cubic yard question

[racsan]

Im looking at getting some bulk fill dirt, it appears to come by the “cubic yard” . from what I can tell by google its roughly 3,000#. but will that fit (physically) in a ranger longbed? I could put on my sideracks if I need to but would rather not dig them out if they are not needed. I have plenty of suspension capacity so im not worried about that, using my ranger trailer with the escape rather than taking the cap off my ranger.

 

[97RangerXLT]

probably be ok if you don't have to go far. make sure the weight/ center of gravity is just a bit forward of the axle or the trailer might pick up the back end of your escape... 3000 lbs will make the trailer squat pretty much down to the stops, and you might destroy the axle bearings...

I got a cubic yard of dirt for my garden project a few years ago and was able to split the load into two runs. half of the load dropped my Ranger down quite a bit.

AJ

 

[RonD]

A yard is 3ft
So 1 cubic yard is 3ft x 3ft x 3ft = 27cubic feet

Your bed is 7ft long(long bed) and should have 43 cubic feet of cargo space(37cu/ft with 6ft bed) so you have plenty of room

But its the WEIGHT that is the issue
Bone dry a cubic yard of dirt is about 2,200lbs, wet can be 3,000lbs
Your bed is rated for 1,500lbs
Rear axle is rated for max 2,750lbs <<< this is rear of the Ranger(1,000lbs) + the load

So make two trips or spread the load in bed and trailer

 

[racsan]

Im close enough (within 5 miles) that I’ll just make 2 trips. the problem with taking the cap off the truck is that when I do that I just park beside the ranger trailer and slide it on over, Ive thought about building a rack the height of the bed but thinking about it is about as far as ive gotten. I have a aluminum cap for the trailer but its not too bad to get up off the concrete blocks to slide on, I did swap tires around on the trailer, had some old 14’s on it, tried a spare escape wheel just to see if it would fit (yep) but ended up with 15 x 7 ranger deer-paws with the 255/70’s on it (widest tires I have, rated at 2,100 pounds each, oddly enough I have some 235/75’s load range C only rated at 1950# each) as long as its loaded evenly half a load shouldnt be a problem, not hooked up to a vehicle I can get the hitch to raise if I sit on the tailgate (im about 170# right now) Its surprising to me how much weight that adds up to. I have a big hole in the backyard (like 10’ circle, 6”-8” deep) that was used as a burn pit. not sure how much dirt it will take but I will see what a cubic yard will do. At only $10 per c.y. it’s certainly cheaper than buying bagged dirt.

 

[Curious Hound]

I hauled a full yard of gravel in an 88 F150 long bed years ago. Had lots of volume left but the weight was scary. I wouldn’t want to do much more than half a yard in a Ranger bed.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I pushed my truck a bit past it's limits hauling restaurant supplies and equipment... a couple times. What happened was it folded up my shackles and took out the spring hangers. They were the originals and probably nearing replacement... but just something to think about.

 

[Uncle Gump]

You got all kinds of stuff going on there...

We converted a mud drag Jeep over to GM M van fiberglass leaf springs to shed a bunch of weight once. Not sure of the weight rating on those.

All the bolts being seized is just part of the process...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I’ve had over 1 ton in the bed of my Ranger before. It’s pushing the limits a bit, my F-150 handles that a lot better. Dirt is quite heavy though compared to loose stone. I killed the first set of leaf springs in my first Ranger because I regularly treated it like an F-250. Built heavy duty packs for it after that but it wasn’t all that long after before I got my F-150 and one of the first upgrades that got was suspension. Now because I’m tired of shoveling I’m working on getting the dump truck going again.

bottom line? I’d use your trailer just in case they won’t split the load. Take your time, go slow, you should be fine.

 

[racsan]

every so often a small dump truck shows up on letgo, Ive thought getting one but it would end up like dads big bronco, rarely get used then every time you did need it a brake line would be bad or some other time consuming repair. plus another vehicle to keep plates/insurance on. Im up to 3 vehicles and 2 trailers as it is, Ive considered just having one trailer plate, even though theres a ball on the bumper of the ranger trailer its not like I could pull both trailers at the same time. be a funny visual though.

 

[Snoranger]

every so often a small dump truck shows up on letgo, Ive thought getting one but it would end up like dads big bronco, rarely get used then every time you did need it a brake line would be bad or some other time consuming repair.

I have a solution to that, it may not work for everyone.
My neighbor owns a Christmas tree farm and a landscaping company. He’s got a mason dump and a Bobcat I can borrow anytime I need either of them. I do help him out when they need minor repairs. So far this year I had to put a mud flap on the truck.
Like I said... it may not work for everyone.

 

[RonD]

You can rent a U-haul full size pick up for a day, $30 I think, its the miles they charge for, so short trip shouldn't cost much and no wear and tear on the Ranger
You just need to unload that day

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I hear you on the whole idea of a dump truck potentially turning into a headache. Buying one isn’t for everyone. My dad had this particular dump truck since new. It got parked when the 460 developed a bad drinking problem, two quarts of oil per tank of gas. I tore into it awhile back and found the valve guides are trashed. I’d like to get it going again because I could really use a small dump while I clean up my property that I bought and get it all fixed up. Having a dump gives me increased productivity and a heavier legal towing/hauling. I have the truck and know the history so it makes sense to me. Besides, rust is starting to get the best of my F-150. So for my situation, I feel it makes sense. For someone else? Perhaps not.

 

[97RangerXLT]

lol that trailer license plate... when I was in college, my Illinois plates for my 1988 Oldsmobile was SXV 823

AJ