2017 Tacoma SR5 Access cab, mods for Skamper?

amf0059

New member
Hi all,

New here, looking into adding a 1995 072S Skamper to my new 2017 Tacoma (SR5 V6 4x4 Acess Cab). As far as I can tell this is about 1000 pounds or less dry weight.

It seems as though people do this all the time, but a few basic questions 1) Is this too much weight for a Tacoma bed? 2) If not, would I have to add anything to the truck to make it handle better/cause less wear and tear over time?

Thanks for any input!
 

codename607

Adventurer
I currently have a 2016 Tacoma short bed with a Four Wheel Camper(700lbs). I upgraded to bags and I also have "E" rated tires. With 1000lbs you may want to consider upgrading the brakes too.
 
Nothing you will do can up rate the GVRW of the factory rating. Any slide in camper is to much for any generation Tacoma. If its 1000 pounds dry, 20 gallons of water 165 lbs, food and beer 30 lbs, couple duffel bags 40 lbs, two humans 325 lbs if your not the average american. That's 1560 lbs or over by 450 lbs roughly. Now if you add recovery gear and toys to play with once you get to where your going you could easily be pushing 2000 pounds of payload.

Sure you will see 4 Wheel Pop up campers on flat beds with all kinds of cool parts bolted to them but I'd venture to say they are at 2200-2500 lbs of payload. No vehicle is so under rated on GVRW that it will haul the weight well or for a long ways. Now start stressing that same truck on a 4 wheel drive trail and parts will start to break fast.

I'm no angel, my truck rolls at max GVWR BEFORE I load it for camping, this is why my next build will be more thoughtfully planned out. When I was a avid road cyclist we called those people weight weenies! My next build will be a weight weenie!!
 

Tacomajeff

Observer
just buy the camper put some Firestone bags in it and go camping! Use common sense when driving and that's it. Your Tacoma can handle it I've had to truck campers from 600lbs to 1000 lbs just use bags and didn't drive like an *******. No problems and thousands of miles.
 

phsycle

Adventurer
just buy the camper put some Firestone bags in it and go camping! Use common sense when driving and that's it. Your Tacoma can handle it I've had to truck campers from 600lbs to 1000 lbs just use bags and didn't drive like an *******. No problems and thousands of miles.

Brilliant! Just print this out and give it to the officer. Should cover you.

:costumed-smiley-007
 

robert

Expedition Leader
Has anyone with a camper ever been weighed? I'm not talking about going to the scales to check for yourself or before loading it in a conex, but actually getting flagged down and weighed by some agency. Most of the folks I've seen with campers do try to keep the weight down but also add air bags and upgraded suspension as well as stiffer, high load range tires.


On a side note, hopefully photobucket fails miserably for their shenanigans; I hate trying to look up pictures (in this case the OP's camper model, and getting photobuckets fail note).
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Has anyone with a camper ever been weighed? I'm not talking about going to the scales to check for yourself or before loading it in a conex, but actually getting flagged down and weighed by some agency. Most of the folks I've seen with campers do try to keep the weight down but also add air bags and upgraded suspension as well as stiffer, high load range tires.
This is something that's talked about and the answer is usually that unless you're a commercial truck being weighed is basically never going to happen and even if that was to happen there's no laws for private vehicles under a certain weight (which I want to say is 26,000 lbs) that says you have to be under GVWR.

I think legally the question might only arise in an accident where lawyers and insurance are involved. If someone is hurt or killed then their lawyer will almost certainly look for any detail that places responsibility squarely on you. GVWR for non-commercial and light duty trucks seems to be pretty much a guideline more than any sort of hard-fast.

With a Tacoma you have to judge for yourself what means, but I suspect that Toyota didn't build in nearly as much excess capacity as people believe and was the case with 79-95 trucks, which had the same 5,350 lb GVWR. It was pretty clear it had a lot more than that since it took 20+ years and 250k miles for them to wear out when loaded at or over GVWR. I think a Tacoma is going show body fatigue and frame cracking sooner when loaded that much. It's probably safe to effectively increase GVWR with stronger springs and improved brakes, though.

On a side note, hopefully photobucket fails miserably for their shenanigans; I hate trying to look up pictures (in this case the OP's camper model, and getting photobuckets fail note).
100% agreed, Photobucket can pound sand.
 

robert

Expedition Leader
Pretty much what I've heard and figured. That said, I find the Tacomas to be marginal at best in a lot of ways- the unboxed frames, weak factory suspension, small rear axle and especially the mediocre brakes would definitely make me very hesitant to add much weight to them. Once you figure in the generally poor fuel economy that only gets worse with additional weight you really have to think seriously if they are the best platform for what many of us do with them. It's a light duty truck and I'd go so far as to say unsafe at much over GVWR. I'd be much more comfortable loading an older Toyota pickup or a Hilux.

If I were going to build a heavier camper on it the first thing I would do is upgrade the brakes to Tundra brakes (doable with 17" or larger wheels). After that I'd box the frame and upgrade the suspension and rear axle. Certainly within the realm of what's possible if you've got skills and/or money.
 

bkg

Explorer
Pretty much what I've heard and figured. That said, I find the Tacomas to be marginal at best in a lot of ways- the unboxed frames, weak factory suspension, small rear axle and especially the mediocre brakes would definitely make me very hesitant to add much weight to them. Once you figure in the generally poor fuel economy that only gets worse with additional weight you really have to think seriously if they are the best platform for what many of us do with them. It's a light duty truck and I'd go so far as to say unsafe at much over GVWR. I'd be much more comfortable loading an older Toyota pickup or a Hilux.

If I were going to build a heavier camper on it the first thing I would do is upgrade the brakes to Tundra brakes (doable with 17" or larger wheels). After that I'd box the frame and upgrade the suspension and rear axle. Certainly within the realm of what's possible if you've got skills and/or money.

Unfortunately, it still puts him over GVWR, and as pointed out, in case of an accident, it may also mean opening oneself up for civil litigation, jail time (think negligence) and bankruptcy.
 

bkg

Explorer
Nothing you will do can up rate the GVRW of the factory rating. Any slide in camper is to much for any generation Tacoma. If its 1000 pounds dry, 20 gallons of water 165 lbs, food and beer 30 lbs, couple duffel bags 40 lbs, two humans 325 lbs if your not the average american. That's 1560 lbs or over by 450 lbs roughly. Now if you add recovery gear and toys to play with once you get to where your going you could easily be pushing 2000 pounds of payload.

Sure you will see 4 Wheel Pop up campers on flat beds with all kinds of cool parts bolted to them but I'd venture to say they are at 2200-2500 lbs of payload. No vehicle is so under rated on GVRW that it will haul the weight well or for a long ways. Now start stressing that same truck on a 4 wheel drive trail and parts will start to break fast.

I'm no angel, my truck rolls at max GVWR BEFORE I load it for camping, this is why my next build will be more thoughtfully planned out. When I was a avid road cyclist we called those people weight weenies! My next build will be a weight weenie!!

/thread
 

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