Heaviest load in bed

[JJRSMP]

My 1999 2500 ISB 4x4 5spd HD camper special, yada yada, wants to pick up 3 tons of gravel in my longbed. Any problems? Walk in the park. no broken springs?

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1999 ISB 5spd 4x5 LB QC, original PMax, 275 Hp injectors.

 

[mikepvg]

I put in 5k of sand last month. Still had some travel left. Make sure you air up the rear tires to 80lbs first otherwise you see a serious sag in those. Of course the Cummins pulled it up the mtn w/o even a blink.
Mike
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94 2500HD 5sp 4. 10LSD 4X4 RWAL w/GearVendor OD, K&N Oval w/ Pre-Filter, Straight Exhaust, Geno's Fumotovalve, AW-Direct Idle Controller, DiPricol Boost/Pyro/Fuel, Mag-Hytec Rear, 124K miles. Halon Protected, NRA Member. V1.

 

[MikeJ]

most load in pickup bed--6850 lbs
most load on 10' flatbed--8500 lbs
these loads were hauled with no overload springs, but the 1st when I had single Firestone air bags, and the second when I had dual airbags. NO PROBLEMS
Hauling the gravel shouldn't hurt anything, but I bent the factory braces in the bottom of the bed by hauling heavy concentrated loads.

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1997 3500 club cab, 10' flatbed, 3:54, auto, 4 Firestone air bags, 332,000+ miles

 

[MikeJ]

sorry-didn't notice you had a 2500
that's a lot of weight on single wheels

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1997 3500 club cab, 10' flatbed, 3:54, auto, 4 Firestone air bags, 332,000+ miles

 

[illflem]

I've hauled 4k of gravel with my 2500 no problem with the weight. A warning though, if you plan on shoveling it out the back I found out the hard way it messes up the paint when it wedges in-between the body and bumper and some gravel gets wedged in places on top of the hitch where it is totally impossible to remove. Two years later and I still have gravel stuck down there. The best thing to do would be to lay down a large piece of cardboard at the rear of the bed folded so it goes half way up the tailgate before the gravel is loaded, that will seal the gap when the tailgate is opened.

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95' 25004X4,AT,Driftwood,Banks Stinger,Warn fender flairs and running boards(work truck)
95 3500,5 speed 3:54,BD E-brake,Driftwood,Banks&Psycotty,34,000 GCVW apple and tractor hauler(works harder truck)

 

[NVR FNSH]

illflem,
The scenario you described is the reason I had the LineX sprayed on that panel when I had the bed done - no more worries for me #ad


Plus it looks pretty good since I have a white truck with the black bumper top & plastic panel on the tailgate.

Brian

 

[rich m]

5400 lb (2. 7T) of gravel. . flexed the springs about 10-12" (upper lip of bed normally shoulder-high, and was only elbow-high)... no problem until shovel-out #ad

also had the wandering gravels getting stuck everywhere. remove the tailgate when unloading, and also took out bedliner and re-installed. I was lucky-- none wedged between cab and bed.
3 tons may not be a problem, either, but mine was FULL... you might not get the last 600lb in w/out spillage, depending on stone size... the rear brakes do their job then, by golly!

 

[David_VT]

Geeez,
And I was impressed when I had one ton of wood pellets on a pallet and a 500 lb stove behind it in my short bed 2500.
The home depot fork truck operator almost refused to load it, telling me I was crazy to do that to a nice new truck... .

And to think I could have loaded a second pallet with no problem... (except for lack of space)

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[fest3er]

Like Mike says, run your tire pressure up to the limits indicated in the tire guide. Do the rear *and* front. Drive slower. And slow down for rough roads and railroad crossings. And take it easy going around corners.

Remember, the GVWR is for travel at any legal speed, over any normal road conditions. The more you exceed the GVWR, the slower you should drive (to prevent overheating the tires and bearings, and to avoid rollovers on curves and turns), and the slower you should run across speed bumps, railroad crossings, curbs, potholes (to avoid breaking tires, wheels, axles, springs, frames).

I've had 4000# of horsedung in the back of my 2500. The rear springs were flat (the bed was about 6" lower), but the Yoko 19. 5" tires with 95 PSI never noticed the load. I drove cautiously and had no problems.

Fest3er

 

[Bumble]

Doesn't anyone here think that 6000 lbs is just a little bit too much for a truck rated to carry around 2200 lbs?
J, what type of tires do you have? What are they rated (D, E)? Let me put on my Mechanical Engineer hat... Even though these truck have a much larger carrying capacity than those listed, safety margins only go so far. I design 6000 psi valves, and there's no way in heck I would allow someone to triple the working load... safety margins or not.
Can't you just make two trips?

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2001, 3500, 5sp, 3. 54LS, 4x4, pyro and boost on the A-pillar, 165 watt backup lights, Thomas powered on-board air system, Grovers.

 

[blackbeast]

I had 8, yes 8 Case 1840 skidsteer loads of wet top soil on my 2500. Dirt was rolling off of the sides. Stacked as high as the cab. Springs were 1/2" off of the bumpers... . LOL I also had the overload springs... I think 3 ton is more than most people would be comfortable with, but the truck can handle it for short distances. Get it unloaded as fast as possible so you don't tweak the springs... I took my new 3500 to the quarry the other day, and the guy at the scale would not load me with more than 2 tons. I had to argue to get that. The next time I think I'll pay the $3. 00 a ton and have it trucked. Take a blanket to put over you bumper and tailgate so as not to get it scratched up. My bumper is now pitted due to spillage out of the bucket. Granted. I could have parked my truck in the bucket of the high lift... . LOL

Sorry for the long post...

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2001. 5 RAM 4x4 3500HD Quad cab. 3. 55 LSD 5 spd.
Advanced Diesel Technology

 

[NVR FNSH]

Here's a couple of pics of how I had my LineX done:

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Brian



[This message has been edited by Brian Meadows (edited 04-23-2001). ]

 

[John Dimartino]

The biggest thing is the tires,and wheels. Do not go fast,the tires will overheat and blowout. No interstate driving at all with that kind of weight,take the back roads,go easy around turns. you will be way overweight,so leave lots of room to stop.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I haul 4-5000 lbs on a regular basis. (1-2 times a week) Haul my own water and everything still seems fine. No broken leafsprings yet. I have the factory overloads. I measure from the center of my axle to the edge of my wheelwell and after 2 years of this abuse I still get 26 3/4 inches. No spring sag!

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John McEachern
Fort St John B. C. Canada
1998 12v, 4X4, QC, auto w/tc switch, air, tilt, cruise, 3. 55 gears, TST #6, Isspro boost/pyro/transmission gauges, BD VB&TC, CC industries headache rack and rails, JVC KD-SX949 Cd player, forest green, Brigestone Dueler M/T's 285/75/16, Eagle 16x8 rims, K&N airfilter.

 

[NVR FNSH]

bumble,
everybody on this site has a doctorate in mechanical engineering - they all know better than DC about what the mighty Dodge Cummins is designed to handle #ad
DC just under spec'd the truck.

do a search on my name and read some of the threads about what these guys tow. I don't want to be around when there is a catastrophic failure... .

Brian

 

[Sean Flanagan]

I have had 5800lbs (according to scales) of sand & gravel mix back there on numerous occasions. The truck rides just fine. Barely on the helpers. I would avoid high speeds and potholes. They can be pretty hard on the axle bearings with that kind of a load.

Another word of caution... The front of my bed is now bent outward towards the cab so it is about 1/4" inch away. Dodge put some pretty thin sheet metal up there. You can flex it with one hand! Maybe stick a piece of 3/4" plywood there before loading.

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98. 5 2500 QC LB 4x4 5spd, white. BFG 285x75x16
Cummins 24v w/ TST PowerMAX w/EGT and Boost gauges on A-Pillar. VanAaken CPC. K&N In the factory air box. Stock Injectors, Stock Exhaust (Geno's Muffler Eliminator). Re-routed breather stink tube, 2WD-low kit, SnugTop, JJ Stainless Running boards, Tow Hooks, Bushwacker Street Flares, and a Cup Smoothie.
83,000 miles (1/10/01)

 

[Okie-Go]

I guess I am just a lightweight. I have had 4500 pounds of feed in the truck on several occassions. Drove sloweer than normal,stopping distance was longer as expected with this much weight.

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2001 quadcab slt 2500 HO 6spd. LWB,2wd,dk garnett red, trailer tow package,camper special, anti spin 3. 54 axle, speed liner,oversized stainless steel chicken slide,66 gallon in bed aux. tank,K&N air filter,Reese 20k hitch, Terry 2000 EX 30ft. double slide 5er, 2000 20ft gooseneck for haulin jeep, firewood and huntin stuff. 5X12 tagalong for haulin the 4 wheeler. Okie Newton

 

[Black Fingernails]

You'd be better off renting a trailer. Get a self dump trailer and you will save the hassle of blowing out your back.

 

[MikeJ]

Brian.
I don't know where you're from, but here in South Texas and Louisiana in the oil field, all you see running up and down the roads are Dodge and Ford 1 tons with or without trailers hauling oil field supplies to rigs and to the docks. Whatever you do, don't come down this way if you're afraid of catastrophic failures, because all of these trucks haul loads that would surely scare you. Sometimes the engineering world and the real world are at odds.
Just my $. 02 worth

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1997 3500 club cab, 10' flatbed, 3:54, auto, 4 Firestone air bags, 332,000+ miles

 

[bow hunter]

I had 4200 pounds in the truck when it was all stock came up Floyd Hill heading west in 5th gear 73 mph, the guys from Colorado know how steep that one is.

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98. 5 SLT Q/C L/B intense blue loaded 3. 54 5 speed straight exhaust,isspro boost egt dual pillar, bullydog stage II injectors NRA MEMBER