Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/285780
pro pickup | by Bruce W. Smith EquipmentWorld.com | April 2014 59 H auling 55-gallon drums of diesel, a bed full of pit run gravel or pal- lets of undercarriage parts are an every day occurrence for many pickup drivers who multitask around heavy con- struction, aggregates, landscaping and other businesses involved in moving dirt, sand and rock. We use pickups as a tool to haul loads and tow trailers in addition to the ordinary people-moving tasks. They excel at those jobs – to a point. When the manufacturer's load limits of the pickup are exceeded is when problems related to handling, drivetrain and suspension arise. That's when driver safety also be- comes an issue. Overloaded pickups place em- ployees at risk because the ve- hicle's handling and braking are significantly affected. That's why every vehicle manufacturer places payload limits on vehicles includ- ing pickups. That limit is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). What is a pickup's maximum pay- load capacity? It's the weight of the truck subtracted from the GVWR listed on the driver's door tag minus the weight of the average driver. If more passengers are in the truck, their weights have to be sub- tracted as well, as does the tongue weight of a trailer in-tow. You also have to subtract added accessories like winch, heavy duty bumpers, bigger tires/wheels and so forth. For most half-ton pickups that cargo capacity is going to be some- where around 1,200 to 1,500 pounds depending on make and model. Heavy-duty pickups can often dou- ble that load capacity, again depend- ing on what the configuration. So the next time you task your work pickup with a heavy load, think about max cargo capacity and the safety aspects. Just because the front wheels are still on the ground and you feel like all's well doesn't mean it is. As for helper/overload springs, they don't change a truck's GVWR or max cargo carrying capacity – they just help level the load and take the sag out of the tail. Cargo/payload capacity Pickup Trucks 101: