Toughness of composite bed

I want to buy and haul about 1/2 ton (or more) of 1-2" river rock in my bed. The place I will buy from will dump it in with a bobcat. can the bed survive the stone being dumped in? Whats the most I can carry?

BTW, I already have the susp TSB.

 

If I were you I'd put some boards in there - maybe an 8'x4' sheet of OSB cut down to fit. This will stop the impacts of the rock and also help for when you're shovelling them out afterwards.

Your truck should be able to handle about 1,400lb legally.

 

Thanks for the tip.

 

yeah I lay some plywood down. The beds are tuffer than I thought. I put my 454 in the bed using my engine stan. The engine stan has small wheels I thought would wreak havoc, but didn't.

 

I've never gotten raw rock but when I pick up compost/dirt pretty regularly for my landscaping jobs the truck groans when the bobcat dumps it in.
Also some bobcat drivers are better than others. I use a tarp.

The place I get it from with not exceed the weight limit of my truck, one scoop of compost weighs close to 900 pounds & that is a 1/2 yard.
The same experience when I pick up patio stone, place won't exceed my truck limits & have a guide in the shed stand.
Post up your experience though, I need get some surpak soon & wanna know what the truck can handle.

 

I agree that plywood would be beneficial in the unloading of the rock. I actually think that the bed itself would hold up. I think that it would be stronger that a metal bed. It never hurts to be cautious though, I know that I would be. I tend to be a little OCD about that stuff though. I want it to look almost new after being used.

 

I would do the plywood for the sole purpose of making shoveling easier. I would think a shovel scrapping the bed would cause more harm than the rocks anyway

 

You and me both!

To the Op. Take some pics with it loaded, curious to see how it'll handle the load. The post I put in the bed was around 800lbs.

 

good point!!! plus agree with the plywood

 

this was loaded with 1/2 yard of paver sand... maybe 600 lbs?

this is Non TSB and riding the bumpstops

 

That's an angry looking truck.

 

Yeah definitely put down some boards! The best is plywood, that way it'll keep all the little stuff from getting into the cracks and small spaces of your truck. I've already hauled a couple of loads of dirt, stones, and pallets of grass and I haven't had any problems. And it makes shoveling out the rocks a breeze.

 

+1 to all the posts about putting a board down. The bed will handle it but it'll make unloading much easier- Make sure you watch the bobcat driver with the rear window to the truck...

 

Thanks for all the responses. I have to wait for the ground to dry some in my yard so I don't f'up the lawn when I drive on it. I will kake pics and post. Godd point on the Bobcat operator too-my taco only has 4500 miles on it...

 

Been around heavy machine operators all my life watch out for the ones with nick names like Bam Bam. Ask me how I know.

 

I haven't been- but I usually just don't trust folks...

I fly for a living- and I had tons of other pilots out there trying to kill me....I drive daily and I haven't had many days yet where someone hasn't tried to mess up my truck or flatten me on the CBR.

Just worth keeping an eye out all the time...Maybe I'm a bit paranoid- but it got me this far...

 

just dump it in there. I had a set of leaf springs in my bed beating around on bumps and fast turns and there was never any damage.

Just don't let him dump a full load at once, a little at a time will do.

Bam Bam the the loader driver is cracking me up.

 

^ yeah me too.
Put a piece of commercial carpet, then the plywood. That way you don't scratch the bed with a rock or two that got under the plywood before pulling (sliding) it out.

 

i hauled around 700 pounds of flagstone before my tsb was done and the bed
held up, but i did lay them out in layers in the whole bed to spread the weight.

 

boards or plywood first, then cover bed with thick plastic or small tarp, rolled up over the sides and tailgate. After you've shoveled most of the rock out, just pull the tarp and remaining rocks out. Less mess to clean out. Prevents stuff from falling/getting stuck under tailgate. Works with sand, mulch,etc. Kind of like a bed condom.