How much can I haul?

I bought a 1973 F600 grain truck last year. I got lucky and got it for only $1,000 at a farm sale. It seems to be in good condition, has an 18 foot Omaha bed, with a tag axle and the 361 motor.

I?d like to ask how much weight I can haul on this truck? The GVWR on the door is 20,200. I weighed it empty and it weighed 12,800.
If I take 20,200 minus 12,800, I get 7,400 capacity. Take 7,400 capacity divided by 60 pounds, the weight of a bushel of soybeans and I get 123.
Is that true? Can I only haul 125 bushels of soybeans on this grain truck?
That doesn?t seem like very much to me.
Is the GVWR the maximum weight the truck can carry? What?s that 20,200 mean, really?
I would have thought the tag axle would let it haul more.

I?m doing a specialty crop, and need to haul it 100 miles on secondary road, so the truck has to be able to handle the weight on the road. And be able to stop at stop signs in small towns.

Is 12,800 pounds high for an empty grain truck?
What does your older F600 or C60 weigh empty?
I?m now wondering if the 18 foot bed is NOT a good thing. If it makes the truck weigh more when empty, then it decreases my capacity to haul corn or beans. Is that right?

Thank you,
Doug
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I don't understand dot rules very well.

That sticker is a mystery to me too. Its always important, but then here I'm told it doesn't matter you can license it for more than the sticker says.

In MN if you license and haul more than 26,000 gross you need a dot inspection. That is a consideration....

My 600 with 16 foot box had 33000 once, no tag. That seemed a little much. I only haul 5 miles or so. The 26000 seems very comfortable.

On an 18 foot box you likely can get more than you should on it for a 100 mile trip....... You can probably fit 400 bu in it. You likely should stay 350 for comfort. You might have license for less than that?

Paul
 
By the way, are those original axles got the Widowmaker split rim design?

There is nothing wrong with split ring designs, where the edge lip of the rims pays off.

But if the rims separate in the middle, like an Oreo cookie, those are the bad ones.

They are not illegal, but very few tire shops will work on them, as they can't get insurance to cover that design any more.

My F600 had them, it was a common rim in that era.

Something to know before you are on the side of the road with a flat.....

Paul
 
Iam sure others will not agree,but here is my two cents worth,saying the truck weighs 11,000 empty,400 bu.weighs 24,000 or 12 ton,no body seems to stop when there is room for more and a 18 foot box will still have room for more,12 ton plus 5 is 17ton or 34,000{ plus room for more} the truck was not built to do that much,I think you still did good the box looks nice ,you cant buy a 18 foot box and hoist for $1000,I think you will find you will be under in power,if you are only running two to four loads total you might make it,but if you are doing alot more I would start looking for a older semi tractor to put the bed on
 
(reply to post at 01:15:36 02/03/16)

People
The door sticker doesn't include the tag axle
And the sticker really doesn't tell you anything anyway
With a small 361 engine 400-450 will be all it wants
I've had several older trucks just like that and one will haul
350 and the other 450
It just depends on how good the engine is and what gear ratio you have
Hope it works out for you
Doug
 
Doug, nice looking truck, if all is fairly good mechanically then I think you got a great deal. I have a red 1971 F-600 that I really enjoy using. It is a single axle and I routinely haul up to 350 bushels corn and 280 beans. This is going 10 miles to town and the truck handles it just fine. On a side note don't get too caught up worrying about the air 2 speed rear splitter. I run button down low ratio like a normal 5 speed it's plenty quick enough with a full load. The only time I shift the air axle is before leaving the elevator to high range for coming back empty. You may have drove trucks your whole life if so forget my advice. As you know the brakes are the limiting factor. I would haul a lighter load the first time to town to check it out. I'm not sure what State you are in and what the rules are but I have mine plated 26k with an Indiana Farm plate, I am fairly certain you can plate a truck for more than the door tag. When I first plated mine the girls at the license branch just asked me what I wanted to plate it for and I did some quick math that 26k would be about right based on what the previous owner said it would haul. I think it grosses around 10k empty but that is from memory. I am overweight with a full load but not too much. Enjoy driving it, I know I sure do, love the old gas motor and all metal interior old style gauges. Takes me to a whole different era when I drive it...
 
If you are not worried about the DOT and the brakes are good, load it. If grain is not running over the sides, you are not overloaded! (HA!) When I was growing up we had a Chevy C-40 with a 292 and a four speed, no two speed rear end. It had a 14' bed. You could pile 5 dumps from the MF 300 with no bin extension on it, so about 250 bushels. It would haul it but it was GUTLESS. A 361 would be a full-throttle monster in comparison!

Al
 

On our f-600 with no tag axle we haul bout 350 and other than being under powered but what grain truck isn't it hauls it fine and we also pull a 300 bu wagon with it and it doesn't have any trouble stoping even with no brakes on the wagon. So if I were u and I felt the truck was reliable for a 100 miles loaded I'd fill it all the way up
 
Load it up all the way and when you get pulled over by the DOT you will find out the harsh way on how much you can haul.
 
I would imagine the truck would hold more than what would be wise or legal. With the type of front wheels it has on it I would guess it does not have a heavy front axle. You will not want to exceed the axle ratings. The door tag may tell you what the axle rating is. This will give you more of an idea what you can haul without problems. As was mentioned, if you go to a license over 26,000 you will be subject to more regulations such as IFTA, etc. If you stay in state that won't be a problem but you will still have to report. In days gone by a truck like that here (Missouri) would probably have had a 30,000 or maybe a 36,000 license (GVW). But once again, you are subject to the IFTA regulations among others above 26,000. If the truck weighs 11,000 and you have a 26,000 license you can haul 15,000 lbs. legally (267 bu. of corn). The truck would haul that easily but not be full. If you are not afraid to go over 26,000 lbs. then you likely could haul 375-400 bu. of corn as long as you did not exceed the individual axle weights. Long story short, you have more bed than you have truck. It's possible the extra length was chosen due to hauling livestock as you have a combination box on the truck. Mike
 
As was mentioned: the extra long combination box is taller and heavier than a normal grain box because it needed to haul livestock as well as grain. That might explain the low price. The middle axle is probably an after market add on. The extra axle might weigh close to 1000 pounds but might also add another 5000 or 6000 pounds to the GVWR?

If you need to take a 43 year old truck 100 miles from home, I would take it in to a truck shop and make sure the brakes are still up to the job. They can also check out your axles, springs, tires and floor to give you a idea of its current capacity.

If you don't need the folding racks and filler boards you could strip them off and save them. Is the tag axle on air springs so you can lift it to shift more weight to the drive axle in slick conditions? Make sure all your lights work. Replace the old headlight bulbs as some old yellow bulbs can get really dim with age, it's a giveaway that a vehicle needs maintenance.
 

The GVWR is literally the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. That means the manufacturer designed the vehicle to weigh a maximum of 20,200 lbs. If the truck has had special equipment added to increase the GVWR, the truck would have to have a certification of modification (in my state of PA) from a special inspection garage with a new GVWR listed. I don't know about some of the less strict states, but, if you are going through a state with DOT creeper cops, and that vehicle is registered for a certain weight, you better be under it, or you get a colossal department of transportation flogging. Unless you have a CDL class B, you need to keep it under 26,001 lbs gross, or you also get out of service on your license. Get caught doing it a second time, under an out of service notice, and you loose your license for 30 days. Do it again, and you loose it for a year. They don't fool around with big trucks. You can always play dumb farmer, but, I suggest keeping it under 26,001 lbs just to avoid possible hassle. It isn't worth it.

For what you paid for the truck, I'd throw the truck away, and put the bed on something more substantial and modern. Again, in this world of entitlement and absolute accountability, if you hit a minivan full of kids and some die, you will wish you never touched that truck. They will find something wrong with it, no matter how good it might be. It's how the world works now. We all have to deal with it. I do like the truck. It looks really nice. I just don't think 100 miles is a reasonable distance to drive a truck that could potentially be overloaded to illegal proportions. Drive as you see fit, but, do so at your own risk.
 
Not to totally confuse you but here is something else you have to consider. You can only haul 600 lbs. per inch width of tire. It looks like you have 9:00s on front and back and 8:25 on the pusher. First take that stock rack off so your empty weight is down to 20,000. Then if I did my math right you should be able to legally haul 371.67 bushels of beans. Now granted you will have to buy plates for 42,300 gross. Here in Mn. you do not need class B drivers license for over 26,000 if it is your farm truck hauling your product. Why do you need to take secondary roads? Sometimes those roads have posted bridges which you will have to abide by the posted weight. If it was me I would take and get it d.o.t. inspected. Not because you have to on a farm truck but just for my own piece of mind. Also if you get pulled over I think it would help for that trooper to see a current inspection sticker on the window. Year ago or so is when they changed rules that farm trucks do not need inspection every year but I still take mine in. $35.00 is cheap assurance that everything is safe and legal. Then I would put 370 bushels of beans on that truck and run it right down the major hyway. Get-er-done.
 
Heres my old 1973 Ford F-700 10 wheeler with an 18 ft bed...It had a 361 with a 5 speed-2 speed,and 10x20 tires...It weighed about 11,000 empty and I once had 594 bushels of milo on it...It easily held 500-525 bushels of wheat and soybeans....I only had 6 miles to the elevator mostly by gravel roads....
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Everybody has given you a fair amount of information, all i can say is you know your local yocals better, you know the road, put what your comfortable with on and cross your fingers. My bigger question is, can YOU tolerate piloting that down the road for 200 miles a trip? Ive spent many miles in them dang ol binders and during corn harvest, that truck could sit for half an hour running, heater on and be nice and toasty, 2 miles down the road freezing your but off haha
My next question is, does that ol bobtail hold enough fuel for a 100 mile one way? heavier you go, worse the gallons per mile. I dont know what specialty crop your doing, but i hope it at least pays for fuel to haul it. But it is a good looking truck, good luck with it and please let us know how it turns out.
 
I would think that the other posters have it about right at 300-350 Bushels. also you did not state where you live. The weight/load rules are very different from state to state. Also your being a farmer hauling your own crop makes a difference in most states.

You also need to think about the economy of hauling your own grain. That gas truck will not get very good gas mileage, 2-3 MPG loaded would not be out of the question. When we where running gas dump trucks with the 361 engines we often would not average 2 MPG. So you 100 mile trip could easily use 50-70 gallons of gas. You maybe able to hire your grain hauled cheaper or at least safer.

An old truck is expensive to own. License and insurance can easily be a $1000 a year plus. Then I would think that old truck has hydraulic brakes. While they can work well the odds of an old truck's working well are about the same as hitting the lotto. LOL Getting hydraulic brake boosters repaired anymore is getting difficult. If the brakes need work and you have to hire it done, you could easily have more than you gave for the truck in getting them fixed.
 
Doug, I live in Indiana and the rules here are as follows, you do not need a CDL or CDL Physical for a Farm plated straight truck hauling your own grain. Cannot haul for others though has to be your own. A Farm Truck can be plated going into Fall, I believe it is after Sept. 1st and you pay like 1/2 to 1/3 of the yearly registration just remember not to pay the renewal when it comes in Feb. The insurance company has a special deal for what they call seasonal farm trucks. All told I have less than $400 per year in license/registration plated 26,001 but it is a pretty slow increase as you go up as I've seen the fee sheets a few times first hand. I've never seen or heard of an older local small farm straight truck to get a ticket and as you know farmers gossip. Maybe I'm blessed to live in an area that has common sense. I know 20 miles from here Illinois is a whole different world rule wise. The long round trip will eat the fuel so you may find it better to hire a neighbor with a 1000 bushel semi. But then you run into a whole other set of problems unless you have bins. The 3000 acre neighbor with the semi isn't going to park his truck in the Fall and wait for you to fill it, and either way you need a truck to get to town or to bins so it doesn't matter. I'd say you got a good deal, check the brakes real good. Any parts you need are available at Napa or at least were a few years ago for my 1971.
 
I've got three straight trucks now - just stole a 74 Ford with 20k original miles. The bed on mine looks about the same but I don't have a tag axle. I plated mine antique. The rule in Kansas is that you have to run under 30,000 pounds for that tag. Well, I'm not filling it to the gills so I doubt that's ever an issue. Two bins in the combine would be about 350 bushels so that's where I keep it. They are good old trucks and it will do you well. I have put some serious miles on my 58 GMC during harvest and the fuel trips were frequent, but all of mine only gave the seat tank. You are set with a saddle tank.

Service it good and it will do you well. Those old Fords are built well. My only complaint is that they need 40 acres to turn around. The 56 and 58 GMC both turn much tighter.
 
Nobody said anything about bed cap.,18'bed with 50"sides holds 476Bu.level full.46"sides is 436 level.So go from there on what you want.There use to be a lot of 600s-C60-65s single axle hauling 400 to 500 bushels loads.
 
Thank you very much for your comments!
I guess I?ll try to put in under 400 bushels, to start.

Although 370 bushels would weigh 22,000, plus 12,000 for the empty truck comes to 34,000.

If I consider that the tag axle adds another 6,000 capacity, (thanks ss55) that makes the GVWR be 27,000
34,000 is still quite a bit over 27,000.
Interesting that many of you can haul that much over the GVWR, so maybe they just under rate it.

The registration in Missouri is for 24,000 lbs, so I?d be a lot over that number.

Thanks, Paul, for the suggestion on the rims, I?ll check that.
 

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