The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Tons 'o Fun How much do you haul on your 1 ton?

My recent post on the engine forum regarding rpm on the 216 and 235 engines brought up the question of how you use your trucks. My '48 dually has a GVW of 8800lbs and I intend to use it that way occasionally. Am I delusional? Steering, brakes, suspension and tires are fine and I'll figure out which engine and rear end gears I'll use.
As always, I appreciate your stories and input!

What would be your maximum MPH?

Fully loaded (the truck) I'm thinking around 40 mph.

I hauled anything I could fit in my 1 ton, firewood, mulch, engines, lumber... anything.
Fully loaded it will be a little slower but that's OK.

I also haul virtually any thing that will fit in the bed (9' x 7'), mulch, dirt, stumps, gravel, scrap metal. My '59 with steel bed weighs 6,000 lbs. empty and I have loaded it with scrap metal while towing an 18' trailer hauling a f*rd f350. The heaviest load it has towed is a 10,000 lb. GMC4000 with steel bed. That was too much!
My truck gets used.

I'm working on my 59 now. It has a flat bed on it that I will keep and I plan on putting the 1968 Avion slide-in camper on it. It weights 1800#, dry.
Should be no problem.

My truck has the same GVW, Jim, on 4 tires. I am running 235/85R16 M&S tires (got rid of the rotten old 17's, couldn't replace them with radials).

This pic ...
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk293/hotshoe36/Our%20trucks/DSC00862.jpg
... shows around 2 tons in the bed (GVW~8500#). A little tail-heavy, as you can see, this load (and others like it) allowed me to run the old 216 faster, actually, than when it was empty. 40+ mph felt like a fast cruise while unladen. But loaded like this, the engine felt happy running at higher speeds. I levelled out at 50 mph with this load, and it felt right for 50+ miles. That was with the old gear set, 5.14 ratio. Accelerating to speed was no kind of an issue.

I do this for a living, mind you,
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk293/hotshoe36/Our%20trucks/37oretrainsummit.jpg
and I know that a heavily-loaded truck needs a steady hand, along with more room to stop.The one time I had to brake hard - cut off by a moron in a hurry - I was using all the (top condition OEM) brakes, but they were enough. I'll haul 2 tons in that box any time I need to, without batting an eye.

Now, I have an '81 250 backed by a 4.10 differential ratio - still the same SM420 4-speed - but, having thought on it at some length, I've decided I also want a Gear Vendors overdrive https://www.gearvendors.com/ behind it, for those long miles I'm planning as a featherweight camper-hauler when I retire.

My 51 3800 4-wheel pickup hauls a camper most of the time. Loaded, the outfit weighs 9020 lb. The '55 235 truck engine turns 2900RPM at 55MPH in direct drive.
It has a Crower "RV" cam and seems happy at that RPM. Years ago I added a 3-speed "Brownie" auxillary transmission. It has a 24% under drive, a direct and a 17% overdrive. In overdrive the engine turns 2800 at 60. That makes it a nice highway rig. I can almost keep up with the semis.

It has the "helper" springs and needs them. That was a RPO (regular production option). It also has the hydro-vac brake booster which was also a RPO. It needs that also.

For full disclosure the auxillary or overload springs as they are sometimes called came from a wrecking yard many years ago and aren't the stock leaves. They are 2-1/2" wide rather than 2" and came with 5 or 6 leaves. I use only 4. The truck handles pretty well but I'm at the weight limit of the 255/85X16 tires. There's 6,000 lb on the rear axle. Next step is 19.5 wheels and tires.

What is the source and specs of the aluminum wheels on your 51? are they available in 19.5? I want some.

Hi Jim

My Howard Knapp truck (1952/53 1 ton)will be used (I hope) to tow a car trailer with a Dodge Neon on the back of it...I have swapped out the out of date double leaf rear springs and the rear end too...I was given a 1985 Chevy K5 Blazer 6 lug rear end so that is what sits under the frame rails now....the rear leaf springs are the new style 1990's 1/2 ton Chevy leaf springs...If it can keep up with the flow of traffic it might be used to haul me to my job which is 11 miles each way...(crossing my fingers here)...

I am hoping this rig will do what I what I want it to when it is done...(I have not had luck with older vintage vehicles before....praying a lot too)

MikeC