Back a way's , someone mentioned that older pick ups were not as capable of hauling as newer trucks . News Flash !!! My '84 F-250 4x4 , although it looks rough , has on numerous occasions out hauled any current make of truck from 1/2 tons to 1 ton duals . 2600 pounds of landscape block hardly makes it squat . When we use to have a pellet stove , would haul not 1 but 2 tons of pellets at a time , ( course then I got smart an found out they only charged $35 for delivery including unload and stack

) My pick-up weighs in at 5280 with 1 tank full , max I have ever weighed was 10,880 , but had both tanks full and practically entire work shop stuffed behind seat . Was hauling sand gravel mix for cement .
Although load weight is important as is distribution of that weight , driving style is all to often the culprit of bent or broken axles , springs , etc.... . Simply put , normally you just fly down the road hitting them small potholes or those railroad tracks , etc... , when empty , BUT loaded , even with a small load of 500 or 1000 pounds , loaded incorrectly , A repair bill may not be to far behind .
Could tell many a story of loading next to newer 1/2 , 3/4 an 1 ton duals the last couple of years doing all the landscaping to finish our place and watching them freak with 1/2 yard or 1 yard of material and I would have 2 yards dump into bed . The kid in the loader loved it .
Fred H.