My boat and trailer together weigh around 2800 pounds with gas and stuff loaded in.
I’m thinking of getting sumo springs to help reduce stress on my rear leaf springs.
Also looking at powerstop z36 front brakes to help with stopping. Towing didn’t feel hard at all, the truck handled it well, but the extra weight made braking feel a bit sketchy. It didn’t make any noise or anything weird, but I could tell I was putting a lot of pressure on the brakes. Slowing down was fine as long as I took it easy and left enough space, but I’d feel better with a bit more stopping power.
Does this plan sound alright or is there something else I should look at?
You’re close to the point where it might help to use a weight distribution hitch or a sway bar with the Tacoma. That could make towing feel more stable. As for the brakes, unless you add brakes to the trailer or upgrade the truck’s system a lot, you just need to brake earlier and let the engine help slow you down.
@Blakely
Yeah I get that. From what I’ve seen, it was doing just fine. I stayed in the slower lane and made sure there was plenty of space ahead of me. It worked out alright. Just trying to add more safety where I can.
@Blakely
Towing itself was solid. No issues with swaying or power loss. Everything felt balanced. It’s just that I’d like a bit more help with stopping, but I’m not really looking to fully swap out the trailer’s axle.
It’s a smaller single axle boat trailer. Not sure if it’s worth it. I guess I’d need to do some more reading. There seem to be a lot of types and I’m not sure which one works best for a boat trailer.
Edit: Looks like surge brakes are a common choice. I’ll take a closer look and see if my trailer has the right setup to add those.
@Indra
I’m not an expert on boat trailers, but usually you’d just switch out the current axle for one that already has brakes. Something like a 3500 lb axle with brakes should work. It might be easier than making big changes to the truck.