when the tongue weight of a trailer is applied to the rear of your vehicle, a weight distribution system is needed. A weight distribution system will use the leverage provided by the spring bars to apply a portion of the tongue weight of the trailer to the front vehicle axle, thus leveling the right height.

An air spring system is not the most efficient way to do this. When the springs are pressurized, and tongue weight is applied to the trailer hitch, in some cases the springs can act as a fulcrum, actually lightening the load on the front vehicle axle. This can negatively affect steering response as well as braking, as the front brakes provide the majority of the vehicle braking force.

The Reese Trunnion Weight Distribution System, part # RP66540 is effective on trailers with tongue weights ranging from 200-600 lbs, and would work perfectly for your ski boat, unless the trailer has hydraulic brakes using a surge coupler. If this is the case, you would need the Reese Steadi-Flex, part # RP66558. Since your trailer most likely has a pole or straight tongue, you would also need a pole tongue adapter, part # RP58393. For both of these systems to be effective, the tongue weight of your ski boat and trailer, plus the weight of anything stowed in the truck bed behind the rear axle must be less than 600 lbs.

I have linked you to the install instructions for each system I recommended as well as to an FAQ article with more information about weight distribution.