The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 1940 1.5T Farm/Stake Truck from SW Idaho!

I had a few questions, but I don't remember where I got the info, but it was here at Stovebolt.. I saw where someone had a 1940 1.5T stake truck rated at 7,000GVW here... and my truck has 14,000 GVW printed on the doors. I've read some articles about the 1.5T rating for GVWR, saying that is what it's rated at.. but I'm confused as to why my truck isn't rated at basically a 7ton truck then? I understand the truck weighs about 5,000 pounds ( with all fluids). So, by my math, I got about 9,000 pounds I can play with, be that cargo... possibly towing?

Dad was saying that as an adolescent, he remembers shoveling grain out of the back end of it. and looking at the owners manuals of the time, it has the stakes either go up half, full, or well beyond the height of the cab. Dad says the wood for this truck goes above the cab about a foot. The pictures in the manuals imply that the stakes for full height go above the cab 3-5 feet?

Oh, one final thing... I'd like to post some pictures of my project and possibly a build thread... but if I can only attach photos that are 500 bytes... that's... really lacking... Should I look into a picture hosting website like imgur?

Tonnage ratings have been meaningless as long as I can remember and I have been messing with trucks since the 1950s and 40's vehicles were still common then. My father started in the gasoline business in the 1930s. He talked of a time when a truck could only haul 7,000 lbs payload with no regard to gross weight. This law must have changed in the early 30's and I think this is were these nominial tonnage ratings originated. When I purchase a truck tractor from out of state, Texas DMV asks for tonnage. The system will only take 5 tons even though the gross weight will be 80,000. I think the tonnage rating just stuck and no one knows why.

I use Google+ and post links to pictures. Here are a few of my old farm trucks.


https://plus.google.com/u/1/photos/photo/112636930370126476644/6191993961092761426

Thanks so much for your information and post! You're awesome!:)

I'll second what Crenwelge said. My 1958 Viking 60 is supposedly a 2-ton truck. The GM plate on the door jamb says GVW is 16,000. With the steel dump bed on it, it weighs 9,000 empty. I have grain slips from the farm I bought it from weighing in at the grain elevator at over 26,000! My 55 2-ton is a lot lighter because it had a stockc non-dumping bed that was made of wood with just the metal band around it.

I know that this issue can confuse the DMV. When I registered my 1946 farm truck in WV (titled as a 1.5 ton, GVW tagged at 12,500), the lady behind the counter said "1.5 ton? Your truck weighs more that 1.5 ton!" I said I thought that was the rated load. She then tried to enter the data into the computer, using a truck weight of 12.500. The computer rejected the entry. After that she called a more experienced woman, who said "Ok, the problem is that the maximum weight for a historic vehicle is 8,000 pounds". She then looked me in the eye and said "Sir, your truck weighs 7,999 pounds. It is now historic, and cannot be worked. If you carry so much as a trash can to the dump with it, you will be ticketed. Understand me?" I hastened to agree to that, and all was well.

I do know that, according to Chevy docs I have seen, that the GVWR could be altered with as little as a tire change, from (for example) 6 ply to 8 ply tires. But they might still call it a 1.5 ton truck! The only "logic" that comes to mind is that 1.5 ton was the maximum that the lowest rated combo in a particular chassis FAMILY could carry, in its lightest configuration. So, my 1946, with the lightest offered spring set and single rear wheels rather than dual, might well be GVWR'ed at 8,000 pounds, with an unladen weight of 5000.

My still-in-transit 1935 is also titled as a 1.5 ton, but I haven't seen the GVW tag yet. As it was made to mil-spec, I'll have to weigh it when I get it to have an idea of curb weight. Chevy says a civilian QB truck of that year and gear/rear/tire combo weighs 4575; we'll see. I suspect that mil-spec in 1935 was mainly OD paint and "delete options...".

According to Chevy, your 1940 stake body 1.5 ton weighed either 4370 or 4640 empty, depending on wheelbase. So, with a GVW of 14000, your max load was around 9500, and it had a 2 speed rear, dual rear wheels and 32.00 x 6 8 ply tires. 32 x 6 4 ply single wheels and tires would drop the GVR to 8000, and single 8.00 x 20s, 7700, all with the same chassis. At least if I'm reading the ancient docs right that is, I may have read some of the numbers wrong, but you get the idea.

I think a member had some info about tonnage being the approximate load capacity of the steering axle. I'm gonna' look at the GM Heritage pages for mine and take a guess at empty front axle weight, I'll report back.

According to the specs on the heritage site the 5000 and 6000 series trucks had a front axle rating of 4500lbs. So for these "2 ton" trucks the axle could handle 2 1/4 tons. My 5700 has a 160.5" wheelbase and a 16000lb. GVWR, for this truck it should have 99% of the load on the rear and 1% on the front axle at the max GVW. Lots of good stuff in those charts.

Wow! my eyes have been opened!:) Thank you all for this information!
I plan on getting it back on the road, and then I'll worry about upgrading it... especially into that 45mph top speed.. I'd like to get it to 65 and that be it. either by disabling the governor, or removing/breaking it to where it won't govern.

She needs ALOT of TLC, but from what I can figure.. she's complete! got all the parts, even a replacement I6 engine. I want to start working on it, but I got to be patient because my Father Inlaw has a 68 Impala convertible that I'd like to get back on the road first.


I can see how it would take lots of money to get it back into condition, but time is all I got! I have PLENTY of time being a disabled desert storm veteran, they say Time is money, right?

hehe like right now, she's sitting out in my FIL's 30X40 foot shop, sittin' pretty (dusty) with windows cracked, or fallen off their tracks, and an engine that won't run because water got into the iron block or head and cracked it.. I hear that welding cast iron is difficult.. and he's got a MIG welder, and the last time I welded was in '92 high school. I'm determined to learn/re-learn how to weld, and fabricating.


anyways, I'll try posting pictures of my ride soon.. heck, I'll look into it now:)

While you might get the old Stovebolt engine to run fast enough to achieve 65 mph it may not last longer than a few minutes or days at best.

The real issue is the gear ratio in the rear axle, it's slow because it's a large truck with low power, needs slow gears to get the job done. Check your gear ratio, but it's likely 6.17:1
Using a gear calculator you can enter the variables and find the speed.
http://www.onlineconversion.com/bigger_tires.htm

65mph, 6.17 axle, 1 for transmission (and 1 for transfer case because you don't have one) tire size of 36" should be close.
The answer is ~3,750 RPM... might run that fast but won't like it at all.

Either be content with a speed closer to what the truck was built for and can actually do.
Or make a lot of changes, starting with better brakes and a suspension and steering rebuild then ending with enough power and fast enough gears to do what you think you want to do.

There are other methods besides welding to take care of broken water jackets from freezing, when you are ready for that, mention it here and someone will update you.

Ed

I won't be ready to progress for some time. I have a replacement I6 motor that was given to dad, so we'll be putting that engine in. I believe it to be another 216.. I'll see if I can get a block or tranny number posted sometime soon and let you, knowledgeable people advise at that time. Since I don't have money.. but lots of time, I forsee it taking years and years to get her back on the road. Perhaps I could open up a "gofundme" or kickstarter for the restoration? hahahha:) just kidding.. or maybe not?
Thanks guys!:)
I have been schooled:) I'll just be happy with 45, maybe bolt a "pass when safe" triangle like farm equipment has and be happy with it:) I think I have the dual speed rear differential with a setup of something like 8.something to 1... so I think y'all are right saying not to disable the governor. I will heed your sage and wise words and just worry about getting from point A to point B.:)