I don't know about other states, but in PA you CANNOT register a truck for more than what the factory numbers are. It doesn't matter what you are wiling to pay or what you think it can haul, the published numbers are the max. My notary that I went through for my International had to have a sworn statement by a licensed mechanic to certify it at what I wanted. I just joked with her about my old pickup and she said that they just look the numbers up and that's it. No questions asked. About the only thing you could do is say you have a deeper gear ratio than what you do.
I'll agree that the idiot towing that load should be brought up on charges. Maybe not murder, but manslaughter would def be on the table. There is no justification for a 1 ton truck pulling that load when he was at least 10,000lbs over his max GCWR. Farm plates or not doesn't excuse it LD.
I used to tow about a 1klbs over weight or so (I don't know for sure, just going off some estimated weights) and even with a properly sized trailer, the truck wasn't any fun to drive. I always took extra time and left more than enough room for stopping. I even tried avoiding overly steep roads or tight intersections to try and make things easier. When I got a big enough truck, towing the same load (and more) on the same trailer was no sweat. I actually have to look in the mirrors now to remind myself that the trailer is behind me instead of thinking this trailer is going to kill me if I don't plan ahead enough. Personally, without a fail safe braking mechanism I don't see how these pickups can keep pushing the weight limits that they are. I don't think a puny exhaust brake on a 7ish liter engine is nearly enough snot to stop 40k+lb plus load.
