I am interested. Drawers full yet?

all I can say is you are very serious about your lease truck - lots of great ideas on here and well planned - which is no surprise

Thanks guys. I’m excited about it and proud of it. A lot of it is I love it when a plan comes together.
As some have said/implied, this is not my first rodeo. This is the third generation and I’ve tweaked it over time and know what I want/need and don’t want/need.
Hud, tool boxes still empty at this point. We will soon see how much it sags under full load.

Looks like you will be equipped for just about any contingencies.

The truck is pretty much finished. I weighed the whole thing and it is very heavy.
The factory truck weighs 5800#s(I weighed it and it matches specs.)
Now after all the added stuff I weighed it again at 8400#s.
I will add another 600# or so and then with me inside it will be up to about 9200# on an everyday basis.
The max its rated for is 8600#(GVWR.) Ive been told the ratings in reality have a pretty big cushion. So Ive added 3400# which is 600# over the max rating.
My mechanic looked at it and says it doesnt sit down much at all so we have not yet beefed up the suspension in any way. He said if I did he would put heavy duty shocks, likely air shocks, or maybe air bags or an extra spring.
It rides fine but it feels like its pulling a trailer at all times.
Consider its for ranch road type use 95% of time and tell me if yall think I am good to go or if the weight will be an issue.

That thing is a war wagon...I like it, it'll be as handy as a pocket on a shirt. I'd leave it as is unless I felt like it needed something and like your guy...I do heavier shocks. I've had bags and hated them, seemed like as soon as they went on, the ride quality went down exponentially.

I’d add a leaf spring and heavier shocks.

Stay outta the mud

changing Free’s handle to mad max!

Now thats a ranch truck for sure

I too would get a spring shop to look at it.

'Reminds me of the guys that would come in and want to buy a service body. We'd have to tell them that they didn't have enough truck. They'd always reply "Oh, it's a HEAVY half-ton."

Do you leave it at your lease? Just curious -

Yep, it stays out there all the time. Im not quite through tweaking it and then Ill soon take it that way.

As Ive said several times, Im concerned its not enough truck for the weight Ive put on it. Im beyond "all in" at this point so we will see.
It does "sit down" more than I thought.
Ill take all the advice I can get on how to help out the suspension.

At least you have an open mind about it. So, here goes.
First, the 8600 lb rating does NOT have a cushion. That is the Maximum rating set by the manufacturer. Beefing up the suspension will not change that rating/carrying capacity. You have other things to consider. What about brakes? What about steering? I won't bore you with details here but if it were me, I would fill it with fuel and whatever else you will carry and head to a scale. Sit in the truck while its weighed. Front axle, rear axle and total. Then you have an accurate weight and will know what needs to go. If you run it on the hwy like this and are in an accident the first thing a lawyer is going to do is have the truck weighed. Then your A$$ is grass and he is the lawnmower!
I don't mean to come across as a know it all in this regard but that is a way of life.
Frio

I appreciate that, Frio. I have already weighed it, as I stated. For what its worth, its stays on the deer lease at all times so Im not too worried about the brakes and steering and lawyers. I am open minded so if anyone else wants to tell me I should worry then Im listening.
I know beefing up the suspension wont help the "rating" but Im hoping it will keep something from breaking or wearing out.
Legalities aside, whats the worse thing and likely thing that can happen if the weight is "too much"(serious question)?

Probably the worse thing would be frame failure. It could be gradual where you can see it getting worse over time or could be catastrophic and leave you at the back or the ranch wondering how in the heck you will get all that scrap metal off your property.

Any additional consideration for tires? Is the transmission solid enough for the additional weight? Going to be quite a rig with lots of tools.

Any additional consideration for tires? Is the transmission solid enough for the additional weight? Going to be quite a rig with lots of tools.

Tires... they are quality and its on ranch road only and some gravel county roads. If the worse problem I have is a flat then Im not worried.
Transmission.... Ive been told this transmission is a very good one. This particular truck has been lightly used and cared for so I dont foresee an issue.

What are the chances of frame failure?
What other mechanical issues can be caused by exceeding the payload capacity by 7%? Bearings, shocks, control arms, springs????

Your low speed application should be just fine. The most likely issue will be carbon buildup. Don’t borrow trouble.

Glad youre paying attention, Hud. Low speed for sure. Dont know anything about carbon build up-gotta talk to my mechanic about that before I take it out of civilization. Sounds like I need to put the petal to the metal sometimes.

adding air shocks or air bags will level it out but also could make the ride much harsher on rough roads. I would go with heavier spring(s) or progressive springs. with that said, if you are riding on the last spring (typically an overload spring), your ride will be pretty harsh as well.

for your use as a ranch truck only, I think you will be fine as long as you don't get in a rush over the rough spots.

I always feel like your pretty level headed straight shooter, but hunting trucks must be your crazy


I would t bat an eye at the weight… but like Hud said stay out of the mud

Red, Im level headed about lots of stuff. But anything deer hunting is my crazy.
PMK, thanks for more good info.
PMK, Red, Hud, Judd and others seem to be saying I could do this or that but "you will probably be ok doing nothing" considering my ranch road use and low speed. I guess Im leaning that way but still scratching my head.