I know this has been discussed in the past,  but I wanted a refreshment on this subject. I need to bring some sheet rock home and wondering where the limit is. From what I read d80 supposed to handle something like 11,000lb so hopefully I don't have to worry about axle housing or bearings failing. Another factor is springs, which I have air bags to help and tires. I would say I can move around 4,000lb driving in town taking it easy. I've had right at 4,000lb of paving blocks in her before and did just fine. The issue now is my truck is a short box and I'm getting 12 feet long sheets of drywall so the weight will shift more back. I made a support bracket that slides in reciver to help the tailgate, it sticks out just passed the gate. I've moved 14 sheets the other day and it seemed fine, today I need to move about 40+ sheets and thinking doing it in one trip. Each sheet is 67lb according to menards. So waight wise should be fine but the way it's spread idk. I've seen 1/2 ton trucks with 4,000lb of gravel and some rental 1/2 ton trucks with drywall that was sticking out a ways making me believe sheets were 12' long and the truck was looking at sky. 

So how much weight have you had in box and what are the thoughts. I know a smart one would be make more trips, but I like challenges. 

Thanks fellas. 

1 sheet of 4 x 12 1/2 weighs about 85 pounds so 40 would go 3400 lbs. So you will have a good bit of weight on the tail gate. I have in a short bed layed 3 12 foot 2 x4 s in the bed and put the sheetrock on top to help with the weight on the tailgate.

 

 The most I have put in my bed was 2 cubes of brick at around 5000 5500 lbs. Hardly knew it was it there. But I was able to put one i front of the axle and the other on the axle. Like you say yours will be a bit different with that much hanging out the back.

 I also hauled a bed full of 16 foot 2 x 6s upto the top of the bed with several sheets of plywood on top of that. Really dont know how much all that weighed. Did not have to go far with it either. It was abit light in the front but carried it ok.

10 minutes ago, dripley said:

1 sheet of 4 x 12 1/2 weighs about 85 pounds

It must be regular not light weight, this stuff I'm getting is light weight at 67lb, ether way sounds like 40 some sheets should be no problem. I'll find out tonight. 

You can get allot on there with air bags.

 

 

This was about 7,000 lbs here. The D80 in my truck says 11,000lbs but my rear is 3,300 empty. As long as you don't exceed your axle and tire ratings your ok. 

 

As long as your level with that load I wouldn't worry to much, the front of my Dodge was about 4,500lbs  you'll have  pleanty of weight for stopping power

19 minutes ago, Dieselfuture said:

It must be regular not light weight, this stuff I'm getting is light weight at 67lb, ether way sounds like 40 some sheets should be no problem. I'll find out tonight. 

Yes that 85 pounds was standard drywall not the light weight.

We routinely put a round bale bed/feeder on our ranch trucks and 2 big round bales (4000lbs).  I can tell you from personnel experience your truck frame will fail before you rear end (after years of abuse). Never had any rear end problems with the D80s.  

Here's my 3500 V8 with 2000kg/4400lb of biomass pellet for my boiler, little top heavy but  no problem, not loaded my 2500 too much yet but 2 pallets of those pellets wouldn't fit in the bed anyway.

I used my 3500 as a dumptruck when I cleared the site for my house build, 500 ton moved over 6 months in my spare time

Well it's not as bad as it looks, truck did fine. Probably could have put more but was running out of room with topper. I think it's right about 3,000lb didn't even touch overloads but I did have 50 psi in my bags. 

Sitting good, real good for that much hanging out the back.

On 1/10/2019 at 1:46 PM, wil440 said:

Here's my 3500 V8 with 2000kg/4400lb of biomass pellet for my boiler, little top heavy but  no problem, not loaded my 2500 too much yet but 2 pallets of those pellets wouldn't fit in the bed anyway.

I used my 3500 as a dumptruck when I cleared the site for my house build, 500 ton moved over 6 months in my spare time

 

My first truck was a 1983 F-100, and my father made me haul half that load in the back, wood pellets for our stove.  The air shocks barely brought it up an inch.  He later filled the bed with compost, it was spilling over the roof and bedsides the whole mile home.  Needless to say, the little axle in the truck, 8.8 I believe was not built to handle such abuse.  Shortly after the compost, my truck refused to move one day and had to be towed to a shop.  They told me the bearings were crushed and had destroyed almost everything else.  I'm still not sure why I had to pay to have it fixed. 

Since everybody else is doing it.  Here is my weekend load!