Well I finally had the beast loaded up to what I figure is max... actually I am wondering if I was overweight. My F150 would squat bad with just a 6.5' level bed full. Last week I built these bed sides, 2x4 posts (cut down to fit the pockets) with 2x6's running around. Was going to make a chain gate across the back but didnt finish that in time for the weekend so used a few straps. Stained black. Seem to work well, I actually had it heaped slightly taller than the cab in the middle. As I recall my calculations had it around 120cu ft so pretty much a full cord, although the last row I didnt stack all the way to the top. After doing a google search it seems Cherry weighs 2450 - 3150 dry and 4100 - 5275 green per cord, most of what I was hauling was cherry and mostly green so I figure I was around the 4000# or so. Plus 500 pounds in the truck easy, and a 6x10 trailer with the cub and gear and some more wood. Figure total I was hauling 7-8k which is fine, but I think my payload capacity was a bit over the top... it seemed to handle it just fine though.

 

Looks good.

I built the same thing for hauling firewood. I put a chain and eye hooks in the middle of the boards(center 2x4) to keep them from spreading and on the back a couple of 1x 8 with interlocking metal sides for easy placement and removal. Can't think of what those metal pieces are called got them at tractor supply. Looks kind of what you find on a bed frame when piecing the corners together. Works good though.

 

looks good. Great to get a feel for what it can handle.

 

Looks good, the rear doesn't look squatted to bad at all for what you have in there.

Curious about the ATV style tires on the Cub?

 

That's a good load and it's fun to do. In my limited experiences, you won't feel any strange driving tendencies until you get into the 12K and over weights added to your truck, whether it's in the bed, a trailer, or both. Only then, it's mostly just a change in the center of gravity, usually higher, which can feel odd. Braking is harder but not too scary as long as you get the feel for it before you really need to test it.

 

Some of those logs look mighty big.
And wood gets awefully heavy faster than I think when I go to pick up a piece.


The rear suspension looks close to the bump stops. I've had a big load on the rear suspension before and when the factory tires fill the wheel wells that much, the jounce bumper is close to the tang.

 

Yep I'm going to do similar with eye-bolts and chains, I might have to look into your 'quick braket' like things for the back but my plans were some eye bolts and 3 chains across the back and one in the middle. I just didnt have the hardware yet and used straps for that run.

I forgot I was going to post some pics about the bed walls too...




You must have a sharp eye! I had wanted Ag tires, but they seem to only come in a few sizes. The ATV tires came in a wide range of sizes I couldnt get with Ag's and the GBC Gator tires I got are about as similar to Ags as it gets so I put those on the rear, and up front I put on V61 5-rib tires. Similar in performance to the tri-ribs you see on tractors but a little more turf friendly. These tires have made a huge difference in just mowing compared to turfs - the turfs would slip in spots and tear up the lawn! There is no way I could have hauled that firewood out back through the woods and down the steep slope across the pipeline without them tires. I love the older IH-built cubs (prior to 1981) them things are tough and they have already lasted longer than most anything you'll buy built by MTD today... I've got a snow blade, single bottom plow, discs, and just aquired a rear mounted 40" tiller. It can haul my 6x10 with about 2-3,000# without much fuss, havent tried anything heavier than that but everyone always says they can haul a lot more than they can stop...



Yeah it was getting close, maybe 1.5" to the bumpstop was left.

Its hard to tell in the pic, and even in person it didnt look like it was squating like some trucks do but it did drop about 5" or so at the hitch... when I unhooked the trailer I jacked it up so it was just barely high enough to clear the ball, when I hooked it back up I could put my hand between the ball and the trailer hitch (my hand in the position as if you were reaching out to shake hands).

 

My f150 squats with only 600lbs in the back.. I have had around 2000 lbs int he back of my f250 it looked like it was normal. Actually rode better going down the road..

Good looking mod you did!!

 

Ok, sorry for the WAY off topic post, but I can't resist a chance to show off my Cub. It's a 1949 (confirmed by the serial number plate) with a few body repairs and replacements from the mid 60s. It's currently at about the 1/3 point of a rebuild, so this is the only pic I have of it together, before I started.

 

Nice looking firewood hauler. lol seriously though bet you could fit more in there. Just make sure you have enough air in you tires to keep the tires in good shape.

 

dmpruss - Yeah if I am going to be hauling a lot in the bed I set the tires for 80. Empty 70f/65r.

Texastech, I dont see the picture. You could make it on topic by saying you use your ford to haul it around. I'd like to have an old Farmall Cub, or a Farmall A but I dont have money for project tractors right now. Both my Cubs I have are 70's cubs and they are both workhorses. Actually going to be plowing the garden today I hope... You got me thinking though maybe I should make a post in the non automotive section and see if we can get some others with cubs to post up pics. Of course then well get into a cub vs deere debate!

 

I love those IH cubs. They're unstopable. I have 3, a 104, 124, and 154 cub low boy. Best tractor ever made IMO.

 

My nephews use Big Red (95 F350 dually) and a trailer to haul at least 100 cords of wood every winter.

Key thing to keep in mind is the tires. If the load rating is exceeded, or if you don't have enough air in them, the carcass will flex more than designed - which creates heat inside the carcass. The longer the drive and the higher the speeds, the greater the risk.
This can start the carcass delaminating. Once that starts, the plys rub against each other - generating even more heat and more delamination. A true death spiral.
Overloading is rarely an immediate failure - it usually takes a while for the failure to appear.

The moral: If you use your truck hard, keep a sharp eye on the tires! And if you know or suspect you've overloaded them or ran at too low of pressure, keep an extra sharp eye out (and please don't blame manufacturer when they fail). You can usually spot a delaminating tire before it fails - either in the form of bumps or blisters on the sidewall, thumping or other noises, or a tread that starts "doming" in places (ie, instead of being flat across the tread, the middle starts bulging out).

 

You think that's heavy? You should see some of the wood gr8Scott72 hauls with his Excursion. His Excursion is THE hardest working V10 Excursion on the forum, if not ever.

Everytime you see that guy he's got wood....

 

Toreador_Diesel keep it clean this is a family site .