Picking up anthracite with a pickup truck.

Reposting this because I didn't see this sub forum...

1) I'm looking at getting a truck for hauling an RV. An f350 dually, regular cab (gas) to be specific. I realized that I could now pick up my own coal as an added bonus. I'm from NY and pay $300 per ton (bagged) to have it delivered. Where exactly would I get it from if I traveled to PA to get it once a year? What are the prices that you PA guys get it for in loose form? I'm wondering if it's worth the drive.

2) The truck can safely put 7000lbs in the bed. I'm not sure what could actually fit, probably 2-3 tons?

3) I need some advice from you pickup truck owners. Say I want 4 tons, and I have a trailer rated for 5500lbs. Can I put 2 tons in the bed of the truck, and 2 tons in the trailer? Obviously I can according to the specs of the truck. But tongue weight is my concern. If I were to put a 4 wheeler on a trailer, I'd put the center of the 4 wheeler slightly forward of the trailer axle. If I load a trailer with anthracite, I have no way to distribute the weight over the axle.

Thanks fellas, you're an invaluable recourse to me.

megamike wrote: ↑

Mon. Dec. 23, 2019 4:47 pm

2) The truck can safely put 7000lbs in the bed. I'm not sure what could actually fit, probably 2-3 tons?

I must admit that I don't know a lot about newer pickup trucks but 7000 pounds sounds way high to me??? Your GVW would be over 12000 pounds!

I have a Chevy 3500 regular cab, 8 foot bed that can legally haul a GVW of 9000 pounds. The truck is usually about 5200 pounds on weigh in. I usually put 3500 to 3700 pounds of coal in it and you can't squeeze any more into the bed.

-Don

My F-350 dually gvwr is 13k. Pretty sure they went from 12k to 13k in 2005. Anyhow, the most I've ever fit in an 8' bed is 2.25 tons.

maximum payload of a new f-350 is 7850 lbs. they have really beefed up the trucks.

my coal dealer has a newer dodge 450 dump truck and he delivers 4 tons of coal to my house with it pulling a trailer with a few tons of coal in it.

if you are hauling at highway speeds with a full bed you might want to tarp your loads.

most i ever got in a 8' pickup bed was 5100 lbs.

Generally speaking it is very tough to save money by hauling your own, especially over a long distance. The cost of fuel is one thing, but the cost of depreciation on a newish truck is pretty significant as well.

Do you have any bulk coal dealers in your area? Any chance of taking delivery of a tractor trailer load of coal?

Use-ta be the 350s, or 3500s were one ton vehicles. You're saying the new Fords will carry 3 1/2 tons, in the bed?!. I can't imagine what the springs and helpers look like. I have an older C-30 dually,with a 6.2 diesel, and hauled a ton and a half of red bricks in it, and descending some steep hills with it, was pretty taxing on the brakes. I think a couple tons in the bed, and a couple on a trailer would be pushing it. But I'm not up on the capabilities of this modern equipment. I think I would call your local DOT, and see what they say.

Thanks for all of the replies guys.

@joeq, it's a 2016 f350 I'm going to look at on thursday. According to the door sticker, it has a gvwr of 13,800lbs, and the truck weighs somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 depending on the options. So it should safely hold 3 tons in the bed, but according to the feedback I'm getting here, I'm only going to fit 2 tons. It's also rated to tow around 13,000lbs.

So if I have 2 tons in the bed, and 2 tons in the trailer, I should be way underweight. I'm just not sure how much tongue weight I'm going to be dealing with. I'm going to get bulk prices locally and compare to PA to see if it's worth the gas.

Also, the newer diesel dually fords can tow something ridiculous like 40,000lbs but they are expensive.

megamike wrote: ↑

Tue. Dec. 24, 2019 10:22 am

I'm going to get bulk prices locally and compare to PA to see if it's worth the gas.

Keep in mind it is not just the gas. Towing heavy loads is tough on the tires and brakes.

About the new trucks - yes, they can tow a lot, but you need a CDL to really take advantage of it.

Do you know what the maximum I can weigh without a CDL? I'm getting this truck mainly for towing an RV and projects around the house, so I'm abusing it anyway. I can always take 2 trips, but it would be nice to get 4 tons in one shot because that's all that I need.

Once the combined GVWR of the truck and trailer is over 26,499 lbs you need a CDL - regardless of the actual load.

Thank you. I don't ever plan to be that heavy, and I don't think this truck is capable of it anyway. Even if I was towing the maximum of a 14000lb trailer I'd still be under. When I sell the old class A I'm going to get an RV around 8000lbs. I'd rather be under weight than push the limits.

edit: math is off, I would be over the limit with that heavy of a trailer. Do all these people hauling 40ft RVs have a CDL?

megamike wrote: ↑

Tue. Dec. 24, 2019 10:41 am

Do all these people hauling 40ft RVs have a CDL?

No they don't ( unless you live in Texas then you do, one of the only states that require it) I feel they should though. I do a lot of camping and a fair majority of the people can't drive let alone pull a trailer .
I have a 2017 F-350 DRW and the GVW is 14,000 but legally I can only put 4,000 on it as the curb weight is just under 10,000 but I put 6,000 on it without any troubles at all( I'm not telling you to run over weight but I do it all the time ) so yes the newer trucks have a higher payload then the older ones and handle it far better then the older ones ever did!!

Thanks. I actually used to be an army engineer, so I have experience operating and hauling dozers, scrapers, etc. I still wouldn't want to haul a 40ft trailer on public roads. Our current Class A is 27ft without slides. We're looking for a trailer 20ft-25ft with slides. I don't know how those people haul those massive things once they are off the highway, let alone parking in an RV park. There usually isn't much room to maneuver into a camp spot.

Rob R. wrote: ↑

Tue. Dec. 24, 2019 10:36 am

Once the combined GVWR of the truck and trailer is over 26,499 lbs you need a CDL - regardless of the actual load.

Nahh..

Combined GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more with trailer GVWR 10,001 pounds or more needs class A.

Unit 1 GVWR 26,001 pounds or more and unit 2 GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less, class B.

Unit 1 GVWR of 26,000 pounds and unit 2 GVWR of 10,000 pounds class D.

This is the federal motor carrier safety regulation and what New York State goes by, RVers have an exemption, as do farmers, fire fighters, etc..

other states may have stricter laws.

Looking into the 16 f-350 here are the specs..

https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general ... _LoRes.pdf

If you have higher rated tires wheels and towing package, hitch etc, your GCVWR could be higher than what I circled according to the document I referenced.