2019 Tacoma TRD Off-Road DCLB payload limit

[DamnSkippyTy]

I have a 2019 Tacoma TRD Off-Road DCLB which is still stock. I've been researching different upgrades to perform but when I tallied up the expected weight, I discovered that I would quickly exceed the 1120 lb payload. Of that 1120 lbs, if it is just myself, my pup and a full fuel tank; that only leaves me 723 lbs to work with. If I completely pare down my selection of gear/upgrades, I will have a couple hundred lbs to spare. That doesn't seem reasonable since the girl friend will eventually want to tag along on these adventures and likewise it would be nice to bring more than the absolute minimum.

So my question is, how is everyone with similar low payload vehicles decking out their rigs with all the various upgrades while keeping their vehicle safe (and legal) for the road?

 

[Beeftaco]

I’ve got a Tacoma and tow a camper when traveling with my wife so weight has been a big deal. Not sure what you’re looking at adding but I can tell you about my setup.

I went with the Yakima outpost rack since it’s all aluminum and super minimal. It also pops off in about 5 minutes in case I really need the weight back. The Tepui Ayer roof top tents are super light, the 2 person is only 95 lbs. My rack has the tent, 2 rotopax (3.5 gallons and they’re full), and a set of recovery boards and the whole thing weighs ~200 lbs.

 

[DamnSkippyTy]

I'm planning a 1-2 month trip into Alaska/BC. Here is the break down of everything not stock:

278 lbs -- driver & dog
128 lbs -- consumable (food & water for 3 days plus 40-lb bag of dog food)
183 lbs -- gear (cooking, sleeping, clothing, recovery and misc gear)
537 lbs -- installed (full fuel tank, skids, suspension & shell)
410 lbs -- installed (skids, suspension & shell)

999 lbs total

So aside from me losing some weight, this is fairly pared down.

 

[OtherOrb]

The NHTSA defines curb weight as wet, meaning the vehicle has its full capacity of fuel, oil, coolant, etc. So that doesn't count against your payload capacity. A Taco's full tank of gas is approximately 139 pounds that you can give that back to the payload in your calculations above.

 

[DamnSkippyTy]

The NHTSA defines curb weight as wet, meaning the vehicle has its full capacity of fuel, oil, coolant, etc. So that doesn't count against your payload capacity. A Taco's full tank of gas is approximately 139 pounds that you can give that back to the payload in your calculations above.

I thought I had read that it was the opposite but I'm happy to not have to count the fuel weight into my payload calculation. That still means I'm sitting at 999 lbs since I calculated the fuel to weigh 131 lbs. Regardless, that is still very close to the payload limit despite going somewhat minimal.

 

[Beeftaco]

Sounds like you might want to look at a small trailer for your first upgrade. That'll give thousands of pounds of extra weight for a long trip. Not sure how fun it would be to pull those down a trail though. They do seem to have a huge following though.

 

[DamnSkippyTy]

Sounds like you might want to look at a small trailer for your first upgrade. That'll give thousands of pounds of extra weight for a long trip. Not sure how fun it would be to pull those down a trail though. They do seem to have a huge following though.

Trust me, we are considering that into the calculations as well. Then only myself and the pup are in the truck and I just need to factor the tongue weight as I load up the trailer.

I'm just amazed/confused when watching all the YT walk-around videos of these Tacoma rigs with full armor, RTT, recovery gear, full Jerry Cans/RotoPax, etc. I assume they just ignore the payload limits?

 

[Beeftaco]

You could switch to backpacking meals too. A day's worth of food for 2 people is like 1.5lbs. I'm a big fan of the Backpacker's Pantry stuff. I stopped carrying any fresh food and have actually been happier. The only thing in my cooler is cold beers.

 

[OtherOrb]

I thought I had read that it was the opposite but I'm happy to not have to count the fuel weight into my payload calculation. That still means I'm sitting at 999 lbs since I calculated the fuel to weigh 131 lbs. Regardless, that is still very close to the payload limit despite going somewhat minimal.

I've seen that too, so I dug up the information directly from the agency.

https://www.safercar.gov/FAQ

When you upgraded your suspension, did you calculate the weight difference between old and new? or just add your new suspension's weight?

For my needs (estimates):
Myself, partner, dog = 470
Water, food, etc = 150
Basic Gear = 200

= 820 pounds

Leaving me with just about 300 pounds to play with.
But, then, I don't do much armoring of the vehicle. For my new Taco, I'm *considering* sliders, which I guess would add up to 100 pounds. I can do a lot with 200-300 pounds, including rock samples, sampling equipment (saws), batteries, shovels, other tools, etc. And when I'm out doing field work, I don't bring the dog, so that's a 100 pounds dog + 40 pounds food = 140 pounds savings. Though I do usually bring an extra 5-10 gallons of water, cutting my savings back down to about 60 pounds.

When I'm doing ranch work, it's mostly just myself in the vehicle and I don't often carry more than water and maybe a day's worth of food and some snacks and the various tools, so that's not a concern for me, then, either.

Regardless, yes, the 3rd Gen Tacos have a higher GVWR but a lower cargo capacity than the 2nd gens.
2G: 5500-4220=1280
3G: 5600-4480=1120

But, the 3G has an 11360 GCWR while the 2G has 11100 GCWR.
And the 3G towing capacity is up to 6800 while the 2G maxed out at 6500.
It seems they decided to lower the rated payload capacity in order to increase the towing capacity. I do wish they would release an HD version of the Taco that went over the 6,000 pound GVWR rating limit so I could take advantage of the business tax savings for buying a larger truck (but I don't want a Tundra-sized truck).

 

[Rd62]

Trust me, we are considering that into the calculations as well. Then only myself and the pup are in the truck and I just need to factor the tongue weight as I load up the trailer.

I'm just amazed/confused when watching all the YT walk-around videos of these Tacoma rigs with full armor, RTT, recovery gear, full Jerry Cans/RotoPax, etc. I assume they just ignore the payload limits?

I really dont think they do

 

[DamnSkippyTy]

I really dont think they do

Do you think those YT walk-around videos that show off all the vehicles with fancy armor and gear are within their payload limit?

 

[alexdnick]

Just curious.

What will you be doing on this trip?

Do you really need skids and all the reco gear? I lived in Alaska for quite some time, and have been to CA more times than I can count.

Off-roading and putting yourself in situations where you can get stuck is the last thing I recommend, because you can get to places with the best views without being in such tough and hard roads that could cause you to be in those situations.

If I was visiting Alaska/CA, id bring my RTT, stuff I need to cook/eat, first aid, maps, then hiking gear, because you’ll get to spots that will blow your mind away if you do the best hikes and just drive forest service roads(Alaska has so many roads with only pot holes)

Don’t forget bear spray!

 

[OtherOrb]

Do you think those YT walk-around videos that show off all the vehicles with fancy armor and gear are within their payload limit?

Nope. And that's part of the reason breakage happens...

 

[Murphy Slaw]

You're gonna need a bigger truck.....

 

[Beeftaco]

Just curious.

What will you be doing on this trip?

Do you really need skids and all the reco gear? I lived in Alaska for quite some time, and have been to CA more times than I can count.

Off-roading and putting yourself in situations where you can get stuck is the last thing I recommend, because you can get to places with the best views without being in such tough and hard roads that could cause you to be in those situations.

If I was visiting Alaska/CA, id bring my RTT, stuff I need to cook/eat, first aid, maps, then hiking gear, because you’ll get to spots that will blow your mind away if you do the best hikes and just drive forest service roads(Alaska has so many roads with only pot holes)

Don’t forget bear spray!

Totally agree. The only modifications I’ve done as far as capability is put a set of A/T tires on and it’s all I’ve needed. There is so much to see/do on the forestry roads alone.

 

[DamnSkippyTy]

Just curious.

What will you be doing on this trip?

Do you really need skids and all the reco gear? I lived in Alaska for quite some time, and have been to CA more times than I can count.

Off-roading and putting yourself in situations where you can get stuck is the last thing I recommend, because you can get to places with the best views without being in such tough and hard roads that could cause you to be in those situations.

If I was visiting Alaska/CA, id bring my RTT, stuff I need to cook/eat, first aid, maps, then hiking gear, because you’ll get to spots that will blow your mind away if you do the best hikes and just drive forest service roads(Alaska has so many roads with only pot holes)

Don’t forget bear spray!

I've never been to Alaska so I wasn't completely sure what I would be doing. But I do know I have absolutely no intension of doing anything more than the occasional forest service roads.

I wasn't necessarily planning to add everything for this Alaska trip but I have a spreadsheet (yup I'm that guy!) listing all possible upgrades with their respective weights for future trips with the girl friend and two dogs. Since the Tacoma is still stock and only 6 months old, we were wondering if we selected the wrong truck and possibly should trade it in for something else. Luckily, utilizing a trailer will allow us to accomplish longer trips as a family of four. Then by moving a few items into the truck, I can get away for my Alaska type trips while sleeping in the bed/shell (or ground tent).

I have come to the conclusion that I will never have complete armor (skids, bumpers and rock sliders) and full recovery gear. Then again, I don't know I would ever put myself into a situation that I would really need them so then it is just aesthetics.

Thanks again for all your points and for bringing up the fact that being minimal is best.

 

[alexdnick]

I've never been to Alaska so I wasn't completely sure what I would be doing. But I do know I have absolutely no intension of doing anything more than the occasional forest service roads.

I wasn't necessarily planning to add everything for this Alaska trip but I have a spreadsheet (yup I'm that guy!) listing all possible upgrades with their respective weights for future trips with the girl friend and two dogs. Since the Tacoma is still stock and only 6 months old, we were wondering if we selected the wrong truck and possibly should trade it in for something else. Luckily, utilizing a trailer will allow us to accomplish longer trips as a family of four. Then by moving a few items into the truck, I can get away for my Alaska type trips while sleeping in the bed/shell (or ground tent).

I have come to the conclusion that I will never have complete armor (skids, bumpers and rock sliders) and full recovery gear. Then again, I don't know I would ever put myself into a situation that I would really need them so then it is just aesthetics.

Thanks again for all your points and for bringing up the fact that being minimal is best.

Let me know if you want some cool ideas for ferry rides/southeast Alaska adventures!

 

[Beeftaco]

I've never been to Alaska so I wasn't completely sure what I would be doing. But I do know I have absolutely no intension of doing anything more than the occasional forest service roads.

I wasn't necessarily planning to add everything for this Alaska trip but I have a spreadsheet (yup I'm that guy!) listing all possible upgrades with their respective weights for future trips with the girl friend and two dogs. Since the Tacoma is still stock and only 6 months old, we were wondering if we selected the wrong truck and possibly should trade it in for something else. Luckily, utilizing a trailer will allow us to accomplish longer trips as a family of four. Then by moving a few items into the truck, I can get away for my Alaska type trips while sleeping in the bed/shell (or ground tent).

I have come to the conclusion that I will never have complete armor (skids, bumpers and rock sliders) and full recovery gear. Then again, I don't know I would ever put myself into a situation that I would really need them so then it is just aesthetics.

Thanks again for all your points and for bringing up the fact that being minimal is best.

And you could adopt my plan for body upgrades. I fully intend to destroy my bumper(s) on some trip. And that’s when I’ll know it’s time for a nice new armored bumper.

 

[DamnSkippyTy]

And you could adopt my plan for body upgrades. I fully intend to destroy my bumper(s) on some trip. And that’s when I’ll know it’s time for a nice new armored bumper.

How much more does an aluminum bumper weigh over the stock one?

 

[DamnSkippyTy]

Let me know if you want some cool ideas for ferry rides/southeast Alaska adventures!

That would be fantastic! I'm expecting to depart in about a month or so. I had heard that the ferry route is very scenic but doing that with a dog might not be recommended since you might not be allow to visit your dog often.