• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

Deuce load?

icecreamman

New member
158
1
0
Location
Huntsville,al.
An old friend of mine (Army Reserve LTC) checked out my deuce and joked "that thing will carry a lot more than it's rated for". He is a former enlisted Marine Vietnam vet. He won't say how much.

No disclaimer needed as mine will only carry firewood and maybe a few old vets in a parade as far as loads go.

He stated that in his reserve time, he would tell the motor pool to get ready to do some seals and bearings after some exercises.

What have you actually seen on flat ground pavement?
 

emr

New member
3,209
25
0
Location
landing , new jersey
Sorry but I have to answer such questions, just cant help my self , its all about safety and others seeing such things and chancing it.... The world is full of, Hey we did that etc" Do NOT overload your truck, anyone saying they can is either full of it or just plain dangerous . What you are asking is a guess also, You will get gestamits . I know a lot of people that say there boats do 80...LOL> Just cause one feels like it is and is all excited " WOW LOOK THAT MUST BE ... Is all fodder .... With all due respect, Never over load, This truck is a tactical vehicle, Has 2 ratings, One off road that we all know as 21/2 tons, on dry flat roads its double that... in that particular class , All military vehicles do NOT have the same types of ratings, buyer be ware ... Brakes,,, stability, single tires, drivers ability or lack of sense all play a serious role .
 

doghead

4 Star General /Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
26,246
1,179
113
Location
NY
Let's start with, do you know what it is rated for?
 

wreckerman893

Possum Connoisseur
15,629
2,054
113
Location
Akenback acres near Gadsden, AL
You can load it like a rented mule depending on conditions and where you are operating. If you get into a serious accident and the officials think you are overloaded they can take the truck to a commercial scale (if no state scale are nearby) and weigh it.
There are too many lawyers in the country now that live to sue trucks.
 

m16ty

Moderator
Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
9,580
218
63
Location
Dickson,TN
I have personally witnessed a deuce with 9 ton (18,000lb) of gravel in the bed. I would not advise doing this but surprisingly, it didn't look all that overloaded.
 

m16ty

Moderator
Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
9,580
218
63
Location
Dickson,TN
I have personally witnessed a deuce with 9 ton (18,000lb) of gravel in the bed. I would not advise doing this but surprisingly, it didn't look all that overloaded.
Here's a pic of the load. It is a truck I had that I sold. I didn't own it when the pic was taken. The guy owed me a favor so I had him haul me a load of gravel. I had no idea he was going to haul that big of load.

With the custom bed, the truck weighs right at 16,000lb empty. That puts a gross weight of right at 34K. I wish I had taken a pic of the weight ticket.
 

Attachments

Last edited:

CARNAC

The Envelope Please.
Supporting Vendor
8,280
655
113
Location
Corpus Christi, TX
Rated load, fire wood, parades, seals and bearings, flat ground

I'm lost on how all that fits together?????? Been a bad week and 14 hours of nearly straight driving today with two typhoid Marys, maybe I'm just too mentally drained to Verstehe. The rated load is on the dash unless someone removed the dataplate and then it's in the TM.
 

cattlerepairman

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,263
3,387
113
Location
NORTH (Canada)
There is no doubt that the M35s were designed and built at a time where a larger margin was added to carrying capacity. Anyone driving current OTR or dump/offroad trucks will tell you that this era has passed (and "stock" trucks ordered without extra this and extra that for added capacity are at their limit very quickly - designed to capacity, but not much overbuilt anymore).
I have done stupid things in my past (loading a roll on/roll off container full of apricot stones onto a single axle pod truck....rated for 16 tons GW...weighed in at 23 tons...)
Did it break the truck? Not immediately. Did it drive? Yes. Well -like a drunken hog. Did it stop? Eventually. Was it legal? @*&@% no!!!

I have read multiple "hold my beer and watch this!" accounts of vastly exceeding the M35s carrying capacity. The heaviest I haul with my M35 is gravel, on the road, and even then barely meeting the 5 ton/10,000 lbs rated load. I usually have a loader dump a shovel and a half and it fills the bed up to the height of the side walls with a heap in the center. The truck feels heavy (nice smooth ride, though), and I take it slow. Running at around 40-45 mph seems ok. Stopping is normal from that reduced speed, but I have no desire to crank her up to 90 km/h (55 mph) and try a panic stop. I also do not feel I would want to load any more weight than that. To me, it feels like a truck still comfortable, but at capacity.
The data plate is, in my opinion, something that has reasonable numbers and should be adhered to.

If you feel constrained by how little weight the M35 can carry, go out and snatch up one of the M929 dumps! :)

Maybe another point to make about the Deuce is weight distribution. The cargo bed sits centered over the rear tandems. As you load her up, the axle weight distribution shifts significantly to the rear and can eventually get you into trouble with a relatively light front axle.
 
Last edited:

USAFSS-ColdWarrior

Chaplain
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
18,550
5,916
113
Location
San Angelo, Tom Green County, Texas USA
EVERY MV owner and/or operator is an AMBASSADOR for the HOBBY whether we choose to act as one or not.

What example would such a person set if they were to violate the operating parameters of their vehicle and cause serious injury or death to an "innocent bystander"???

Undoubtedly, the fallout from such ignorance (the IGNORING OF) regarding safety issues could cause changes to our legal ability to own and operate these formerly military vehicles on the public highways and roadways all over the world. Our INTERNATIONAL SS Membership of over 60,000 MV enthusiasts would most certainly NOT APPRECIATE that one fool who idiotically screwed all of the rest of them.

Beyond that... the following is a GENERAL COMMENT which is NOT directed at any one person, but at every one to whom it may apply...

EVERY person is responsible for their own actions.
If YOU are owning/operating an FMV then YOU are presumably an adult.
Therefore, we must each ACT LIKE ONE ! ! !
 

Wildchild467

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,052
57
48
Location
Milford / Michigan
I had 14,000 pounds of water in the back of my Deuce before. I put a swimming pool liner in the back and water was within a couple inches of the top of the troop seats. I did the math and it came out to about 14,000 pounds. Low range worked good and was just driving around a fairground at slow speed. The truck handled it fine. Just don't rev the truck up and dump the clutch... be nice to it.
 

doghead

4 Star General /Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
26,246
1,179
113
Location
NY
Don't forget to add my body weight and those chicks too, and a few cans of beer.
 

frank8003

In Memorial
In Memorial
6,426
4,985
113
Location
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Sorry but I have to answer such questions, just cant help my self , its all about safety and others seeing such things and chancing it.... The world is full of, Hey we did that etc" Do NOT overload your truck, anyone saying they can is either full of it or just plain dangerous . What you are asking is a guess also, You will get gestamits . I know a lot of people that say there boats do 80...LOL> Just cause one feels like it is and is all excited " WOW LOOK THAT MUST BE ... Is all fodder .... With all due respect, Never over load, This truck is a tactical vehicle, Has 2 ratings, One off road that we all know as 21/2 tons, on dry flat roads its double that... in that particular class , All military vehicles do NOT have the same types of ratings, buyer be ware ... Brakes,,, stability, single tires, drivers ability or lack of sense all play a serious role .
oops
I read it and my thought was war
probably not allowed to say WAR anymore.
Anyhow, Fill it with whatever they need and get it there.
If it breaks then get another one or carry it to them

but I digress

The things "they" won't tell now will not be told forever............
 

Hainebd

New member
520
5
0
Location
Mays Landing, NJ
Even a bran new truck, the brakes are the weak link. Hauling the weight the truck can handle it. Stopping and repeated stopping with a heavy load takes toll on the brakes. Drove through KY with a cargo trailer behind my 1/2 ton silverado. Trailer has brakes on both axles. The hills got me and toasted the brakes to the point that the rotor warped. Every time I hit the brakes the front end shook. So not ever overloaded can affect braking. Now I have RAM 3500 with Cunnins. More truck than I need but.

Remember overweight is two things 1st over your registered weight and over the truck rated GVW and/or CGVW. Then tires rating. Be sure you are ok before you load. An incident due to or a contributing factor can result in insurance claim being denied.
 
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks