The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts How many Tons -- 1, 1.5 or 2? (1952)

Sorry for the uneducated question?!
Purchased my 1952 Chevy duly as a 1 ton, but now someone seen photo and now says it's a 2 ton. How can I tell what I have please 1, 1 1/2or a 2?
Thnx

Look through this, springs may be the difference. https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/do...hevrolet-Trucks/1952-Chevrolet-Truck.pdf

If it has 10 lugs on the rear axle and 5 on the front it's not a 1 ton.

Looks to me like you have a very desirable short wheelbase 1 1/2 or 2 ton. What is the model number on the body tag?

John

10 lugs in the rear, 5 in the front=1 1/2 ton

Bolt on hub cap on the front designates it as a 2 ton or greater. 1.5 ton only have screwed on CI hub cap. Ton ratings are sort of vague, not very useful. 2 tons came with 5/10 lug bolts which you have. That front axle allows you to replace spindles and disc brake hubs out with later(90’s) P-30 and P3500HD spindles and hubs with the same bolt pattern wheels if you wish.

Ed

It looks like you have a 6100 (137" wb) 2-ton based on the bolted on front hub cover plate. The 1-1/2 ton had smaller screw on caps...

The door post tag will tell us exactly what you have.

Mike B

Ed beat me to it...lol!

So, is it safe to say a 2 Ton model 6100?
I'm learning!
Thnx

That is a beauty!

yes, your door tag indicates it is a 2 Ton. Sweet truck!

Thnx everyone for the help. It’s my first purchase (this past Summer) of an old truck and I enjoy it!

Ed, Mike B (et al) -- Please correct me if wrong, but the whole 1, 1.5, 3,4 etc Ton rating (at least for the AD trucks and older, possibly for the Task Force as well, was actually the weight rating for the *front* axle, yes? Why they would do it that way is beyond me, but none the less ... Not sure where I got the info from ... 3B maybe?

John,

I've heard that before, but never gave it much thought as the math doesn't work out...your 3800 (1-ton) has a front axle rating of 3500 pounds (1-3/4 ton) and my 1/2 ton has a 3000 pound axle. I' believe it's a carryover from the old days when the rating was what the truck could carry in the bed.

Mike B

I have no idea about what the 2-ton designation actually means on these trucks. As Mike B said, the math doesn't make sense to me. I can't believe it has anything to do with the front axle as the 6000 series are all considered "2-ton" trucks but, depending on axles, springs, and tires can have different weight capacities. My 1958 6400 weighs 9K with the steel dump, and the plate on the door jamb says 16,000 so, no idea where 2 ton comes from!

So .... If somebody comes up with a reference to cite that backs me up and I'm right, are you all going to send me $10 donations to the site??? If you come up with a source to cite that shows I'm out to lunch, then I will waive your membership fees for the year. Deal?

But still -- Why are the 1.5 and 2-ton rear axles pretty much the same but the front axles are not?

In the horse drawn days -- and even today in the plain communities that still use horse drawn vehicles -- more attention is (generally) paid to the front axles than the rear axles. It's where the brakes are (only the buggies and spring wagons, for example), more moving parts associated with steering ... where the most important part of the load usually is (passengers), what takes the brunt of longitudinal forces (pulling/stopping, etc)...

Maybe a carry over from that. The actual weight part went away, but the rating system/nomenclature stayed on ...? Just a thought.

Gross Vehicle Weights - 1954
see attached photo from the 1954 Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual

"The maximum GVW includes the truck chassis with lubricants, water and full tank of fuel, plus the weight of the can or driver's compartment, body, and special chassis and body equipment, and payload."

Gross Vehicle Weights - 1954
see attached photo from the 1954 Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual

"The maximum GVW includes the truck chassis with lubricants, water and full tank of fuel, plus the weight of the can or driver's compartment, body, and special chassis and body equipment, and payload.

I will still send my annual donation.
Anyone who backs you up should consider sending a $10 donation to the site.

Tim -- Not sure I'm following .... where do the numbers correlate to the rating of the truck? All I see are the gross weights... Am I missing something? Take the "1/2-ton" (i.e., 1,000 lbs) for example ... Only weight listed is gross weight at either 4300 or 4800 lns ... which by my math is slightly over 2 tons.... Not seeing where they get "1/2 ton" out of that. Unless tare weight factors in ... but that's not listed ...

?

Admittedly, we are barking at ants here but what the heck, we have to obsess over something ...

Here are 48-51 model designations "nominal" ratings
Here are 48-51 Gross Vehicle Weights.

I do not know how they correlate (in a logical/consistent algorithm), but, them's the facts.

That's still how truck are rated. Gross Vehicle Weight minus Curb Weight (empty truck, but full of gas) is roughly equivalent to the truck rating. It's also affected by the individual axle ratings. For instance, a 3104 (1/2 ton pickup) weighs 3285 lb and has a payload of 1500 lb (which is actually 3/4 ton for whatever reason - probably the same as current horsepower one-up thing that manufacturers do now). The weight distribution is 0% front axle and 100% rear axle per the vehicle information kit. Larger trucks are similar.

Still not seeing a direct correlation here ...

That's the thing. There isn't really a direct correlation. If you look at the vehicle info kits, at the top of each truck series it says for instance for 3100 series "1/2 Ton Nominal Rating".

My F250 (3/4 ton) weighs 7400 lb with me on board and otherwise empty and has a GVWR of 9900 lb. So according to that I can carry 2500 lb. They don't call it a 1-1/4 ton though.

John,

I think you were on to something when you were talking about horse drawn wagons...the math might have worked back then, but over time has morphed into the math not working. Trucks in the 1930's had the math not working as well.

Mike B

I’m totally lost now……

Sambo -- We ALL are

We just ran off on a geeky tangent. Happens a lot around here ...

Sorry.

sambo42sa From the looks of your spring pak there 2-ton for sure,front spindle cover will settle it !!

If you go to the GM heritage truck website it will tell the the gross and net weight capacity for your model truck. That is where the 1 ton, 1 1/2 ton special, 2 ton rating comes from.

My 1955 Chevy 6408 first series is considered a 2 ton but the actual payload is 10,400 lb. But you need to keep in mind that the engineer' under rated the actual payload. I've had 1500 lb. In my Silverado. Half yard of gravel is approximately 1500 lb. I've talked to old farmers that say they have had 12,000 lb. In their "2 ton" truck

Found this paperwork w my purchase of truck.
5700/ 2.85 tons
5200/ 2.6 tons

A315D8C2-1784-40DC-A143-84B27EF546E5.jpeg

The tonnage rating on trucks goes back before my time, and I have been around trucks for 70 years. My father, who was born in 1901, referred to the tonnage rating already being obsolesce and meaningless when I started fooling with trucks in the 1950's. I think the Chevy in question would be considered a two ton, but other than that tonnage is meaningless. I still own a fleet of dry bulk trucks. The State of Texas still requires a tonnage rating at registration. The only number the computer will take is 5 tons and all the trucks are registered as 5 ton trucks. Empty they weigh 14,000 and the trucks are rated at 50,000 gross vehicle weight. With a load trailer, we weigh 84,000lbs with a Texas 1547 permit. We can legally transport 60,000 lbs of material. If anyone can figure out any correlation to the tonnage rating, I would like to know.

Hello, Kenneth,

I have no knowledge/experience with GVW ratings (and what they mean) for big GM trucks - except for my 1954/1955 G-series GMC COE 18" flatbed (a wonderful truck that I no longer have).

Here is some information on GVWR/GTWR ratings for trucks.

This might not be of any help in this thread.

Best Regards,

Tim

The Stovebolt TECH tab has a section exactly on what I am asking (And some others). Explains it clearly as I was checking out this site looking for other information I came upon the Tab.
Thnx everyone