In Wyoming, it's not uncommon to travel 1.5 hours each way to get a load of bucked logs. It's hard for me to leave things behind and at times have put a few logs in the passenger seat or floorboard. Yesterday, I traveled out to private property and the landowner had put in a new road called "Zack's Road" in an effort to more easily clear out dead standing wood. Well, I got to the highway coming out and realized I had way overloaded the truck. OOOPS! Let's just say, if I had enough power, I could pull a wheelie haha. Who else does this? Have you tried air bags? Is it better to just pull a small trailer? Sorry, no pictures, I quickly unloaded once I got home.
I have Firestone Ride Rite air bags on my Tacoma and I love em. I swear Toyota makes their leaf springs out of recycled beer cans.
I put Airlift bags on my truck years ago. I'd recommend them in a heartbeat. When not in use, they have about 5-10 psi and you can't tell they are even there. Full truck load and they get up to 90psi pumped in. Helps tremendously. I also have a small utility trailer (4x8) rated to hold about 1,800lbs so when the score is far enough away it's like having two trucks. The trailer is light enough for me to easily push it around the property if it needs moved. And by the time both are fully loaded, I'm ready for a break so anything larger would put a hurtin' on me. Bags or add-a-leafs won't allow you to carry lots more weight but they make your truck handle much better fully loaded. Small trailer allows more wood to be brought. If I were in your shoes, I'd go with the trailer.
We have air bags on our F150, helps when we deliver a load of wood or pull the trailer. Normally when we bring wood home to process, it's in the 7x12 dump trailer...
I will look into these. Many of the places I go are so tight and remote that a dump trailer wouldn't work. I'm looking at the single axle route like the The Wood Wolverine mentioned. That way, if I ever got in a tricky area, I could hand walk it or easily remove. At this remote property, I'd probably leave it in his field and unload my truck after the first load.
I've had to do just that at the chestnut oak honey hole I've been cutting in for years. The trails are too tight for me to turn the trailer around and back in so I unhook, get the trailer going where I want, then move the truck and hook back up. Very convenient.
Here is some you might want to look at...Truck Load Support - Increase Load Capacity with Hellwig Leaf Helpers, Super Springs, Air Bags
Reminds me of my loads. The load of BL from Saturday was like that. No bags or extra leafs. Its a ZFord so not worried!
Our 99 Tacoma stacked full. 2014 Tacoma full load. Hauls level. The air bags make the difference. Also when towing the RV, there is no need for equalizer hitch or sway bars.
I filled my 79 f150 up so full it felt like I was doing a wheely the whole ride home. That truck has a 460 in it so the front end isn't exactly light. That was some heavy oak I was hauling home. normal truck bed nothing on the sides to increase capacity.
I have a 1 ton that I use for wood. But if I am going to get a lot of wood than I do have small trailer I take.
I have an F150 like Buzzsaw Brad and typically am hauling 3/4-1 cord out lol. It is the 5.4l v8 but going to start bringing a trailer like you have!
I have had the front end "off the ground" when I used to haul firewood with an old F-150. Current 1500 Chevy, I put an extra set of leaf springs on bought from local shop. Bolt on, work excellent and I have been probably way over legal gross truck limit with loads of firewood, but truck is level and handles nicely, so not obvious to the authorities when on the highway, if you know what I mean. It does not ride any stiffer empty.
Typically I haul the same amount each time which is 4 16" deep rows with a few rounds on the back. This time was a little different with about 6- 20" diameter green rounds. Caught myself off guard with the weight. I like the idea of the bolt on leafs, I will look!!
