how many run a deck on a half ton

[leadfoot33]

i run my 99 gmc 4x4 k1500 (may be a heavy half not sure) with a sled deck (old body style) air bags at 18lbs makes the truck handle better, i did go over the scales, i am legal depending on who is in the passenger seat and if we are packing fuel.
also i use an aluminum sled deck with sliding sides that i am going to try and lighten up some more this year. thats what i use and it works, would i like to have a 3/4 yup you bet i would, its harder on brakes this way but i use the trans to help slow everything down and just dont drive like an idiot also 10 ply tires load range e helped alot.

 

[polarisfornow]

Its a horrible idea. There is a thread on HCS about a guy that got into an accident with a deck on his half ton. He was way overweight with two sleds plus a deck. And btw, there is NO half ton rated for that payload made by anyone....NONE! In fact from a payload stand point its even fairly close on a 3/4 ton. Anyways because he was overweight and it was ruled that the extra weight contributed in him losing control his insurance didn't cover him. Brand new truck, two sleds and another new car all written off and had to be covered on his dime because it was considered his negligence. Anyone that says you can do it better be ready to chip in if you get into an accident.

 

[vdog0531]

Serious..... Heavy Loads??? I don't think that sleds fall into that group. I have no problem with you running a bigger truck-- good for you-- but it's not needed. Oh,, and i already said that in had different brakes (different hubs... i thought you could figure that out) And what gear ratios are you talking about?? Sure, they have a different transmission in them... but not a big deal. They have the same gear ratios in them (if you want) 3.73. (chevy)

I also have a duramax... that i use for big loads (like pulling a 27 ft gooseneck with a backhoe on it)..... but a little overkill for a couple sleds.

i like this guy

yeah, two fully ready to ride sleds with a deck and some gear... MEH, not heavy at all in the bed of your truck, especially when its 5 feet or more off the ground. screw it, i bet an s10 would handle to the load according to this fella. Also, yeah, there isnt much difference between the gm 4l60 trans and the allison. pretty much 6's, especially when it comes to towing. leaf springs and axle size? meh... only really matters when towing a gooseneck! just throw an add a leaf or some bags on it and you good fellas!


p.s. I'm now thinking about selling my 3/4 hd and getting an s10 or maybe even a ranger. Anyone know of a deck builder who can hook me up with a deck for one of these things?

 

[vdog0531]

also, lets put all the pieces together here. "IF" you had a duramax, you would sitll use that for the sleds. I'm guessing you drive your half ton to work and then you drive a duramax for whatever company you work for.

 

[Mafesto]

If adding airbags turns a 1/2 ton into a 3/4 ton.............

then

Stuffing her bra makes a girls tits bigger.

 

[leadfoot33]

no it does not make it a 3/4. but i have taken my truck to the scales to check where i sat at and i am right on my max.

 

[Mafesto]

no it does not make it a 3/4. but i have taken my truck to the scales to check where i sat at and i am right on my max.

With passengers, gear, fuel & suspensions loaded with ice/snow?

I have a hard time believing that.

 

[polarisfornow]

no it does not make it a 3/4. but i have taken my truck to the scales to check where i sat at and i am right on my max.

total BS.... not possible. Not in a half ton. The two lightest mtn sleds made completely empty are gonna weigh in at about 450 a piece. So there is 900. The lightest deck will come in around 450 as well. 1350. According to chevy your truck is rated at 1710 payload. That gives you 360 lbs to play with for yourself, Gas, oil, coolant etc in the sleds and an extra person. And these are best case numbers. My guess is if you have a 99 chevy you prob don't have two brand new pro RMKs to go with it.

 

[mr.deeds]

also, lets put all the pieces together here. "IF" you had a duramax, you would sitll use that for the sleds. I'm guessing you drive your half ton to work and then you drive a duramax for whatever company you work for.

Not that i really care.... but if you want to put all the pieces together-- It's not a "IF"... and it's not the company i work for... self employed. But the duramax is a work package and a regular cab (yes.. they make those) so i prefer the other truck to get the gear in. Also... in your other post you were comparing the half ton transmission to the allison?? Not all 3/4 have the allison (i think only diesels but not sure) so comparing it to the allison is worthless.

And finally.... i've noticed a trend. Read the whole thread.... not one person who has actually tried it has said it doesn't work. It's all the people that are speculating that said it doesn't work.

 

[vdog0531]

Not that i really care.... but if you want to put all the pieces together-- It's not a "IF"... and it's not the company i work for... self employed. But the duramax is a work package and a regular cab (yes.. they make those) so i prefer the other truck to get the gear in. Also... in your other post you were comparing the half ton transmission to the allison?? Not all 3/4 have the allison (i think only diesels but not sure) so comparing it to the allison is worthless.

And finally.... i've noticed a trend. Read the whole thread.... not one person who has actually tried it has said it doesn't work. It's all the people that are speculating that said it doesn't work.

A) fine, compare the 4l60 to a 4l80... not EVEN CLOSE

B) We arent saying "its not possible"... it comes down to wether someone "should" do it or not. I know a guy that tows around two dirt bikes with a nissan sentra. Since he does it, does that mean its safe or a good idea? I HATE these half ton/sled deck threads. The people that do the sled deck with half tons never want to admit that its not NEARLY as safe or "should" be done so they always say "meh, it seems work ok with bags on my truck" and then when people actually use common sense and state the facts... then some smart (dumb) *** with a half ton and deck on it wants to defend it to the death.

PS this is not referring to the people who use their half ton and understand that its not the best idea but they are using what they have. Its to the half toners out there that want to keep arguing that their half tons are just as capable as a 3/4 ton or 1 ton

EDIT: You "can" hook up a 35 ft bumper pull camp trailer to a half ton too... so does that mean its ok? the whole argument "not one person that has done it doesnt say it doesnt work" holds no water. Its not a question of "will a sled deck fit in a half ton" its a question of "is it a good/safe idea?" A 10 year old boy can hop on a turbo pro rmk.. does that mean its a good idea? just because it "can" be done, doesnt mean it should be done!

 

[leadfoot33]

i do avoid taking 2 sleds, we have another truck and trailer in place for when we take more people.
also i am not sure if you are comparing the new style truck to the old style, as we sit in the yard my old style pick up has a higher gvw than my 02 does.

anyways no point arguing as ong as we all drive safley and get to the spots we are going to and enjoy a great day of sledding.
a bad day of sledding is better than any day at work or sitting at home .

also like stated i think my ol 1/2 is a heavy half.

the only gas engine to have the alison trans is the 8.1l vortec big block. just an fyi

 

[Mafesto]

And finally.... i've noticed a trend. Read the whole thread.... not one person who has actually tried it has said it doesn't work. It's all the people that are speculating that said it doesn't work.

I have no problem with anyone overloading their truck & using it, I couldn't care less.

I do care that people come on here & ask if it's ok, & some of you lead these people down a potentially deadly path.
These people are trying to get an educated opinion & take advantage of all of the collective experience this forum has to offer.
It is negligent to lead them to believe it is safe.

 

[mr.deeds]

Seriously.... the last thing that i want to do is cause a problem for someone.

But one thing that I think is being missed.... When you put airbags on (and have better tires) you change the payload capacity of the truck. So you might be over the "limit".... But doing the changes creates a new payload limit. And if it doesn't change it enough to be safe.... or if you're not comfortable with it.... then go for the 3/4.

 

[Blk88GT]

It actually doesn't change the "payload limit". It changes the amount of sag you see, nothing else.

 

[mr.deeds]

It actually doesn't change the "payload limit". It changes the amount of sag you see, nothing else.

According to their web site it does... (it wouldn't copy... but) "ride on a cloud of air and increase your carrying capasity". They had different kits.... some were just for ride quality-- but others increased weight capasity.

Ok.. well i'm done on this thread. Have a good day everyone.

 

[polarisfornow]

I have no problem with anyone overloading their truck & using it, I couldn't care less.

I do care that people come on here & ask if it's ok, & some of you lead these people down a potentially deadly path.
These people are trying to get an educated opinion & take advantage of all of the collective experience this forum has to offer.
It is negligent to lead them to believe it is safe.

That post is probably the best answer to why I get so bent out of shape on these threads. People come on and ask for advice. And we give advice based on our own opinions and experiences. But, and this is a big but, the fact that we don't really know the person asking the question or their driving habits or their level of responsibility or safety always leads me to error on the side of caution when talking about towing or hauling. And the fact that you are automatically overweight with a deck on a half ton makes me immediately dislike anyone that gives advice that it can be done easily.

On a side note I'm not a safety freak though. I also get annoyed that most of the guys on here think you need a diesel to haul anything bigger than a set of golf clubs. But towing a decent trailer on a half ton and a deck on a half ton are two wildly different things.

 

[Mafesto]

That post is probably the best answer to why I get so bent out of shape on these threads. People come on and ask for advice. And we give advice based on our own opinions and experiences. But, and this is a big but, the fact that we don't really know the person asking the question or their driving habits or their level of responsibility or safety always leads me to error on the side of caution when talking about towing or hauling. And the fact that you are automatically overweight with a deck on a half ton makes me immediately dislike anyone that gives advice that it can be done easily.

On a side note I'm not a safety freak though. I also get annoyed that most of the guys on here think you need a diesel to haul anything bigger than a set of golf clubs. But towing a decent trailer on a half ton and a deck on a half ton are two wildly different things.

I agree.
I do many, many less than legal things when behind the wheel.
Most of which I feel very safe doing.
However I would never tell complete strangers to do the same things just because I happen to feel safe doing them.
There's is a huge shortage of common sense in this world.

 

[leadfoot33]

air bags dont change your gvw, they just dont show as much sag, it doesnt make your rear end stronger and doesnt fix the brake issue. your rear end is still a 6 bolt (or 5) and your brake rotors and drums are probably still the 11" or smaller.

i like the "do as i say not as i do" quote.

the only reason i was talking a duramax is cuz its my daily driver and getting the gas pot 3/4 is hard on fuel, i do too much travelling out of town to buy the 6.0l vortec lol

 

[turbolq4]

I had an 04 2500HD Chev with the 6.0 gas motor, extended cab, long box, 4x4. With me in it and a full tank of gas it bent the scale at 6420. The gross cap of that truck is 9200.

A little meth...er...math says it has 2780lbs worth of payload available.
Unless you ride the newest lightest stuff out there your pair of sleds will be 1200lbs together. add your buddies fat azz-200lbs, gear-100, sled deck-500, an extra 20 gallons of gas-120.

All of that adds up to 2120lbs
2780-2120=660 lbs from MAX CAPACITY. If you have a Duramax you are right at the trucks capacity. Any half-ton is way over loaded.

My current '96 Powerstroke is over cap with all of that weight.

Its not the fact that the trucks dont have the power to pull it. They lack the important stuff like brakes, frame/axle strength, as well as the trucks own weight (lack of).

 

[cbc24]

Most of the trips i did this year we used my friends 09 F150 5.4l ext 6.5 ft box with my renegade an his summit fuel and oil gear etc and it did us fine.