How much wood wil it hold?

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kwikrp

Feeling the Heat
Oct 21, 2008
299
SE Mass
How much wood will the standard bed of a pickup hold in terms of cord wood ? 1/4, 1/2, etc.
 
1/2 or a little better maybe 2/3 if you stack
 
Are you talking about a full size truck or a mid size?
What are you calling a standard? 6' length, 6 1/2' length or an 8' length?
Is the wood thrown in or is it stacked?
A full size truck with an 8' bed will hold more than it will carry, unless it is a F-350 or the 3500 series.
a full size 8' bed can fit 1/2 cord up to 3/4 cords if it has some sides. Some people claim 1 cord.
 
I can typically load close to a cord w/o sideboards. This picture was taken with about .9 cord of wet red and white oak. I can get a full cord plus in the bed, but I have to use tie-downs to safely keep it in the truck. For bigger loads I have a 14k GVW 7x14 dump trailer.

Loadofwood.jpg
 
Wet1 said:
I can typically load close to a cord w/o sideboards. This picture was taken with about .9 cord of wet red and white oak. I can get a full cord plus in the bed, but I have to use tie-downs to safely keep it in the truck. For bigger loads I have a 14k GVW 7x14 dump trailer.

Loadofwood.jpg
most pickup would be sagging real hard at that point tell us a little more about that truck?
 
It's a 2500 CTD, E rated tires (90 psi in the tires) with a set of Timbrens in the rear. That load is around 5000 pounds and it's probably sitting about 3 inches below stock ride height in that picture. I've had close to 4 tons of stone in it a couple of times. Not smart, but I try to do it as safely as possible...
 
Wet1 said:
HittinSteel said:
Can I take a guess? TIMBRENS
Yep, and money well spent! :)
How much wood will the standard bed of a pickup hold in terms of cord wood ? 1/4, 1/2, etc.
Nothing said about a monster truck!(well done)
 
I'm going to invest in a set of Timbrens for my F150 soon and hopefully be able to get a 1/2 to 3/4 of a cord
 
HittinSteel said:
I'm going to invest in a set of Timbrens for my F150 soon and hopefully be able to get a 1/2 to 3/4 of a cord
by the looks of that dodge i would think 3/4 is no problem!
 
Timbrens are a GREAT product, but be careful loading up a 1/2 ton truck with a lot of weight. The Timbrens will take a lot more than the stock axle will! I don't think I'd try to carry more than a ton in a F150, even with the Timbrens in place. I've read numerous stories about guys twisting up the rear suspension on the 150's while overloading them. There's a big difference between the 150's and the 250's...
 
Ford, Dodge, Chevy... whatever it takes to get the wood to the stove! :)
 
HittinSteel said:
I'm going to invest in a set of Timbrens for my F150 soon and hopefully be able to get a 1/2 to 3/4 of a cord

Timberns are great, but be careful with the overloading. You may be upgrading your truck's ability to hold a load without excessive sagging, but you've still got a light duty truck and it comes with a light duty tranny, rear end and brakes.

I'm all for getting the most out of your equipment, but don't endanger your life, or someone else's, for the sake of an extra bit of wood when you could take another trip. Its also not worth ruining your truck for the extra capacity since then you won't be able to get any wod at all.

The 1/3 cord I just tossed in my 3/4 Silverado just levelled her off for me, so now wihtthe plow on the front end I've got a nice Cadillac ride home today.
 
When you're talking about the actual load capacity of the vehicle, you're talking about the strength of the rear axle housing and the driveline components. Doing things with tires and suspension can certainly make the vehicle ride better and be more stable, but they don't increase the load capacity. This from the Timbrens website:

Q. Can I haul more weight on my truck if I install Timbren's SES kit?
A. You cannot exceed the manufacturer's axle rating or GVW rating of the vehicle. A Timbren suspension enhancement system will greatly enhance the performance of a heavily-loaded vehicle. You can expect the vehicle to have reduced sag and improved roll stability.


If you really want to increase the load capacity of a vehicle, you have to start talking about replacing the rear axle. One of my trusted wood suppliers has an old Ford 3/4 ton that he can haul an honest 1 1/2 cords in, neatly stacked. That old truck has a Dana 60 rear axle, and completely modified steering and suspension to make it capable of safely doing the job he wants it to do. Rick
 
Yeah I'm no gear head but then you need to worry about breaks, driveshaft, tranny, and clutch, if you're really going to do it right.
But being woodies, who cares about the details?
 
To answer the original question, around here we figure one face cord (1/3cord) tossed in loosely to the top edge of the bed.
 
I've got a 2004 chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 with the snow plow package, including heavy duty suspension, and I just put a bit over a 1/2 cord of oak rounds in it - stacked so the tops of the rows are a bit over the bed rail (4x8x2 bed ~64 cubic feet minus the wheel wells plus any amount over the rails). The truck handled like crud, and now my front brakes are squeaking. But I got a good deal on the wood!
 
J-Man said:
I've got a 2004 chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 with the snow plow package, including heavy duty suspension, and I just put a bit over a 1/2 cord of oak rounds in it - stacked so the tops of the rows are a bit over the bed rail (4x8x2 bed ~64 cubic feet minus the wheel wells plus any amount over the rails). The truck handled like crud, and now my front brakes are squeaking. But I got a good deal on the wood!
You're lucky the only damage you did to it was to the brakes. Putting over a ton in a light duty PU is skating on thin ice. It doesn't matter what suspension mods you have on the truck, that light duty rear axle is not capable of holding very much... Never mind the light duty brakes.

If you feel you need to carry more weight, get a trailer or a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that will come standard with a HD axle(s) and brakes.
 
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