Have you ever tried to make sense of weight ratings?

[Mr_Fixit]

Originally Posted by NevadaNick

For the record i have seen pickups that were grossly overloaded stopped by NHP, of which i have to assume they were going to look at tires and registration.

I wish we knew more about that. As near as I can tell here in Appalachia, if there are not sparks coming out around the wheels it's legal!

[Scottybdivin]

The published cargo capacities are based on bare bones trucks. A XLT will weigh several hundred pounds less than a King Ranch on the same exact truck model. The options are what lowers the CCC below the published weight.

[Mr_Fixit]

Originally Posted by Scottybdivin

The published cargo capacities are based on bare bones trucks. A XLT will weigh several hundred pounds less than a King Ranch on the same exact truck model. The options are what lowers the CCC below the published weight.

Agree, but that's the easy part. The task is knowing what all those options add up to in order to know what that payload sticker is going to be when the truck hits the driveway. Ask someone what their payload will be before they have the truck and even many dealers can't answer that one. Maybe there is a breakdown of the weight of the options on the order sheet? I don't think so, but I could be wrong.

[Scottybdivin]

I assume there are some monor variations but we're not counting grams or ounces here. If you are looking for a KR or Platinum F250/350, go look inside the doors on the dealer's lots. There are about 6 Ford dealers in our area and each one probably has a dozen or more trucks optioned out about every way you could want.

[Mr_Fixit]

Originally Posted by Scottybdivin

I assume there are some monor variations but we're not counting grams or ounces here. If you are looking for a KR or Platinum F250/350, go look inside the doors on the dealer's lots. There are about 6 Ford dealers in our area and each one probably has a dozen or more trucks optioned out about every way you could want.

Don't disagree with a thing you are saying. How to get the word out because I think the spec sheet is still the most relied upon source. Until I started diving into this, I thought the printed spec sheet meant something. What I discovered however when searching for a camper and a truck is folks including dealers just gave me the numbers off the sheets and the differences between the printed word and the sticker in the truck can be hundreds of pounds.

And finding a truck close to what you want can be really hard to do depending on where you live. I wanted a long bed F350 gasser and we searching literally for months in my neck of the woods on all the dealer lots. They simply did not exist and we ended up driving 600 miles to get our truck. One of the RV dealers drove all the way to Texas. I completely agree with the suggestion of checking similar trucks on dealer lots, but that can be difficult.

I would be willing to settle for a printout of options weights. I just don't know if there is one. TC manufacturers have them and that at least provides the possibility of knowing what you are getting. I guess my push is for transparency because then at least end-users would have a better idea of what they are doing.

[Bedlam]

I've been ordering my vehicles and RV's instead of compromising on one sitting on the lot. You can look at the lot to get an idea of the trim level and seat style you want and then decide what options to order. Using the upfitter guide for Ford, it will list the weight of the different options you choose. When ordering the truck, you should deal with the commercial/fleet side of the dealership - If they do not have one or the consumer sales side tries to block you from access, go to another dealer. The commercial side will be the most knowledgeable on the option packages.

[Mr_Fixit]

Originally Posted by Bedlam

I've been ordering my vehicles and RV's instead of compromising on one sitting on the lot. You can look at the lot to get an idea of the trim level and seat style you want and then decide what options to order. Using the upfitter guide for Ford, it will list the weight of the different options you choose. When ordering the truck, you should deal with the commercial/fleet side of the dealership - If they do not have one or the consumer sales side tries to block you from access, go to another dealer. The commercial side will be the most knowledgeable on the option packages.

Sounds like good advice.