Hi dave - wow that sucks. This past summer I was hauling some broken up
concrete. It was sandy, wet and heavy. The waste disposal service that
I hauled the rubble to has a truck scale - drive up, get weighed, dump
load, weight out... subtract the difference - and you pay a set price
per LB... turns out I had over 3000 LB's of rubble in the back. At
least tha is what they weighed me in at. For all I know they were not
being honest. They seemed really suprised when I came in. "What did you
have on the back of that truck?" - - "concrete" - "well that explains
the scale readings"
My truck seems to have suffered no ill effects from that jaunt. I drove
it a good 35 highway miles to the dump, at 55-60 Mph. I have only
loaded my truck up like that, that one time. No telling what the
previous owner did to it however - it was in sorry shape when I bought
it. It STILL IS in sorry shape.
My thinking is that your frame was already cracked. Perhaps, as you
have described, from previous heavy hauling. This last load must have
just been too much for it.
I did have my frame straightened out after I bought it. The truck was
in an accident.. apperently the body damage was repaired (failed the
magnet/bondo test in the rear right corner), but the frame was never fixed.
I dont know how good of a fix welding/bolting is. But if it was me, I
would try and press the frame back as close as possibleto close the gap.
Weld it... then bolt or rivit some heavy heavy gauge steel plates on
both sides of the frame where the crack is.
Once frame damage this substancial has occured, the truck should not be
loaded up that heavy again. You could have the frame replaced -
depending on how much you love your truck and how much you have invested
into mods etc. Neil Bellenger had the frame on his 4x4 Dak replaced
when it was in an accident a while ago. He had the truck stripped down
and rebuilt on a new frame, but I think his insurance company had a
helping hand. Would I replace the frame if it was me? heh yep! (but I'm
nuts)
Dave McGuire wrote:
>
> Haven't posted many times but I thought id share the bad news. It turns
> out the Dakota is not designed to carry 3000lbs of mulch in the back.
> :D I managed to crack the frame at the front mount for the leaf springs.
> The crack runs at least half way up the left rail has at least
> centimeter gap at the bottom, not sure how much it sags loaded but its
> pretty bad. I beat on my truck pretty hard, both having fun on our farm
> roads and hauling 2000-3000lb loads of mulch and water around, but i
> never thought id crack the frame. Blow up the tranny or the rear end mb,
> already shattered the transfercase, but not the frame.
-- ----------------------------------- Terrible Tom"It's a living thing... It breathes, it eats, ...and it hates..."
Silver '89 Reg Cab, V6, Auto, 8 footer, 4x2 Silver '89 Reg Cab, V6, Auto, 8 footer, 4x4 w plow - (aka Granpa)
DML Profile URL: http://www.twistedbits.net/WWWProfile/dakota/LkxxVw49jp7dU/
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