Hey Folks,
I know this is a generic chassis question but since I have a PSD so thought this would get me the best answer. The truck is a 96 f-250. How much can I put in the bed of my truck. I need to go pick up 1 ton of dirt and im completely confused at how the payload rating works. Does 3/4 ton mean i can only handle 1500 lbs? or is it 3/4 of the total curb weight that the truck can haul? HELP! (what is the curb weight of our trucks)?

Thanks Much,
Al Conforti

 

It will handle 1 ton easily.

 

The curb weight will vary on each truck depending on options and additions. The weight that can be loaded into the bed and safely driven will also vary depending on mods and how the load was loaded.
Is your truck a SB or LB, lifted?
I am taking a wild guess but you you should be able to handle 1000 lbs. maybe 1500 not sure on the max. One ton sounds like alot. Then again if you can load the load to the extreme front with some of it above the bed in front and sloping off towards the back you may be fine. Best way to go about it is watch closely while it is being loaded and stop before it bottoms out. Keep in mind you want as much forward as possible. All of this even depends on how far you need to travel and what terrain and inclines/declines. Got good brakes?

 

You need to check your owner's manual or driver's door tag and see what the rig is rated for. You should find GVW or gross vehicle weight rating numbers. Example, if the rear axle gross rating is 4500 lbs, and your rear end weighs 3000lbs, then you could handle another 1500lbs in the bed. These are numbers I pulled out of my a$$, I have no idea what your rig's tags say. The 1/2, 3/4, 1 ton ratings are old terms and have nothing to do with you actual bed capacity. I'd say 1 ton of dirt will be fine though. Drive safe.

 

Its pretty much a stock truck. Previous owner did a lot of 5th wheel towing so i know truck was "tuned" for that but not sure how far that will get me. Im only down a couple miles (5 miles max. and that's really exaggerating) to the stone yard. The stone yard only sells stone in 1 ton increments. The bed is 8' by the way. 4x4 with extended cab.... Can i even fit the entire contents of 1 ton crushed stone in an 8' bed truck?

 

You should be able to fit it. It will be hard for them but ask if they can load it forward. If it is an old body with scratches and dents you can have them load it forward and let some of it fall on the roof and fall off. You can rake the rest off the top. This will get the center of the loading bucket more forwward and therefore putting the bulk of the load up front. Also be aware most yards have BIG buckets so some material will probably hit the tailgate and the cab possibly causing scratckes or dents.

 

You can fit that much rock in the bed of your truck easily.
I believe that the 3/4 ton rating is how much the bed is rated for,
However, i can tell you from experience it will hold much more.
This weekend i was helping on a sandblasting job with my dad and we needed to move sand up the hill to the tank. I made six trips, each with 2500 lbs of sand, and that much weight barely got the suspension to the overload springs. One ton at a time, you'll be fine. i'd just make sure they dont dump it on too fast.

 

i have a 96 f250 and i just hauled 1600 brick a couple days ago and a thousand brick weigh 4000 pounds so do the math you can easily haul anything you want i hauled over 2 ton all the time no problem

 

short answer-yes, no question, one ton would barely stress a ranger, etc.

long answer-you should be able to handle 2k lbs without even knowing its in the bed. the gvwr of the truck is 8600lbs. the rear axle weight rating is 6084lbs. the truck should weigh about 4500lbs empty. subtract 4500 from 8600 and you have 4100lbs to play with.

now, if the truck weighs 4500lbs, about 60% of it is up front. which means 40% is in the back. 4500lbs x 40%=1800lbs. so with the truck empty you already have 1800lbs on the rear axle. 6084 gawr - 1800lbs=4284lbs. that will put you over your gvwr, but the axle will still handle it.

youll also need to account for fuel, passengers, tool boxes, and any other weight that is in the truck already. but a general rule of thumb is that youll exceed your gvwr long before you exceed the gawr.

 

HUH???
I dont know about you guys, but when i took my truck to the scalesat the dump, (stock truck) it weighed 8020 with me in it.
I would figure that there's about 2500-3000 on the rear axle as is. that's just a guess...
That still leaves you 3k to haul.

 

Mine is around 8000 also.
GVWR is 8800 on mine

 

oh yeah. where the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton ratings come from where back in the old days when thats really what the trucks could haul. the old f150's could only haul about 1k lbs. so they were called a 1/2 ton. the f250's could haul 1500lbs, so they were called 3/4 ton. same for the f350, it could haul 2k lbs. it made more sense to just tell people what their truck could haul instead of expecting them to do math and figure out the gvwr and gawr.

over time, as trucks have evolved, they are able to haul more weight. but people got used to calling an f250 a 3/4 ton and those names have stuck around. so no matter how much weight it can actually haul, its still referred to as a 3/4 ton.

 

--HUH???
I dont know about you guys, but when i took my truck to the scalesat the dump, (stock truck) it weighed 8020

i said curb weight. not driving weight. read a little farther and see where i told him to factor in the fuel and any other weight he has in the truck. curb weight on a reg cab f250 is 4500lbs. mine weighs about 4900lbs with a full tank of gas and no one in it. if you use your truck for hauling stuff, it doesnt make much sense to load it down with a 1k lb tool box, brush guard, auxillary fuel tank, etc. you start putting that stuff on it, its going to weigh 8k lbs in a hurry.

 

neal-i wonder why our gvwr is different. we have the same truck. 97 heavy duty. ive always read its supposed to be 8800lbs, but i just checked my door sticker before i replied, and it says 8600lbs. maybe a typo on the door sticker?? they didnt start adjusting it for ex cab, crew cabs, etc until a few years ago. so that shouldnt make any difference on mine.

 

The only thing i have in my truck that's extra is myself and my toolbox. i can lift my toolbox easily (less that 50lbs).
The difference between curb weight and driving weight?