The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Should haul 5 tons easy...Right?

Well, after selling my '52 4100 dump I'm going through big truck withdrawl. I recieved a call from my uncle last night saying he was going to scrap out his 1965 Chevy C-60 unless I wanted it. It's a flatbed dump with a 292. Still runs but the cab is rough. Having no real use (I have a 1 ton dump now) I said to get rid of it. Now, in hindsight, I may call him and take it.

My idea is this... I have a early fourties Cletrac AD-4 with a Heil Blade on it. Total package is about 9500 lbs (too much for my trailer) This truck should haul 5 tons no problem, right. I have put 4 tons on my 83 C-30 dump many times with no problem.

Another question, what were the improvements and differences to the brakes , as compared to a late fourties early fifties 1.5 - 2 ton truck? I have never worked on a mid sixties big truck, just wondering if they are similar?

It should haul the Cletrac just fine, possibly a little under powered if you're in the hills, but should work fine. We used to haul Dad's TD-6 on his 68 Ford 1 1/2 ton all the time.

That 65 C-60 sounds like a keeper.The 292 has plenty of torque and should do a fine job.A local lumber company used that combo for years back in the day.The brakes are a much better hydrovac system then the early systems.

I figure it should haul 5 tons and I would definately get the truck

I hope I'm not in front of you when you have to panic stop a 5-ton load on a 2-ton truck.

I'm with Cletis - and the hydrovac in the 60's is pretty much identical to that in the 40's and 50's - just slightly better/bigger regular brakes, NOT designed to stop the truck + 5T in any unusual situation - you'd be well advised to get a trailer that'll handle it rather than exceeding the licensed GVW

Bill

My '59 Viking 40, has a 292 and has hauled over 4 tons with no problem. A C-60 should handle the load easily. Not sure about the brakes on '65, but my Viking could use some improvements in the braking department also. It always stops, but there are times that I feel like I am just about standing on them, when hauling more than a couple tons at a time.

John

I was told that they would haul 8 tons on a 1963 F-600 with no problem a C-60 should be about the same size as a F-600

No trying to start anything here, but do you think any of the owners of these truck stopped at 2 tons when loading? Let be serious here. Besides, am I correct to assume the "ton and a half" and "2 ton" ratings were a more a way to describe the truck's ratings.

This truck has a GCWR of 20,000 lbs. Lets say it weighs 8000 lbs empty, that would be a allowable load (by the factories standard) of 6 tons.

You can haul as much as you dare as long as you're licensed for it. I usually haul between 6-8 tons of gravel on my 1 1/2 ton but I only have to haul it a couple of miles, all back roads. The truck is more than capable so a C60 should be more so. I pay for 6 tons every year so that's technically what I can haul,
Scott

make sure your tires are up to the task, cause if you blow one you could conceivably blow the one beside it when it takes the wieght. Between cost of tires and a roadservice call if you don't feel up changing them it could get expensive fast. so check load rating and condition of tires well.

Blue, My 60 C60 hauls 7 tons or more, of gravel or dirt, short distances (5-10 miles) just have to plan your stops and I never go over 45 mph. panic stops well, you panic, but with 5 ton you should be ok. I also have the 292 four spd. and once you get your momentum up it climbs hills good but dont get me wrong it's no sports car. we are talking about big old trucks here. Slow moving slow stopping big old trucks

Totally rookey question here, but how much dirt or gravel is 6 or 7 tons? Is that basically a "full" older style dump bed....half?...Just curious as I read thru this. I wouldn't know when to stop filling..

Gravel weighs about 2500 lbs per yd dry. If wet it's more like 3500 lbs/yd. Depends on the material but that is a good place to start. Dirt can be from 2000 dry to 2800 wet. These are averages only.

So to awnser your question "how much dirt is 6 or 7 tons", it's approx. 5-6 cu. yds. Also I driven a lot of 50's-60's truck loaded with that much and more and never had any problem stopping.

For what its worth, I have a 1953 model 6400. It was commonly called a 2 ton truck, but the plate on the door frame gives a max weight of 16,000 pounds, which is eight tons, and I'm sure they overloaded these truck back when they were in general use. I could never figure where the one and one half ton and the two ton ratings came from, since the truck would always haul a lot more that that. Allen

Bakerallen: That 16K you referred to is GVWR...the total weight it was rated for including the truck. Back then they didn't place axle ratings on the tag(I think)but it was likely 5000 front and 11,000 rear. Not much but about equal to a modern day F*%d F450 or Chevy W4500. (which seem smaller to me)

I have posted this before but in my 40+ years of being in the truck and equipment business I have learned a lot from the old timers and now I am getting to be one and when I first started in the biz an old truck salesman told me the "ton rating" referred to front axle carrying capacity. Therefore a ton and half truck could carry 3000 lbs of payload on it's front axle. Makes perfect sense to me and I believe that it's the straight skinny. I've heard other theories but none make any more sense than what that old guy expailned to me so I've spent over 40 years explaining it to others. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Likely someone will now add that it came from Military specifications which are notoriously overbuilt or underated (pick one,whatever you think) but it will still boil down to axle capacity IMO.

I would say my normal load on a 63 Chevy 2 ton truck with a 292 is between 18000 up to 19000 pounds. This is the payload weight, total weight is 26000-27500 pounds. I would not want to run all day long with this weight, but going from 5-25 miles it is done all the time. Main thing is to have good tires and don't try to break any speed records.

I think the GVW ratings listed on the nameplate many times would be higher with the proper tire equipment.

Crabby: I'm sure you are probably right. I don't plan to haul much of anything anyway, so for me the answer is purely academic. I'm old enough to remember when these trucks were new. The use I remember most is for farm trucks. Most of them had 8 foot by 12 or in some cases 14 foot beds, with cattle racks. It seems to me the farmers would load them down with all they could cram on to the top of the racks, regardless of the weight. I can remember loading them with bushel apple crates to the top of the racks, from the front to the back. I don't have a clue what that would have weighed, but it must have been a lot. They never let me drive one, but based on the way my 6400 drives, it must have been a slow trip. Mine has a lot of power in the lower gears, and a huge amount of torque, but with a full load, I can't imagine one would spend much time in 4th gear. Of course back then, that was just the way things were, and you accepted the fact that if you were behind a truck on a long hill, it was going to be a while before you got to the top, and you were ok with that. Now someone would probably shoot you. Allen

My info lists apples @ 40# cu. ft. There are 1.2444 cu ft per bushel so appples are 50 lbs per bushel. I have no idea of how many you could stack in a 8x12 area but I have some apple crates that have AD truck parts stored in them. Best crates I've found.

As you said, purely academic anyway. Probably seemed a like a lot if you happened to be the one loading them.