2015 Tundra Crewmax

[anonymous]

I'm looking at this truck. It has a payload of 1575 lbs and the bed is 66.7" (is that 5', 6.7"?)
Anyways, how realistic is this for a four wheel camper. I'd really like to get a Hawk, anyone do that with tailgate down? Payload isn't good, but it does have almost 14" disc brakes.

 

[PaulT]

I have a 2010 Tundra Double cab with a 2014 Hawk on board. I added Firestone Ride Rite air bags and a Helwig rear anti sway bar. A fully loaded Hawk is about 1500 lbs dry weight. 1400 with the jacks removed. You will be over the payload limit after you add towels, camera gear and coffee.

If you are starting fresh, consider a 2500 or 3500 series truck and rest easy. The add ons to make you feel better about exceeding the payload cost more than the price difference between a 1/2 ton and the bigger trucks.

Paul

 

[frosty_1]

I have to agree with Paul. I've owned a 2012 Tundra, and now have a 2015 Chevy 2500HD. Handling is much better with the 3/4 Ton and I don't have to worry about over packing...I love the Tundra's and think I got my LTZ 2500 cheaper than a similar fully loaded Limited Tundra...

f.

 

[rotti]

x3
Stop looking at 1/2 tons and set your sites on 3/4 tons.
Loaded you'll be way over your max payload.

My Hawk and stuff comes in at over a ton on the scales.
Buy the right tool for the job at hand.

 

[billharr]

Love my 2005 Tundra. Looking at a new truck and it will be a 3/4 ton. I sure wish Toyota made a 3/4 Tundra.

 

[anonymous]

Thanks for the info. Man it's a bummer, I really like this truck, and I am trying to get a compromise for a daily driver. I'm looking at the 2015 F150 too, and there is a payload package that gives it 2,010 lbs payload and that's with a crewcab/6.5 bed. I'd probably even be borderline even with that right? If I was being practical, I'd buy an old 3/4 ton and a car, but I really would like a new 1/2 ton

 

[idahoron]

My 2005 Tundra is good enough for my camper. But Some guys will say go 3/4 ton. Then others will say nothing less than a 1 ton. Then others will say 1 ton with duel's and a diesel. But this argument has been dragged on a BUNCH of times here. If my 2005 with a lighter load rating and a smaller motor handles it fine I am sure that the one you posted about should do fine. But I would rather drive a Tundra than push a ford, chevy, or dodge.

 

[simimike]

Every truck is a compromise. On my truck purchase I compromised about 800 LBS payload for a 1or 2 MPG advantage on a smaller V8, 5.3 vs 6.0+ standard on 2500 and 3500 trucks. Was it the right choice? Time will tell.

 

[coguzzi]

i must say, i had my hawk, fairly loaded with options, on a 02 tundra for years. air bags and add a leafs in the suspension. was pretty decent combination, fairly nimble, not to heavy etc. down shifted alot on mtn passes (i live in CO) and wound out rpm wise alot. brakes were adequate, drive it like an older car (i restore vintage autos/motorbikes). gas milage was terrible, 8 was the worst, 13 was the best, average 10-11. i love my tundra, and still have it (gets 20mpg with out the camper)

but a couple weeks ago we upgrade trucks to a 15 Ram 2500 crew cab 6.4L. we wanted more space for another dog is the main reason, but always kind of wondered about frame integrity with the heavy camper in the tundra. we took it out on a 3 day shake down cruise last weekend, NIGHT AND DAY difference between the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton. only sank 1.5" in the rear loading the camper (totally stock suspension), drives like the camper is not even there, brakes awesome, passes cars with ease, and just a more relaxed ride, feel more fresh when i get to the destination. AND, the big truck returned better gas milage, close to 14, which was back raod stop and go traffic since im still breaking it in, didnt want to set the cruise control (varying speed is important for break in). i couldnt be more pleased with the 3/4 ton choice.

AND, my tundra became my daily driver/shop truck again, like it used to be. i love tundras, even the 2nd gen, but do yourself a favor and look at 3/4 tons at least. I thought i would get a 2nd gen tundra this time around, then i saw the power wagon (which will not work well with a camper BTW) and ended up in the 2500

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

We have quite a few customers using the Raven Model on a Toyota Tundra CrewMax.

Here is one build thread ...

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/133855-2014-Tundra-Crew-Max-Build


In the end, you would have to make the final decision on what you are comfortable carrying on the truck for the max payload.

The truck will need a few upgrades to better carry a camper (Example: air bags, E rated tires, etc.).

But beside that, they seems to do pretty well.

The newer Tundra looks to be one of the beefiest 1/2 ton trucks out there.

Would a 3/4 ton truck be better? Heck yea. But some customers just don't want to get a new trucks just to go camping a few times a year.

Happy Camping.





.

 

[Ethergore]

I think you need to consider your desired use for the truck overall. If you plan to tow additional weight or carry large loads you will need to go with a 3/4 or 1 ton. If you need the truck as a daily driver when the camper is off, you may do better with a Tundra or a full size diesel with good gas mileage. If you feel Toyotas are more reliable (like I do but lets not start an argument) it can be done. There are plenty of people carrying Hawks in their 1st and 2nd gen Tundras who have had great success.

With the camper on, both size trucks can be modified to drive just how you want them. In stock form the 3/4 or 1 ton trucks will do wonderful on highways and well cared for fire roads. The down side is, in my opinion, they are much too stiff when doing difficult off roading. The Tundra will need modifications right out of the gate as the camper will sag the suspension. I run the Timbrens now and they do surprisingly well, I'm sure air bags would be even better. It runs great off road and on road but it has a good amount of sway. Even so the sway is not excessive and the truck brakes well. I could probably eliminate the sway with sway bars or more suspension mods. My last truck was a 2004 Dodge 2500 with the Cummins motor. The truck broke down on me multiple times with only 95 k miles. It felt great on the highway and like a jack hammer off road.

To summarize:
-If you don't plan on doing major off roading and are comfortable with a full size truck I would go that route.
-If you prefer a tundra it can be done just as well but will need modifications.
-Both will work fine for highway or off road if modified correctly.

Have fun choosing!

 

[anonymous]

I think you need to consider your desired use for the truck overall. If you plan to tow additional weight or carry large loads you will need to go with a 3/4 or 1 ton. If you need the truck as a daily driver when the camper is off, you may do better with a Tundra or a full size diesel with good gas mileage. If you feel Toyotas are more reliable (like I do but lets not start an argument) it can be done. There are plenty of people carrying Hawks in their 1st and 2nd gen Tundras who have had great success.

With the camper on, both size trucks can be modified to drive just how you want them. In stock form the 3/4 or 1 ton trucks will do wonderful on highways and well cared for fire roads. The down side is, in my opinion, they are much too stiff when doing difficult off roading. The Tundra will need modifications right out of the gate as the camper will sag the suspension. I run the Timbrens now and they do surprisingly well, I'm sure air bags would be even better. It runs great off road and on road but it has a good amount of sway. Even so the sway is not excessive and the truck brakes well. I could probably eliminate the sway with sway bars or more suspension mods. My last truck was a 2004 Dodge 2500 with the Cummins motor. The truck broke down on me multiple times with only 95 k miles. It felt great on the highway and like a jack hammer off road.

To summarize:
-If you don't plan on doing major off roading and are comfortable with a full size truck I would go that route.
-If you prefer a tundra it can be done just as well but will need modifications.
-Both will work fine for highway or off road if modified correctly.

Have fun choosing!

No major offroading planned other than just getting into camping or recreation spots. I'm not going to be rock crawling or anything. The Tundra would be an easy choice if it weren't for the payload (and the 5 1/2' bed is a bummer). I'd love a 2500 HD Duramax too but it is too much $ for me and I don't want another old truck. Im considering a shell with nothing but a furnace as an option too. I dont like how short the Raven is though that's why I was thinking Hawk but wonder how it will be hanging out the back. It just feels like I'm trying to make something work.

What are you carrying with your Tundra?

 

[Ethergore]

What will you be doing with the truck other than camping? Will it be used for daily driving? If the camper will be on there forever you can change the suspension to meet your needs. You can even change the brakes to meet your needs if needed if there is a kit out. Im not familiar since i'm in a first gen. The down side is that if you end up doing more than just airbags to stiffen the rear it wont feel good when not carrying the camper.

If I were in your shoes I would get the lowest mileage possible 2005/2006 Tundra with a hawk then upgrade to air bags in the back and be done. When I was looking for my tundra there were a surprising number of first gen tundras with around 50k miles. I even found one with less than 20k miles for 18k but didn't want to pay that much for something I would abuse.

These year tundras have the more powerful vvti motor, a modern feeling 5 speed transmission, much bigger brakes than the earlier model years and a top notch history of reliability. There are many people who have gone 400k miles with an original motor and trans with basic maintenance. I myself am near 200 k miles. Basically you are pretty much guaranteed to get 200k out of one of these trucks if you buy one that was well cared for. So buying a Tundra with 50k miles is like reading the future knowing you wont have any problems for 150k miles at least. This may be a bold statement but I find it one that is difficult to argue. The biggest downside in this setup is that you don't have much towing capacity if you need that. Although, with that said, I plan to tow my LIGHT race car on a LIGHT trailer with my Hawk on to some races soon.

In addition, this will give you a double cab and a 6.5' bed that will help you get a better center of gravity. It will also be much cheaper to boot.

If you only want a new vehicle and it must be the Crewmax, I would focus on setting up the camper with as much weight as possible to the front of the camper. I'm not sure if there is a configuration that gets the fridge closer to the front but that would be the biggie since I think the batteries are already at the front in most options.

As for my rig I have a cheap 2001 Tundra with Icon coilovers in the front and Timbrens in the back carrying a 2009 Hawk with most options. I also have the larger, 2004 and up, brakes. The truck has never felt unsteady in any way. It brakes well, it handles well and it off roads amazing with camper on or off. My input may be biased but I have had a Hawk on a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins and a 1/2 ton Tundra and would go with the setup I suggested if I had to do it again even if I wasn't going to do any off roading.

 

[anonymous]

What will you be doing with the truck other than camping? Will it be used for daily driving? If the camper will be on there forever you can change the suspension to meet your needs. You can even change the brakes to meet your needs if needed if there is a kit out. Im not familiar since i'm in a first gen. The down side is that if you end up doing more than just airbags to stiffen the rear it wont feel good when not carrying the camper.

If I were in your shoes I would get the lowest mileage possible 2005/2006 Tundra with a hawk then upgrade to air bags in the back and be done. When I was looking for my tundra there were a surprising number of first gen tundras with around 50k miles. I even found one with less than 20k miles for 18k but didn't want to pay that much for something I would abuse.

These year tundras have the more powerful vvti motor, a modern feeling 5 speed transmission, much bigger brakes than the earlier model years and a top notch history of reliability. There are many people who have gone 400k miles with an original motor and trans with basic maintenance. I myself am near 200 k miles. Basically you are pretty much guaranteed to get 200k out of one of these trucks if you buy one that was well cared for. So buying a Tundra with 50k miles is like reading the future knowing you wont have any problems for 150k miles at least. This may be a bold statement but I find it one that is difficult to argue. The biggest downside in this setup is that you don't have much towing capacity if you need that. Although, with that said, I plan to tow my LIGHT race car on a LIGHT trailer with my Hawk on to some races soon.

In addition, this will give you a double cab and a 6.5' bed that will help you get a better center of gravity. It will also be much cheaper to boot.

If you only want a new vehicle and it must be the Crewmax, I would focus on setting up the camper with as much weight as possible to the front of the camper. I'm not sure if there is a configuration that gets the fridge closer to the front but that would be the biggie since I think the batteries are already at the front in most options.

As for my rig I have a cheap 2001 Tundra with Icon coilovers in the front and Timbrens in the back carrying a 2009 Hawk with most options. I also have the larger, 2004 and up, brakes. The truck has never felt unsteady in any way. It brakes well, it handles well and it off roads amazing with camper on or off. My input may be biased but I have had a Hawk on a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins and a 1/2 ton Tundra and would go with the setup I suggested if I had to do it again even if I wasn't going to do any off roading.

DAily driver for sure but the camper would stay on most spring through fall how I envision it. Ive been looking at the new F150s too, I've never liked Fords but the F150 crew with the max payload will have a payload of 2650 lbs if I understand correctly. But I still like the Toyotas better. I have a Tacoma with 200K