Front/Rear axle weight distribution

[SierraClassic]

What I have is a '99 old body style Z71 extended cab with the 5.7L engine and 23 gal. gas tank. I'm wondering what a good approximation of the front and rear axle load ratio would be for an empty vehicle with a full tank of gas (maybe 60/40, 55/45 or something like that)?

 

I'm asking the question because of what the landfill's scales were telling me last night about my load of lava rock. The entry weight read 6560 and the exit weight read 5480 (with just over half a tank of gas). The truck has a topper advertised to weigh 190 lbs. and I weigh between 190 and 195. (A few nights ago I got an exit weight of 5560 with a full tank of gas.) My vehicle's GVWR is 6200# with front and rear axle weight ratings of 3925 and 3750 pounds, respectively.

 

What I'm really trying to figure out is if my 1/2 ton of lava rock exceeded the 3750 # rear axle rating. The truck seemed to handle the weight well and drove fine with plenty of power and all that.

 

This is my first truck and I'm new to hauling and towing; but my impressions about hauling payload are that the 6200 GVWR is a conservative number as long as I'm driving accordingly, and that I should be most concerned about not exceeding the axle weight rating. What do you all think?

[JRW68]

Too much thought, ive overloaded more trucks than I ever care to... as long as the suspension isn't bottomed out the only thing to worry about is stopping. Ive seen alot of people run the "bump stops" for hundreds of miles... wouldn't recommend that. Just my 2 cents.

[SierraClassic]

That was a fast reply.

 

Yeah, you're probably right -- thinking about it too much.

[Rammer]

You have to remeber that anything in front of the rear axle also adds weight to the front. The 1100 lbs you had in the bed isn't all on the rear axle, unless it was stacked over and behind the rear axle only.