Pulled some gravel last weekend to do some landscaping for the back yard. And I was riding on the bump stops all the way home. Total truck and trailer was 11200 pounds






Yes that is a F350 in the back ground that is my dad's truck. I had asked him to haul the load but he was busy 1st thing in the morning taking a load of metal. So I took the ranger instead of waiting for him, plus I knew I only needed ~2.5 tons of gravel, (i've pulled 3 tons before) the problem was I forgot to load the lighter gravel 1st, we got two different kinds of gravel. And after it was on the trailer there is no turning back. It was no problem to pull the load, truck had plenty power and I've pulled many of trailers before so I know my limits on stoping.

Now before all you so called "pro trailer" loaders adn drives rip into me, I know the problem. All the weight is in the front, and if I was going to pull this far or fast I would've re-loaded it. But I knew it was a short way home and keep the speeds low.

 

WOW thats crazy, I think a slighty longer drop hitch would have helped ALOT as well.

 

bring a shovel next time to reposition some of that weight over the trailer wheels
these photos are scarey Adrian

 

i once had my bed loaded w/ landscaping stones, and it was at about that level.

very very bad.

 

haha dam.
i bet ur trans HATES you...lol

 

I'm not sure I would have continued with that load, but I'm glad it worked out OK. I bet steering was much easier. Good thing you didn't pop a wheelie.

 

first lowered FX4!

 

I did that in my 94 Ranger once, loaded with rock & gravel. By the time I got to the dump my mudflaps where an inch shorter.

Rick

 

Ha ha -- almost exactly what I was going to say.

Hey, Neil, where ya' been? I haven't seen you posting in ages?

 

Wow, thats just plain dangerous but it is a cool pic! Should have put more of the weight on the trailer axles. I'm guilty of doing something similar last year though. I put 2 yards of topsoil on my dads 16' double axle trailer and while it was very heavy, the trailer carried most of the weight. The Ranger had plenty of power to pull it, but I never got over 35mph just to be safe. Rangers don't stop alot of weight well and I hadn't bothered hooking up the trailer brakes. Fortunately, it was only a 3 mile trip to my house. It ended up being alot more weight than I thought it would be.

 

Fords can take it. We put 800 pounds of stone into the trunk of my moms 81 Mustang once, looked almost like your truck did. We drove it about 10 miles home and started unloading when the neighbor came over and said we couldve used his truck

 

haha, NICE!

i think your rear springs are going to hate you. what shape were they in? last time mine was something like that they were in a U shape! lol

 

The manual trans did fine wasn't crying at all, the clutch is the weak link!

Neil I had 2 shovels the problem was there was two types of gravel; gray in the front and red in the rear.

yea it was like having hydro steering!!

Being dangerous for a cool picture is stupid. I never felt dangerous or out of control.

Just like a U. Between that and the picture below my springs have been crying for sometime.

 

Damn! That's nutz'.
But, glad you got to your destination safe. I had my '79 f150 loaded like that some time ago with a full Pallet of Centipede Sod, it was riding on it bump stops and my drive shaft was hiting one of the mufflers. I don't think ill do that again. Thats why I bought my little trailer for stuff like that.

Next weekend, I have to get a load of sand for a stone patio that im forming for a client. Im going to be ridn' low to.

 

now thats some insane flex lol

 

lol i meant upside down U. lol i musta been out of it when i posted that.

 

Steering sucks huh!!! I've done that before with bagged concrete.

 

I've driven on bump stops when I hauled sod in the bed (no trailer). I was an interesting ride to say the least. Went SLOW the whole way home.

-Levino