If you could just cram a few more things into your work truck, it will save you an extra trip to and from the job site. You realize that you’ve loaded your truck likely beyond its weight capacity, but one less trip means saving extra diesel fuel. It won’t hurt it. You’re relatively close to the job site, so go ahead and overload the truck, right? Village Diesel Works advises against it. You should never overload your diesel work truck beyond its weight capacity for the following reasons.
Brake Failure
The brake system installed on your work truck is designed to stop up to the maximum weight capacity and not over it. If you overload your diesel work truck, you run the risk of being able to stop it when you need to. Even if your truck does stop every time that you apply the brakes, you are damaging the brake system with the excess weight. Saving money on diesel fuel by making fewer trips doesn’t make sense when you will spend more money to repair the brake system damage.
Engine Damage
You are also damaging your engine by overloading your work truck. Again, the engine is designed to handle the vehicle’s maximum weight capacity and nothing more. By overloading the truck beyond the weight capacity, you cause undue stress on the engine that wears it down quicker. As with the brake system, pushing the engine beyond its limits will result in unnecessary repairs.
Suspension Damage
You can also seriously damage your suspension if you overload your work truck. In fact, you can break an axle. The suspension is designed to carry the maximum weight and anything underneath it. Overloading the truck will put the suspension under stress that it is not designed to handle. This will damage crucial suspension components, including the axles, the wheels, and the suspension springs among other parts. Don’t cause unnecessary and expensive damage to your truck’s suspension.
Tire Damage
Finally, your tires are also designed to only handle weight up to the maximum limit. They are not designed to handle weight above the limit. Naturally, if you are putting too much weight on the tires, you will not only damage them but you may even end up with a blowout. This can be dangerous because the excess weight makes it more difficult to control your diesel work truck and you may find yourself in an accident.
Village Diesel Works in Woodbury, MN, recommends that you always stay within the weight restrictions of your diesel work truck. We also recommend that you bring your vehicle into our shop for all of its necessary maintenance to keep it running efficiently and reliably.