Exceeding Rated Payload

[Hans627]

So what are the risks of exceeding the payload rating of your truck by two to three hundred pounds?

[m.hony]

Been overloaded for years. Can't tell no difference.
I am close to payload all the time. A couple of sticks of firewood and I'm over.
The truck doesn't seem to know or care.

[FishinHatteras]

This oughtta bring about some tell tale responses.
Personally, I've never been a fan of pushing vehicles to their limits. I have always heard that manufacturers will have a ten percent rule that you can go over, but coming from a family with three lawyers, that's not going to hold up very well.
Overloading is done all the time, everyday. Each to his own. Not my cup o tea.

It does stress your engine, transmission, frame, tires etc more than what they are designed to handle. There's just no arguing against that.

[PaulnGina]

Why would you want to do that?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Hans627,

Just what I would do..

Go to the scales weigh your rig loaded for camping.
Ck the front and rear TV axle weights and compare to the ratings on the driver door jamb sticker.

Do the same for the trailer.
Check the load ratings for your tires. TV & trailer.
Check the hitch receiver ratings.

If your numbers are good...go camping.

Bob

[Wayward]

Originally Posted by Hans627

So what are the risks of exceeding the payload rating of your truck by two to three hundred pounds?

No risk. That is why people use trucks - so we do not have to worry about a few hundred pounds here or there. I do not even know what the payload capacity is on my trucks.

I have been using 1/2 and 3/4 ton tucks my whole life for boats and construction. Never considered load calculations unless the rear end is squatting badly or the tires are bugled out.

Step back and take a look at the rig. Common sense goes a long way - and if that is not enough, E load range tires will do the trick.

[terryV]

Me too. If the tires look OK, it's not squating on the springs, and it drives OK, it's OK to go.

We usually put 150,000 to 175,000 miles on our trucks before buying new. Usually, somebody in the plant snaps up the old ones. Many of those go another 100,000 miles for the new owners. Nobody has experienced any problems due to overloading with our used trucks. (Of course, they're all GM trucks.)

[Wingeezer]

They have to set some sort of reasonable figure based on serviceability, longevity, safety.

It isn't as though you will turn into a pumpkin if you go one pound over! The more you go over, the more you pays your money and takes your chances!

Brian.

[Moflash]

You will just be riding on a fully compressed spring pack (rear springs) with little if any rear suspension travel,so a bumpy and very stiff ride.Your head lamp beams will also be high.Close to 80% of your braking is done with your front brakes and at maximum capacity the weight on the front is reduced reduced due to a maxed out rear load.Kind of like a teeter totter effect.So to sum it up it will ride like a dump truck, take longer to stop with headlights in the trees(exaggeration).


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[ROBERT CROSS]

^^^^^
????

And just how did we come to that conclusion? What did I miss?

100, 200, 300, 1000lbs over.

I just love blanket assumptions.

Bob

[dkottum]

I don't worry about payload but I do worry about axle and tire ratings, so I weighed my loaded truck and trailer to be sure we were under. We use a well adjusted weight distribution hitch to distribute that load among truck and trailer axles. A truck and trailer with properly adjusted w.d. hitch will drive better at maximum payload than a truck with all the payload in the bed and no trailer.

[Moflash]

It's driving better do to the wheelbarrow effect your WD hitch has created but the weight is still there and is a constant.
It is as if you have filled your truck bed to capacity then jacked up the rear end with a bumper jack and welded the trailer to the truck with articulating braces,then removing the jack.Putting additional stress on the trailers tongue,loading the trailers suspension along with the additional loading of the trucks front suspension.
You are still maxed out but now it is more controllable.This does not mean it's the best way to tow or the safest way to do it.



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[dkottum]

Thus it is controllable and comfortable, and safe. What's not to like.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Hans627

So what are the risks of exceeding the payload rating of your truck by two to three hundred pounds?

Hi, this could depend on what vehicle you are talking about.

Are you talking about a Falcon Ranchero, a 2013 Ram 1500, or a Kenworth? What is the factory payload rating of the vehicle you are asking about?


Are you planning to be overloaded constantly, for a decade and many thousands of miles, or for a few week end trips. I personally don't like going over the ratings, but some people think it's OK.

[Wayward]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

Pardon me for saying, but a lot of people freak out way too much about published figures.

True it is.

In my experience (as an engineer).......
The company lawyers publish figures calculated at roughly half of what the engineers spec'd them at.

[rostam]

Originally Posted by Wayward

True it is.

In my experience (as an engineer).......
The company lawyers publish figures calculated at roughly half of what the engineers spec'd them at.

Yes, and for a good reason: its called the safety margin. For example, in civil engineering when the engineers design a bridge they consider a 60% safety margin.

Exceeding any rating means you are operating in the safety margin, and hence by definition are less safe. There is no free lunch.

[polarlyse]

OH, and I have driven some Dump Trucks that rode pretty darn nice.

[Hans627]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, this could depend on what vehicle you are talking about.

Are you talking about a Falcon Ranchero, a 2013 Ram 1500, or a Kenworth? What is the factory payload rating of the vehicle you are asking about?


Are you planning to be overloaded constantly, for a decade and many thousands of miles, or for a few week end trips. I personally don't like going over the ratings, but some people think it's OK.

The TV is a 2013 RAM 1500 with a payload rated at 970#. My wife and I weight about 300 and the tongue weight of the AS I'm thinking of getting is about 800#. So before anything else I'm already 130# over. With the hitch, a suitcase or two and I could be 300# over payload very easily.

I'm not planning on traveling across country for months at a time but could be on the road for several weeks several times a year.

I wish I would have done a little more research and not just looked at tow capacity before buying my RAM. I really like the truck but a few more hundred pounds of payload capacity would have been nice.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Hans627

The TV is a 2013 RAM 1500 with a payload rated at 970#. My wife and I weight about 300 and the tongue weight of the AS I'm thinking of getting is about 800#. So before anything else I'm already 130# over. With the hitch, a suitcase or two and I could be 300# over payload very easily.

I'm not planning on traveling across country for months at a time but could be on the road for several weeks several times a year.

I wish I would have done a little more research and not just looked at tow capacity before buying my RAM. I really like the truck but a few more hundred pounds of payload capacity would have been nice.

Hi, if I were you, I would check for the differences between your truck and ones with a higher payload. I'm sure the frame is the same and maybe even the rear axle is the same. [check the axle rating] Even though you can't change the factory payload rating, you could change your rear springs to ones from a higher payload. [Leaf, Coil, or Air Bags] Then change all tires and wheels to what Dodge uses on the higher payload models. These items could be the major difference in the payload rating of the other pick-ups. I know doing that would make me feel a lot better about using a truck like yours. And a lot cheaper than buying another truck.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Hans627

So what are the risks of exceeding the payload rating of your truck by two to three hundred pounds?

None you'll be able to discern.