Overloading a 1/2 ton pick-up

A tree service gave me a bunch of wood today my 2nd and last load was a lot 18-20 large rounds. The steering was soft and had to stay in 3rd up hills. Some one told me I could brake the springs over loading the truck on the other hand my mechanic once told me the as long as you can steer your fine.

Find a new mechanic. Seriously.

Have replaced many broken suspension parts resulting from overloading. There is also a safety factor, like braking.

Years ago (before I knew better) I was hauling some free fill dirt. A guy was loading my F150 for free with a bulldozer. He filled it half way and I said put more in. He looked at me and said " Any more, and your gonna F up your truck. I'll be here all day and I will load as much as you want" Reflecting years later, that was sage advice based on experience.

Made several trips and brought him a case of beer on the last load.

The steering was probably feeling different due to all the weight on the back end and the front of the truck sitting higher. As long as it feels alright now that it is empty, things should be OK. Just try to load the heavier stuff towards the front of the bed, and the lighter stuff towards the rear. This way you send some of the load towards the front.

As long as you don't make a habit of it, and don't severely overload, you should be OK.

The problem with overloading that many people don't realize is even though the truck may "hold" the weight, stopping when loaded that heavy can be a problem. Need to give yourself extra stopping distance and brake alot earlier, just like towing a trailer. KD

I broke the rear shock mount on a Ford Ranger. I'm not sure how it happened, but hauling full loads of firewood all summer long had something to do with it, I suspect. The problem was that that's not a replacement part on a 2004 Ranger, so I had to have it welded back together. Hauled the same wood all last summer with no problems, but I'm pretty careful.

What kd460 said about breaking.

I also don't let a load sit in the truck bed any longer than necessary. Usually it's just load it up, drive it home and unload it right away. I don't know if that matters, but I figure it can't hurt.

Yeah...kinda like saying if there are checks in the check book, there must also be money......

I had a load of shingles on a 1500 Silverado with the 8ft bed and the rear end was way down. I knew I had a load, the tires had that soft look from too much weight. When I got to the dump the gent running the scale kinda snickered asked me how much of a load I had. I guessed around 2,000 pounds he handed me the ticket showing just over 3,000 pounds. Checked the leaf springs and suspension after, everything ok. I could really feel it in the brake system. It's not the brightest moment I've had, but I was able to get her done in one load.

I put a load of gravel in the back of my newish 1500 Silverado. The offroad suspension package didn't do much...the ass end was a lot lower than I liked. Got it home and unloaded as quick as I could. I was worried a pothole would give it one jolt too many.

Funny, I put this makeshift set of cardboard and plywood to protect the bed (it was all shiny and new). Now I just toss in logs and splits.

**edit - holy crap, almost embarrassed to post this pic I found....

I drove straight home. Got some mulberry logs today that some dumped at the end of the lane they were very heavy loading them in even rolling them up a board.
Much rather people dump wood then old stoves and T.Vs Dumping trash is wrong, our dump only charges 5$ per load and is 8 mile ago, but they still dump the sofas and stuff along the road. Deer parts will strat soon.

Couple of things to keep in mind about seriously overloading any vehicle.

Just because it moves doesn't mean it will stop and steer. It's the same with an overloaded trailer. Many people figure that if their vehicle can get it moving that's all that matters. Works out fine until they try to stop or make a quick move.

It's not just your truck that you put in jeopardy. Especially in a situation where something does fail, it's yourself and everyone else on the road, not just your springs.

And if you hit something that's either stopped or fixed, you're going to be the meat in the sandwich when all that wood moves forward.

Do you find yourself leaning forward and pulling on the steering wheel when your overloaded? Trying to sit "light" on the seat.
Thomas

No but I lean side to side on the turns to help distribute the weight

Cracks me up, I do the same thing until I slap myself.

Most people forget about the tires. The suspension can probably take some overload. I would hate to be overloaded and blow a tire out going down the highway.

I have damaged the springs on my dodge ram 1500. the right spring is jacked up and it has a funky lean in the back. I'll probly get it fixed someday. Doesn't seem to efect it driving but I am aware of it. Wife doesn't notice.....thank god. suck is life. It was from toting some monster loads of wood.

Checked my air pressure and was low added air and it made a big differences to hauling a load.

As a former auto tech, I've seen all the damage overloading can do. Here's a short list:

Broken or bent springs
Bent axle housing
Overheated oil
Ruined Axle seals
Thrashed Ring and Pinion
Broken and bent suspension parts: shocks, mounts, sway bars
Broken U-joints
Bed damage
Fuel tank damage
Broken ABS sensors
Thrashed tires
Broken lug nuts
Trashed brakes (which of course can include the fronts too)
and last but not least... Bent Frames

The wise thing to do is make a second trip or buy a bigger truck. Overload spring and air bags can help, but only to a certain extent, you're not going to make a 1/2 ton into a 1 ton either.

-Kevin

What's the load rating on your tires?
Heres a fairly recent thread on the same subject, and some ideas that are here....... well you may not want to listen to :bug:
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/3014/

I load my ancient Silverado till the springs just start to sag. Thats just around a ton give or take. If you have good tires, properly inflated and the load balanced, driving carefully you will be fine. I wouldn't recommend the rush hour expressway but trickling down the back road driving like there was snow on the road and you won't have any trouble. The big failing on many of these new trucks is the tires. Those Goodyear Wranglers are just trash and so many trucks have them. You can puncture them with a dirty look. My wife's Grand Cherokee once got a hole dead in the tread from a pieco of curshed stone the size of a dime. It was lodged in there so loose I literally pulled it out with my fingertips. Damndest tire I ever plugged in that I had to go get the cordless drill to drill a hole in it to put the plug in. Goodyears suck as do most OEM tires so keep em fully inflated and then some when hauling a heavy load. If you keep the load balanced she won't get too light in the steering. I had that happen just once. Kid at the quarry was replacing the usual guy running the loader. The old guy could fill a tea cup with that huge cat. Young guy was not so talented. He filled me a tad full before i could stop him. When I got to the scales I had 1.96 Tons. It was a long slow waddle home down the back road. The truck and even the goodyear stranglers made it though they were bulged. Generally speaking when you see the box start to squat towards the tire its a good place to think about stopping and you should be fine. This precludes of course slamming potholes, climbing over small downed trees and other obstacles when you get where you are going. Take it slow and easy.

I now have a full green light on this wood so I'm not loading as heavy. I saw the guy in charge today and he
happy that I was helping him by taking the wood. When I started I thought that they would change their mind and give it some one else. I've gotten 8 loads and there must be 20 more.Gum, apple, pine and poplar. Easy pickings. I'm taking as much as I can before the snow stops me. I have 2 wheel drive. This wood is for 2008-9
and as long it lasts. After I get this in I'm going to be picky about the wood I take.

Trucks are only rated to hold how much they are designed to hold, period. You cannot gauge with your eyes how much weight a truck can hold. Unless you have a scale, there's no way to truly know the load you are carrying. Remember too folks, that there is a very large difference between a static and dynamic load. You can load a bunch more weight in the truck than it is designed to accomodate while sitting still. But once you roll down the road now your load is dynamic and the forces on that load are much different. The consequences are not only potentially damaging to your vehicle, but you are also placing yourself and others on the road in danger. Don't overload. Just don't do it.