How Much Dirt Can You Put in a Pickup Truck Bed?

The amount of dirt you can place in the bed of a pickup truck depends on several factors. Most importantly, the size of the bed and the weight capacity of the truck must be taken into consideration.

The length, width and depth of your truck bed all play a role in determining how much dirt you can put in it. The longer, wider and deeper your bed is, the more dirt you can fit in it. Generally speaking, standard size pickup trucks have beds that measure about six to eight feet long, five-and-a-half to six feet wide, and around one-and-a-half to two feet deep.

The weight capacity of your truck is also an important factor when considering how much dirt you can place in it. The manufacturer’s recommended maximum payload capacity will tell you how much total weight—including any passengers or cargo—the truck can safely carry. To figure out how much dirt this translates to, take into account the average weight of a shovelful of dirt: around 10–20 pounds per cubic foot.

For example, if your pickup truck has a six-foot long bed that is five-and-a-half feet wide and two feet deep with a maximum payload capacity of 2,000 pounds, then it can hold roughly 6 cubic yards or 18 tons (360 cubic feet) of dirt.

In conclusion, determining how much dirt you can put in a pickup truck’s bed depends on several factors including its size and weight capacity. With an understanding of these factors and some basic calculations, you will be able to estimate how much dirt your truck can carry.

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Stephen Dunn