How Much Concrete Can A Pickup Carry? (2023 Update)

Hi All,

My Dad is loaning me his 1989 Dodge Ram, the sports model so it is not a huge truck, to haul concrete and posts, etc. for a new vinyl gate and fence. I just finished gating in one end of my back yard, but now am ready to do the other end.

I need 15 bags of pre-mixed concrete. Each bag weighs 60 pounds. Can this little truck handle 900 pounds?

I sure don't want to risk damaging this truck. You may get a chuckle out of it, but Dad keeps it spit shined, and it only has 21,000 miles on it. The only thing I really miss in it is that there are no air bags.

I will be hauling the concrete 24 miles from my home.

Thanks for your help.

Kate

Reply to
Kate
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Yes, it can definitely handle 900 lbs plus some.

Don

Reply to
IGot2P

I had 15 bags of sakrete in a 86 LeBaron. I did put "Low Rider" on the MP3 player when I was leaving Home Depot.

That is less than a half ton, what the smallest pickups are rated for

Reply to
gfretwell

Most likely it will be OK. Ask Dad if it's a 1/2 ton truck. If so legally you can carry a total of 1000#, but in real life you can go a little over that. Keep in mind you add all of the load including driver and passengers and all that stuff behind the seat.

Reply to
Tony

You might wanna be kind to the object of your dad's affection. Spend $6 and make two trips.

I once piled the trunk of an older, but low mileage car with all my belongings and moved cross country. Blew the seals out of the shock absorbers.

Reply to
mike

Not the same, but I put a cargo carrier on the back of my Lebaron Connvertible, via the trailer hitch receiver, and then put 10 or 15 pieces of semi-dry sod on it. Made the mistake of doing it while the car door was open and then I couldn't shut the door. Car bent in the middle. Had to put half of the sod in the backseat, and then it was okay. I drove slow.

Reply to
mm

the "1/2 ton" nomenclature has nothing to do with carrying capacity.

Reply to
Steve Barker

the way you loaded it had nothing to do with the shocks starting to leak. They are designed to work properly all along their full stroke.

Reply to
Steve Barker

I beg to differ. It has everything to do with carrying capacity, as long as you understand the weight of the driver and passengers are to be considered part of the payload (as the previous poster wrote).

The bottom line is what the owner's manual says it can carry. in 1989, there were D100, D150 (both half ton), D250 (3/4 ton) and D350 (one ton) models.

Newer Rams can carry more than their designation would suggest but that's an '89 model.

Jay

Reply to
Jay Hanig

Its nearly 22 years old so go easy on it, sure it can take 1/2 ton total weight with passengers if its a 1/2 ton- 1000 lb but old metal and rubber parts get weak, is there any rust on this 22 yr old then be even more carefull, do it in 2-3 loads 3 is better on rough roads Ive broken springs and bushings with only a few hundred pounds hitting a bump and city driving in cars. Im not sure if fuel is part of the load rating, but im pretty sure people are.

Reply to
ransley

The vehicle is >20 years old. If it were a beater no one cared about then load it up. Since it isn't making two trips might be a plan.

Reply to
George

I can haul a pallet (one ton) of pellets on my Nissian Frontier with no problem. That's 2000 lbs. Even better now since I added 1500lb spring boosters.

Reply to
LSMFT

Brakes are big part of ratings, sure you can haul 2000lb but it wont stop well, get in an accident thats your fault and your weight could be a charge of negligence.

Reply to
ransley

Brakes are big part of ratings, sure you can haul 2000lb but it wont stop well, get in an accident thats your fault and your weight could be a charge of negligence.

"Half ton" used to mean that there was a payload of 1000 lbs. What it means now, who knows? But I would think 900 lbs would be at the high end of what you can carry. The cost to make two trips will be a lot less than the cost of having to replace shocks and whatever else might go wrong.

Reply to
The Post Quartermaster

I think gasolene , spare tire, and people were never part of the rating, so a half ton with 2 -200lb passengers, 20 gallon of gas and a

50 lb tire can only carry 450 lb and be at 1/2 ton, I had a full size blazer that would sag badly with 2-300 lbs and at 22 years and dads pristine toy I would not risk a heavy load, im sure it would be fine but ive broken my cars and trucks.
Reply to
ransley

Kate wrote in news:i1jgci$pqt$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

20 yrs old? 21K miles!

Sounds like a gem. Considering that, what might be considered wasteful may be wise. Two trips might be a warm fuzzy. Since you are driving 24 miles just for concrete which can be got most anywhere, I can assume there's not a nearby HD/Lowes where you can get a truck for $20/75min?

The only way to be sure is not to use it.

If you take it be aware with some vehicles they will start to sway at higher speeds when loaded.

Also, that usually harmless pothole/bump/whatever can do some nasty things when loaded.

My story: An old 1/2T pickup I loaded up with bags of concrete. It was more than 15. Went well. Next inspection I had a cracked leaf spring.

Another thought is take dad on a road trip. Spend some time with him. At least if anything goes wrong you won't feel so bad like it's neglect on your part.

Reply to
Red Green

I'll stay out of the load rating but...

Due to it being a cherry rig, be sure to pad the bed. Sacks of that stuff leak a bit and will leave scratches and lots of dust in an unprotected bed.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

Good idea; put a cheap 'tarp' in the back under the bags to catch the dust.

A half ton truck can presumably handles 1000 pounds easily.

BTW 900 pounds is roughly four, not extremely obese, people.

Reply to
terry

Unless the frame is totally gone, 900lbs should be a walk in the part (for the truck, anyway).

"Half-ton" is the class, not the cargo rating. You'll likely find that the cargo rating is 1500lbs, or even more (mine's 1750lbs, IIRC).

Reply to
keith

225lbs IS extremely obese for most people. Unless it's a very athletic/muscular man over 6' tall. It's 75-110lbs overweight for women.
Reply to
h

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