truck payload rating system in america ?

[Diamondpilot]

With 3.55's it will be a pig if you put over 5-6K behind it. 3.73's are much more desirable. I had a 1999 F-150 with 3.55's and a 2001 F-150 with 4.10's. The driving I did I actually got better millage with the 4.10's because I rarely drove on the highway and had a trailer behind it 80% of the time.


My current F-150 with 3.73's seems to be a good match. Its a 2007 and has 40 more HP than the other F-150's I had so that makes up some of the difference. By the way all my trucks had the 5.4L.

I would say 60% of the 5.4L's have the 3.73's and about 30% with 3.55's and the last 10% with the 4.10's.

Chris

 

[Builder]

I swear some of you guys are a freakin riot with the brand warfare comparisons.

I pull ~7,000 lbs of weight on a 2-axle trailer with my base model '05 Chevy pickup with no problem at all. The tongue weight is a whopping 1,000 lbs.

Some of you talk as if one brand of truck is so vastly superior to another.

If you equip one with all the extras and compare it to a base model other brand, of course it's going to tow stronger & better. You can build any 1/2 ton truck to out-do the other. It doesn't require brains, all it takes is money.

Crap, I can pull 7,000 lbs with my wife's Tahoe.

 

[shvl73]

I don't expect to be maxing out the tow rating at all. If we do trailer the horse, I expect it'll be just the one. Looking at some Exiss aluminum trailers now. Should be ok for short hauls. We'll find out...
We bought it mostly as a commuter with extra capabilty. I got 17.25 MPG on the last tank, which included a short 12 mile haul of a full pallet of wood pellets. I thought that was ok.

 

[Diamondpilot]

That makes since that you get 17+ with the 3.55's. I have just over 18,000 miles on the 07 F-150 and it has averaged 16.4 with no load and the 3.73's. Like I have said before I use this truck every weekend from April to Late Sept to pull a 7,000# boat 150 miles round trip and it has averaged 11mpg. It is all secondary roads through the country and a few small towns. On the freeway going to Tennessee twice with the same boat in tow doing between 70-75 it also did right at 11.

Since you bought it as a commuter with extra capacity you got the right gear. The 3.55 will yield slightly better millage than the 3.73 The 3.73 would get slightly better millage towing than the 3.55 with identical trucks and identical loads on the heavier side of the vehicles tow limit.

Chris

 

[shvl73]

OK, we'll find out soon. We bought a horse trailer today. Hope to pick it up Sunday. An Exiss SS20RP. I think I got a good deal, private sale. Shouldn't be too heavy, certainly lighter than a steel trailer.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You should be fine with that trailer. My mechanic tows 2 horses at a time in one similar minus the tack room in front so its maybe 3' shorter behind a Grand Cherokee V8. He only tows at max 100 miles at a time so even if its a little much he only has to live with it for a couple hours.

Just take it slow and don't try to win any races and you will be fine.

Chris

 

[KICK]

I've said for years there should be 2 levels of light truck offerings. Simply light duty and heavy duty light trucks. I don't understand why they hold onto the 3 level system when there is barely any difference between 3/4 and single wheel 1 ton anyway.

I think its the brakes are bigger on the 1 tons....plus a full floating rear axle.

got a K3500 Crew cab chebbie SRW.... tow rating is 6000 pounds, same as a good half ton..... but there isn't really a comparison, they just rate my particular truck that low because its SRW and has a 350. put a 30 foot 5th wheel travel trailer on it and it will hold the weight just fine, stops it Ok but the 350 is overloaded. get caught in traffic and it isn't the fastest thing on the planet.

 

[Diamondpilot]

got a K3500 Crew cab chebbie SRW.... tow rating is 6000 pounds

I was doing some research on trucks this weekend and was amazed by looking at the new 2009 F-150. I agree the tow ratings for 1/2 ton trucks are getting amazing. They now have a 6 speed tranny, electronic locking rear diff, and 320HP and 390 FT LBS Torque with a bigger engine in the works if this economy does not put the brakes on that. The 2 wheel drive max tow rating is 11,300# and the 4 wheel drive is 11,200#

I have stated before that I feel they need to do away with 3/4 tons and this is truly the case now. The 1/2 tons will do most of what 95% of the buyers need and the next step in my onion should be a SRW 1 ton followed by a dually 1 ton.

Chris

 

[Builder]

I wouldn't get too carried away with what's printed in the brochures. Any experienced truck owner knows that once you add options that tow rating goes down. Most of those tow ratings are for reg cabs and also assuming load distributing hitches and lots of other asterisks.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I know these ratings are best case type deal. All I was stating is they are taking it to the next level in the 1/2 ton class with the other soon to follow. It was just 2 years ago they were at 9,500# tow ratings and that was a big step from the 8,000# mark everyone was at 3 or 4 years prior to that.

Chris