Like the title says...I am selling my 2004 F250 and plan to buy a new (or newer) F150 crew cab pickup. My F250 handles a round bale of hay in the bed with no problem.
I haven't had a half-ton pickup for a long time and wonder how strong the rear springs and axles are, and whether it would handle such a load on a limited basis (I plan to haul 4 to 6 bales a year, about 35 miles each) without damaging the truck.
Thanks for any advice.
The most common bales in my area are 5x6' with 4x6's being pretty popular because they'll fit on a semi. 4x5's are way back in third place. I have a 4x5 baler and make bales approaching 1000 lbs. In fact, the last time some of mine were weighed I think a representative bale was 970 lbs. My cousin's baler is a 5x6 and his bales are so heavy that I sometimes have a hard time moving them with my 90hp tractor. I'm not trying to brag it up, but the weights I've seen on this thread aren't representative of what I've seen around here. I'd guess my cousin's bales are averaging
at least 1200 lbs.
I think there's a good chance it will get a little squirrely using a 1/2 ton truck. I'd probably do it no more than you've got to move. Much more than that and I'd want a 3/4 ton.
