Beyond Max Payload
I drove 50 miles on the highway with a pallet of roofing in my 05 lariat and it didn't mind a bit. It was about 2800 lbs. It seamed to me like it would have easily taken a few hundred more pounds. Payload ratings are set based on a lot of things. They have to pick a weight that the truck still passes all the safety tests consistently. Good tires and brakes and a well placed load can well exceed the rating and still handle and stop reasonably safe.
When you put that much weight in, the front end gets really light, causing an unsafe vehicle on the road. That's part of the reason for the payload figure. Your springs may be flat now or broken. I overloaded it once, could have been overloaded before I bought it, and my springs were flat. I just put in an AAL to up the payload a little.
Finding a crack may be difficult. I would just keep that in mind in the future if you have any more trouble with the suspension. First, unloaded, look straight at the tailgate. It should look level. If not, the low side is the broken leaf pack (springs). Now from the side, you should be able to see the springs behind the tire, or crawl underneath and look at the springs. They should be U shaped. Mine were kind of like a W, or flat right above the axel. I didn't realize this until I put on a 2" level kit, then I was low in back. I didn't really want to spend the money on new leaf packs and I needed a little more height/payload, so I went AAL.
Finding a crack may be difficult. I would just keep that in mind in the future if you have any more trouble with the suspension. First, unloaded, look straight at the tailgate. It should look level. If not, the low side is the broken leaf pack (springs). Now from the side, you should be able to see the springs behind the tire, or crawl underneath and look at the springs. They should be U shaped. Mine were kind of like a W, or flat right above the axel. I didn't realize this until I put on a 2" level kit, then I was low in back. I didn't really want to spend the money on new leaf packs and I needed a little more height/payload, so I went AAL.
Thanks for your patience guys, here are some pics. Please tell me what you think as this is still a concern for me.
Here are the passenger-side leaf springs. It looks a little flat at the bottom but I don't know if that looks normal. There is no load on the truck, the tank is about 1/2 full and the truck is fully seated on the ground.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00512.jpg
Here is a picture of the driver side. The fuel tank was in the way so I had to take the pic from the rear of the truck.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00513.jpg
The passenger side height from the ground to the top of the wheel arch is 39 3/4-inches.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00514.jpg
The driver side height from the ground to the top of the wheel arch is 39 1/2-inches. So a 1/4-inch difference between the two sides.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00515.jpg
My truck is a stock '04 FX4 5.4 Crew Cab with the 5'6" bed. Thanks for your help guys!
Here are the passenger-side leaf springs. It looks a little flat at the bottom but I don't know if that looks normal. There is no load on the truck, the tank is about 1/2 full and the truck is fully seated on the ground.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00512.jpg
Here is a picture of the driver side. The fuel tank was in the way so I had to take the pic from the rear of the truck.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00513.jpg
The passenger side height from the ground to the top of the wheel arch is 39 3/4-inches.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00514.jpg
The driver side height from the ground to the top of the wheel arch is 39 1/2-inches. So a 1/4-inch difference between the two sides.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00515.jpg
My truck is a stock '04 FX4 5.4 Crew Cab with the 5'6" bed. Thanks for your help guys!

