how many run a deck on a half ton

[M8Chris]

Put the deck on my new 1ton duramax. Put the sleds on and WOW! What an improvement over my half ton. Ran it on my half ton all last season with bags but man this is soo much better!

 

[Flatlander78]

Everyone needs to make their own decision as to what they feel is safe. I myself am completely comfortable hauling with a 1\2 ton. If your truck is properly set up to handle the additional weight (air bags or add a leaf) the rest of the chassis and drive train will handle it no problem. If you can tow 10,000 lbs, having a 1600 lbs in the back isn't going to cause any problems. As far as breaks go, momentum in momentum whether its on a trailer or in the back of your truck. Most 2 place trailers I know of don't have trailer breaks. Payload is just a number which includes a fairly large factor of safety meaning handling will start to diminish once its exceeded. People just have to have enough common sense to know if the load feels unstable and unsafe, its not hard to tell.

 

[Powderboy]

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).

That surprises me. I have a 96 Powerstroke 3/4 T and I've never considered that I was over max GVW with deck and 2 sleds. Hmm....

 

[hivoltagesledhead]

Food for thought...

I dont know where you live but word in BC is that there will be a zero tolerance this year to overloaded vehicles. I went to Squamish last weekend and ther was a major roadblock between 100 mile house and Clinton. Every car, truck, minivan or what have you with a deck or trailer or combo of either was pulled over on the side of the road. RCMP, CVSE, Fish and Wildlife and any other law enforcement agency you can think of was there. It was a joint effort looking for payloads, poachers, seatbelts, DUI , etc. I wouldnt risk anything other than legal if you are coming to BC this year.

On another note, I had a 96 GMC Z71 S/B with airbags and a deck and 2 98 summit 670s were barely legal....had room for a passeneger that was under 100kgs.

 

[Goinboardin]

I think this topic has been beat to death

In summation

Running a deck on a half ton can be done. However, it is not recommended.

3/4 or 1 ton is preferred.

If putting a deck on a half ton, air bags are mandatory IMO. Also, have the HD payload or towing packages are nice. For instance the F150 with HD payload gives you an 8200 GVW. My 11 F150 weighs about 6000 lbs. That should cover two sleds and an aluminum deck.

However, one should also consider the legal part and look at the GVWs and curb weights.

Technically if you went off specs, my 11 F150 has a higher payload then my 01 or 03 Cummins.

My 11 F150 has a 7200 GVW and weighs 6000 lbs. = 1200 lbs payload

My 03 2500 Cummins had an 8800 GVW and weighed 7900 lbs. = 900 lbs payload

However, the comparison in what you could haul is huge. The Cummins did not sag at all with an 800 lb ATV or 3 dirt bikes in the back. Or towing a 4 place enclosed.

I run about 20 lbs in my airbags in my F150 to get rid of the sag hauling the same load as with my Cummins.

Technically if you were in a accident with the Cummins, you might be held liable though.

So, you guys with diesels should check your weights. I wouldn't be surprised if your just as far over with a 3/4 ton diesel as you are with 1/2 ton.

If you have the 1 ton SRW with 9900 GVW you should be all set or a dually no problem.

If I was to run a deck, I would buy 1 ton to be safe. No question about it.

I think my F150 would be fine with a deck but I really have no desire to run a deck.

Just food for thought.

I don't mean to be an ***, but I think you're off on the curb weight of your 03 Dodge 2500. It doesn't weigh that much unless you added a bunch of accessories to it. A quick google search and I came up with 7100lbs for an 03' Dodge 3500 Cummins 4x4 four door. To the best of my knowledge, the heaviest stock vehicle is a Ford Excursion (diesel) at 7800lbs, more than a 4x4 crew dually one ton. Maybe this is wrong, but either way, you won't know the weight of a rig until you get it on a scale, and thats the only real way to know legal capacities.

 

[One]

Run what ya brung.

Seriously though I use a deck and a cummins to haul in the winter, and even it sags a little more than I'd like with 2 longtracks.

 

[347strokin]

Food for thought...

I dont know where you live but word in BC is that there will be a zero tolerance this year to overloaded vehicles. I went to Squamish last weekend and ther was a major roadblock between 100 mile house and Clinton. Every car, truck, minivan or what have you with a deck or trailer or combo of either was pulled over on the side of the road. RCMP, CVSE, Fish and Wildlife and any other law enforcement agency you can think of was there. It was a joint effort looking for payloads, poachers, seatbelts, DUI , etc. I wouldnt risk anything other than legal if you are coming to BC this year.

On another note, I had a 96 GMC Z71 S/B with airbags and a deck and 2 98 summit 670s were barely legal....had room for a passeneger that was under 100kgs.

That's awesome. I'm glad they are like that, it takes some of the hillbillies off the road who are putting other people's lives in danger. Sure most of us can probably understand or "feel" when we are overloaded but for the sake of everybody, just do some calculations on your truck/load/tires and be legal. Simple.