Payload question

[vinnieloo]

Hi all,
Looking to pick up a pallet of pellets for a 3 mile drive home, no highways. Payload is 1500 lbs. No mods. Would truck be ok?
Thoughts?
Thanks

 

[Scram1500]

500 lbs over payload is really pushing it, you will be on the bump stops. The truck steer and stop like the Titanic. There's also the peril of the yard jockey plopping 2000 lbs onto the bed

 

[irishwake63]

whats the pallet of pellets weigh?

 

[Andymax]

Yep, no useful info without knowing the weight of the pellets and your Payload rating noted on your drivers door jamb.

 

[Cbty2050]

What speed will be the 3 miles traveled? Will the truck be ok, I would have to think so. IF* I was in your situation, I would 100% load the pellets in my truck and make that 3 mile drive.

 

[jws1982]

Assuming it’s bagged pellets on an actual pallet (like what Lowe’s sets out to sell individual bags of), the load in would be the scariest part to me. Whoever is driving that forklift better be really good. That amount of weight would need to be placed properly in the bed over the axle. I think I would rather take a friend, take the bags off the pallet, and load them even across the bed. You’ll be notably overweight, and a pallet of pellets is pretty tall.

 

[AnthonyRI]

...... they're bagged pellets.... why not rip a dozen off the top and come back and grab them... it's only 3 miles down the road

 

[Gren71]

...... they're bagged pellets.... why not rip a dozen off the top and come back and grab them... it's only 3 miles down the road

+1 for this way...

Especially with such a short drive IMO its better to take half per trip and KNOW FOR SURE the truck is within spec and will drive/handle as expected. Yea its a short drive...but one of a handful of mottos in life I stick to is to do what I can afford when I have the choice to. And the gas/time to take two trips is WAY less expensive than any potential damages.

 

[Scram1500]

What speed will be the 3 miles traveled? Will the truck be ok, I would have to think so. IF* I was in your situation, I would 100% load the pellets in my truck and make that 3 mile drive.

I'd chance it too, but my payload is 1794 lbs

 

[AnthonyRI]

I'd chance it too, but my payload is 1794 lbs

Quad for the win!

 

[irishwake63]

Quad for the win!

my quad is 1878 lol

 

[AnthonyRI]

my quad is 1878 lol

I'm at 1709 but effectively little less with hard tonneau and sidesteps.

 

[Brutal_HO]

It's 50 40lb bags right?

2000 plus the weight of the pallet...

 

[Brutal_HO]

Assuming it’s bagged pellets on an actual pallet (like what Lowe’s sets out to sell individual bags of), the load in would be the scariest part to me. Whoever is driving that forklift better be really good. That amount of weight would need to be placed properly in the bed over the axle. I think I would rather take a friend, take the bags off the pallet, and load them even across the bed. You’ll be notably overweight, and a pallet of pellets is pretty tall.

Take a friend with another (or bigger) truck. Beer is cheap.

 

[vinnieloo]

Thanks everyone for all your advice and input.
Ended up just going for it. I am a nervous nelly so it was a little nerve-wracking. But my payload is 1518 lbs. A pallet of pellets = 2000 lbs plus weight of pallet. It comes covered with a fitted plastic cover then plastic wrapped. Opening and taking some off the top would have left them all loose and would have fallen all over the place and out of the bed. It's a very tall stack.
The forklift driver was very good. First he place it in the bed near the end. Squatted like crazy. Then used the forklift to push to the front of the bed. No damage to the spray in liner. Squatted a little less but still a fair amount, but no Carolina squat. Tire pressures still the same and no bulge. Headlights still relatively level.
Drove, accelerated and braked great. Handled it like a champ. I took off the tonneau and swingbox to get back to my spec payload. Drove at or slightly under speed limit of 45. Suspension still had some travel. In the end for my situation it worked out great. Wouldn't want to go any further for sure though.

 

[RVTRKN]

I would have broken the pallet down and started stacking at the front of the bed first then stacking less and less as I went back to the tail gate. That way your moving alot of weight forward and sharing some of the weight to the front axle. However I worked at Lowes in the lumber department and loaded many pallets of cement and other stuff on 1/2 ton trucks in the past. Its not uncommon to see people overload what ever they thought they could get in one trip.

 

[Gren71]

Thanks everyone for all your advice and input.
Ended up just going for it. I am a nervous nelly so it was a little nerve-wracking. But my payload is 1518 lbs. A pallet of pellets = 2000 lbs plus weight of pallet. It comes covered with a fitted plastic cover then plastic wrapped. Opening and taking some off the top would have left them all loose and would have fallen all over the place and out of the bed. It's a very tall stack.
The forklift driver was very good. First he place it in the bed near the end. Squatted like crazy. Then used the forklift to push to the front of the bed. No damage to the spray in liner. Squatted a little less but still a fair amount, but no Carolina squat. Tire pressures still the same and no bulge. Headlights still relatively level.
Drove, accelerated and braked great. Handled it like a champ. I took off the tonneau and swingbox to get back to my spec payload. Drove at or slightly under speed limit of 45. Suspension still had some travel. In the end for my situation it worked out great. Wouldn't want to go any further for sure though.

Your a brave fella!

 

[AnthonyRI]

Thanks everyone for all your advice and input.
Ended up just going for it. I am a nervous nelly so it was a little nerve-wracking. But my payload is 1518 lbs. A pallet of pellets = 2000 lbs plus weight of pallet. It comes covered with a fitted plastic cover then plastic wrapped. Opening and taking some off the top would have left them all loose and would have fallen all over the place and out of the bed. It's a very tall stack.
The forklift driver was very good. First he place it in the bed near the end. Squatted like crazy. Then used the forklift to push to the front of the bed. No damage to the spray in liner. Squatted a little less but still a fair amount, but no Carolina squat. Tire pressures still the same and no bulge. Headlights still relatively level.
Drove, accelerated and braked great. Handled it like a champ. I took off the tonneau and swingbox to get back to my spec payload. Drove at or slightly under speed limit of 45. Suspension still had some travel. In the end for my situation it worked out great. Wouldn't want to go any further for sure though.

You know, the fact that there aren't pictures just makes me smh, we were all dialed in!!!

 

[vinnieloo]

You know, the fact that there aren't pictures just makes me smh, we were all dialed in!!!

Haha no pics or it didn't happen. I was too focused on getting home and unloading the weight off. Here's the load restacked. It's about the same size when it was bundled up.