This truck can haul

[coppermav]

She’s definitely squatting! Most weight I’ve had in mine was my welder/generator(whole setup is probably 800lbs) and a few pieces of steel. Only sagged the back a couple inches and she handled it like a champ. I use my old F-250 for the heavy work, but she was down and I figured I’d put the Maverick to work

Haven’t tried loading the tailgate heavily in the halfway position yet

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[WJOHNM]

I decided to give my hybrid a try for a lumber run yesterday, since this order was on the smaller side compared to what I usually do. I've always used either my F350 or my cargo van in the past, oftentimes with a 22' flatbed, but I didn't need all that much space this time.

It ended up being a little more volume than I anticipated, but my bed cover could handle the excess, which is good, because the last panel doesn't flip up.

I could feel the extra weight a little bit on the trip home, and the back end sat a little low, but everything worked out. I'm not sure what the total weight was, but I had 8 sheets of 3/4 ply, 4 sheets of 1/2, 21 sheets of 1/4 lauan, 15 1x4x8 and 8 2x4x8. That's probably close to the max I should be hauling with this truck, and maybe a little over, but it didn't complain one bit.

My other vehicles are definitely more capable, but I like having another option for stuff like this. And my Maverick is just so nice to drive.

I remembered to get a few pics after I took all the straps off, if you're curious.

Thats a big load, I think my biggest concern would be the cables on the gate and there mounting positions on body, I think I read somewhere the gate weight was 500lbs, could be wrong about that, very impressive you got guts!!

 

[710-oil-614]

That back end sitting more than a little low!!

 

[51mavhatter]

I decided to give my hybrid a try for a lumber run yesterday, since this order was on the smaller side compared to what I usually do. I've always used either my F350 or my cargo van in the past, oftentimes with a 22' flatbed, but I didn't need all that much space this time.

It ended up being a little more volume than I anticipated, but my bed cover could handle the excess, which is good, because the last panel doesn't flip up.

I could feel the extra weight a little bit on the trip home, and the back end sat a little low, but everything worked out. I'm not sure what the total weight was, but I had 8 sheets of 3/4 ply, 4 sheets of 1/2, 21 sheets of 1/4 lauan, 15 1x4x8 and 8 2x4x8. That's probably close to the max I should be hauling with this truck, and maybe a little over, but it didn't complain one bit.

My other vehicles are definitely more capable, but I like having another option for stuff like this. And my Maverick is just so nice to drive.

I remembered to get a few pics after I took all the straps off, if you're curious.

Google says 1272 lbs.

I decided to give my hybrid a try for a lumber run yesterday, since this order was on the smaller side compared to what I usually do. I've always used either my F350 or my cargo van in the past, oftentimes with a 22' flatbed, but I didn't need all that much space this time.

It ended up being a little more volume than I anticipated, but my bed cover could handle the excess, which is good, because the last panel doesn't flip up.

I could feel the extra weight a little bit on the trip home, and the back end sat a little low, but everything worked out. I'm not sure what the total weight was, but I had 8 sheets of 3/4 ply, 4 sheets of 1/2, 21 sheets of 1/4 lauan, 15 1x4x8 and 8 2x4x8. That's probably close to the max I should be hauling with this truck, and maybe a little over, but it didn't complain one bit.

My other vehicles are definitely more capable, but I like having another option for stuff like this. And my Maverick is just so nice to drive.

I remembered to get a few pics after I took all the straps off, if you're curious.

1272 lbs says Google. What ya building?

 

[Tony-R]

Wow! Impressive, thanks for sharing!

 

[Cherokee]

Too much weight too high and way too far behind the rear axle line.
I’ve logged 3.2 million miles in trucks up to class five tractor trailer.
My experience compels me to advise you to not do that again.
If you had to do any evasive maneuvering you’d likely lose control.
Possibly injuring someone else.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

My cover has attachment points for straps right on it, so the stuff on top wasn't going anywhere. I drove a half hour to get home, mostly at 75mph, and nothing moved one bit.

75mph with that load? Wow.

 

[Petar the Serb]

I decided to give my hybrid a try for a lumber run yesterday, since this order was on the smaller side compared to what I usually do. I've always used either my F350 or my cargo van in the past, oftentimes with a 22' flatbed, but I didn't need all that much space this time.

It ended up being a little more volume than I anticipated, but my bed cover could handle the excess, which is good, because the last panel doesn't flip up.

I could feel the extra weight a little bit on the trip home, and the back end sat a little low, but everything worked out. I'm not sure what the total weight was, but I had 8 sheets of 3/4 ply, 4 sheets of 1/2, 21 sheets of 1/4 lauan, 15 1x4x8 and 8 2x4x8. That's probably close to the max I should be hauling with this truck, and maybe a little over, but it didn't complain one bit.

My other vehicles are definitely more capable, but I like having another option for stuff like this. And my Maverick is just so nice to drive.

I remembered to get a few pics after I took all the straps off, if you're curious.

 

[mr mojo risen]

Well done, and thanks for posting. Just me personally but I would have been skittish about putting sheets of plywood on top of my bed cover, but then again I have a soft tri-fold.

 

[HeyBales]

Thats a big load, I think my biggest concern would be the cables on the gate and there mounting positions on body, I think I read somewhere the gate weight was 500lbs, could be wrong about that, very impressive you got guts!!

Appears even less!

OPENING THE TAILGATE TO THE MIDDLE POSITION

1. Open the tailgate.

1. Raise the tailgate slightly to allow slack in the tailgate cables.

1. Use the pull tabs to unlock the clip on each connector, move the clip past the head of the support screw and disconnect the cable.

1. Move the tailgate cables and secure them to the tailgate strikers.

Note: Attach both cables when using the tailgate in the middle position.
Note: The tailgate should not be closed while the cables are secured to the tailgate striker.
Note: Attach the safety bracket when using the tailgate in the middle position.
When hauling cargo using the tailgate middle position, make sure the load is evenly distributed and supported using the support locations in the pickup bed. See Locating the Pickup Bed Slots.
Note: Secure all cargo.
Note: The maximum load capacity for the middle position is 500 lb (226 kg) evenly distributed to the 2 pickup box wheelhouse locations and the tailgate.

 

[B. Adams]

Too much weight too high and way too far behind the rear axle line.
I’ve logged 3.2 million miles in trucks up to class five tractor trailer.
My experience compels me to advise you to not do that again.
If you had to do any evasive maneuvering you’d likely lose control.
Possibly injuring someone else.

The Maverick has a 1,500lb payload capacity. Ford has advertised that it can carry 18 sheets of 3/4 plywood, which would be around 1,200lbs, maybe a little more. By my estimates I was right in that range.

The tailgate mid position is rated for 500lbs. I didn't do the math, but on this load the weight on the tailgate was probably a little under that. The wheel wells take more than half the weight.

I was within the listed payload capacity range, including myself, and the truck didn't feel the least bit unstable. I appreciate your concern, but I don't think I was loading this truck beyond the published limits. I was definitely pushing it, but I wasn't doing anything dangerous or irresponsible. Just using my truck for truck stuff.

 

[Phimosis]

I didn't use any braces, just went right on the wheel wells. Looks like they handled it just fine.

I might consider using braces with thinner plywood, but I think thicker stuff is fine.

So the problem is the cables that hold the tailgate at the mid position.

Using Google to get plywood and stud weights, you’re just shy of 1400 lbs. so you’d think, oh, 700 lbs on the fender wells and 700 lbs on the tailgate…. But it’s not. It is balancing an additional 2 feet of unsupported weight past the cable attachments, so it’s more like 1/3 of the weight on the fender wells and 2/3 of the weight on the tailgate cables. So 900+ lbs on the tailgate.

If you go slow on surface streets, it’s going to be fine. But at freeway speeds, it amplifies any bumps you hit in the road. Going over concrete expansion joints, the dynamic load on the tailgate is going to be something like 1,800 lbs.

The suggestion of using a 2x6 spacer was not to keep the plywood from bowing, it was to help distribute the load, so that is is something like 450 lbs over the fender wells, 450 lbs to the rear of the bed via 2x6” and 450 lbs on the tailgate cables.

In the mid-position, the load rating is 500 lbs. Not the tailgate load, the entire load rating,

The cables can stretch. When one side stretches, the weight will torque the tailgate and it will no longer be straight.

 

[B. Adams]

So the problem is the cables that hold the tailgate at the mid position.

Using Google to get plywood and stud weights, you’re just shy of 1400 lbs. so you’d think, oh, 700 lbs on the fender wells and 700 lbs on the tailgate…. But it’s not. It is balancing an additional 2 feet of unsupported weight past the cable attachments, so it’s more like 1/3 of the weight on the fender wells and 2/3 of the weight on the tailgate cables. So 900+ lbs on the tailgate.

If you go slow on surface streets, it’s going to be fine. But at freeway speeds, it amplifies any bumps you hit in the road. Going over concrete expansion joints, the dynamic load on the tailgate is going to be something like 1,800 lbs.

The suggestion of using a 2x6 spacer was not to keep the plywood from bowing, it was to help distribute the load, so that is is something like 450 lbs over the fender wells, 450 lbs to the rear of the bed via 2x6” and 450 lbs on the tailgate cables.

In the mid-position, the load rating is 500 lbs. Not the tailgate load, the entire load rating,

The cables can stretch. When one side stretches, the weight will torque the tailgate and it will no longer be straight.

I'll admit you're partially right. At least in principle. Maybe mostly, even, but not completely. Your math isn't quite right though.

The back of wheel wells extend about 30" from the front of the bed. The corner of the tailgate is about 76" from the front of the bed in the middle position. This puts a little more than half the weight on the wheel wells, and a little less than half on the tailgate. After doing some math, the ratio is around 54:46% front to back. In this case, I think the tailgate was supporting about 562lbs at the most, and that's using the high side of average lumber weights. Which is what you must have been using to come up with a total of 1,400lbs. I think the total weight was less than that, but it would be hard to prove now that most of that lumber has been cut up and stapled back together in different shapes.

I took 180lbs off of that 1,400 number for my calculations to accout for the 4 sheets of 1/2" plywood were resting entirely on the bed cover, and not adding weight to the tailgate or wheel wells, only to the bed rails. But assuming there was 1,220lbs total in the bed, 562lbs would be on the tailgate and 658lbs on the wheel wells.

I did not know that the tailgate rating was reduced with it’s in the middle position, thanks for clarifying that point. It looks like it's rated for 500lbs down, 400lbs in the mid position, so I was likely exceeding that rating. But if the total bed capacity is only 500lbs with the tailgate in the mid position, and the tailgate can be 400lbs of that can each wheel well only support 50lbs? Who knows. I'm not sure where they came up with those numbers, or how Ford could advertise that this truck can haul 18 sheets of 3/4 if the total capacity is only 500lbs when the tailgate is halfway up. However it works out, I probably had more weight on the tailgate than I should have. It didn't complain though.

In any case, I hauled as big of a load as I think I ever will with this truck, and everything worked out fine. Maybe it was over the listed capacity for this particular configuration, maybe not, but the truck handled great, and nothing is bent, broken, or stretched. I think I was fortunate that the whole trip was on a fairly new, smooth road. No real bumps to speak of, so nothing experienced much of a dynamic load. Although, I have to assume that Ford's engineers are taking into account that there will be some dynamic loading beyond the listed capacity when they publish those numbers. In any case, I still don't feel like I was pushing things too much, and I'm very happy with how this truck performed.

In retrospect I should have added some 2x6 braces in the provided slots, and I'll certainly do that next time I haul anything like this again. It looks like that takes more weight off of the wheel wells than the tailgate, but it would lighten the load on each a little bit, so I think it's worth doing. Especially since I already have a bunch of 2x6 in my shop.

Thanks for making the points you did, and bringing up those specs I was unaware of. I appreciate it and I see where you're coming from. You've definitely given me some things to think about.

 

[B. Adams]

Well done, and thanks for posting. Just me personally but I would have been skittish about putting sheets of plywood on top of my bed cover, but then again I have a soft tri-fold.

My cover is aluminum, and it has a listed capacity of 400lbs. I wouldn't say it's made for exactly this kind of job, but I think the designers knew it would come up.

The cover on my F350 is rated for 2,000lbs on top. I've never come close to that, but it's built tough enough.

 

[B. Adams]

Google says 1272 lbs.

1272 lbs says Google. What ya building?

I'm building scenery for a college opera production. Nothing too exciting, but it should look good when it's done.

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