yes I searched, anybody know what you can safely put in the bed, I want to get some dirt in the bag, thinking about a whole pallet full 2400lbs, 05 4x2 long bed 4.6 on 17's

 

Plopping a pallet in the bed will concentrate the weight more on one spot, so it'll sag quite a bit... If it's only a couple of city miles, then go for it... If you have to run any distance on the hwy, then make sure your tires are pumped up to max PSI and take it easy.... No going 70 mph with it!

If you do have to travel some distance with it, unload the bags from the pallet and load as much of them to the front of the bed as possible.. That will distribute the weight better with the front end.

I've plopped a pallet of garden bricks in my truck before, and they pushed the pallet as far forward as possible... I was still on my bump stops! I had to unload half the pallet into the truck to even get home..... I got some overload springs for it the next day and it's not on the stops anymore, but I only live a mile from the store, so no big deal..... I'm still way over loaded for my trucks specs, but like I said, it's only a mile!

Good luck!

Mitch

 

There is no bed weight rating. There is only GVWR. GVWR minus actual weight. Payload is 1400-1700 pounds. That includes optional equipment/trim levels. So, take a couple hundred off that according to Ford. However, I've had over 2500 pounds of pool sand in my truck bed for a short time plus 400 pounds of people in the cab. I've sure I've been over GVWR other times as well, unmeasured. If you're going a short distance, you'll be fine with 2400 pounds.

Also, why are you buying that much dirt in bags on a pallet? Just have a landscape place dump a yard of dirt with their tractor/loader. Much cheaper!

 

I agree with that. If you buy from a lawn/garden shop it is dirt cheap.
You'd save so much money you could buy a new wheelbarrow and shovel and hire 15 Mexicans.

You'd also have enough money left over to buy a folding lawn chair, a umbrella, a half gallon of ice tea and a bullhorn.

 

Thanks for the advice. Filling in where a above ground pool use to be. I actuall need maybe 3 ton but the yard is fenced and there is no easy way to get the dirt back there. L***s has the dirt in 40lb bags at $1 a bag, pallet of 60, not to bad of a price. 3 tons in my drive, 100ft thru the garage and me having to scoop all that dirt up, I thought the bags might be easier.

 

I think what APT meant was have them dump a yard of dirt in your bed.
Will be cheaper than $60, you'll be using a wheelbarrow either way right?
The only diff is no bags.

If you don't have a bedliner it may not be worth the savings.

 

do you have stock tires??? if not make sure that when you put the axle up on the bump stops you wont be rubbing the bedsides with the tires. i loaded my early 80's 150 with a yard of brick chips in the bed and it cut groves in the side of the tread on my tires from hitting the bed sides, and the steering felt very light for some reason.....
but she made it i think it was about 25 or 30 miles didnt even need to ride the clutch, good ole 300 I6, they just dont makem like they used to...

 

Yard of dirt = $15-20. Wheelbarrow $50.

I agree with Raoul - no bedliner may not be worth it.

I've had 7 yards of mulch in my Screw's bed, 2 yards of pool sand, and 2 yards of slag sand in my Screw's bed. All 1 yard at a time over the course of 3 years. I've always been able to back my truck up to where the material goes and shovel it off, but a wheelbarrow would still be quick.

Regardless, it's your money. I would not hesitate to put a 2400 pounds pallet in my truck's bed for short trips.

 

You'll be fine for just a short while. I had close to that in my old Ranger once.

 

I put a yard+ (the guy put a heaping bucket from the front loader in there) in my 2002 2WD F150 twice in the last month, here's some things I learned:

1. Try not to buy dirt right after it rains. It's pretty heavy...
2. Be careful if you're like me and bought dirt right after it rains. The electrical connectors will kiss the ground at about the same the hitch does if you're going up/down a steep driveway (luckily, no damage).
3. Be careful of large bumps. I wasn't on the bumpstops, but I was close. Bumpstops aren't pleasant to hit.
4. Stepside mudflaps scrape a little with a yard of wet dirt in the bed.

If it's only a couple of miles, you'll be fine.

 

That reminds me of my last truck.
I had the rubber flaps just like on the big rigs.
I was backing up with a heavy load when I noticed something laying on the road in front of my truck.

I had backed onto them and my rear tires snatched them right off.

 

I learned the lesson that you should always secure the loose end of your straps. One of them flapped over the side of the bed in front of the rear tire. When I got up to speed (20 or so mph), the strap went under the tire and prompty locked it up. Since the truck has a limited slip, it also locked up the other tire, making me think my diff had siezed momentarily.

I spent a couple of minutes on the side of the road checking things out when I finally saw the strap (which had flapped back inside the bed).

 

Oh yeah? well I learned the lesson never to take two idiot brothers water skiing. Idiot brother #1 one falls, I have to idle down due to traffic. As captain, I command idiot brother #2 to pull in the ski line. I neglected to tell idiot brother #2, pull the line 'into the boat'. Although ski rope does float, it does not float when 40' is piled up, and into the prop it went.
Engine dies.
Me in water cutting fouled line from prop.
Idiot brother #2 making excuses.
Idiot brother #1 floating out with current into bay...getting smaller and smaller...cries of despair growing fainter and fainter.

Recovered idiot brother #1 and one ski, the other ski ended up in Africa.

 

Weird. I never knew you had taken my brothers skiing before.
Me: Watch that ski rope Ian, keep it outta the prop.
Ian: Sure, no problem
*CLUNK!*
Me: What the F was that?
Ian: Oh, nothing
Me - start motor, put in gear. CLUNK!

 

A few years back I loaded 2145lbs of dirt and mulch all in bags into my 97'
4.6L and drove 9 miles. There was a freight shipping company next door to the place I got the dirt so I used there scale to see what the weight was. The rear end sat right down with the weight but she did ok. My whole load was on two pallets if I had to drive much farther I would have unloaded the pallets and disributed the bags in the same fasion as others have said.