Alcan Spring additional weight rating? What did you choose?

[joeydurango]

Hello WTW members, longtime lurker, first time poster here. Searched for answers to my specific question with no luck, so thought I'd ask the community.

For those of you with Alcan Springs and truck campers (particularly Tacoma/FWC combos), what weight rating did you choose?

We have a 2015 Tacoma with a 2014 FWC Finch. Dry weight on the Finch (options included) is 985 pounds. We've been using the stock springs with airbags for a few months, but I'd like to upgrade to stiffer springs and just use the airbags for leveling/gear weight purposes. Contacted Alcan (close to home) and was initially recommended what they call "500 pound overload" springs, the idea being that the "stock" Alcan Tacoma spring is good for 500 pounds at stock ride height, so a "500 overload" should hold the 985-pound camper at stock height.

I just want to be certain that this setup will indeed keep the truck at stock height with the dry-weight camper in the bed. For those of you with Alcan Spring custom packs, what rating did you choose and how did it work in the real world? Any and all, but obviously Tacoma/FWC/stock height setups compare best to ours...

Thanks for the insight!

 

[smlobx]

No comment on the spring weight but have you actually weighed the camper fully loaded? I'll bet that the weight will be significantly more and the spring weight may need to be higher...

BTW welcome!

 

[Bad Habit]

x 2 on weighing the entire package before making assumptions. I think most advertised dry weights, and the guestimated weight of all the goodies brought along, tend to be overly optimistic.

 

[specjoe]

I've actually got Alcan rear spring packs on my 2008 Tacoma/2010 FWC Finch Shell combo. Don't think I'm pulling as much weight as you referenced with just the shell and furnace/stovetop added and 5 gallons of water/small incidentals, but I will say that the standard pack boosted for 500lb payload didn't cut it for me and I ended up getting them removed and a couple more leafs added to beef up some more a year ago, as it started to really appear to sag in the back and I was relying on my airbags more. Think I'm good now, but certainly worth getting it right the first time, as it sure sucks to pay labor getting the leaf packs removed again, sent up the road to Alcan, and put back on. They were able to coordinate all of that in the course of the day, though. I'll try to look through my maintenance papers and get a little more info posted in the next day or so on what was put on originally and what exactly the added the next time around....
Good luck!