Ballast Release

Prolonged static load on the rear suspension during night idle causes unnecessary spring fatigue. I needed the cargo bed cleared before cycling down. Aligning perpendicular to the catch basin’s concrete retention curb, I shifted into reverse across the loose pea gravel. Throttle pulsed. Momentum carried the chassis backward, then I locked all four brakes three centimeters from the wall. Inertia did the work. The forty-gram steel flange nut slid across the bed ribs, cleared the low tailgate lip, and dropped into the gravel with a muted clink. The rear shocks immediately rebounded four millimeters, restoring standard ride height. Payload jettisoned. Chassis balanced for the night.