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Old 04-13-2024, 02:04 AM   #1
79vette
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Heaviest GVW on a square body?

I've seen square body trucks with rollback bodies on them, and would like to buy or build one someday. But I'm having a hard time imagining how anyone hauls anything with them?

The cab and chassis crane truck in my signature has the narrow C&C 14 bolt, which is the heaviest axle I've ever seen in a square. GVW per the door sticker is 10k lbs. I'd guess the truck and cab are at least 4500 lbs with a 350 and 2wd 4 speed, likely more if it was a big block and 4wd. An aluminum rollback bed is probably at least 2k. So at the absolute maximum, a wrecker body on my truck could carry up to 3500 lbs without being over GVW.

Once you figure the driver and passenger and under body toolboxes full of stuff, I could barely tow my Corvette without being overweight. Are there heavier GVW square bodies out there, or are people who build rollbacks on these just overloading their trucks and hoping the cops don't ask any questions?
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Old 04-13-2024, 12:46 PM   #2
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Re: Heaviest GVW on a square body?

Ours was terribly overloaded with about anything on the deck.
Much less with a 24' car trailer behind it, not to mention no trailer brakes.
As I recall it was 8500lbs empty
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Old 04-13-2024, 06:44 PM   #3
ElGracho
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Re: Heaviest GVW on a square body?

The highest GVW I've seen is 10500 for 2WD, 11000 for 4WD. C30/R3500 or K30/V3500 with dual rear wheels and C7C (2WD) or C7E (4WD), heavy duty chassis option.

The payload capacities are very close because the 2WD truck itself it lighter with the 2WD front end vs front axle and no transfer case.

Also, the shorter wheelbase Cab and Chassis has the highest payload because the suspensions are the same between the 135.5" cab and chassis, 159.5" long cab and chassis, and the 164.5" crew cab frames but the short one (not short bed, shorter of the cab and chassis trucks) weighs the least.
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Old 04-17-2024, 10:11 AM   #4
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Re: Heaviest GVW on a square body?

Yes, my 86 K30 C7E dump has an 11,000 GVW rating. Can haul about 3000 pounds legally. Compare that to my 2020 Silverado 3500HD Cab and Chassis which has a 14,000 GVW rating which can haul 2 tons legally because the Utility body on it with tools brings it up to 10,000 lbs. empty.
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Old 04-19-2024, 08:07 PM   #5
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Re: Heaviest GVW on a square body?

I have an RV conversion Cab/Chassis with 10K GVW but they added 15K rear springs.
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Old 05-03-2024, 11:09 PM   #6
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Re: Heaviest GVW on a square body?

i had a 86 c30 454 4 speed roll back with a 17 ft chevron steel bed with stinger i was hauling for sadisco now called copart when i first started in 1987-95 it was rough to haul to 2 at the same time the truck would pull anything but alot of the cars trucks would be very hard on the rear stinger to pickup high enough to tow i went to a spring shop and had new heaver springs added to the rear and after adding the springs it would pickup any thing you could put behind it i am talking like 2 77 cadillac sedan devilles one loaded to the rear and picking up the other from the front i was hauling 8 to 10 cars trucks a day and never had to go thru the scales of course that was years ago but i wouldnt be afraid to build a c30 today if you aint gona be useing it everyday
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