Max cargo weight

[mopar68]

Have a 2014 Outdoorsman 1500. Max cargo weight is 1680lbs and I am at 1680lbs. I have rear cargo air bags only. My question is Can I go over at all ? By how much if possible ? It's set up for construction with a DDC bed cap and equipment.

 

[06 Dodge]

My self I do not recommend doing so you, doing so you could open your self to potential problems....

 

[mtofell]

(Grabbing bag of popcorn to watch the debate that will undoubtedly ensue)

Is the 1680# from your door sticker or a general "brochure" weight? Hopefully, your door sticker since that's the true # that matches your truck.

So, the door sticker payload weight but the quirk is (usually) when you add up your FAWR & RAWR (front/rear axle max weights) you come up with more than the payload. Axle weight are designed by the engineers and are based what the axle can safely carry and what the brakes on that axle can safely stop. Some people discard payload and choose to go by axle weights. Fwiw, axle weights are largely what commercial trucking goes by so a pretty good case can be made that you are still being safe.

In the end, it's up to you to decide what you're comfortable with. Airbags are nice but really do nothing to increase payload, etc. IMO, they just make it more comfortable to carry loads up close to your max. By far, tires are the most important thing so be sure you have the correct load rating and consider upping to the next load range, assuming your rims can handle the added PSI. Again, none of these things increase your payload but make it more comfortable and arguable safer to carry up near your max.

I have a 3000# payload on my 2500 and have been known to be a few pieces of firewood over it when my 5th wheel is attached and my truck is loaded up for camping. The heaviest my rear axle has ever weighed is about 5700# and it's rated for 6500#.... tires (combined) for 7200# and I'm okay with that... wouldn't want to go much heavier, though.

 

[dhay13]

That is a personal question. The truck isn't going to fall apart if you add another 200lbs or so but there is a potential legality issue and possible insurance issue, meaning they may not cover you in the event of an accident. I can't answer that.
One bit of advice would be to go to your local CAT scale and get axle weights. I'm guessing you will be over on GRAWR and that is something you do not want to do. Aside from legality those limits are there to protect wheel bearings, seals, axles, etc.
The reason I'm guessing you are over is that it looks like that weight is all over your rear axle. I know my step-sons Tundra was 4260lbs on the rear axle with 1100lbs tongue weight. 1500 Rams are typically around 3900lb GRAWR so while they are different vehicles I'm guessing 1100lbs tongue weight would put you over your GRAWR by at least a few hundred lbs. Tongue weight is more leveraged than dead weight in the bed so that would help you but with that much extra weight I still think you are over your GRAWR. Go to a CAT scale and spend the $12 or whatever and get real numbers so you know where you are.

Here is the slip from the Tundra with a 9300lb bumper pull TT with 1100lbs tongue weight.

And like was said, air bags etc do not increase payload but only make it more comfortable

 

[mopar68]

The door sticker says 1680lbs and I recently took it through a scale at the local truck stop and it also reads 1680lbs.

 

[chopperman1]

Was that 1680 with you and any passengers in it? Gas tank full? That all counts towards payload.

 

[mtofell]

The door sticker says 1680lbs and I recently took it through a scale at the local truck stop and it also reads 1680lbs.

Were you in the truck when it was weighed?

 

[BossHogg]

Was that 1680 with you and any passengers in it? Gas tank full? That all counts towards payload.

The payload number on the placard considers the truck as built including all fluids including fuel. Payload is the passengers and cargo.

 

[2003F350]

Have a 2014 Outdoorsman 1500. Max cargo weight is 1680lbs and I am at 1680lbs. I have rear cargo air bags only. My question is Can I go over at all ? By how much if possible ? It's set up for construction with a DDC bed cap and equipment.

If this were for personal use, I would say yes you've got wiggle room.

But you say you use it for construction, which I am guessing means you are using it for either your business or someone else's business. In that case, you can go over, but if police decide to stop you, you could be asking for trouble - when a vehicle is used for business purposes instead of personal use they scrutinize a bit more. Your GVWR probably isn't over 10k but technically you're still using it as a commercial vehicle, so DOT could get involved too.

Now, if it is primarily your personal vehicle and you're just driving it to a work site to work, that doesn't fall under commercial vehicle use, so some will let it slide.

 

[dhay13]

The door sticker says 1680lbs and I recently took it through a scale at the local truck stop and it also reads 1680lbs.

What were your axle weights?

 

[18CrewDually]

Door sticker for "payload" means nothing at this point. Your truck is already loaded. Go to the scales and get your weights, Front axle, Rear Axle, and it will include total.
Then come back here and post the weight ticket results and a picture of you door jam sticker that lists GVWR, Rear GAWR, Front GAWR numbers. You can also list the weight rating of the tires.
Then folks can give an actual assessment.

 

[chopperman1]

The payload number on the placard considers the truck as built including all fluids including fuel. Payload is the passengers and cargo.

Exactly, that is why I asked the OP if he had passengers and a full tank of fuel when he got weighed. If he didn't have passengers and a 1/4 tank of gas and weighed 1680 he would be over weight once fueled up and passengers loaded.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

 

[rzr6-4]

Farm kid here...... accelerate slowly and hit the breaks early and you can carry as much as you need. Not necessarily a great thing to do everyday for wear and tear but for a one off thing you'll be fine.

*not legally but who cares.

 

[Overlander]

... but there is a potential legality issue and possible insurance issue, meaning they may not cover you in the event of an accident.

Has anyone ever heard of this actually happening? That's the most often cited reason for overweight concern, but I've yet to read a single case where it was applied to a non-commercial operator.

It would be very difficult to prove that an overweight condition was the direct cause of an accident. Further, is a vehicle with and extra 200# in the bed more or less dangerous than one towing 5000#? Similarly, insurance won't deny coverage if you're traveling 20mph over the posted limit and that's a heck of a lot worse than being a bit overweight. Another example: the Power Wagon is rated ~ 1,500 less than a standard 2500, at least from the door sticker. Yet no one raises an eyebrow if you put a 4" lift on a Big Horn 2500 and roll the scales at 10k.

With this being a 1,500 I would be concerned about the mechanical bits, axle load rating, tire load rating, and even frame strength. Also, the 1,500 isn't as well setup to provide continuous heavy braking or dampen that much weight. So drive accordingly or take steps to remedy those deficiencies if this is routine.

 

[62Blazer]

Oh no, the Payload Police are going to be all over this one! As a disclaimer, I will say first that you should not exceed the GVWR rating of the truck. However from 30+ years of real world experience working on farms and construction I have never, ever seen somebody actually go and weigh their pickup truck as they were loading it to make sure they stayed within GVWR....and know for a fact there were a LOT of times trucks were overloaded or towing heavier than what the manufacturer stated. But there was also some real-world common sense going on there also. I am not saying they just completely disregarded weight ratings but they knew not to load a 4,000 lb. pallet of bricks into the bed or hookup a 14,000 lb. trailer to a 1/2 ton truck. Also, are you going a couple miles down a backroad to the next field at 30 mph or driving 300 miles down the interstate at 70 mph?
For legality reasons, there are always people that jump on here and talk about going to jail and getting denied by insurance. Again, not saying you should run overweight.....but don't think I have ever heard any true real life experiences posted, just speculation. If you cause a wreck and kill a bus full of nuns in the process whether you were 200 lbs. over the GVWR of the truck is probably the least of your worries. Besides, it's pretty hard to accurately determine the exact weight of the truck after it is all torn up in an accident. Also, when is the last time you saw an DOT agent pull over a pickup truck and put it on the mobile scales? Not saying it couldn't happen, but I have yet to see it. Drive on a section of interstate everyday and see a DOT inspector vehicle sitting in the median several times a week, and have seen them have dozens of semi's pulled over........but always semi's and never see anything else.

 

[mtofell]

Has anyone ever heard of this actually happening? That's the most often cited reason for overweight concern, but I've yet to read a single case where it was applied to a non-commercial operator.

Yep, total internet urban legend. It's along the same lines as people saying your homeowner's insurance won't cover you if you do non-permitted work on your house. It's all total BS. Doing dumb things is what insurance is for. Insurance companies generally have to prove that you purposely set out to defraud them in order to deny coverage (like staging an accident or injury, or burning your house down on purpose). Being a bonehead and towing overloaded doesn't come close to meeting that bar.

Of course, this is all on a private level... commercial is a whole other ballgame.

 

[dhay13]

In a civil case you only need a majority. If an attorney can convince 1 more than 1/2 the jurors that typically know nothing, then you can lose everything. I'm not willing to take that chance.
I also did cite a case a few years ago on here where a guy was overloaded and was in an accident. I can't remember the exact details but either way he lost his case cause he was overloaded

 

[mtofell]

In a civil case you only need a majority. If an attorney can convince 1 more than 1/2 the jurors that typically know nothing, then you can lose everything. I'm not willing to take that chance.
I also did cite a case a few years ago on here where a guy was overloaded and was in an accident. I can't remember the exact details but either way he lost his case cause he was overloaded

Oh yeah, you definitely look worse in a civil case but that's different than insurance not covering you.

 

[Gr8bawana]

In a civil case you only need a majority. If an attorney can convince 1 more than 1/2 the jurors that typically know nothing, then you can lose everything. I'm not willing to take that chance.
I also did cite a case a few years ago on here where a guy was overloaded and was in an accident. I can't remember the exact details but either way he lost his case cause he was overloaded

Yes you did and your story had absolutely NOTHING to do with being over loaded.

I was a witness in a case once where 3 kids were hit by a car on the way to the bus stop early one morning. Driver was tired after working nightshift and tracks in the snow showed he veered left barely across the center line then back to the berm on the right side, hitting 2 of the kids and the 3rd knocked to the ground. In the end the driver was found to be 80% at fault, school district was 15% at fault and kids were 5% at fault (approximate numbers cause I don't recall the exact numbers). On the surface seems pretty clear driver was 100% at fault but the jury thought differently. The kids had no choice but to walk on the road for a short portion due to where the school district decided the bus stop should be. Bottom line is, do you want your financial (or even criminal) future to lie in the hands of 12 people you do not know? In my opinion better to CYA so you have the best chance at avoiding these types of situations.
Tried finding a link to the story but this was back about 1993 or 1994 so couldn't find anything