5000lbs in the bed???

[CumminsPuller]

Anyone hauled 5000-7000lbs in the bed of their 3500's? I am planning on carrying 5000lbs for right now, just to see what the springs look like and how it rides..... just curious on what others have put in theirs... ... Thanks in advance. .



Jason

 

[Eric_77]

Put 5700 in bed of 96 2500 extd cab didn't know it was so much weight and drove from Chicago to Dallas. No problem and didn't really look overloaded.

 

[sewman]

I used to go to a place & get firwood-Oak,all you can haul for $25. 00 . They were also digging a pond & had a portable scale setup I asked them once if I could weigh my truck it my old 1978

Dodge w/318 3/4ton weighed 6,000lb empty & 12,500 loaded.

We used to heap it up like this alot.

FWIW,Bob

 

[CumminsPuller]

Eric_77..........

Do you have the camper package on your truck(overload springs)?





Jason

 

[LSMITH]

I have had a 3800# water tank (4'x4'x6' high) right back against the tailgate of mine. I do not have the overloads on. The load caused me to sit about 4 inches under level in the back, it did not look overloaded but you really can't tell by looks IMO. The ride was a miserable mess until I turned the Rancho's up to 5 in the rear. After I turned the shocks up the ride was almost as good as empty. If your weight varies a lot get the Rancho 9000's, adjusting for weight conditions is something you have to experience. Overall I would say the truck handled the weight just fine, but if I had that weight or more on often I would want it on a trailer with brakes to make stopping a little less fun.

 

[StakeMan]

I had a 96 2wd 3500 flat bed. Put 8000# on it more than once. no problems, but I wouldn't do it on long trips unless your tires have a high load rating.

 

[rkressg]

Overloaded!!!

I put 3 yards of wet topsoil in my 2500 at a time, the truck does not look that bad. The overload springs are upside down and the dana 80 takes on a kind of smile. I had no trouble stoping the truck and the engine did not even know there was any weight back there. a yard of top soil dry weighs 2250 lbs. I being a landscaper these are normal loads. I wish I could get one of those elusive Mexican Dodge 5500 with a dump bed. That is on my wish list. I The truck empty sits so high in the back that when loaded, it only looks slightly unlevel in the rear. The truck rides much better when loaded. The 8800 lb GVRW limit is for wimps. Don't stop loading until the tires look flat at 80lbs of inflation.

 

[Eric_77]

Yeah I have the camoper package with the helper springs.

 

[SLittle]

RGilbert - Why don't you get one of those dump trailers? Easier on the truck and easier to unload.



Scott

 

[LandShark]

Is the bed of a 3500 different than a 2500?? I've cracked the forward hold down brackets on each side of the bed just hauling my 3600 pound camper off road. They crack on the upper part, where they bolt to the bed.

 

[Jchristenson]

5000lbs.? No problem

My family and I operated a ranch is Southern CO and run a 1 ton dually diesel, a 3/4 ton diesel. We have loaded 5000 lbs on the dually many a time, in addition to 6000 lbs. of hay on a flatbed bumper pull trailer. Granted the truck is a dually and set up w/ overloadeds in the rear, there was no problem with the p/u "squating" out. I might be a little cautious putting that much weight a single tire p/u.

 

[RKohn]

2.4 X 2000 = 4800 close enough?

Carried some 6A stone for a friend at work. $7 a PU load, but we had to hand shovel it in. They didn't wanna dump it into my baby. Filled it almost bedrail high. The truck hardly squatted, but I got tired. Crossed the scales @ 3. 54 going in and 5. 94 out. Dang it rode nice with a load on.

 

[SOOT]

I hauled 2500lbs worth of horse feed in the bed of my 99 2500. It did squat the truck a little and it sure rode nice, that mighty Cummins did not even know there was extra weight back there.

 

[Miklos]

In my old '97 2500 v-10, I hauled 6500lbs of gravel, but wouln't ant to go very far. Where I buy gravel, they weigh you in and out.



I have had 5500lbs in my 3500 and I couldn't really tell it was back there (till I had to shovel it out by hand).

 

[Adam_Dodgezilla]

Big Load!!!

Well I had 5,000 lbs. of Pavers in the bed when I re landscaped my back yard. The truck drove Fine So good in fact I had it in there for five days I was to lazy to unload them by hand and wheel barrow them to the back yard. It was impressive to have the guy at Home Depot tell you that there is no way the truck can handle that much weight in the bed, I told him to just set the pallet in there and we'll see! Well the tuck squatted about 3" and sat almost level. Not bad for SkyJacker Springs!!!



I even have a better story than that! About 3 years ago my neighbor who is a contractor and he got the trailer for his Bobcat Stolen so he had no way to move the Bobcat to another Job site. So he has a 1997 3500, and he made some ramps and drove that Bobcat in to the bed of his truck WOW!!!! The Bobcat totally flattened the wheel wells in the bed! When he came home with a Tractor in the bed of his truck, I told him I couldn't believe that he would do that to his new truck, He just looked at me and said, " I wanted a Flat bed any way ". I told him the next truck I buy is a Dodge!

 

[Okie-Go]

I have had 4500lbs of feed in the back of my 2500 more than once. I do have the camper package. No handling problems or anything. I was careful not to get in a predicament and have to stop quickly. This has been 30-40 mile trips from town to the deer-lease.

 

[FFutch]

Overloaded

I hauled a skid of concrete in the back of mine. Only about 4,000,but it was right on the very back of the bed. The store where I bought it only had a dinky little forklift and couldn't get it any farther forward. I was a little light in the front end but it still handled and drove o. k. On the way home I pulled an 8% grade 65-70 m. p. h. ,and this was when I was still stock. I think the most we ever overloaded a pickup was with a 73 half ton D-100 with a 318. We loaded up a bunch of junk diesel blocks for scrap(MOSTLY V-8s). We knew we were heavy by the way the truck was squatting. Pulled across the scales we grossed 13,000+. The truck only weighed around 4000 empty. . You do the math. Gotta love them Dodge trucks . Doug

 

[Ray Torresdal]

load weight

I regularly load 2500-3000 lbs. in my 2500. You don't know it is there if balanced. The best part is getting 20+ mpg. hauling that load one way, and only 1500 lbs. on the return trip! I add air when loaded, and drop the pressure down when empty - maybe how I got 60,000 miles on the originals and they look like they'll go another 10 or 15,000 miles next summer. Ray

 

[Mundgyver]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Dana-80 is rated at around 11,500 for the axle itself. I've had the bed filled with 3/8 double pane industrial office glass, sheets at 47 in wide x 81 in long. All the way up to 3 inches over the top of the bed solid. I'm not sure how much weight, but I still had 1/2 inch to the over loads. Drove just fine for about 60 miles to home. Got enough glass to build a 13 ft 25 ft glass porch out back.

 

[Cobra]

heavy loads

MMclain,

You are not even working that truck at 2500 lbs.



I routinely haul a Coachman slidein that weighs 3100 lbs before addding food, clothing, and water.



My RAM 2500 doesn't act any different that when it is empty.



My brother in law once started out in 3rd gear. It shuddered alittle then drove right off. I wasn't too happy about it but it was an honest mistake and showed us what the mighty Cummins could do.



I only let him drive it empty now tho.