Max weight in truck bed for 2008 RWD Ranger - NOT for driving

[deeman]

Hello - I have a side business and need to fill a water tank and then park at several spots in an apartment complex. The furthest I would drive is 1/4 mile. There may be hours at a time with this water supply in the bed of my pickup. I just replaced the rear shocks with some Monroe shocks - nothing fancy.

If I interpret the figures properly - the overall PAYLOAD CAPACITY is 1,260. Could I hold and slowly cruise with 2,000lbs? 2,500lbs? Max speed would be 5mph with this load in my bed.
If I need to spend $200-$300 for some mod I am okay - I just don't want to drop more than that.

I know how much water weighs and don't need advice on that part - just the overall MAX capability for this model. 2008 RWD 3.0l

Thanks!

 

[Angie]

If the front tires are on the ground .... If the truck isn't on a highway and the frame isn't rusted out, I can't see too many problems with it ( that is my personal opinion) as for what the truck could hold ?? everything has a breaking point... watch the rear springs & tire deflation and that should give a good idea as to how much is too much.

 

[racsan]

I got a load of dirt in my ranger trailer that was near quite a bit, not weighed though. Towed it about 7 miles with no issues. (with the escape)

 

[don4331]

On the forum, for liability reasons: 1,260lbs minus options, minus your weight is the maximum.

You can put way more on a trailer than in back of truck, even if using trailer built from back half of truck (No cab, no transmission, no gas, etc).

If the gross weight of the trailer exceeds 40% of the weight of the towing vehicle, you should have brakes on the trailer. e.g. if towing with a 3,550lb Escape, trailer gross weight should be <1,400lbs. (So, that when some @$$hole cuts you off, you would have theoretically have been stop in a distance that your insurance would cover you).

 

[snoranger]

If I interpret the figures properly - the overall PAYLOAD CAPACITY is 1,260. Could I hold and slowly cruise with 2,000lbs? 2,500lbs?

Youre asking if putting double the recommended weight in a truck is a good idea... no, no it isn’t. It gets even more dangerous when the tank isn’t full or empty. The water loves to slosh and throw the truck around.
Our ‘08 Mack water truck has gone into the woods 3 times in its life “swerving to avoid deer” and we had a Mack tri-axle roll-off carrying a brine tank flip on it side... every time they had half full tanks.

Id recommend getting a trailer or bigger truck that can handle the weight, or a smaller water tank and refill it a few times.

 

[09fx4guy]

X2 on the trailer or bigger truck. I would be leery even putting 2000 pounds in an F150 bed. A trailer would be the easiest solution, you should be able to tow the extra weight much easier than hauling it in the bed. The damage you could cause putting that much weight in the bed would easily be twice more than what a small trailer would cost, perhaps even a used trailer in good shape. Is it worth potentially totaling the truck?

I've put about 600 pounds of shingles in the bed of my FX4, and with the toolbox (say 250 pounds) and me (same weight as toolbox). It was a noticeable difference than normal when driving slow speed.

 

[superj]

we put a liner in the bed of my old chevy 1500 wt with helper springs on it. it had the looong bed, you could put full sized drywall and plywood in it and close the tailgate without touching anything. anyways, we put a liner in the bed one weekend and filled the bed with water. at the halfway mark, the springs were on the stops and the tires looked ready to pop, they were really spread out on the bottom.

i would not be worried about rolling around the parking lot slowly as much as i would be worried about the suspension and axle assembly being destroyed. our little trucks are quarter ton trucks and you want to put a ton in the bed so it might bend things you don't want bent.

maybe get some type of rv stands to put under the corners of the bed frame mount areas so you can take some weight off when parked.

 

[don4331]

Our ‘08 Mack water truck has gone into the woods 3 times in its life “swerving to avoid deer” and we had a Mack tri-axle roll-off carrying a brine tank flip on it side... every time they had half full tanks.

At my Dad's service station, the fuel truck that we took out to the local farms had multiple compartments so we never had 1/2 full tanks - the farmer either needed a full compartment or he would wait for the next run. There were a couple times we filled the tractor, the combine, the swather, etc to finish emptying the compartment. There were also a pair of 45 gallon (imp) tanks on the back, that could be filled.

The only thing that is compares in hauling hanging beef - they will do a nasty sway as well.

Is it worth potentially totaling the truck?

Replacing a truck just costs money. Its someone's toddler that runs out from their apartment that is irreplaceable.

If its a side business, you can right off the expense of the trailer from your taxes, so it really does cost you.

You still don't want to mess with a partially filled tank though.​

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Some very good advice given. Personally I would give it a go, making sure I had LT tires on the rear, not passenger tires. And not traveling more than at an idle. This is personal opinion based on 45 years of being a risk taker. I'm 60 years old now.
If you have a place to experiment with a full and half load, that would be worth doing IMO.
This pic is what I expect you would use. I think it's about 250 gallons. Make sure its tied down very good. I would use at minimum 4 x 1200# ratchet straps.

 

[snoranger]

Some very good advice given. Personally I would give it a go, making sure I had LT tires on the rear, not passenger tires. And not traveling more than at an idle. This is personal opinion based on 45 years of being a risk taker. I'm 60 years old now.
If you have a place to experiment with a full and half load, that would be worth doing IMO.
This pic is what I expect you would use. I think it's about 250 gallons. Make sure its tied down very good. I would use at minimum 4 x 1200# ratchet straps.

View attachment 74717

I wouldn’t think twice about doing it if it was on my own property, where there’s no one but me around... but I wouldn’t risk taking it on any public road at any speed.

 

[Shran]

View attachment 74693

I put a little more than that amount of dirt in the back of my '88 and then a small 4x9 trailer full behind the truck... the scale said that I had gained about 2700lbs total and that was split about 50/50 between the truck and trailer. The rear frame was sitting on the bump stops and it was NOT a pleasant ride home. The trailer, however, laughed at the weight... no problem there.

If this is a one time thing I'd probably do it. Regular basis, no. No reason to torture the truck like that when you could buy a small inexpensive trailer that will cost less than fixing the truck when you break something

 

[Stumblefoot]

Water weighs 8lbs per gallon. So do the math. some overload springs might help. and air shocks in the back..Still its a heck of a strain on the truck frame and drive train.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Back in the 1990s in northern Virginia I saw a Ford Courier (Mazda) with a utility box body replacing the bed. It was being driven on an Interstate with a partially buckled frame just behind the cab. You could see the buckle. Obviously the truck had been overloaded at some point. The cab and the utility box were at different angles. My stepfather was riding with me and he couldn't believe the truck was on a public road.

That's what can happen.

I worked for an electrical-supplies wholesaler and knew of several instances of smaller trucks being unable to take a reel of large wire (250MCM, 500MCM). Attempting to place the reel in the pickup bed with a forklift on, say, a Toyota put the rear down on the bump stops, and that load was perhaps 1,500 lb.

Don't risk your truck.

 

[Kira]

You said 1/4 mile trips. Make multiple trips. Use the vehicle you have.
Is there a loading time crunch? (Huge tank fills overnight from a spring or small hose which cannot fill a smaller work tank 5X a day)
Brake effectiveness?