Weight of tub versus tray

Tubs are pretty light weight nowadays. Because I either have toolboxs or my camper on my twin cab Dmax my tray is only a frame with no sides or deck.

Can't help with the Ford Ranger, you would need to have a look at their specs.

However for the latest Hilux turbo diesel auto in SR level, the cab chassis is quoted as having a Kerb weight of 1955 kg, while the pick-up or tub body is quoted as 2080 kg.

Therefor I would assume the Toyota tub weighs around 125 kg. What the replacement aluminium tray would weigh, I guess you could ask the manufacturer.

As I said, for the Ford you would need to compare their specs but I would think the difference would be around about the same.

Cheers
Pop

Nicky, is your vehicle weihgt carried an issue ?
I ask because my PK Ranger has a trip empty weight of 2325kg (inc mods like canopy, nudge bar, second battery etc), and a fully loaded desert trip weight of ~ 2850kg to 2900kg (loads of fuel and water, supplies, gear etc).
The GVM of my Ranger is 3019kg, so easy to keep under this normally.

You may have newer Ranger but pretty sure they have similar good load capacity on the later model too.

Maybe you have a huge family and really do need to shed the possibly 100kg or so for other use, but as pointed out above by Pop, the savings in reality might not really be much.

What model Ranger is it and do you know weight as it is normally of the road without trip load . . . vs trip weight . . . vs GVM ?

I would expect it would be lighter and the drop down sides weight virtually nothing the biggest advantage is a flat floor for easier storage and you would probably be able to fit a couple of under tray tool boxes for even more storage and maybe even an under tray water tank there's lots more extras you can add with a tray. But remember if the tray has a reasonable amount of rear overhang try to place heavy items towards the front don't get carried away with how much extra weight you " think " you can carry now or you might make the bent or broken chassis club.

A really good question, that I think needs to consider a couple of other factors. As already mentioned probably not a lot of difference in weight,however you need to be careful of the additional overhang that is often part of the tray. This can be a major issue if you will tow anything with a higher than modest ball weight.
The other issue is twofold,ie extra flat floor space may lead to carrying more stuff so the potential to overload is easy, and of course the floor height of the tub is raised a lot with an increase in the centre of gravity for the whole vehicle so when fully loaded and in tricky terrain the vehicle handling may be compromised.
Making the choice should be dependent on what you need/want to achieve rather than 'just' the weight.

Really helpful advice from everyone, for which I am very grateful. Thank you!!

Obviously dependant on brand & length but as an example of twin cab trays.........
125 kg light duty Al
139 kg Heavy duty Al
223 kg light steel
246 kg HD steel

If you have to consider the weight difference between the tub and a tray, it sounds like you intend loading the car to the max, If that is the case then you have to fully load its three load carrying areas with exactly the right amount of weight in each one. Assuming the car has no optional accessories, you fill the fuel tank, you place five heavy adults in the seats then you put the rest of its capacity out the back with the heaviest items as far forward as possible.

The seats are the biggest problem for most owners. Manufacturers don't design them to carry no more than the weight of an average size mum and dad with three little kids. They have to allow for the weight of five big people. That means a load of close to 500 kgs when you allow for their body weight plus their clothing etc.

If you load the car up with a couple of hundred kilos under that in the cabin, you can't put the rest in the tub without overloading the rear end. If you do that and lift the rear with heavier springs or air bags, the car will sit up a little higher and look good from side on but it is still overloaded at the rear.Suspension alterations can't move objects further forward.

To make matters worse, many of the items you place in the tub will be behind the axle. The further back each one is the more leverage it will place on the rear of the chassis, axle housing, wheel bearings, wheel studs and wheels. All of those have been known to fail, particularly in the bush.

As an example, Land Rover says on their web site that 150kg on the tow ball of their Defender places 206 kg on the axle housing. A 150kg object on the end of the tub or tray may place a little more or less than 206 on the axle depending on whether it is ahead of or behind the tow ball.

All of this is leverage on the far end of the chassis, It will go down and the front end of the car will go up placing an increased amount of stress into the chassis near the axle. The chassis will have been designed for this but it can't take more than it has been designed for.

That will be static weight only. The moment the car is put into motion and bounces up and down on uneven road surfaces, the forces acting on the axle housing, chassis etc will be much higher. This can easily be the result.

Bent Utes
Bent Photos

The advertised carrying and towing capacities for cars are usually for sealed roads only and should be reduced as road conditions deteriorate.Check with a dealer and if they don't know, as them to contact the manufacturer or do it yourself. They usually have a customer information service on their web site.