Max Tow Package Availability? Now a Max Payload thread

[PyrPatriot]

I don't really get concerned about frames until you insanely overload the truck. Most frames will handle far more than the sticker rating. It's the bearings, brakes and axles.
The springs on these are also smaller wire than the springs were on the front of my Javelin. About the same as the wire on the springs under the front of my Eagle.They'll only take the compression and vibration so many times before settling and sagging for good.
(when I got the SX4 both rear leaf spring mains were busted and the bottom coil of the left front spring was gone - hmmmmmm)
My concerns are always the wear parts.
I've never repaired busted or bent frames, but I've replaced a few springs, u-joints and bearings and axles for folks over the years.
The axles likely aren't going to leave you stranded on these unless you KEEP abusing them with more than a couple hundred pounds over. These are beefy axles to be sure. The pounding of off-roading demands that.

Well finally, I know what to do to justify buying that Max Tow suspension take offs. Based on the answers in my other thread on suspension parts life I just have to repeatedly abuse the payload. Does it really just take a couple hundred pounds over? It really makes it hard to tell with Jeeps/overland vehicles because most likely people exceed the payloads on their vehicles but because of the nature of the off-road driving it makes it hard to differentiate what portion if the wear/failures was the terrain and what was the load.

I still wonder how much of my recent problems/repairs of my Honda Element were from one form of abuse over another. On the one hand I didnt pay attention to the payload and used 675lbs as 675lbs plus four 150lbs drivers, and repeatedly loaded it to the point of sagging and keeping it loaded for weeks on end. On the other hand, I was always too poor to do any maintenance and my father (while living) forbade me from ever trying to fix things on my own, so problems piled up and when I had a repair it was almost never less than around $700-1k (and this past may the rack and pinion plus a bunch of seals, brakes, and axle were about $2500).

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[ShadowsPapa]

Combination of load and driving speed and conditions.
I don't know what the payload was of my F250 4x4 was but I had a 2,000 pound engine, a 400 pound set of engine trucks (the cart the engine sits on - in this case, horse-drawn) in the back of the truck, three adults in the cab and other misc stuff in there. I was down on the overloads. Olpe KS to central Iowa. Truck rode like a Caddy - but the roads were smooth, too. And we stuck to the speed limits (my wife's aunt was with us) I can imagine I had my Silverado over-loaded a time or three - but again, speed and roads were good.
I wasn't trying to beat it back as fast as I could go over the worst roads possible. Bearings - bearing sizes matter. You put a lot of weight on those rollers in there - think of the PSI on the rollers! You look and think - gee, there's a whole lot of contact area. Open up a bearing and figure the fractions of square inches of contact the rollers make with the inner and outer races and the pressure exerted on the lube.
Speed counts - heat generated must be dissipated. So if you are over-loaded and can't help it - you CAN help your speed.
And if it appears to be a habit - you can help by changing lube.
Generally speaking trucks that have higher payload by a large amount have larger bearings, which have more surface area over which to spread that load. Ya want an elephant standing on your foot or that lady that weighs only 120 with nice pointy heels on (don't answer, a few guys here would put up with holes in their feet to meet her)
But you get the point. The same exact weight distributed over a larger area means less force over the area.
It works the same be it air pressure, hydraulics, or your payload.
I've seen bearings BLUE....... and axle lube cooked............. And I wonder - was it the overload condition, or their speed? OR both?
Springs - ever watch Ice Road Truckers? I recall years back Hugh and Rick, 2 of 5 drivers and loads sent out over some of the worst roads in Canada. They like to go FAST. They ripped their trailers to shreds, busted up the springs while the other 3 drivers made it back with their loads - no damage.
But overloading springs will take a slow toll, too...... eventually they'll take a set and settle.

I know few here or anywhere actually WEIGH their payload or track it closely - I've gone over, I know I have, well, I guess I must have, maybe? Probably have, will put it that way. Just tossing out ways to reduce damage - long or short term, things to watch for, that sort of thing.
Always the bottom line is don't do it, try to avoid it.......... but stuff happens.
Routine and preventative maintenance is always good, especially in a truck that's used as a truck. Where the differential lube also lubricates the axle bearings, it's good to change it once in a blue moon. Hypoid gears of a differential are already very high pressure situations, thus the special lube made for those gears, but when it's the same lube out to the bearings, you share the "stuff" that happens to the lube with the bearings and gears. (I mention that because some older cars actually had rear axles bearings that were packed similar to front wheel bearings)

 

[WXman]

I don't really get concerned about frames until you insanely overload the truck. Most frames will handle far more than the sticker rating. It's the bearings, brakes and axles.
The springs on these are also smaller wire than the springs were on the front of my Javelin. About the same as the wire on the springs under the front of my Eagle. They'll only take the compression and vibration so many times before settling and sagging for good.
(when I got the SX4 both rear leaf spring mains were busted and the bottom coil of the left front spring was gone - hmmmmmm)
My concerns are always the wear parts.
I've never repaired busted or bent frames, but I've replaced a few springs, u-joints and bearings and axles for folks over the years.
The axles likely aren't going to leave you stranded on these unless you KEEP abusing them with more than a couple hundred pounds over. These are beefy axles to be sure. The pounding of off-roading demands that.

It wasn't very long ago that Toyota was buying back entire Tacomas because the frames were folding up like a cheap lawn chair. And if you do a Google search you can find multiple photos of the new Chevy Colorado with its frame folded up in the rear from towing off road trailers. So the frame to me certainly is the critical component because as the old saying goes you can't build a house without the foundation.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It wasn't very long ago that Toyota was buying back entire Tacomas because the frames were folding up like a cheap lawn chair. And if you do a Google search you can find multiple photos of the new Chevy Colorado with its frame folded up in the rear from towing off road trailers. So the frame to me certainly is the critical component because as the old saying goes you can't build a house without the foundation.

And research also shows the Colorado frame issue appears to be more "urban legend" or a story that's been, uh, stretched as far as truth, and most forums I've seen point to it being abused and debunked as simply pulling trailer. There's a story that's taken on legs of its own and was discussed on a radio show and pretty much the host, who also owns a similar truck, says - single incident, more to the story.

Of course frames are a concern - but these are good except for the welds - and Jeep is "cooperating with the feds" on that investigation.
One example that is fact, the Tacoma, doesn't mean it's a big problem out there among trucks.
Name other frame problems that are proven and widely known.
Rust we won't know about for a while........... my F250 had serious frame rust issues, after 16 years.

 

[KVJ]

I've owned three 2nd generation Tacomas, a 2005, 2007 and a 2015. All three had a TSB call on the frame where Toyota "coated" it after inspecting, the last TSB I received after I traded it in on my JT. Also I saw a frame at a Toyota dealers that was there to be replaced on someones truck. I can't imagine the cost to do that at dealer labor pricing. It is obvious I liked the Tacoma, I just chose to trade them in before they rusted through.
See this picture I took under the 2007 Tacoma when I had it for two years. I was upgrading the leaf springs for towing load. Notice the frame rust after two years. At the time I had a company car and I barely used it in the winter.

 

[SgtMajTomahawk]

Both 4x2 and 4x4 are rated at 7,500 lbs.

Max Tow package is 7650lbs

 

[NateKY]

Max Tow package is 7650lbs

Talk about digging up a thread. Lol. My numbers were for the Ford Ranger

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