How much gravel should I haul (safely)?
#1
#3
#4
Not to be a smart a$$, but...
It's a truck. Load it up.
I just hauled 1100 lbs of tile in the very back of our Honda Minivan. It sagged, tires squashed (max pressure) and we drove the 8 miles home on 45 mph roads. No problem. I would not have driven 30 miles at 70 w/ all the weight in the back.
The weight capacities of trucks are very underated. 1500 lbs in the back of a Screw every now & then wll not hurt your truck. The weight ratings are usually limited by the tires capacity. Look around at the landscapers & brick masons in your area. They are driving old beater trucks and hauling 3 tmes the weight limit on car tires everyday. I would not do that, but 1500 lbs in the back of my screw, no problem.
Spread the weight around, max air pressure, get in the right lane, drive slow, and do not scratch your truck.
Good luck
It's a truck. Load it up.
I just hauled 1100 lbs of tile in the very back of our Honda Minivan. It sagged, tires squashed (max pressure) and we drove the 8 miles home on 45 mph roads. No problem. I would not have driven 30 miles at 70 w/ all the weight in the back.
The weight capacities of trucks are very underated. 1500 lbs in the back of a Screw every now & then wll not hurt your truck. The weight ratings are usually limited by the tires capacity. Look around at the landscapers & brick masons in your area. They are driving old beater trucks and hauling 3 tmes the weight limit on car tires everyday. I would not do that, but 1500 lbs in the back of my screw, no problem.
Spread the weight around, max air pressure, get in the right lane, drive slow, and do not scratch your truck.
Good luck
#5
[QUOTE=babyhauler]
The weight capacities of trucks are very underated. 1500 lbs in the back of a Screw every now & then wll not hurt your truck. The weight ratings are usually limited by the tires capacity. [quote]
Unless you know something the engineers that designed the truck don't, that comment is WAY off. Yes, you may be able to do it, and yes, it may not snap the axle in two or twist the frame like a pretzel, but it's certainly not going to be operating within the GAWR of the truck, and if it's a Supercrew, likely not in the GVWR for the truck either. If you weigh the truck on a scale and compare the actual scale weights to what the truck is rated for on the door sticker, you'll be surprised at how little the truck is capable of carrying (and how much less a Supercrew can carry than a standard cab).
That's the lemming mentality. Just because landscapers do it doesn't make it a good idea. Just because you *can* doesn't mean you should. Just because you *can* haul 1500 lbs of anything without any visible effects doesn't mean it's not damaging anything. Axles, frames, beds, bearings, wheels, and tires could be stressed beyond their designed capacity. They may not fail at that particular instant, but they may sustain premature wear which can certainly shorten their expected life. At the very least, you're not doing it any favors.
-Joe
The weight capacities of trucks are very underated. 1500 lbs in the back of a Screw every now & then wll not hurt your truck. The weight ratings are usually limited by the tires capacity. [quote]
Unless you know something the engineers that designed the truck don't, that comment is WAY off. Yes, you may be able to do it, and yes, it may not snap the axle in two or twist the frame like a pretzel, but it's certainly not going to be operating within the GAWR of the truck, and if it's a Supercrew, likely not in the GVWR for the truck either. If you weigh the truck on a scale and compare the actual scale weights to what the truck is rated for on the door sticker, you'll be surprised at how little the truck is capable of carrying (and how much less a Supercrew can carry than a standard cab).
Look around at the landscapers & brick masons in your area. They are driving old beater trucks and hauling 3 tmes the weight limit on car tires everyday.
-Joe
#6
The springs start to sag quite a bit around 800 pounds, so I pretty much try to keep loads under 1000. Sure, I've hauled 1500 pounds of rock on occasion, but it's not something I would recommend (especially in a 2WD). If the wheels wells are almost touching the wheels, you got way too much in the bed.
#7
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#8
Originally Posted by GIJoeCam
Unless you know something the engineers that designed the truck don't, that comment is WAY off. Yes, you may be able to do it, and yes, it may not snap the axle in two or twist the frame like a pretzel, but it's certainly not going to be operating within the GAWR of the truck, and if it's a Supercrew, likely not in the GVWR for the truck either. If you weigh the truck on a scale and compare the actual scale weights to what the truck is rated for on the door sticker, you'll be surprised at how little the truck is capable of carrying (and how much less a Supercrew can carry than a standard cab).
I will tell you this, engineers OVER design. You CAN safely carry over the weight limit but by how much I don't know. I don't think it's advisable.
#9
Yes, GIJoeCam, you are correct.
In the perfect world of engineer test, gov regulations and insurance liability, you should never exceed your weight ratings. On occasion, & to answer wvscrew's queston, 1500 lbs of gravel spread evenly & a short drive will not cause undue harm to the components of a truck. Every day, maybe, but occassionally, I do not believe so.
A 02 screw w/ the 5.4 has a payload cap of about 1800 lbs. Minus apprx 300 lbs for fluids, minus apprx 200 lbs for driver yields apprx 1300 lbs of payload capicity. Distributed evenly will max out the axles at their cap & = the GVWR of 6600 lbs.
A SCREW has a bed volume of 44.2 cu ft. A yard of dirt, soil, gravel, will weigh apprx 2500 lbs. (rough estimate used in the dirt moving industry)
44 cf = apprx 4074 lbs. Do not do that to your truck. I know you have seen it done. As someone who has been around equpment & trucks forever, I promise you, exceeding the cap. by 10-20 % occasionally will not cause failure or a noticeable decrease in usable life. Dumptrucks, backhoes, excavators, farm tractors, work trucks, forklifts, etc... used by many companies would not get as much work done if they did not exceed rated caps. I have spec'ed out alot of equip & most customers view the caps as a suggestion or range, kinda like we use the speed limit. The manufacturers know this & build things to handle it.
Later
In the perfect world of engineer test, gov regulations and insurance liability, you should never exceed your weight ratings. On occasion, & to answer wvscrew's queston, 1500 lbs of gravel spread evenly & a short drive will not cause undue harm to the components of a truck. Every day, maybe, but occassionally, I do not believe so.
A 02 screw w/ the 5.4 has a payload cap of about 1800 lbs. Minus apprx 300 lbs for fluids, minus apprx 200 lbs for driver yields apprx 1300 lbs of payload capicity. Distributed evenly will max out the axles at their cap & = the GVWR of 6600 lbs.
A SCREW has a bed volume of 44.2 cu ft. A yard of dirt, soil, gravel, will weigh apprx 2500 lbs. (rough estimate used in the dirt moving industry)
44 cf = apprx 4074 lbs. Do not do that to your truck. I know you have seen it done. As someone who has been around equpment & trucks forever, I promise you, exceeding the cap. by 10-20 % occasionally will not cause failure or a noticeable decrease in usable life. Dumptrucks, backhoes, excavators, farm tractors, work trucks, forklifts, etc... used by many companies would not get as much work done if they did not exceed rated caps. I have spec'ed out alot of equip & most customers view the caps as a suggestion or range, kinda like we use the speed limit. The manufacturers know this & build things to handle it.
Later
#10
i wouldnt go over 1000 on my truck, but stock i would do 1500 if for short distance. If possible do very early morning, or late at night as to avoid the traffic. Would hate to see you cream someone b.c you couldnt stop in time.
before i got my truck we took the back seat of my moms 98 windstar, and put 1200 lbs of bagged dirt in the back, sagged alot, didnt change tire pressure, barley made it home, after running a red light b.c i couldnt stop in time. The trip was only about 4 miles, i wouldnt do it again if it was me.
-Patrick
before i got my truck we took the back seat of my moms 98 windstar, and put 1200 lbs of bagged dirt in the back, sagged alot, didnt change tire pressure, barley made it home, after running a red light b.c i couldnt stop in time. The trip was only about 4 miles, i wouldnt do it again if it was me.
-Patrick
#11
Be careful...
Keep in mind, regardless of what your truck can or can not safely haul, always stay within the weight rating of the license plate you purchased at the DMV. This is the total weight of the vehicle, not just the payload. If the wrong officer sees your half-ton truck cruising down the road with the back end sagging and only 5000 or 7000lb plates on the bumper, he might just place a call to somebody who works for the Department of Transportation. The fines for exceeding your plate rating are far worse than any speeding ticket you may have ever had...by about 10 fold...no kidding...$10000 fines are not out of their league.
Just something to think about,
Mike
Just something to think about,
Mike
#14
Originally Posted by xopis
I will tell you this, engineers OVER design. You CAN safely carry over the weight limit but by how much I don't know. I don't think it's advisable.
#15
How far are you traveling and how many loads? I had a yard of wet pool sand in my 2003 Screw bed that weighed 2580 pounds. Tipped the scale over 8000 pounds with an empty gas tank and me driving. I only drove about 2 miles which it handled fine. I would not want to do it often, but I have no problem with a yard of mulch, sand, dirt, or rocks dumped in the bed.