Permanently Adding Weight to Bed

The truck will smell like a rubber bunghole for eternity too! You could buy a cheap hitch box and fill it with weights or sand.

 

I’m telling ya, 2 small pelican (or similar) cases with sand bags…or lead shot bags.

 

Does it have to go in the bed? I'd think you'd want that weight as low as possible. Could you weld in some cross-frame reinforcements down below? Or did you already do that? Also, do you have an idea of whether you want it more over the shock towers or further back? I'd think 100 pounds would feel different at the front of the bed vs. over the hitch.

 

You could see about adding some ballast by filling the tubes of the cage. Sand would be cheap... concrete or cement would be a little more dense.

 

you could fill that steel tubing with sand.

 

Why not get the correct weight springs? Honestly just wondering. Seems easier than adding weight.

 

No option to change up the springs instead of adding weight?

 

Not sure if this would be a great move as the concrete or cement will expand and contract with temperature changes.

 

That's the squat rack I've got at home.

I'd vote for the plates above the wheel wells or the bedslide...or both.

 

you could make a bed liner out of thick guage steel. cut it out to fit around the wheel wells. it would add a lot of weight.

 

Maybe some big PVC pipes filled with sand and fastened to the bottom tubes of the frame on each side? I'd certainly want to keep the added weight low and over the axle as much as possible, not take up too much bed space, and be able to remove it or tune the weight a bit. Not sure that would get you to 200 though.

 

The downside to adding the additional weight in the bed is that you're eventually going to round out the holes on the composite bed and it will potentially wobble around/be loose.

The correct answers I have seen so far are to get the correct rate springs OR add some weight at the frame under the bed (in front of the axle probably).

 

i've never heard of anyone's bed holes rounding out due to weight. just make sure it's secured tightly to the frame.

 

Add a matching spare on a tiregate, levered out over the ass end it's all the weight you'll need.

 

Add some weights to the spare tire holder, it holds a 33" tire/wheel just fine which is what, around 100lbs?

Couple of buddies of mine have added scrap lead to little homemade boxes under the bed, just so the weight is 50/50 biased

 

First off thanks everyone for the suggestions so far. I didn’t want to quote everyone because my post would be ten miles long.

As a test today I went and grabbed three 60# bags of sand and put them in the bed. Huuuuge difference. So I definitely need around 200 pounds total.

Springs I can’t really do. I have a certain long travel kit that uses custom springs. I suppose I could go to deaver and attempt to replicate them with a lower rate.

I’ve thought about this with my 38’s. Didn’t do it before because my truck wouldn’t fit in the garage with one. Plus I feel like driving a long travel truck around with a tube tailgate and spare is like an overland dude driving around with a tent and traction boards year round.

I actually looked into lead ingots that I could fit into the frame but it didn’t seem like they’d be heavy enough. I was only thinking the rear of the frame though.

Good point on the spare too. I was just worried about bolting up some plates back there if case they eventually came loose on the freeway or something. That’s why I was thinking inside the bed.

What I need to do is get off my ass and build some mounts for a shell. That would be perfect for the weight I need.