MY F-350 with 1 2/3 cords of wood on it

[STLfirewood]

The bed is 8ft wide it has 52" sides and is 12ft long. It measures just under 8ft because of the sides. I made the sides 52" tall so it would be 1/3 of a cord stacked to the top. There is 2/3 of a cord stacked in the back 3 rows.

Scott

 

[rwoods]

FWIW, the 2012 Super Duty 350 has a maximum GVWR of 13300# (3300# more than the old one ton ratings). Based upon the pictures (prior to the additional wood added), I would guess that the load is fine. Even with the additional wood I bet it is under 15,000#. The scales will tell. Truly dry wood and green wood should be miles a part on weight. Ron

 

[CTYank]

The springs & tires may be able to handle a given load, but what about the BRAKES?

That's why some state DOT folks like portable scales.

 

[rwoods]

What is a safe load in a truck is a package deal - suspension, brakes, frame, tires, wheels, binding/securing of the load, etc - and don't forget the nut behind the wheel. Like a chain, the weakest link is critical. My dad was from the era of sorry tires. He used to insist that you just needed to judge the load against the tires. He was wrong as tires have improved and are not always the weakest link. Even knowing the weakest link is not enough as these individual factors can combine or contribute to create an unsafe load.

I'm sure there are many of us who overload trucks and/or trailers, but the OP never said how much green wood he hauled so give him a break. He spoke in terms of dry wood. Further given the small splits it is probable that a cord of his wood is lighter than an equivalent cord of normal split firewood. The scales will tell. Ron

 

[STLfirewood]

What is a safe load in a truck is a package deal - suspension, brakes, frame, tires, wheels, binding/securing of the load, etc - and don't forget the nut behind the wheel. Like a chain, the weakest link is critical. My dad was from the era of sorry tires. He used to insist that you just needed to judge the load against the tires. He was wrong as tires have improved and are not always the weakest link. Even knowing the weakest link is not enough as these individual factors can combine or contribute to create an unsafe load.

I'm sure there are many of us who overload trucks and/or trailers, but the OP never said how much green wood he hauled so give him a break. He spoke in terms of dry wood. Further given the small splits it is probable that a cord of his wood is lighter than an equivalent cord of normal split firewood. The scales will tell. Ron

I didn't have a chance to hit the scales. I wanted to get it unloaded before the heat got to bad(108 here today). I'll scale my delivery for next Friday or Saturday. It will either be the same size or a little bigger.

Scott

 

[rwoods]

Scott, you don't have to weigh it for me. I think your pictures are pretty clear that your truck is loaded but not overloaded. If it were green wood as many are commenting, we both know it would be a different story - but it is not green wood.

I think you have a pretty neat set up. I make references to my dad (now deceased) because there are a lot of guys, me included, that sometimes narrow our focus too much. I can still remember the day he took delivery of his first Ford - a new lwb F350 with a new twelve or fourteen foot heavy duty flat dump bed (as in designed for a two ton truck) with dual tanks and dual frame mounted side tool boxes. I help him build the sides for it (and for the first time in my life taught him a few things about driving when he got it stuck on the side of a mountain on a test drive). When we took it to the scales, we found it was just a few hundred pounds below the maximum GVWR of 10,000#; didn't deter Pop none - "Just keep an eye on the tires, son". Too bad today's heavy duty frames and brakes weren't available then. Looking back, my father was a habitual overloader of trucks and trailers and it is only by the grace of GOD and careful driving that he never had an accident beyond equipment failures. Ron

 

[wdchuck]

Here is a picture of my F-350 with 1 2/3 cords of wood on it. I have hauled a little over 2 cords before. It isn't even touching the rear overload on the factory springs. I'm really pleased with the way this things handles weight for a 1-ton.

Scott

Nice.

 

[rarefish383]

Way back when, we had a brand new 1972 Chevy C30 one ton with a 12' stake, and the GVW was 17,000. A cord and a half was a good load. Later our Ford F600's would pull 3 cord OK weight wise. But, my Dad got ours with a pukey little 330 CI V8, instead of the diesel I wanted, or even a big block gas. That 330 had to run wide open every minute and sucked gas like crazy, Joe.

 

[rwoods]

Way back when, we had a brand new 1972 Chevy C30 one ton with a 12' stake, and the GVW was 17,000. A cord and a half was a good load. Later our Ford F600's would pull 3 cord OK weight wise. But, my Dad got ours with a pukey little 330 CI V8, instead of the diesel I wanted, or even a big block gas. That 330 had to run wide open every minute and sucked gas like crazy, Joe.

If I recall correctly, you could get a 11,000# rated rear axle for that series of trucks. It had the removable third member design like large trucks and the earlier full float 3/4 ton axles. I thought the GVW was in the 13,500 to 14,000# range though. Anyway, wasn't the frame reinforced on these models just behind the cab? Ron

 

[hardpan]

Scott
Legal is just a number we must abide by. Your driving habits and preventative maintenance will greatly determine safety and the endurance of the truck and it's components. You said you drive like an "old man". That tells me you accelerate and decelerate mild to moderately, slow down or avoid bumps, dips, pot holes, railroad tracks, slow to turn sharply, shift with regard for the clutch and drive train, warm the engine before going to a full strain, never let the drive axle hop (like in sand), etc. Shock and uneven loads bend and stress everything. Keep your lubrication and cooling schedules and watch the wear items, brakes, hoses, belts, etc. I've found it will stay with you longer if you drive it like you own it instead of driving it like you stole it. Good looking truck and set-up.