exactly, 99% of the time he would have been fine but that 1% is a bitch.

 

He could haul it just fine, just don't hit any railroad tracks or large bumps and break a spring

 

I dont know if the style of flatbed caused him to exceed his GVWR or not, he told me he was over his combined weight for truck and trailer. I wasn't there when this all happened, but we work together now, and he is always b!tch!ng come the first of the month when the insurance is due. This is how I've heard the story.

 

I had a 2001 dodge ram 2wd before this truck and I put 2500 lbs in it more than once. payload was like 1050 recommended. I never had a problem and it drove just fine, truck was squatting but that was expected. Nothing wore out down the road either. As long as your not going far you'll be alright.

 

Im sorry, but IMHO, you should never speak on the subject of towing or hauling ever again if this is the kind of stuff you pull. Just the facts of that statement (and I do hope you are embellishing this) are ridiculous. 3k lbs in a 1/4 ton pickup. So much that you lost steering control?? AND that you were going on highways with this thing and then laughing that it was clearly unsafe???

People like this disgust me.

 

Like I said before, lets not go down this road it leads to no good.

 

I personally am **** about the load hauled. If whatever is being carried is near to the posted limit, I hit U-Haul and rent something that can carry what needs to be hauled. I pay for the insurance there (Super SaveMove), so if a wreck does happen, I'm covered and can walk away.

If there was a collision, regardless of fault, the opposing attorney would be seeing if he can get exactly how much the cargo weighed. If it is a pound over, he will be claiming in court that the driver with the overloaded vehicle was doing gross negligence (triple damages, damages can't be gotten rid of by bankruptcy) by deliberately having a vehicle on the road that is out of manufacturer's specifications.

I'm pretty sure a F-150 can handle a 3000-5000 pound load of gravel dumped in the bed, and not collapse like the Volkswagen with 2 tons of cement and boards on top of it (a fairly common photo found here -- http://www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/lumber.asp). Would one want to risk catastrophic tire failure or breaking a spring if they hit a tire of a bump? Its their vehicle and their decision.

This doesn't mean a vehicle will collapse if it is rated for 1500 pounds and 1501 pounds are loaded into it. However, it just means to use common sense and don't overload, especially because braking and steering can be compromised.

 

It takes a lot to prove GROSS negligence. Also your insurance would cover that stuff then drop you from the policy at worst. Sueing you will get them nothing. If you have no money sure they can try and get money out of you but it will take years and years for any sizable claim, plus it will go to a jury for the amount and they could be sympothetic. I am not a lawyer but my cousin is and I just got through talking with him about my GF hitting a pedestrian. Also I really dont think they will weight the wreckage right after the crash UNLESS its very aparent its over weight. So that means over the time of the accident until some lawyer asks for the truck to be weighed could be months, during that time period evidence turns up missing. NOTHING is certain.

 

Very true. However, it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side. The reason this came to mind was because an acquaintance of mine was hauling furniture and, got rear-ended. A chunk of furniture broke off and smashed the windshield of the guy behind. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but the guy who was at fault by rear-ending the pickup was trying to allege gross negligence about the vehicle with regards to weight and how the furniture was secured, and dragged this into court.

 

I agree 100%............ safety first.