# 1 Ton Chev Dump (weight again)



## KMB (Jul 15, 2009)

Congrats on your new wood hauler! Got pictures? As far as how much it can haul, sometimes you can find websites where you can enter your VIN number and it will give you the specs on your vehicle. Also look-up Chevy truck forums for info on your truck.

Kevin


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## STANG302 (Jul 15, 2009)

How much it can legally haul and how much it can actually haul will be two completely different things. I'd say a 1-ton would probably be legal for 2-3K lbs and that's pushing it. 

Also you need to be care full when you put plates on your truck. Make sure you get the proper weight clasification. I have my truck registered for 12K lbs. Its easy to be cheap till the state trooper pulls you over and gives you a ticket because you don't have the correct plates on your truck. Here in WI. there cracking down on that hard!


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## blades (Jul 15, 2009)

Do not know about chevy, I have had close to 2 on my ford F350. When I am plowing snow there is 1000# plow on front, heavy duty bumper 200# salter 200# and 2000# in salt out the door, plus snow blowers, tow chains, winch, ect. no issues. 
Got to watch the chevy frame though about where it curves up for the front suspension, they like to crack there, age dosen't matter. The GMC version has a gusset plate welded on in that area to correct problem. You can find info on this on the snowplowing fourms.


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## tomtrees58 (Jul 15, 2009)

is it a c30 ? gvw look on the door tom trees


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## blades (Jul 15, 2009)

do not know if problem occurs without plowing, considering where the breaks are occuring in the frame that i have repaired and seen other pics of, I would judge it as an oem issue, also noting the added gusset on the gmc frame vs chevy. Occurs 90's thru current.


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## dean06919 (Jul 15, 2009)

That is a great find Catfish, you will find lots of uses for that truck.

I purchased a 1990 F350 dually, 4x4, FI 460 earlier this year. I've hauled everything in it, wood, sand, rock, building material, etc. I have done more work around my house/yard in the last month than I did all of last year because of this truck.

As for a comparison, my uncle has basically the same truck (1994) with a FI 454, only it's a GMC. His truck rides nicer empty, seems to have a sharper turning radius, sits lower to the ground, and has a better interior in regards to layout (door handles and radio are in a more logical place), and options (mine doesn't have a trip odometer, why??) However, my F350 seems to handle loads better and the 460 hands down is my favorite motor. It offers the same HP and torque but uses far less gas and has been extremely reliable so far.

As for load weight. I'm not sure what the legal limit is. I put 2" oak planks on my sides and can easily haul over a cord. With the sides, my box measures almost 7 feet wide, 8 feet long and 4 feet high. Even hand stacked slightly above the top rail, the truck has no problem hauling it. Just make sure to adjust for your break points and corners. If you ever rode MX, this should not be a problem.

So, I guess if your a good driver, the trucks in good mechanical shape, and you don't have far to go, you should be able to haul any reasonable amount of wood. Just make sure you can dump it. While hauling dune sand, I found that my truck won't dump anything over 5 tons, but my uncles will. Just remember you will be held liable if you get in an accident with an overloaded truck.

Enjoy your new truck catfish and you might want to see what your state offers as far as plates. Michigan wanted almost $500/year for plates because of the trucks body style. Yet farming and logging plates cost about $35 per year.


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## KMB (Jul 15, 2009)

Might be a tad off topic/thread hijack...but how many of you guys with 1 ton dumps hand load your trucks (whether tossed or stacked in the box)?

Kevin


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## STANG302 (Jul 15, 2009)

KMB said:


> Might be a tad off topic/thread hijack...but how many of you guys with 1 ton dumps hand load your trucks (whether tossed or stacked in the box)?
> 
> Kevin



All muscle here. Weather its into our trucks or onto our deckover trailer.


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## clearance (Jul 15, 2009)

catfish1 said:


> The red tape begins. Tried to get an insurance quote, and gave them the VIN off the truck, and they say it does not exist. It does, I test drove the non-existent truck last night. I broke down the VIN myself, and it decribes the vehicle as it is - 1 ton, GM, Michigan, 1984 etc... Anyone ever deal with this? Any ideas? Thanks.



The VIN is very usefull, it tells many things on those trucks.
As far as wieght, I would say way more than 3k lbs. I have had a few 1980 3/4 tons, the gvw on a 1980 2 wheel drive camper special is 8600 lbs, they wiegh around 5300 lbs empty, so thats 3300 lbs right there. You have two more tires.


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## Peacock (Jul 15, 2009)

That truck shouldn't have much trouble with 3 ton of weight. Stopping is always the issue with those old trucks. I've had 5k in my K20 a few times and it handled the weight fine. It's had 2 ton LOTS of times in it. You just have to be extra careful.


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## Mud23609 (Jul 15, 2009)

Assuming your side boards are of reasonable height you should have no problem filling the truck to capacity before you run out of weight. On my f-350 my helper springs are barley engaged when the box is full of wood.

As for the other poster asking about loading. Well that depends on where I am at with it. If I have a big pile of wood to load and haul home I will often bring my skid steer to load off the pile. If I only have a truck load or to though I will load it by hand.

Dirt though I always use a machine.


As for being able to dump it with lots of weight that depends on the truck and the system that is installed for the hydraulics. Mine will dump red clay or gravel that I loaded two more buckets with the skid AFTER the axle was on the bump stops (No I don't travel far or down public roads at all when loaded like that).


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## wdchuck (Jul 15, 2009)

Have fun with it. 

My insurance said the one ton needs a commercial policy, so that was a new number to call, extra policy, etc.....

Our F350 was a dumping flatbed from the factory, so with a 7.5' x 12' bed, 38" headache rack welded on, and the 2x6's for sides, it holds 2.3 cords of split wood stacked tight. 

I"m not sure what a full box of hand tossed oak splits amounts to yet, or weighs, but the pto dump takes it right up with the engine just idling....


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## blades (Jul 15, 2009)

got to love ins. co., commercial auto policy exact same coverage as reg policy just twice as much cost. what a crock.


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## nhlogga (Jul 15, 2009)

catfish1 said:


> Hello,
> I have solved my 1/2 ton truck problem. Looked at and bought a 1984 Chevy 1 ton dump last night. It is in great shape for its age (no rust, new rad,leafs,battery,hyd.pump&tank,plug wires & distributor, brakes, brake lines,burns no oil,dual rear tires), and runs and sounds great. Anyway, does anyone have such a rig? How much wood could it safely carry? It will hold a half cord easily, I'm sure. Any info would be great. Thanks



you can haul atleast 1 cord easily. your gvw should be 10k to 12k and should be a sticker or data plate either on your driver side door next to the latch or on the door jam. also look in the glove box. there maybe more info. there. it should be a sticker with your vin and a bunch of codes. if its there you can call a chevy dealer and by those codes they can tell you all about your truck. being an '84 the stickers maybe worn off. good luck and enjoy your new 1 ton.


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## Steve NW WI (Jul 15, 2009)

Here in WI the DOT will use the *LOWEST* of these weights to determine the legal weight of the truck:

Truck GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) Rated maximum weight of the truck.

Vehicle GCWR (gross combination weight rating) - The rated weight the truck can carry AND tow.

Trailer GVWR - see truck gvwr, only for the trailer.

GAWR - (Gross axle weight rating), what each individual axle can carry.

Rated weight of tires (listed on tire sidewalls). Truck may be legal, but with cheapo passenger tires, it could be overloading the tires.

When you get into bigger trucks/trailers there is also a "bridge law", but it's not an issue with most P/U and trailer combos, and difficult to explain, so we'll leave that alone for now.

Registered weight - don't cheap out and buy plates for less than the truck is rated for. I've seen 3/4 ton trucks around here with 6,000 lb registration, and a quite a few of them are likely overweight with just driver and fuel. Wisconsin has a "Dual Purpose Farm" plate which allows a lighter GVW during normal uses, and a 12,000 GVW when used for farm purposes. I'd hate to get into a fight with DOT whether firewood sales (or even hauling for burning in the farm shop) would constitute farm use, though.

Steve


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## svcman (Jul 15, 2009)

*1 ton suspension*

I have a 2001 gmc 3500 1 ton dually with a small block 6.0L, in the summer months its loaded with a 11 1/2 lance camper that weighs 4500 lbs full of gear and handles it well without 5000lb air bags. I did just add 5000lb air bags on it to level the ride, but it did not really need it. Went last weekend and loaded the truck and 6x12 trailer full of wood,( but no air added to the bags )You could not build sides high enough to max out the 1 ton suspension, load er up till she's full and add just a little more for good measure.


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## jmcguiretree (Jul 15, 2009)

I have a 1-ton crew cab with single rear wheels.I put a dump-insert in it and found that it can really haul some weight.Last year I put some driveway mix in it and scaled in at 5300lbs more than empty.It was more than I should have had but it still hauled it.


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## chowdozer (Jul 15, 2009)

Catfish, if your truck is a dually, it has a 5500# rear axle. It weighs about 6000# and it's GVW is 12,000. I would not hesitate to put 5-6000 on it.


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## JJuday (Jul 16, 2009)

If you find out the GVW, then get the truck weight you can subtract and get the real world cargo weight. Of course that is what you will be legally able to haul, but the reality is that you should be able to haul 3 tons without much trouble. The side boards are just there to keep the load in the bed. I have a International S1600 and I have loaded it to 16800 in the bed before, yes, it was scary when I got it on the scales and found out what I had in it. That put the combined weight to 28500, the legal GVCW is 24000. GVCW is machine and additional cargo....trailer,load, so on and so forth. A friend of mine broke his wheel studs at 11000 on his F350 dump, so don't over do it! That would have put the GVCW at around 18000!!! That is way too much for a class 3 truck.JJ


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## merlynr (Jul 16, 2009)

My 71F350 will haul 3 tons if I'm going on hiway like with gravel or dirt. The overloads aren't touching. Sometimes hauling oak stacked over the 4 ft sides they touch! This is for short distances of 1-2 miles. The 360 gets u there but not in any hurry. The older hydraulics have never refused to lift, but it has twin telescoping cylinders.


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## clearance (Jul 16, 2009)

catfish1 said:


> Thanks for all the info, everyone. It went for it's pre-sale inspection last night. They are replacing a ball joint, tie rod end, and the pitman arm. (they are quite fussy about larger vehichles here). I should be able to pick it up on Monday. Can't wait to load it up. It has a small block 350 with a 4 speed and bull low. I assume the 350 is large enough to move along a 1 ton easily enough. Any thoughts?



Great engine, a big block is better but whatever. When its empty you can take off in second gear, the bull low gear is great for when its loaded, quite a range between 3rd and 4th.


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## chowdozer (Jul 16, 2009)

catfish1 said:


> Thanks for all the info, everyone. It went for it's pre-sale inspection last night. They are replacing a ball joint, tie rod end, and the pitman arm. (they are quite fussy about larger vehichles here). I should be able to pick it up on Monday. Can't wait to load it up. It has a small block 350 with a 4 speed and bull low. I assume the 350 is large enough to move along a 1 ton easily enough. Any thoughts?



The 350 will do fine. You won't win any races, but parts for the 350 are dirt cheap and they last pretty good. You'll take off in the second hole unless you're on a hill or just want to idle through the field. On flat ground I start out in the third hole on mine (I did a little work to it). You have a 12" clutch so if you're easy on it, you can get 100K+ miles out of it. Check the oil on that SM465 and make sure it's full. I find it easiest just to pull the boot in the cab, push down on the sheetmetal shifter retainer and give it a 1/4 turn CCW then pull the shifter out and fill from the top while having someone watch the fill plug underneath. When you hit the chassis grease fittings, don't forget the slipjoint in the driveline just behind the carrier bearing.

One thing you will really appreciate if you ever have to pull the transmission on that... the whole transmission tunnel unbolts and comes out. 

That truck is as close to bullet proof as you can get.


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## Fronty Owner (Jul 16, 2009)

legally speaking, look on your door jam, find the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). fuel up and head to your local truck stop with a cat scale. and weigh the truck. This will tell you how much weight you can legally carry.

What is the truck capable of? you can probably get 1000# over your GVWR on a stock truck without over loading the suspension. with suspension mods, you can go further.


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## trialanderror (Jul 17, 2009)

STANG302 said:


> How much it can legally haul and how much it can actually haul will be two completely different things. I'd say a 1-ton would probably be legal for 2-3K lbs and that's pushing it.
> 
> Also you need to be care full when you put plates on your truck. Make sure you get the proper weight clasification. I have my truck registered for 12K lbs. Its easy to be cheap till the state trooper pulls you over and gives you a ticket because you don't have the correct plates on your truck. Here in WI. there cracking down on that hard!



hehe. i have a weigh slip of 3200# on my 1/2 ton z71 shortbox...

custom massive overloads.....

DOT would of love that one...$7 a pound over the limit....
believe it or not, i feel safer pulling my tri-axle when the truck is that heavy just because of 6 extra brakes....


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## Patrick62 (Jul 19, 2009)

*My 6 cents worth*

Great thread

What would it carry? More than you can put on it. We have a 1 ton Ford up here that has carried 2 cords of wood on a regular basis of years. No issues.

I use a ancient Dodge that will carry more weight than it can dump, I am guessing that it was way over 4000 lbs....

I would think that a frame under a 1 ton chevy would be as good as anothing else, but I have not checked into it.

The 350 is going to use a fair amount of gas moving it around. A big block would possibly be more economical. Run it, If you just happen to stub your toe on a 396, 454, etc it is mostly just a bolt in.


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## trialanderror (Jul 20, 2009)

Patrick62 said:


> The 350 is going to use a fair amount of gas moving it around. A big block would possibly be more economical. Run it, If you just happen to stub your toe on a 396, 454, etc it is mostly just a bolt in.



absolutely. we had the old 332 HD in our 750 tandem dually 10 yard dump. it got old and tired, so we threw in a rebuilt hopped-up 460. alot better milage and power.

but later that summer it started to make noises. knocked the pistons out and discovered 6 were cracked....then again, moving 55,000# 10 hours a day with the foot to the floor, a HD engine should be used....


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## OneMoreCord (Jul 20, 2009)

*Load it up*

I haul wood wood (and anything else I want to) with an old 1976 chev 1 ton with a 12foot flatbed dump. The load of green doug fir and oak I cut up just last week stacked up to be 2 1/2 cords. I have added a few extra leaves in the rear spring pack and actually have hauled up tp 10,000 lbs of rock on it. (locally only, of course). It also has a 350 in it and does not go up a hill very fast, but it'll get the job done. I tried to post the only picture of it that I can find at the moment.


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## ghitch75 (Jul 22, 2009)

i have had over 12,000# of gravel on my K3500 6.5L turbo 5 speed cab & chassie(12,500gvw)....my avatar pic is was much heaver load than the gravel......i'm guessin' 14,000 to 16,000....


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## crashagn (Jul 23, 2009)

KMB said:


> Might be a tad off topic/thread hijack...but how many of you guys with 1 ton dumps hand load your trucks (whether tossed or stacked in the box)?
> 
> Kevin



Dont have 1 Ton but would love to have 1. I use my old 87 1/2 ton with a electric atv hoist on a boom and load logs 8ft at a time and also load the 3/4 pickup trailor. 

Catfish.. you wont like that truck at all.. If you was closer i would gladly take it off you hands for a fair price:hmm3grin2orange:


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## Moss Man (Jul 24, 2009)

catfish1 said:


> You've hit the nail on the head. I'm still fighting them. Anything to beat an extra 5 cents out of you. I should have it all ironed out tomorrow, and be able to pick up my new used beast.



Somehow my agent helped me avoid the commercial policy on my one ton GMC even though we haul firewood regularly. $250. a year for Liability.


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