moving machines and cargo weight

What does the doorpost sticker or the owner's manual tell you? That's what counts. My "1 ton" van has a sticker with a GVWR of 4000 lbs above the empty weight.

You can even exceed the ratings somewhat if you keep it slow and smooth. Watch the suspension as you lower the 2nd unit into the bed. At some point you risk bending something in the truck, losing control, etc.

Go to the auto parts store and get a spring booster kit. Then you ought to be able to do 2 at once. A lot depends on how far you have to drive and how bumpy it is, that sort of thing. If you severely overload a pickup one of the possible failure modes is the fenders rubbing on the tires. Most of the other failure modes are worse.

It is conceivable that you could get a ticket for overloading your rear axle. If you overload your truck and have a mechanical failure that causes an at-fault accident your insurance company might be able to escape paying, and it would be easy to prove negligence on your part.

I suggest you rent a beefy flatbed trailer that can handle a 3500# load and pull them all at once. Don't stint on tie-downs.

Grant Erw> Hi everyone,

Greetings:

One option is to look at your tires. They should have a max load value, along with a pressure for that load. Add up all four, and compare that with your recommended GWV from owner's manual or door sticker to make an estimate of the max load.

Regards, Jim Brown

"V8TR4" more then 2000 pounds of stuff. I always assumed that 1 ton meant it was

Yes you can over do it. My dad owned a '67 F100 and loaned it to a friend. The guy went to a gravel pit and loaded it full of gravel. Got about 1/2 mile and the read axle housing snapped.

One good gauge is to look at the rear leaf springs, if they are hitting the rubber snubbers, then you have too much weight.

Lane

One machine. You do not have the suspension capacity. You probably have "B" rated tires and a single row ball bearing rear axle. Even the brakes are suspect with that load. The risks clearly outweigh the benefit. Steve "V8TR4" more then 2000 pounds of stuff. I always assumed that 1 ton meant it was

If you want to know exactly, here is how to do it.

1. Find the plate that gives the vehicle GVWR.

1. Weigh the truck at a gravel pit or truckstop, preferably with you in it.

2. The difference is the actual usable payload.

It is possible that you have 1500 pounds of payload, especially if the truck is not weighed down with a lot of options, such as 4WD. You did In fact my 1999 brochure gives a range of payloads of 1700 pounds to

2000 pounds, depending on cab size, and 2WD vs. 4WD. Unfortunately, my experience, based on scaling my own F350 truck, is that the brochure tends to exaggerate the payload. (Brochure said around 5000 pound payload for my truck, actual payload was 4300 pounds, including myself in the 4300 pounds).

I would not recommend hauling 5 mills at a time on a trailer, that would definitely cause you to exceed the truck GCVWR limit, especially with the small engine. The 6 with the stick shift has a very low trailer rating, which could be as low as 2000 pounds!

Can you exceed the payload by a bit for 6 miles? Unlikely to have a problem, unless you grossly exceed the payload. Lots of RVers exceed their limits and drive hundreds of miles.

Richard

V8TR4 wrote:

I put mine in my Ranger, which acts like it's rated at about 500 lbs. No problems. Just go slow, load forward so they won't slide, and secure them as well as possible. If you put them in a U-haul, you have to move them forward, etc. What a pain. With only two in a pickup, you can get them in and out without shuffling very much. And you'll probably be ready for a rest while you drive over and get the next load.

Overloading a pickup (at least above their "ratings") is done by anyone who owns one. It cannot be avoided. Sooner or later, you will "need" to move something that weighs too much, but not enough to force you to get the next bigger rig. The biggest sin that is committed is not making sure that your tires are in good shape and properly inflated. BE SAFE.

V8TR4 wrote: I have to pick up a couple of mill/drills that each weigh 700

6 miles away. I am thinking of just renting a UHaul and doing it in one trip but would rather not. I can easily fit 2 or even 3 in the bed, but am worried about weight.

Most of the F-150s with a standard use a Mazda transmission the 250 and up don't. Thats the weak point in the drive tran and the truck hauling capacity. I have a 1996 extra cab 150 with the 5 speed last week I had about 1500 pounds in the back. Drove fine but I was real easy on my driving. 6 miles is not to far. Mine has the 300 CI six not the V-6. Great truck drives nice runs great but won't take the weight like my past 3/4 ton.

Specifically with the newer F150's they have a very weak point right above the rear axle. The rubber bumper is mounted there and the rear axle beats it till the frame folds and then breaks. I've had to fix two of them that did this from overloads on rough roads.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

"V8TR4"

Sheesh - just make 5 trips. How long can it take to drive 6 miles? Certainly not worth the risk or the expense of renting the trailer. My $.02 Bob

My 2001 GMC 2500HD is a nominal 3/4 ton truck (based on the 2500 series number), however the GMC manual says that you may haul 4006 pounds in it. Fuel weight and passenger weight must be included in the 4006 lbs. If I loaded five 200 pounders in the cab (extended cab) and had the tank full I could still load 2798 pounds in the bed. I think I'd tell the boys in the back seat to use another car and give myself a little leeway, though.

Harold

if you're not sure if you can do it safely, don't

for short hops across town, I have carried over 2000lbs in my 88 gmc 1500

2wd, with passenger car tires.

I wouldn't blink at 1400 lbs for a 6 mile trip at low speed.

Ok, curiosity got the best of me.

The State of Pennsylvania says my "registered gross weight" is 5000lb

Subtract the 4400 the truck weighs with me and fuel, that leaves 600lbs.

Whatever.

the door sticker is no longer legible, so I dug out my factory service manual.

It tells me that according to my VIN#, the GVWR is 5001-6000lbs

If I am to believe the VIN code, I am good for between 600 and 1600 lbs cargo.

"V8TR4" more then 2000 pounds of stuff. I always assumed that 1 ton meant it was

yes, this is xspecially true with rcm'rs.

more good advice. one way to know you have exceed the rated load of your vehicle is that it suddenly steers like a boat. the solution is to add air to the rear tires, often way over the rating stamp. just my, so far good, experiences. of course, for you newbies, just take some of the load off and be safe.

i picked up ShopSmith in a 1965 Datsun pu with my visiting brother-in- law along (i was about the umpteenth owner and only God knew the actual milage). he weighed in at 240lbs and along with the load, caused the right front suspension to collapse. don't remember the exact failure but i rang a few door bells, found some heavy wire and made a temporary repair. for years, he told that story, and would say he could not imagine _anyone_ doing that. he was an outside electrician, very familiar with tools & machines.

i guess that is a, "can you top this" story. we did get home in time for dinner. Happy Holidays, --Loren

Okay, see

and take a vote...

gak! that seems against "public policy". interesting, tho, something to check for in your state.

now we are talking trailer brakes. do they still use those self-activating thingies, like on boat trailers? i would hate to risk my load/life on one of those on rental trailer.

wrt to tiedowns, 700lbs/crate is a bunch. you need chains unless you have some serious experience using straps, just mho. now we need to add in some 5000# rated dogs. before long he would be better off hiring it done. any serious rcm'r has the chain on hand, right?

let us know how/when it goes, you have an audience. good luck! --Loren

that is a good guage for more than x-town trips. a neighbor in Cloudcroft NM got a wild hair to haul some wood down to Carsbad for the winter. he had a GMC 3/4 ton, a few years old. he told me that trip cost him over $600.00, the most expensive firewood you could burn.

i was astonished and incredulous, how do you to get that much wood on board? well, if you place 3/4" plywood sheets on end, you have a pretty large box. that is what he did. christ, it's a wonder he got home. he did, but the rear wheel bearings were shot and when they failed, the axle was gouged to the point he could not replace just the bearings.

he was not an rcm'r or he would have repaired the axles, right? he might have even had a clue about _gross_ overloading. iirc, the brakes were also damaged. i still don't understand that, i have driven with a failed bearing, more than once. --Loren

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 20:41:11 GMT, "V8TR4" While I'm on it, I see F350 and other 1 tons loaded with what looks like way

I've seen a couple tons on a pickup. I used to live in SoCal where entire [insert ethnicity of choice here] families moved at once. It's doable, but not very safe.

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crips, incredible. that's kinda what i thought about when the guy said he lost his rear axles/bearings hauling firewood. at least the Mercedes' look to have twin screws (and probably spoke wheels). the boxes have to be good, tho, even if that's only bedding under the passengers. --Loren