The wife got me

Marine1 · Jul 6, 2005

So the wife and I were looking at trucks and I was telling her about all the nuances of said vehicles. You know which one will pull the tractor and trailer, the cattle trailer, gear ratios and stuff like that. Then out of the blue she hits me with this little humdinger. What does the 350 and the 3500 mean? I said "It's a one ton truck" to wit she replied " I know that, I want to know what the 350 and the 3500 signify. Is it cubic inches or what"? Well, needless to say I was stupified. I never thought of that girlie question, so I didn't have a clue. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
So now I am asking the Girlie question. What does the 350/3500,250/2500,and the 150/1500 mean?
I mean I am just so embarrased. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Gatorboy · Jul 6, 2005

I think they are just numbers that describe the different types (1/2-ton 3/4-ton and 1-ton)

Let's look at Chevy. Years ago a 1/2-ton was a model 10, 3/4-ton and 1-ton were models 20 and 30 respectively.

A 2WD was a C-Series and a 4WD was a K-Series (e.g. C10, K20, etc. )

Then in the late 80's early 90's they switched from 10/20/30 to 1500/2500/3500 -- so you had models such as C1500, K3500, etc.

Ford used to have the F100, now it's an F150 for their 1/2 ton model.

This is purely my take on it, but I do not think the numbers actually relate to anything specifically other than a numbering system.

hazmat · Jul 6, 2005

They are an indication of truck "Class" which is measured by GVW. Although, nowadays, the 1/2 ton trucks might be considered Class 2

1 0-6,000
2 6,001-10,000
3 10,001-14,000
4 14,001-16,000
5 16,001-19,500
6 19,501-26,000
7 26,001-33,000
8 33,001-150,000

mikim · Jul 6, 2005

my FIL had a F100 ... My Dad had the same year model F150 ... The only diff I saw was the F100 was a 6 cyl and the F150 a V8 .... ?? maybe that was a factor? dunno

Gatorboy · Jul 6, 2005

( my FIL had a F100 ... My Dad had the same year model F150 ) 

I think they called the F150 back then the "Heavy Half"

RobS · Jul 6, 2005

To make matters even more confusing, the manufacturers have entirely different internal names for the vehicles. The F150 and 250LD are P221 and the Super Duties are P131. GM has GMT800/900 and Dodge has BRs or something.

Ironically, the mid-80s style Ford (like mine, up to '97 in the HD) was coded the Ram. This, in spite of the fact that Dodge called their trucks Ram in the marketplace /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

8NTX · Jul 6, 2005

( ( my FIL had a F100 ... My Dad had the same year model F150 ) 

I think they called the F150 back then the "Heavy Half" )

That's right. Back in the '70s, after college, I spent 3 years selling GMC trucks with a friend who's dad owned a car dealership. Took all the classes about trucks, most of which I've forgotten. This was during the time that the nation was also switching over to unleaded gasoline. The "heavy halfs" of the late '70s had a higher GVWR were still made to burn regular leaded gasoline, the light duty halfs had to burn unleaded. I think Ford switched to F150 to distinguish the heavier truck. The light halfs wouldn't sell and were soon phased out. Of course, a few years later, all vehicles including the heavy halfs had to burn unleaded fuel as well.

Steve

slowrev · Jul 6, 2005

They are just model number designations. Like a 747 airliner vs a 707. Does that mean a 747 will carry 747 tons ? and a 707 will carry 707 tons ? Each model has it's characteristics but means nothing outside that.

Ben

Ozarker · Jul 6, 2005

The "Heavy Half" was GMC I beleive.

Marine1 · Jul 6, 2005

Hey Guys,
My initial thought was that it didn't mean anything and was just a corporate standard, but Hazmat's reply makes sense to me. Has anybody else heard this?
I tried to look it up on the web and found nothing. This is not earth shattering or anything but I am curious.
Maybe I should just buy a Tonka. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Thanks for posting