Load Capacity of Your Vehicle ?

[bacpacker]

Great point about tires. When we got our amper I had to go up to E rated tire to handle the wt.
Also my old truck got beat to shit during the hailstorm back in April and we'd been lookin for a differnt truck anyway. About a month ago I found what I had been lookin for on the internet with Carmax. Called up the local store and got them to send it here from Hunsville, Al. I went to check it out, 2007 toyota tundra only has 32000 on it. Long bed and a tow capacity of 10600lbs. It also has the 5.7 engine with 400ft lbs of torque. I think it will handle our amper with ease and with much larger 4 wheel disc brakes, stopping shouldn't be an issue either.
It also has about a 1800 payload which is much better than the old trfuck as well. Hopefully loadout won't be as big a deal now. Now I just need to outfit the camper for bugging out and have it ready to hitch to and go. Should cut my response time down a little.

[izzyscout21]

I actually hava a worksheet to determine payload and all the variables associated with it as it relates to trucks. I'll try to grab it from work and provide the membership with it.

[bobthe]

Do you know the maximum cargo capacity, in pounds, of your vehicle?

*snip*

planned accordingly.

All the basement warriors talk about "bugging out" but I wonder how many have considered this little detail?

I would question if this is as big an issue as it might seem.

consider a military aircraft engine. they having a max power rating for flight. a max power rating for takeoff thats a fair bit higher. and a max power rating for emergencies thats even higher.

While considering the weight load in your vehicle beforehand isnt unwise, remember to keep things in perspective. the rated load is what the OEM considers safe for the average driver in average situations for a vehicle that has a warranty of anywhere from 36,000 to 100,000 miles. there is not only a margin of safety built in for absolute limits, but one with enough cushion to prolong the life of your vehicle.

bugging out if obviously an 'emergency' rating. At that point so long as it's done with forethought - there is nothing wrong with saying "who cares if I end up having to rebuild my tranny at 10,000 miles with this kind of a load". it's an emergency and such situations call for different rules and practices than every day "keep the thing going for the entire 100,000 mile warranty" situations.

if you are going to plan your load in advance I'd say purposefully overload your vehicle and drive it in real world situations. if handling is adversely effected to the point that you feel the ride is dangerous, or the leafsprings look like frowns, then ax some of the load.

going by the official rated load in an emergency is probably being overly prudent IF it means you are leaving behind things that are of high value. I wouldnt recommend overloading your car with cinderblocks just because you might need them one day, but an extra can of ammo or a few cases of MREs in a serious SHTF situation? go for it.

[hank2222]

Since i drive a smart and it my bug out vehicle and the reason why i say that is because i now live about four mile's from my cabin where i live now and do not plan to leave the place .So my trip's out there are to bring in supplies that i have bought and send a night or two at the place to make sure thing's are up todate and ready to go if i have to go there

[bacpacker]

I would question if this is as big an issue as it might seem.

consider a military aircraft engine. they having a max power rating for flight. a max power rating for takeoff thats a fair bit higher. and a max power rating for emergencies thats even higher.

While considering the weight load in your vehicle beforehand isnt unwise, remember to keep things in perspective. the rated load is what the OEM considers safe for the average driver in average situations for a vehicle that has a warranty of anywhere from 36,000 to 100,000 miles. there is not only a margin of safety built in for absolute limits, but one with enough cushion to prolong the life of your vehicle.

bugging out if obviously an 'emergency' rating. At that point so long as it's done with forethought - there is nothing wrong with saying "who cares if I end up having to rebuild my tranny at 10,000 miles with this kind of a load". it's an emergency and such situations call for different rules and practices than every day "keep the thing going for the entire 100,000 mile warranty" situations.

if you are going to plan your load in advance I'd say purposefully overload your vehicle and drive it in real world situations. if handling is adversely effected to the point that you feel the ride is dangerous, or the leafsprings look like frowns, then ax some of the load.

going by the official rated load in an emergency is probably being overly prudent IF it means you are leaving behind things that are of high value. I wouldnt recommend overloading your car with cinderblocks just because you might need them one day, but an extra can of ammo or a few cases of MREs in a serious SHTF situation? go for it.

Bob i don't really disagree with you to a point. However I do know that if you over load a vehicle, espcially when off roading, you stand a very high chance of breaking something. Axles, springs, u joints, & tires come to mind right away. You break something during a bug out and you could be screwed permanatly.
IMHO I would prefer to know close to what I have and can take and still be close to my limits. I will go over if needed, but I will cull where needed to stay close.

[Gunfixr]

I used to do quite a bit of off-roading, both loaded and unloaded. I've since sold the "big truck".
Now I have a fullsize Bronco with a small amount of lift and larger tires. Enough to get most places on my experience, but not huge. I also have a custom built trailer that has been loaded quite heavily, and towed with said Bronco. I built this trailer with heavy loads and off road in mind.
I can safely carry what's at the house should I need to leave. The rest is at the cache, so I can get it later.

[bobthe]

Bob i don't really disagree with you to a point. However I do know that if you over load a vehicle, espcially when off roading, you stand a very high chance of breaking something. Axles, springs, u joints, & tires come to mind right away. You break something during a bug out and you could be screwed permanatly.
IMHO I would prefer to know close to what I have and can take and still be close to my limits. I will go over if needed, but I will cull where needed to stay close.

i guess my point is that common sense should be used in conjunction with weight limits serving as a rough guideline, not absolute limits. if you are very heavily loaded and traveling in rough terrain off road then you need to adjust your driving appropriately.

I mean, I've pulled a trailer that weighed 15,000 lbs behind a ford ranger, roughly triple it's capacity, such an extreme that I had to downshift to second and just barely make it over the apex of overpasses at 20 mph, and yet every time ive broken a u-joint I probably was coasting downhill with my foot off the gas with no cargo or other passengers in the truck. is it prudent to rely on such luck in an emergency situation? no. but thats the key. we are talking about emergency situations. it's ok to take more of a calculated risk at such times.

[bacpacker]

I agree, in bad times you do what you gotta do.

[Sniper-T]

Here's a thought... How many are planning on bugging out to a lake? Or a river? Coastline?
For your bug out trailer... pick up a boat, and beef up the trailer suspension. The boat itself gives you a pile more room for stuff, and a way across water if need be. it adds to the towing, but not your vehicle weight.

Personally... for some landscaping work, I beefed up my tacoma suspension/tires, etc... to the point that I regularly haul ~2000#'s. I've scaled it a couple times pushing ~2600#'s, but at that point the front tires were dancing. Since IF I have to bug out, I will be going to (and across) a lake, I nudged the axle on my boat trailer, and dropped in a second, I am in the process of lifting it, and will put the same sized tires on it as on the truck (SHTF scenario), else I'll pick up a couple spare biased ply.

I've got the boat set up with oars, oarlocks, and am trying to work out a sail set-up...