How to dertermine truck's capacities BEFORE buying?

[Rhagfo]

Originally Posted by Garyp4951

Rhagfo, I'm confused, 5411-2700-1400=1311

If you are referring to post #13, my point was how close I would have been had I got 12,300# GVWR SRW 3500.
Your math is correct for our 2016 Laramie 3500 DRW.
Most of the SRW 3500’s have around a 4,200# payload.

[bross]

Originally Posted by bmcgc

Crap, thats not much better than the 2039# in my 2020 F150 considering that the F250 is a much more capible towing platform.

I wouldn't call 900lbs "not much better", and let's face it your 2000lbs is at the top end for 1/2T payloads. I thought mine was OK at 1717lbs for a supercab, 8' bed FX4 XLT.

[nicky8668]

Originally Posted by bmcgc

Crap, thats not much better than the 2039# in my 2020 F150 considering that the F250 is a much more capible towing platform.

Yeah. I wish it’s in the 3500 lbs range. The combined GAWRs are 12000 lbs, but you can’t go over your registered GVWR in PA, which is 10000 lbs for F250.

I “CATted” my rig in Nov and find out with full tank of fuel, wife, son, dog, a 1-200 lbs cargo in the box, and about 5-600 lbs tongue weight on the hitch, the truck had about 1800 lbs useable payload left by GVWR, but if you go by combined GAWRs, I still have over 3000 lbs payload left after all of these. If I want, I can register the truck as 12000 lbs GVWR and the truck would have close to 5000 lbs payload ON PAPER.

[jimcumminsw]

Originally Posted by ArcticGabe

Yes, this is true. However, manufacturers test to J2807 with only their most capable configuration (i.e. fewest options, highest axle, max payload package, 4x2, etc). This rating only applies to this one configuration. As you add options and change configurations, it changes what any one specific vehicle can actually do. This is the whole point of this thread... sorting out how all these options affect capability.

I think you are slightly incorrect on that statement!

I know when I worked designing vehicles for 40 years. All of the vehicle configurations had to agree to the design specs used, such as SAE J2807.

Are you implying that the front windshield of any vehicle made today does not have to comply to the SAE specs for front windshields? But only one model of the line of the vehicles has too? This is the same as the towing requirement if you are going to state that you meet the SAE spec. Than the entire vehicle configuration needs to meet this requirement!

Here are the Ram's Towing specs for any configurations of vehicles.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing/towing-guide.html

As you can see Ram provides the max payload and towing weights for each style of truck.

Then if you really want to dig further, you can go to the commercial side and look at the technical information and check out the Body Builder site for any given truck and style!

https://www.ramtrucks.com/BodyBuilde...rt_MY21_R1.pdf

[bmcgc]

Jim, I think what Arctic is saying is that in the case of Ford, only one model f150 will meet what they are advertising as their max payloadtowing capacity.

Thats a supercab XL long wheelbase, 3.5EB with the max trailer tow package

Thats bascially a work truck that you will have to special order. I have never seen one in dealer stock on a lot.

"In order to get the class-leading 13,200-pound towing capacity, you must select the base rear-wheel-drive XL trim SuperCrew with the 6.5-foot bed, 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, Max Trailer Tow Package and 20-inch tires. The Max Trailer Tow Package adds the 3.55 electronically locking rear differential, the 36-gallon fuel tank, auxiliary transmission and engine oil coolers, a Class IV receiver hitch, an integrated trailer brake controller and an upgraded front stabilizer bar. This brings the total cost to $43,515 (all prices include destination). Four-wheel drive lowers the towing capacity for this configuration to 12,900 pounds.

As you move up through the trim levels, more features and weight are added, which takes away from weight that can be used as payload or tongue weight from a trailer, so higher trims have lower payload and trailering capabilities. Ford's F-150 towing selector provides all the towing capacities. The max trailer rating can only be achieved by conventional towing with a weight distribution hitch. Without a weight distribution hitch, the F-150 is limited to a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds."

[Rhagfo]

Originally Posted by bmcgc

Jim, I think what Arctic is saying is that in the case of Ford, only one model f150 will meet what they are advertising as their max payloadtowing capacity.

Thats a supercab XL long wheelbase, 3.5EB with the max trailer tow package

Thats bascially a work truck that you will have to special order. I have never seen one in dealer stock on a lot.

"In order to get the class-leading 13,200-pound towing capacity, you must select the base rear-wheel-drive XL trim SuperCrew with the 6.5-foot bed, 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, Max Trailer Tow Package and 20-inch tires. The Max Trailer Tow Package adds the 3.55 electronically locking rear differential, the 36-gallon fuel tank, auxiliary transmission and engine oil coolers, a Class IV receiver hitch, an integrated trailer brake controller and an upgraded front stabilizer bar. This brings the total cost to $43,515 (all prices include destination). Four-wheel drive lowers the towing capacity for this configuration to 12,900 pounds.

As you move up through the trim levels, more features and weight are added, which takes away from weight that can be used as payload or tongue weight from a trailer, so higher trims have lower payload and trailering capabilities. Ford's F-150 towing selector provides all the towing capacities. The max trailer rating can only be achieved by conventional towing with a weight distribution hitch. Without a weight distribution hitch, the F-150 is limited to a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds."

Bmcgc, has hit the nail on the head!
So many see the MAXIMUM numbers advertised and think they apply to their fully optioned TV!
The marketing departments are the worst, as in television advertisements they show a high end truck while posting the numbers for the stripper version. Even the towing guides that break the towing and payload are for the basic version model of that trim level, it doesn't take into account any additional options that someone will add above that trim level,


Ram has a feature on their sight that will give you the Yellow sticker payload and towing rating for a particular VIN.
It is a very exact number, my Yellow sticker shows a payload of 5,411# these are the numbers I get from the web sight;
MAX PAYLOAD 5,410.58LBS
MAX TOWING 25,210.58LBS

[jimcumminsw]

Too bad Ford won't provide the same information that Ram provides to their trucks.

[TheLex]

The issue of what's a legal payload is very confusing. A member of another forum recently got caught up in a California Highway Patrol dragnet on the freeway where they were stopping all RVs and weighing the rear axles. They looked at the GVWR of the trailer to determine if your driver's license was out of class. Then they looked at the load rating of your rear tires and compared it to the weight the measured on the rear axles to determine if someone was overweight. At NO point did they look at the yellow payload sticker in the door jamb.

My F450 for example has a payload of 4750 lbs. My front axle GAWR is 6k lbs, and my rear axle GAWR is 9900 lbs. My tires are rated for 3950 lbs each, for a total of 15,800 lbs. Both the GAWR for the rear axle and the tire load ratings far exceed the yellow sticker, which is there for tax and license classification purposes. If the truck's true capabilities (well over 14k lbs) were printed on the yellow sticker, the driver would have to obtain a commercial DL, and there would be engine replacement and other emissions regulations that apply to commercial carriers. All regular light duty pickup trucks are rated as Class III or lower.

[picker]

Originally Posted by ArcticGabe

So I've been reading a lot about towing capabilities and how they relate to the various specifications for a given truck (i.e. payload, GVWR, GAWR, etc).


If you're going to pick a truck up off the lot, it's easy enough to open the door and look at the sticker to find these specs.



But how do you find out these specs if you are ordering a new truck online? Or if I want to compare several different configurations to see how it affects payload, etc.


Thanks.

Tell them what you want !!



(perhaps I didn't understand your problem)

[PLDieter]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Good question - I built a truck with my Ford salesman just to see the MSRP. That is all I got without digging deep. No payload was given and no dealer sales price.

A diesel truck will have 800 - 1,000lbs less than a gas powered truck.

4x4 will have less than a 2WD.

A high trim level will have less payload than a lower trim level.

You should be able to find a truck that is already built similar to the one you want. The payloads will be close but not exact.

"
2021 Ford Super Duty Tow Ratings & Payload
This Ford heavy-duty truck can handle a 7,850-pound payload at the higher end of the spectrum, tow up to 24,200 pounds with the trailer hitch, and tow 37,000 pounds with a fifth-wheel combined with a gooseneck hitch."

[SailorSam]

If you are looking at F-150s, the F150 forum has a thread call "post your payload" has hundreds of trucks, many with full option lists to go with the payload number, many model years, body type, all trim levels, and engines.
Post 1 has a link to an excel spreadsheet that the OP maintained for a while, but not recently. I know some 2020's have been listed, not sure if there are any 21's yet.

https://www.f150forum.com/f82/post-your-payload-332538/

[HDGoose]

Originally Posted by TheLex

The issue of what's a legal payload is very confusing. A member of another forum recently got caught up in a California Highway Patrol dragnet on the freeway where they were stopping all RVs and weighing the rear axles. They looked at the GVWR of the trailer to determine if your driver's license was out of class. Then they looked at the load rating of your rear tires and compared it to the weight the measured on the rear axles to determine if someone was overweight. At NO point did they look at the yellow payload sticker in the door jamb.

My F450 for example has a payload of 4750 lbs. My front axle GAWR is 6k lbs, and my rear axle GAWR is 9900 lbs. My tires are rated for 3950 lbs each, for a total of 15,800 lbs. Both the GAWR for the rear axle and the tire load ratings far exceed the yellow sticker, which is there for tax and license classification purposes. If the truck's true capabilities (well over 14k lbs) were printed on the yellow sticker, the driver would have to obtain a commercial DL, and there would be engine replacement and other emissions regulations that apply to commercial carriers. All regular light duty pickup trucks are rated as Class III or lower.

California has non-CDL class licenses for higher weight non commercial vehicles. As does NC. In NC, they are class A/B/C levels for non commercial. I know that the laws in NC appear to conflict. NC doesn't have a RV exception that I have found. I've never had a CA license so I've ve never read those laws.

[frozen]

For Ram, try rambodybuilders.com

[boogiejack75]

Originally Posted by bmcgc

Crap, thats not much better than the 2039# in my 2020 F150 considering that the F250 is a much more capible towing platform.

That's why you get the F350 recommendation, especially if you want diesel. My former 2019 F250 diesel Lariat had 2340 lb payload capacity. Gas would be around 3000 because of the reduced engine weight. There are no 4000 lb payload F250's. Those are known as F350's.