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Cargo Bed Capacity

J

jstrickl

Charter Member
SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2002
Messages
2,027
Location
Twin Cities, MN
OK, how much can safely be stowed in the bed of a 1500 Av? I have been a regular at Home Depot the past 3 weekends and have probably over-halued even though the guys with the forkloads say otherwise.

Memorial Day weekend, 4 trips of 1100 lbs retaining wall brick. This weekend, 1600 lbs of QuickCrete and the palette they rode in on!

Am I looking to break my truck, or is this an OK amount of load? I know with the 1600 lbs of dry cement, the truck still hit 75 effortlessly but the nose was WAY up in the air. I will add a picture here later. Going around corners (slowly I might add) you could hear creaking in the suspension.

So what's the official carrying capacity, not towing capacity?

Jamie
 
If you have a 2500 the 1,600 pounds is getting close to design limits - if you have a 1500 you exceeded design limits.

Would I do it every day? Heck no! However many of us have hauled more than the rated spec (what me?) with no adverse effects. If you're doing it now and then not to worry. When the back tires are rubbing the fender wells - worry >:D
 
jamie said:
Here are the incriminating photos:

My Z-71 with 20 bags of 80lb QuickCrete. Yes, she's quite loaded down!

From the side
From the rear

Jamie
Click to expand...
Jamie, I think you have discovered a cheap and easy way of leveling the Av. I was expecting a lot more sag than that for a 1600# load


 
That dos'nt look bad at all. I figured it would sag a bunch more. With leaf springs I would look for the springs counter sprung. I know the 1500 has coils. I would look at the tires and check to see if they clear ok.. Looks like your AV took the load just fine.


Gary
 
Jamie, how was the breaking with that amount of weight?
 
Don't know if anyone has any idea what the weight would be, (probably depends how wet it was) but this past wekend hauled 30 of the two cubic ft. size bags of mulch. (....and if interested that was bed level) Probably not as much as jstrickl's Quick Crete but still a nice load.

Didn't take any pics, but looked very similar to the Quick Crete load pics.

 
gregoryglen,
From my earlier posting about Home Depot and the Av, I learned to brake early and firmly. While hauling 1200lbs of 12" retaining wall brick, some a-hole cut me off so I had to brake hard. A few of the "stones from hell" came up and hit the seat back. ?Yes, he got the bird for that one!

With the conrete load, braking isn't bad as long as you give yourself the extra room.

Here is a before and after when toting 1200lbs of bricks:
Loaded 1
Loaded 2
Unloaded

Now you should see the "crouching" and "relaxed" attitude of the Av. Pay close attention to the shadow under the truck.

Jamie
 
jamie said:
So what's the official carrying capacity, not towing capacity?

Jamie
Click to expand...

Here is information I pulled from a table on GM's Chevy Avalanche web site that provides the Cargo Bed maximum capacities.....Hope this helps.

Model
1500 2WD -- 1363lbs
1500 4x4 -- 1322lbs
2500 2WD -- 2247lbs
2500 4x4 -- 1958lbs

These values represent the maximum payload capacity including weight of driver, passengers, optional equipment and cargo.

Here is the link to the site: http://www.chevrolet.com/avalanche/index.htm
 
dgalarne, thanks for the specs. I guess I really max'ed er out then. Figure I come in around 205lbs, probably about 50lbs in both side bins, 1600lbs concrete mix, another 20lbs for the wood palette... yeah, that would be an easy 1900lbs!

Funny that the capacity of a 2WD is slightly larger than the 4WD though?

Jamie
 
The 4wd version itself weighs more than the 2wd so it's carrying capacity is reduced by that weight.
 
BUCKEYEAV said:
Don't know if anyone has any idea what the weight would be, (probably depends how wet it was) but this past wekend hauled 30 of the two cubic ft. size bags of mulch. ?(....and if interested that was bed level) Probably not as much as jstrickl's Quick Crete but still a nice load.

Didn't take any pics, but looked very similar to the Quick Crete load pics.
Click to expand...

I've carried a similar load. If the mulch was dry it runs between 15 to 20 pounds. If it was damp could be 20 to 25 pounds. If it was soaking wet could go up to 40 pounds a bag. Ya - pretty amazing what the Avalanche can haul!
 
jamie said:
gregoryglen,
From my earlier posting about Home Depot and the Av, I learned to brake early and firmly. While hauling 1200lbs of 12" retaining wall brick, some a-hole cut me off so I had to brake hard. A few of the "stones from hell" came up and hit the seat back. ?Yes, he got the bird for that one!

With the conrete load, braking isn't bad as long as you give yourself the extra room.

Here is a before and after when toting 1200lbs of bricks:
Loaded 1
Loaded 2
Unloaded

Now you should see the "crouching" and "relaxed" attitude of the Av. Pay close attention to the shadow under the truck.

Jamie
Click to expand...

You Av looks more squat with the lighter load of bricks. The bags of concrete was probably more distributed in the bed allowing some of the front suspension to bear the weight. It appears that most of the bricks (a load that was in spec) are over the rear axle in your picture. Interesting thing to note - load forward, can carry more...
 
Oddly Chief, the guy (Al was impressive with the lifter!) loading the palettes of landscaping bricks used the good forklift that shoved the palette closer to the midgate. The guy who loaded the concrete wasn't as adept. they basically sat it right on the bed edge near the tailgate. The tailgate was still able to close though. There was certainly a difference in truck characteristics with the two loads. The truck was fine with the brick load. With the concrete load though, she groaned a lot while braking and cornering. You could really hear the suspension components working! Perhaps it's my angle of the picture. Or possible the fact the the Av was in the grass and the rear sank even more in the softer soil.

Jamie
 
Hauled another load of mulch last night, from a place that had a scale.

Hauled 35 (2 cubic ft.) bags of mulch.

Weight of Av with me and my 5 year old son:..5700 lbs
Weight after loaded the 35 bags of mulch:......7580 lbs
So, Total Weight In Bed Of Just The Load:.......1880 lbs

Which I guess means that for the load alone I was roughly 517 lbs overweight. And if you add in myself, my 5 year old, and the stuff in the storage areas would probably jump the 1880 lbs. up to around 2200 lbs.

Agree as an earlier post said, that I would not want to do this every day, but was most impressed with how the Av handled. Really herd no moans and groans and braking seemed fine.

;D Love This Truck!



 
here's a pic of one and a half yards of mulch (see attached). It took a front loader 3 buckets full to finally fill the Av up. The guys at the nursery were completly amazed that the Av could take that much.
 

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Wish i had my camera back in december. Had well over 1000 in the bed with tools , steal braces and the like. Towing 16' dual ax , sided trailer. With generator, steal pipe, old army gas weilder(built to tow) cement mixer, ladders, 2 -10' ice bridge grating, 100 lb each. 2- 10" I beams 14' long And on and on. Pulled the hell out of it. I fallowed the slow truck, F 350 10' flat bed, desile(sp) pulling our cable trailler. Definitly a push situation. Only feared for my life once in 250mi, got to go, haven't see my wife 10 days. I think I beter find out why?

Now she saged. Lit the Highway and tree tops awsomely.
 
I know this is an old thread i just recently took a load of fill dirt in the Avy...first load 2840lbs /second load 2800lbs/ third load 1870lbs ... i do have  3"keys and 2" coil spacers the heavier loads the ass end was sagging    :eek: ...but this truck did its job..... (y)
 
FYI
KEys and coil spacers do not allow it to safely carry more...

it just let you over load it more until something touches.
 
Ygmn ... yes I know that. .. I  was just stating that these trucks can really hang when work needs to be done  (y)
 
I wouldn't suggest putting much more than 1,500 lbs in the back of a 1500 and I wouldn't put much more than about 2,000 lbs in the back of a 2500.  We have Ford 250's at work with 300-500 lbs of sand backs in the back for traction and you can REALLY notice a difference in how they drive.

(Note, My Avalanche even without any extra weight in 2wd drives MUCH better than our fords at work with or without the weight. )

We have a GM 2500 with a "tool topper" in the bed. It is a dual cab and that extra 1,000-1,500 lbs really sucks on that truck. Even with the 6.2L engine in it.

Just saying don't do it figuring it is a good idea... They can haul some weight but at close to 3,000 lbs you are really pushing it.
 
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