Hauling bags of concrete mix today

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

Thanks for all the comments! Loading as much as possible ahead of the axle is definitely going to help. I let the store help load the truck for me this time as it was 105 degrees that afternoon and while distributed, they could have placed it further up in the bed. I forgot I have security camera footage so I attached a photo that shows the not optimum loading and resulting rear sag. Moral of story which is probably obvious to many is load heavy weight as for up in the bed as possible and probably air up the tires to the maximum sidewall rating.

Yeah, they loaded it to the back because it was easier to do it that way.

When I got many bags of mulch a few weeks ago (F-150 but same principal), I jumped up in the bed and stacked/arranged the bags starting at the front towards the cab while the girl that worked there handed them to me. That way, they were loaded evenly throughout the bed, and they were stacked tight enough that they all fit.

Plus, I got to show off my physical prowess to a lady young enough to be my daughter. Which, as it turned out, mattered little.

Seriously, in front of the axle, the front shares a small portion of the weight. On the axle, it's all rear axle. Behind the axle, it's all rear plus a very slight lifting effect on the front.

That's the basic reason behind the 400 pound tongue weight limit. The weight is way back there, well behind the rear axle.

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[zorki1c]

If I had a half ton of anything in the back of my Lariat I wouldn’t be going 70 mph on the freeway.

 

[Joester]

I just unloaded 1300 pounds of sand out the back of my Mav (XL, awd, 4k) this morning. I share your observations. No photos either, but the rear springs were really compressed. I had hauled 1000 pounds of gravel earlier in the week, still a load, but that would probably be the max I’ll target in the future.

Doesn't the 4K push the bed load to 2000 lbs? That was my understanding.
1 ton load or 2 ton via the hitch.

 

[Joester]

My past experience hauling heavy loads in a pick up is that the side wall ratings must be adequate to prevent the swaying . I’m a retired plumber and found that I had to put tires with 10 ply sidewall ratings on a 3/4 ton pickup pick up .

My RV has dual tires on the rear and I installed 4 8 ply tires when I had to replace them. took a lot of the sway out. Much better driving experience.
Followed the same thought when replacing the tires on my 2012 Escape and bought Yokohama Geolanders. Slightly stiffer side wall and a great tire for that vehicle.
Might put those on the Maverick even though the truck sits much lower.

 

[goldenzelda2000]

In all seriousness you guys may want to consider taking a look at the thread listed below. If you have any intentions of ever having to haul anything as heavy as you did.

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...-spring-kit-for-hybrid-fwd.51385/#post-883995

The folks posting in the article also talk about an airbag kit for the all-wheel drive.

Thanks for sharing! I'll have to think about this too.

 

[Lasourme]

I hauled about thirty 60-lb bags last weekend for some Masonry Repair I’ve been putting off, and the truck handled it like a champ. I spread them out over the bed and didn’t feel any sag. Just made sure the weight was balanced and drove slow. Bedliner helped keep everything from sliding. Definitely impressed with how stable the ride was even with that much weight back there.

 

[Cherokee]

These are half ton pick ups,
Going to 1200 or 1300 pounds pffft
Not a big deal.
I just thought of a made up song titled,
‘Headlights in the sky”~~~~
:’P

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