All Pro's Timbren Bumpstop Kit

Details: By Bob Holliday

All-Pro has paired up their U-bolt flip kit for the 2005+ Tacoma with Timbren’s Suspension Enhancement System to create the ultimate bumpstop upgrade. Ok, well ultimate is debatable, but after years of trying out numerous bump stop systems in my 2006 Tacoma, I am very pleased with the ride and support that this system provides.

The All-Pro u-bolt flip kit comes with heavy duty u-bolts, hardened u-bolt nuts and washers along with a heavy-duty plate. The concept of a u-bolt flip kit is simple: 1) moves the u-bolt nuts above the axle and out of harm’s way 2) removes the factory plate that hangs down from the axle and creates a smooth surface for rocks to slide upon. As an off-roader, you should always be aware of where your differential hangs down to avoid costly damage due to an unwanted hit which could leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. To avoid the differential, large rocks are preferred to pass on either side of the pumpkin and unfortunately, we aren’t always able to get rubber on the obstacle forcing it to slide under the axle. With the factory u-bolt plate, rocks and other obstacles can easily get hung up, causing you to stop, stack rocks or change your line. Getting that plate up over the axle is an easy way to prevent this from happening.

If you’re like me, you tend to carry a lot of weight in your bed while heading out for long weekends or longer excursions. And if you’re like me, you like to keep your center of gravity as low as possible. My current setup is utilizing a 2” leaf pack from Toytec Lifts on a shackle flip from ATO, creating approximately 2.75” total rear lift. This setup works great for off-road suspension travel, but when I’m loaded up, I am very limited on my uptravel on and off road. This was very noticeable when hitting unexpected washouts or rocks on the trail while traversing the backcountry. Every hit I was worried about damage to my suspension and my frame. That was until installing the All-Pro Timbren Flip Kit. Timbren was an excellent answer for my setup where I will routinely carry extra weight in my bed. Loaded up with a bed rack, roof top tent, fridge/cooler, high clearance bumper with swing arm and various other camping gear, having extra support in my suspension was a much needed upgrade. That’s where Timbren’s SES upgrade excels. From unexpected washes giving an obstacle a “Moab bump”, the Timbrens have given me a consistent cushion that my frame, suspension components and my back appreciates.

Installation of the kit can be done in less than an hour with some basic mechanics tools and a vehicle jack. The use of jack stands is recommended while the tire is off during the installation.

The hardest part of the installation actually, is getting the old u-bolts off. Depending on the last time you had your u-bolts taken off, they can be quite stubborn. In this demonstration, a previous u-bolt kit was installed with a custom bump setup. The factory u-bolt system has the nuts under the axle and once removed, the u-bolt plate will drop out.

The factory u-bolts use the factory bumpstop for holding onto the leaf spring’s centering pin. When doing a u-bolt flip, the flip plate will have a hole cut out to accept the leaf spring centering pin. After removing the factory setup, clean the leaf spring near the centering pin and lay the new plate on.

With the plate on the leaf springs and the centering pin in place, slide the u-bolts up from the bottom with the rounded portion of the bolt securing the axle housing in place. Drop a washer and nut on each of the bolt ends and loosely tighten them down. A tip on the tightening steps, go ahead and lay the Timbren bump setup on the plate and make sure the washer does not shift over causing the Timbren mount to not sit flush. When tightening the nuts down, the washers have a tendency to rotate/shift over.

Go ahead and tighten down the u-bolts in a criss-cross pattern to allow the bolts to seat properly. Tighten down the u-bolts to 85-90 ft lbs and remember to re-torque the bolts after a few hundred miles of driving.