Pickup truck capacity

2,500 in bed & 5,000 on trailer. Posted more on this in the "getting coal next week" topic. Should have put it here....

...hey Smitty...i like the new truck man...sharp! ccasion5:

Smitty, did you visit the shrine of the tire-gods?? You must have put a BIG offering in the plate to get away with that load. One good sharp-edged pothole and a tire's sidewall would have been history!!

I'm glad that GM has finally beefed up their truck frames, used to be that that load would have made a Chevy into a 'sway-back'. I see a lot of them around here in Chevy land.

I've put 3000# in my Dodge pickup bed several times, it is a 2500, but the frame is identical to the 3500, just the spring stack and axle tube diameter are increased for the 3500. 3000# and I still had a level truck [properly distributed] and lots of suspension travel, and it rode like a luxury car.

.

Thanks Bugzie!

I figured it was about time after driving & fixing beaters for my entire life!

Lsfarm,

I was keeping a close eye out for just that, as there are plenty of potholes in this state! Only had to go 7 miles, so I never went over 50 mph. It was a handful though!

I put 3,000# in the back of my old Chevy last year & I could feel the frame flex going down the road! This one is MUCH better, but I was pretty much bottomed out.

I guess the bottom stops are softer on the '07's! ccasion5:

I've loaded my 1998 Silverado until the hitch almost drags on the ground with firewood. Now I have the trailer instead. But have always been curious how much weight it will carry comfortably and safely. I hauled an 1150 pound Garden tractor in the back once 630 miles and it was OK driving. I've run stock tires and car grade tires, now I am running LT's and feel they are a stiffer tire that the stock ones ever were.
drujinin

Charlie Z wrote:I still have to make my coal run, without the brewery or mine tour entertainments...

How much - real world - nut can you get into a standard 8' open bed w/o bending anything? I have an F150 with the 3/4 ton spring package.

Thanks,

-Charlie

On your drivers side door sticker it will show GVRW (gross vehicle weight rating). Subtract the actual weight, usually found on your registration from the GVRW, and that is your payload.

I mean what will the comfortable, safe ride loaded capacity be? I spend alot of time on the road with daily commutes and work trips. What I see being towed, hauled and carried is amazing at times. Biggest thing is the vehicle itself. An SUV may have a tag stating it is capable of hauling something but when you are actually behind the wheel going down the road. Is it really safe?
Ask the old man driving the Cadillac SUV that scattered a travel camper all over the highway. He said, "I knew it wasn't right but I thought if I took it easy".......
SUV rolled over twice as the hitch held them together.

it depends on how you distribute the load,i currently have a f150 and all i have had in the back so far was a riding lawn mower,i havnt hauled my boat yet which is a 24' cabin cruiser,loaded with water and fuel is about 5200lbs not counting the trailer,my last truck was a 05 z71 chevy crew cab half ton,i had put munroe gas magnum shocks on it.i put all my gear...cooler,tackle,spare,jack,ect...in the bed up close to the cab and it hauled fine under 60 mph. over that and i would get some serious sway.when i hauled my coal i put about 1200-1300lbs in the bed without much problem,and that was leaving the tire pressure at the level on the door(35-36),but...i was only hauling my coal 2 miles or less from my house.

I brought bagged nut coal back one year and stacked twenty 40lbapprox bags at the front of the box and cap as high as I could. Then put all my worldly possesions in the back seat. It settled the truck down some but it rode OK. I don't remember which tires I had at the time though. I got it from the same guy "WNY" got his load from.

drujinin wrote:I mean what will the comfortable, safe ride loaded capacity be?

What year is your truck, new or old body style? Safety is based on the GVRW less the trucks weight. Comfort is subjective. For me I like a firm ride, others like a soft ride.

I got my coal yesterday in my 2001 Dodge Ram 2500. Two loads, each roughly 4100#. It's a diesel so lots of weight in the front. She sits down alittle in the back but no too much. The GVR on the door says 8800# but loaded it was about 11000#. I also used my automatic coal bin loader which worked flawlessly. (It's actually my 23 year old son who took pity on his old man and lended a hand.)

Reliably and very comfortably (75 MPH) haul 2000 pound loads of coal 80 miles with 2003 Toyota Tundra SR5 Standard Cab 4.7 liter 4WD.

Since I do this only 3 to 4 times per year, the cost of a trailer would not be justified for me. If I had further to haul, or more loads per year, I feel this type of vehicle could easily pull a trailer loaded with a ton of coal while carrying a ton of coal.

davebehrens wrote:Reliably and very comfortably (75 MPH) haul 2000 pound loads of coal 80 miles with 2003 Toyota Tundra SR5 Standard Cab 4.7 liter 4WD.

Since I do this only 3 to 4 times per year, the cost of a trailer would not be justified for me. If I had further to haul, or more loads per year, I feel this type of vehicle could easily pull a trailer loaded with a ton of coal while carrying a ton of coal.

Thank you Dave!
It was killing me to know what I could reasonably carry with My truck (2002 Tundra 4.7)

Now then, once the the temps break below 85! F'ng degree's up here in the NE I'll head back and pick me up another load (this time a full ton).

i've hauled 3100 lbs in a 99 fi50 stepside,,,it was fine
most recently we hauled 4200 lbs in a 97 f250 hd.....give your self extra stopping distance

Just be careful, guys. Hauling over weight limit is a serious problem should you have an accident. Like others have stated, check the weight limit of your tires and the GVW of the truck on the door jamb placard. Remember that you need to figure in your weight, the weight of fuel, etc when you calculate GVW.