flaxi wrote:
There are known cases of broken frames by carring TC !
So, what I will and must do is to strengthen the frame !
I have a theory about this:
European / Japanese double-cab compact pick-ups have a very short bed and with a heavy camper the CoG can be well behind the rear axle as a result.
This is bad enough, but I suspect this leads to the rear suspension squatting, and people fit airbags and pump them up to level the truck again.
I have airbags, but leave them at the lowest possible pressure since I don't really need them. My CoG is behind the rear axle, but not as badly as if I had the shorter bed on the double-cab.
I've noticed that as the airbag pressure is increased the behaviour of the truck suspension changes. Instead of the rear suspension absorbing the weight of the camper as it goes over bumps, the rear suspension, stiffened by the air bags, acts as a fulcrum around which the whole truck pivots, the tail dropping with the weight and the nose lifting at the same time.
The effect is subtle, but it was not present before I fitted the air bags. I suspect if my CoG was further back, and my airbags were at a much higher pressure, then this pivoting affect would be amplified.
I suspect such pivoting around the fulcrum, with the weight of the camper applying downward force on the rear of the chassis and the weight of the cab, transmission and engine applying downward force on the front of the chassis, must put a lot of stress on the chassis at the front of the load bed, leading to it flexing with every bump. It wouldn't surprise me if this could lead to premature fatigue failure of the chassis at that point.
Steve.
