putting a rotary cutter on top of pickup bed

[RoyJackson]

I did carry a 60" Land Pride cutter home in a Ford Ranger pickup. I angled it as some have suggested and aczlan sketched.
I didn't use bracing as I was only going about 20 very slow miles. There were two 2x4's to protect the bed and side of the truck.
That Land Pride weighed about 620-640 lbs. The Ranger was a 3/4 ton 4x4.

So, the thing I will bring up is the raised center of gravity. Your Dodge can handle the weight, but you will definitely feel it moving the rear of your truck around.
300 miles is about a 6 hour drive. I wouldn't want to do it with that cutter setting so high up.
So, I suggest you use your trailer.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

The Ranger was a 3/4 ton 4x4.

3/4 ton ranger or do you mean 1/4 ton?

 

[RoyJackson]

3/4 ton ranger or do you mean 1/4 ton?

No, I meant 3/4 ton...at the time, all 4x4 Fords were built on a 3/4 ton chassis, even the Rangers (a '91 or '92 model, IIRC). Good truck and a very strong V-6. If the body hadn't rusted out, I'd probably still have it.

I never heard of a 1/4 ton truck (except for those little Cushman 3-wheelers).

 

[schmism]

No, I meant 3/4 ton...at the time, all 4x4 Fords were built on a 3/4 ton chassis, even the Rangers (a '91 or '92 model, IIRC). Good truck and a very strong V-6. If the body hadn't rusted out, I'd probably still have it.

I never heard of a 1/4 ton truck (except for those little Cushman 3-wheelers).

^^^^^ I lol'd

 

[Diamondpilot]

I remember a lot of 3/4 ton Toyotas back in the early 90's. They were tough little trucks. Uhaul had tons of them and they made RV's out of them.

The lumber yard where I worked at in HS had one. You could load it down with Sac Crete and it would keep going. I once delivered 28 bags to a customer and he could not believe it was in a Toyota. This was in the late 80's and the truck was maybe a 84.

Chris

 

[slowzuki]

lol you are sorely mistaken. Unless you are talking about a 70's fullsize ford ranger, the ranger is a compact truck commonly called a 1/4 ton and is built on its own chassis. Nothing of any significance was shared with the fullsizes. Even the full size 1/2 ton didn't share a frame with the 3/4 and 1 tons.

No, I meant 3/4 ton...at the time, all 4x4 Fords were built on a 3/4 ton chassis, even the Rangers (a '91 or '92 model, IIRC). Good truck and a very strong V-6. If the body hadn't rusted out, I'd probably still have it.

I never heard of a 1/4 ton truck (except for those little Cushman 3-wheelers).

 

[boggen]

300 miles *ouch*

i would say take a trailer, or open up some yellowpages.com and search for shippers near that area. or less you have not bought it yet.

rottery cutter 300 miles, just seems like spinning wheels. or less local stuff is that outrages and this 300 miles is that good of a deal. i would hope the cutter is new.

 

[RoyJackson]

lol you are sorely mistaken. Unless you are talking about a 70's fullsize ford ranger, the ranger is a compact truck commonly called a 1/4 ton and is built on its own chassis. Nothing of any significance was shared with the fullsizes. Even the full size 1/2 ton didn't share a frame with the 3/4 and 1 tons.

Beg to differ, brother...it was 3/4 rated and I paid the registration fees accordingly.
Even compact pickups can carry serious weight. I've had 4x4 pickups since 1972 (Fords and Chevys mostly, with one GMC tossed in). The only thing the compacts lack is bed width (that '92 I wrote about had an extended bed, so you're not going to lay a 4x8 sheet of plywood flat.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I remember a lot of 3/4 ton Toyotas back in the early 90's. They were tough little trucks. Uhaul had tons of them and they made RV's out of them.

The lumber yard where I worked at in HS had one. You could load it down with Sac Crete and it would keep going. I once delivered 28 bags to a customer and he could not believe it was in a Toyota. This was in the late 80's and the truck was maybe a 84.

Chris

I had a "3/4" ton Toyota. It was okay but the Japanese don't follow the American way of thinking when it comes to rating trucks.

They take the terms literally while we think of say a one ton as being capable of easily carrying two tons.

Anyway, for a few extra bucks in fuel costs, don't take a chance on someone getting hurt or trashing the bed out. Could you possibly rent a U-haul trailer one way?

 

[slowzuki]

3/4 ton is not the payload capacity sir. A 3/4 ton pickup such as the Ford F-250 will carry as much as 4080 lbs in payload in the bed. I know the naming system referencing 3/4 ton is strange but that is how it is and you aren't going to change it via a post on TBN.

Your ranger did not share frame, axles, transmission or engine with the full size fords of that era or any era. I don't disagree that compacts can carry a good load, but that does not make it a 250/2500 series 3/4 ton pickup truck!

Beg to differ, brother...it was 3/4 rated and I paid the registration fees accordingly.
Even compact pickups can carry serious weight. I've had 4x4 pickups since 1972 (Fords and Chevys mostly, with one GMC tossed in). The only thing the compacts lack is bed width (that '92 I wrote about had an extended bed, so you're not going to lay a 4x8 sheet of plywood flat.