overload springs
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overload springs
I went firewood cutting the other day and am trying to figure out how much wood is too much for my 93 F150. To stay under the GVWR I figure I can only carry about 3/4 cord of lodgepole pine which is all we have around here.
My buddy said I should get some overload springs and load her up with a full cord. Will 2600 pounds of wood be too much? The tag on the door says 6200LB GVWR.
My buddy said I should get some overload springs and load her up with a full cord. Will 2600 pounds of wood be too much? The tag on the door says 6200LB GVWR.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Cook Forest and Irwin PA
if you have teh factory 8.8 axle its maximum 'i explode with one more pound!' weight is 3800 lbs (actually 3776) so---how much is on the axles unloaded, and how much of the 2600lb load will be carried by the rear?
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
I have seen 1/2 ton trucks overloaded beyond any sensible limit without incurring damage. One was an old 2wd Chev that was filled level to the top of the cab with used cinder blocks. A rough extimate of the weight of these blocks came to over 7500lbs, all 4 tires were flat on the rims but holding air and both front and rear bumpers were 6" from the ground.. suspension completely bottomed. I'm sure they acturally took some blocks off before attempting to move the vehicle because It wouldn't roll with 4 flat tires.
So the moral of the story is if you know the actual curb weight of your truck subtract that from the GVWR and you can carry that amount of cargo for ever more with any worry of damaging the vehicle. Overload springs or adding a leaf to the rear spring pack won't really increase your cargo capacity but it will help the vehicle handle the load better, I have done this on almost every truck I have owned.
So the moral of the story is if you know the actual curb weight of your truck subtract that from the GVWR and you can carry that amount of cargo for ever more with any worry of damaging the vehicle. Overload springs or adding a leaf to the rear spring pack won't really increase your cargo capacity but it will help the vehicle handle the load better, I have done this on almost every truck I have owned.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 5,373
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From: Palm Bay, Florida
2600lbs is too much for a 6200lb gvw F150!! to figure this just look at your GVW (6200lbs) then figure out what your truck weighs empty, and the difference is what you can haul safely!! Overload springs are a good idea, but not ment to really change a vehicle's GVW.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
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From: Bonita Springs FL
Depending on how far you're going, how often you do this, and how carefully you drive, I would fill 'er up as much as you want. You won't break anything. I've had my F-150 loaded to the gills with wet firewood and it was fine.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,372
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From: West Cornwall, CT
Figure that your unloaded truck has about 2000# on the rear axle (probably somewhere near that). About 2/3 of your firewood load will be on the rear axle.
Very rough math calculations show that you can stuff 2400# in the bed of your truck and max out any design limits. This load is over the GVW of your truck but many of us have been guilty of carrying this sort of load.
Overload springs will not increase the rear axle's load limit, but will level the truck out if the rear end sags too much. The ride will be rougher. A set of Timbrens might be a better choice.
Lou Braun
Very rough math calculations show that you can stuff 2400# in the bed of your truck and max out any design limits. This load is over the GVW of your truck but many of us have been guilty of carrying this sort of load.
Overload springs will not increase the rear axle's load limit, but will level the truck out if the rear end sags too much. The ride will be rougher. A set of Timbrens might be a better choice.
Lou Braun
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Thanks for the info guys. Maybe next year I will look for a trailer and split the load between the truck and the trailer. With the price of gas where it is I need to get the most wood on each trip to the hills.
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