Of Trucks And Wood A Weight Dilemma
Posted in Cab Corner | Asked on Aug 12, 2010
Below is the question about Of Trucks And Wood A Weight Dilemma, Me and my brother cut a little over a cord of wood (oak), plus some kindling (cottonwood, oak, cedar and scraps of fir, good mix) to sell. We found a prospective buyer a few towns over, but he couldn’t receive it until Wednesday. So the plan was to move it from Grandma’s (17 miles away) down to our house, and then deliver it to the guy tomorrow (he lives 13 miles away from my house).
I have a 2001 Mazda B3000 pickup (picture a shortbed green Ford Ranger with the pullout seats in the back of the cab, slap a Mazda logo on it, and you’ll have a good picture on what my truck looks like). We loaded most of the wood in the back of the pickup, then, since not all of it fit, we put the remaining third of what we had on a little 8 foot long flatbed trailer. We also filled two Sweetlix (giant cow lick) bins with the kindling, and put that on the back of the trailer.
Only problem is, we’re on the main road from Woodburn to Salem, and anytime we’d hit a bump (like a railroad crossing) or go above 35 mph the truck’s front end would start to rise. Scared the shit outta me.
When we got home, I re-stacked the wood so about 1/3 of the wood was in the bed and the other 2/3rds, along with the kindling, were on the trailer. Will this cut it? I test drove it around a few blocks near my house and it handled fine, but the road to Silverton (Where we’re delivering the wood) has a lot of hills and sharp corners. Do you think I can make it 13 miles on that kind of road without killing myself?
There are 2 Answers for "Of Trucks And Wood A Weight Dilemma"
Drive slowly!! I hauled wood in a nissan hardbody when I was in my teens and I had the exact same problem. The front end was light and a bump you make you feel as if your loosing your steering. Just take it slow and be extra cautious and you’ll be fine.
the suspension is stiff, and when you hit a bump, it kicks the load up, you need to keep this in mind when you move anything else.
i would not change it, just learn to live with it
all loads will behave the same way, and on the trailer it is also shifting you just don’t see it.
on the issue of cotton wood, it is an inferior wood, sort of oily when it burns. depending on what it is used for, your customer may not be happy, i would offer to replace it (at your cost, like no cost to him) if he is unhappy with it.
i heat with wood and i won’t use cotton wood, or any form of it, apart from poplar.