Hello:
How many yards of yard mulch would you say is safe to put in a 1979 F250? I do not want to break or bend my suspension. I am not sure of the weight of the stuff. Just looking for a safe guess.

 

FWIW, I loaded many heaping loads of dense bark in mine with no issues. I have also hauled over half a bed full of gravel with absolutely no issues. 2 yards is probably safe.

 

I found a estimated weight on the web for mulch. It is about 800lbs per yard. So at the max it would be 1600lbs for 2 yards. Would this make the truck squat allot in the rear? Or better to go with 1.5 yards see how the truck takes it first?

 

The bed has a freeboard depth of 18 inches and its about 65 inches side. With an 8-foot long bed, 18x65x96 equals 112,320 cubic inches. Dividing that by 1728 cubic inches (the volume of one cubic foot) equals 65 cubic feet.

Let's subtract four cubic feet for the two wheel wells and we have 61 cubic feet. A "yard" of material is 27 cubic feet so 61 divided by 27 is 2.26 cubic yards... that's the volume of the bed when loaded even with the top of the bed.

Mulch is less dense than soil and soil is less dense than concrete... typically. Moisture content contributes to weight so mulch vs soil mix can vary.

Let's review some FAQs;

How much is a cubic yard?

One cubic yard is a three dimensional cube that measures 3 feet long and 3 feet tall

How much does a yard of product weigh?

Weights for products will vary due to moisture content. Typically, mulch products weigh between 400-800 lbs. per cubic yard; Compost weighs between 1000 – 1600 lbs and soil blends weigh between 2200-2700 lbs.

How much volume can my pickup hold?

A full size ¾ or 1 ton pickup can hold 2-3 cubic yards, slightly rounded, but weight must be considered. Most full size pickups can handle 3 yards of mulch, 2 yards of compost or 1-1.5 yards of soil product depending on the size of the pickup truck bed. Never load more than what is reasonable or what your vehicle is specified to carry.

And there ya go......

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I typically get 3 yds at a time.

Depending on a couple factors, I have found the wt to average 1000lbs per yard, when I would run across the scales at the landscape supply place.

 

I put 2.5 tonnes in the bed of my 78. it squatted but I made it home safe
1.5-2.5 yards should be reasonable

 

I hauled 30 bags of 80lb concrete in my 75 F250 for 5 miles with no issue. I made sure there was plenty of stopping distance, though. Damn, reminds me that I have to do it one more time this July!

 

With standard springs, 1,600 lb should be easy. Around 2,500 lb she will start to squat quite a bit but should drive fine and by the time you get to 3,000 lb likely overloaded based on factory GVW. I don't think twice about hauling 2,500 lb in my '78 F250 with OE spec springs.

 

Another thing you may want to keep in mind it's not just the springs and suspension parts to consider, the axle itself has a weight rating.

If the truck is overloaded beyond rated capacity don't be surprised when the rear wheel bearings get lunched and differential oil starts leakin' etc.

 

I have an F150, long bed, last year I put 2 yards in it, the bed drooped some, I was more concerned with the old tires on the truck, but everything held up

 

That's roughly 1600 lb. Looks like it's squatting more than it actually is because of the low spot that runs along the driveway.

 

Not always easy to know how much you have by looking at how much the truck squashes down. In my '65 F250 with sideboards I'd fill it up with fire wood. Never squatted more than 3 inches, brakes stopped it, and I'd run it 65-70 mph for 60 miles up the freeway handling fine. One day I got curious so I weighed the truck empty and then weighed it with a typical load. It was 4800 lbs empty and 9100 lbs loaded said the CAT scales. When empty the axles were within 60 lbs of each other but when loaded the front only picked up 400 lbs while the back had the rest of the load. Yikes....I had no idea. I think part of it was I put brand new springs all the way around and brand new load range E tires.

 

Helpful and easy formula here...

Length x Width x Thickness (in tenths of a foot not inches) ÷ 27 = cubic yards.