I have a ford ranger and had to replace both rear leaf springs, (the bottom leaves cracked) I think it was from over loading with wood. Now I try to be careful and not fill up the bed all the way.
So what makes you think that your truck weighs 5600 lbs, have you actually weighed it? I have weighed my weenie half ton on several occasions and depending on fuel load run 5800 lbs with no cargo. The folks with those noce big 2500s from GM are reporting 7000 lb empty weights. This still leaves a healthy 1600 lbs of cargo capacity for you though. Oddly, a ford ranger or toyota minitruck spec out to 1500 lbs of payload capacity as well. Properly spec’d (read a rare truck) you can get your curb weight down to almost what GM lists for the truck. We’re talking 2wd, reg cab, small gas engine, etc.
Yep. I have a certified scale ticket in the glove compartment of my 2500 4WD Suburban that reads 7,216 pounds. Empty except for 165 lbs of me in it.
When I went to register it for the first time the young lady said “Sir do your realize you bought a seven thousand pound truck.?”. To which I replied “Yes. I bought it by the pound.”.
Did this yesterday. This was one of the three loads I did. Almost all dead stand except for what was already cut. Guy told me I can cut all the dead stand I can haul!!!! I’ve got about two cords so far. Not bad considering it’s going for $225 a cord on the low end.
Did the same with my Tundra this week end. She can pull the load O.K. but I’m not sure how many more loads the leaf springs can take. I snapped one on my last truck.
Did the same with my Tundra this week end. She can pull the load O.K. but I’m not sure how many more loads the leaf springs can take. I snapped one on my last truck.
I’ve driven lots of Toyota trucks and the back springs are rather weak. On the ones I know I will be loading down and keeping for a few years I usually have an extra spring leaf put in the back. This gives it a much better ride and it won’t sag quite so bad. Don’t know why they don’t come from the factory with the extra spring. It has been a whining point for many years with them.
Me and my buddy think it’s due to trying to get a nice cushy ride out of your truck. You can thank american truck manufacturers for that one. The Toyota Tacoma 4X4 got bad reviews due to a stiff ride, hell ya they had a stiff ride that’s how they handle the back road of Maine. So G.M. and Ford came out with the leather and cushy ride so Toyota had to follow.
Cutting oak, I can get two rows high and three row length of about 22-24” cuts (between 21 and 24 pieces) and the springs are starting to settle. I’m thinking about 1/2 cord. Maybe a bit less, and with the fathers tacoma, I’m going about 1/3 per load with some limbs instead of the second row top and third row if that makes sense.
That’s the beauty of my 250SD. As full as it was it was barely sagging. If I could put more on and feel safe it wouldn’t fall off I would. But I try to be smart and safe. A couple extra sticks isn’t worth losing it in the middle of the road and result in some kind of accident.
I went to the church to get another load of oak in the ranger...all the brush was gone and most of it was cut to 14-16 inch lengths!!! I have never loaded the truck so quick! I don’t know if they are cleaning it up and trying to get me to hurry since teh brush was gone, or someone else started cutting? I wayyyyyyyyyyyyy overloaded the ranger. The tranny (automatic) actually feathered itself when I took off too quickly...Need to go back to my 90% rule cause it was too much weight!!!
I’ve got both a 3/4 ton Dodge and a 3/4 ton Chebby and both of them can safely take about 1/3 of a cord (hauled a fresh cut face cord[sorry, it’s a regional measurement] of ash this spring and that’s about all I felt comfortable with. I’ve done that many a time and if I just throw the wood in, space wise, that’s about all the room there is. I could get more on if I stacked it but I don’t need to tweak any iron. You gotta remember whatever the truck’s load capabilities, live loads (hitting bumps, R.R. crossings, etc.) is MUCH different than static loads. Like was said above, just by loading a truck bed you are not likely to bend or break anything....hit good bump, dip or RR crossing with a full load and the likelyhood of breaking your truck goes WAY up.
The load ratings for your truck ARE the live loads assuming lots of active and moving worst case scenarios. There is even a safety margin over that. If your truck has a 10,000# stickered GVWR then you can weigh 10,000 lbs and drive down the road with confidence that your truck was designed to run that way.
1/3 of a cord in a 3/4 ton? Folks here are putting that much in a mini truck.
Look back… oak for one. You might have found wood that’s heavier than oak and in which case your information might be more useful if you knew the actual weight.
1/3 of a cord in a 3/4 ton? Folks here are putting that much in a mini truck.
Ha, I saw exactly that in town yesterday. A little Mitsubishi truck loaded to the gills, front wheels barely touching the ground, back tires looking ready to pop. Wish I had a camera, it was classic. Kids, don’t try this at home!
I have coil helpers on my ranger, I just loaded Friday with a face cord worth of oak. Too much for the truck! I usually fill it 90% and that is plenty. 5.5ft bed 4ft wide and approx 2 ft high is 44 cu ft. A face is like 42.5 With that weight you need to go slow and know your stopping distance. I do have heavier tires on it as well!
When stock 800 pounds of concrete would bottom it out. The helpers add 1500 pounds capacity to payload. They are monroe, when I buy a new f150 they will be going on it as well. I think the shocks were 200 bucks and I put them on in about 15 minutes. Amazing part is the ride is better? The coils only pick up after the truck is down 3 or so inchs.
I have coil helpers on my ranger, I just loaded Friday with a face cord worth of oak. Too much for the truck!
Boy, I would think so. I had a stock bone stock Ranger after college. Nice little truck but wasn’t much for hauling.
I just hauled the cement piers and wood for the woodshed in the Ranger this week, probably about 800 lbs total. That was definitely pushing it and I drove the 5 miles back home very slowly.
1900 pounds for a face of red oak per the site give or take. This is log so lets guess that space considered it is a hair under so say 1750. Consider stock for the ranger is like 800, add 1500 capacity to it… 1900 is not out of line. Granted too much for the brakes and axle but it held it.
Rick
