04 tow/suspension ideas needed PICS.

[jsuthey]

Hello,I am looking to tow our 06 Starcraft 14rt tent trailer with our 04 LC.I hooked it up recently and the rear sags real bad.I took some pics. when I had it setup.I just moved the trailer around the yard and did not drive it on the street.I am looking for ideas on different routes to go.I also need to hook up a brake controller.I know there is tons of info to search on,but I do like to hear what people are running.

One option I was thinking about was installing rear air bags/springs to help bring up the rear.Another would be a full suspension kit that would be good for towing but also good around town and normal driving.The wife drives the truck most of all the time and does complain about the shocks being shot(it has 115k on stock suspension) I don't think I am going to have any luck with a lift kit as she is opposed to it.She thinks I am going to set it up like our old 80 with a 4" lift and 35's! But I am thinking 1.5" level kit to go with the 275/70-18's we are running.Maybe Ironman or OME. This truck will not really see to much off road action(what a shame!)Prob.just some easy trails once in a wile.

What do you folks think would work best in my situation? We really would not be towing much,prob.4-6 trips a year depending on where we go.I like to tow it with my T100 but it does ok.These trailers are like 3900 lbs. and mine is around 20 ft.long.

John

 

[liveoak]

Wow! is that how those trailers are made or is that frame stretched for that deck? That trailer looks like it is designed with way too much tongue weight especially if you put some toys on that deck. I would look into some kind of load leveler hitch for that trailer no matter what you tow it with.

 

[4Peanut]

I'd go with rear air bags. There's a great write up in the FAQ sticky. The best part is you can "tune" them depending on how much load you're carrying/towing.

 

[bamachem]

Rear Air Bags. Air Lift 1000 or Firestone.

 

[CarbonCruiser]

Can someone point me to the best write up on wiring in a brake controller and a fused power line for a 7pin set up on a 2001.

 

[Mxndrnks]

Dont tell her and just install something like Slee medium lift and air bags in the rear for towing. Then when you get home tell your wife you did lift it 1.5". It wont be a huge change and she will like the ride better.

 

[liveoak]

is that the only vehicle you are ever going to tow it with? a weight distribution hitch could be used on any vehicle you or anyone else tows that trailer with. air bags do nothing to reduce the tongue weight which appears to me to be too high for proper balance. if the tongue weight turns out to be around 10% of the total weight of the trailer then air bags would work fine.



on the shot shocks subject i replaced my shocks with bilsteins on my stock 100 and my wife and I both love the way it rides and handles now.

 

[Sandroad]

What is the tongue weight on that? The Starcraft site list a range from around 180 to around 400 lbs tongue weight and that isn't enough to make the Land Cruiser sit down like that? Lots of other stuff in the rear of the vehicle too? I'd say some heavier duty suspension stuff is needed if you intend to travel very far with weight like that. I'd use the etrailer.com site for trailer wiring info and parts for things like brake controllers.

 

[jsuthey]

Hi all,not sure what the tounge weight is on my trailer but they do seem really stretched.It looks a little different with the deck rails on,but the trailer is totally stock.I use the front deck for stuff like kids bikes, mountain bikes,coolers,firewood,chairs,ect.I try to keep it lite as I can,I can't imagine putting an atv or some dirt bikes on there.But really in the pics.it is unloaded and there is nothing in the LC.There is some water in the trailer tank and some basic supply's inside the trailer.

So no brake controller yet in the LC but it is wired for the 7 pin.and it did come with an adapter for the smaller 3or4 pin.I took a few pics I can post up.My 98 T100 has the brake controller hard wired without a harness that I could just unplug and plug into the LC.That would be nice.But the T100 has just Bilsteins and the stock 4WD suspension and it does pretty good for towing.I have had it loaded up good,lots of trips to Pismo S n' T and a few trips to Pinecrest Lake,Big Sur,Lake Pullsbury(long haul there,but really fun lake to camp)But the v-6 in that truck compaired to the LC's v-8 should be a huge factor in better towing if I can get it setup right.

Now something like the Slee med.lift would be cool with airbags. are they OME shocks/springs on that one?and how are they for towing I wonder.I know there are tons of threads on shocks right now to read up on.I am thinking maybe just running Bilstiens and airbags for now to keep costs down,it could work good.

 

[Nottajeep]

Skip the airbags and just buy the Slee Springs. They'll give you 2" lift and never sag.
Adjust for OEM torsion bars to compensate and call it a day.

 

[bamachem]

Skip the airbags and just buy the Slee Springs. They'll give you 2" lift and never sag.
Adjust for OEM torsion bars to compensate and call it a day.

^^ Obviously coming from someone who has never had bags or towed with bags on a Toyota SUV.

 

[Nottajeep]

^^ Obviously coming from someone who has never had bags or towed with bags on a Toyota SUV.

Ha!
Coming from someone who hasn't towed with Slee springs.
Rock, Paper, Scissors... steel beats squishy air bag hands down.

 

[jsuthey]

Hi all,take it easy guys! We are here to learn and pass on info.i looked on slees site and only saw slee springs for 80's.they have those high end shocks,and all the ome kits.still searching thanks for the info.keep em coming.

 

[trackmur]

I tow a lot with an LX with AHC. I have Firestone air bags. A couple of my equipment trailers have a lot of tongue weight, to the point where if I have all of my work tools and the 3rd row seats and one of these trailers on, the AHC might shut down. The air bags allow me to not be concerned about this. Keep in mind that as your springs have aged on your LC they will weaken. For me, part of the job the air bags are doing is to make up for the older coil spring to prevent the AHC from doing too much work. You could buy new stock springs and it might change your stance with the trailer a bit. You could buy lifted springs, and it would change the LC's stance when unloaded, but then loaded with that trailer it will have a significant effect judging from the pictures we've seen. If you simply add air bags, you can place that trailer on, and fill the bags and level the truck to where it should be.

Having said all of that, your shocks could be worn. Your front wheel bearings could require service. Your sway bar bushes may need renewal. There could be other suspension related issues that are causing the harsh ride that was mentioned. I think you need to consider these concerns separately.

 

[yeti in ga]

I tow a starcraft RT 10 , the one with out the large deck on the front. I have the slee heavy springs in the rear and they are great. In your case I agree the Air Bags seem like the best options unless you are ready to do a lift.

 

[jsuthey]

Hey yeti,I like the rt10's what is the weight on that model? I am starting to realize that my trailer is way heavy at 3900lbs.unloaded.I just looked at my sons friends family tent trailer and it was an 07 model that weighs 2300lbs.They just slept in it last night for the boys 12th.b-day party.No front deck but has the little storage bin in front.That trailer seems like the perfect weight.

I also forgot to say that I towed my trailer with my old 93 80 and it also did ok.I was running the OME J spring lift with OME shocks and 315's.It also had the 4x4 Labs rear bumper with dual swing outs(ladder and 315 tire).

So when you guys say Slee springs what kind do you mean and where do I find them on the website?

 

[Mxndrnks]

Slee is producing his own springs now. He has also reworked a couple of his web pages and for whatever reason only has his new spring listed as a part of an entire lift kit or individually under the 80 series. Just give him a call. You wont be able to figure anything out using his website these days.

 

[ppressle]

Can you adjust the tongue weight by loading the heavier items into the rear of the trailer? I tow a car on a flat trailer, and the position of the car on the trailer makes a huge difference for the tongue weight.


Yes, the 100s rear springs are soft for towing. Heavier springs and or airbags would help if you can't make the tongue weight less. Shocks will not affect the static ride height, only the resistance to moving.

I've been half heartedly looking for firmer springs that don't change the ride height too much without success. Perhaps I'll see what Slee has.

 

[hankinid]

As to brake controllers, google and buy a Prodigy. uses one to pull a loaded 3-horse slant trailer with zero issues...it also does a great job with ligher loads behind my LX.

Your 4-pin wiring gives you left turn/brake, right turn/brake, parking lights, and a ground. The 7-pin will add a wire from the controller's brake output, 12 volts from the battery to run stuff in the trailer and/or charge a trailer battery, and an extra circuit that most use for backup lighting. Wiring diagram here... Trailer Wiring Diagrams | etrailer.com
These 3 circuits should be protected with circuit breakers as close to the start of the circuit as possible. A battery isolator will keep the trailer disconnected from the truck unless the truck is running...saves a dead truck battery if the kids leave the lights on all night...amhik.

I'd strongly suggest you add a lighting controller for the7-wire connector separate from the one that came with your Toy...search for "taillight converter" on e-trailer.com. The converter will get connected to the car's lighting and the trailer harness just in back of the jack hatch...helpful to remove the left rear quarter trim panel.

Don't depend on the trailer's wiring to be color-coded to any industry standard.

Spend some $$ on a trailer breakaway system.

hth

Steve

 

[1loudLX]

No need to upgrade the springs on a vehicle that will not be carrying lots of weight at the time like a built "expo" vehicle would. Also, you don't particularly need high clearance as that trailer is clearly not meant for too much off-road travel. Just pickup a weight distribution hitch and be happy you did.

As far as adding a trailer brake system and breakaway switch that's a no-brainer, do it.