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

 

[Bird]

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

I was just reading an article about the 2009 F150 in a magazine in the dentist's office this morning, and in addition to the 11,300# towing capacity, it listed a cargo capacity of 3,030#. Now if I could just afford to buy one.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Right now there are some good deals but not necessarily on the 2009's. My friend just picked up a new left over 2008 4x4 extended cab and he paid less than the truck he traded in, a 1993 Chevy 2 wheel drive long bed 305 V8. He could not believe he could pay less 15 years later and get more truck. He said he got employee pricing plus something like $5500 in rebates.

Chris

 

[shvl73]

I got what I felt was a really good deal on my '08. Now the '09 specs make me jealous! So far, I'm really impressed with mine though.

 

[Rowdius]

The 2 wheel drive max tow rating is 11,300# and the 4 wheel drive is 11,200#

I've always been confused on this. Are we talking actual tow rating, or GCWR? Because it sounds misleading to call it "max tow rating" if it is actually GCWR.
Let's take my 92 F250 diesel. 3.55 gears, SRW. It has a GCWR of 12,000lbs, but wet and with a couple of people in it, weights about 6000. That is off a receiver hitch or fifth wheel/GN. That only leaves 6,000lbs for a trailer. Which isn't much if you consider that my tractor with loader and shredder weighs about 4500 and the trailer weights 1600. That is already 100lbs over before counting anything like chains, tools, etc. Will my truck pull it? Of course, I don't even know it is back there.

Or am I figuring something wrong here?

 

[Renze]

Right now there are some good deals but not necessarily on the 2009's. My friend just picked up a new left over 2008 4x4 extended cab and he paid less than the truck he traded in, a 1993 Chevy 2 wheel drive long bed 305 V8. He could not believe he could pay less 15 years later and get more truck. He said he got employee pricing plus something like $5500 in rebates.

Chris

I work at a small payloader factory in Holland. Volvo is ruining our markets by dumping their unsold North American equipment for crap prices in our markets...

I think the extreme rebates are because they want to get rid of them: The loss of paying workers that are at home because they have nothing to do at work, would be more than the loss of selling trucks under the manufacturing cost price.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I've always been confused on this. Are we talking actual tow rating, or GCWR? Because it sounds misleading to call it "max tow rating" if it is actually GCWR.
Let's take my 92 F250 diesel. 3.55 gears, SRW. It has a GCWR of 12,000lbs, but wet and with a couple of people in it, weights about 6000. That is off a receiver hitch or fifth wheel/GN. That only leaves 6,000lbs for a trailer. Which isn't much if you consider that my tractor with loader and shredder weighs about 4500 and the trailer weights 1600. That is already 100lbs over before counting anything like chains, tools, etc. Will my truck pull it? Of course, I don't even know it is back there.

Or am I figuring something wrong here?

You are not confused. GCWR =truck plus cargo and trailer max weight.
GVWR=truck plus cargo only.



The reason you truck has such a low GCWR is the 3.55 gear. You did not state what engine it has but I am guessing its a gas truck.

This goes with what I have been saying for a while about the new 1/2 tons. They are much more trucks than the 3/4 tons made 10 plus years ago. For example, my 2007 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 with 3.73's has a GCWR of 15,000#'s and weighs just shy of 5,700#'s, so it can tow 9,300#'s or 3,000#'s more than your F-250 on paper. It has a GVWR of 7,200#'s so it can haul 1,500#'s in the cab or bed. By the way my tuck actually weighs 5,660#'s with me in it a and 3/4 tank of fuel plus all the stuff that lives in the truck like tow straps, hitches, small tool box, gloves, flash light, ect, ect.

I have a 2004 F-250 4x4 Extended Cab Short Bed with the 6.0 PSD and 3.73's. It weighs 7,600#'s with me, 3/4 tank, and all my junk so its a good 1,600#'s heavier than your truck. It has a GCWR of 23,000#'s and a GVWR of 10,000#'s. So as you can see they just keep getting stronger, this truck has nearly twice the GCWR of your 92 and they just keep getting stronger.

Chris

 

[Rowdius]

You are not confused. GCWR =truck plus cargo and trailer max weight.
GVWR=truck plus cargo only.



The reason you truck has such a low GCWR is the 3.55 gear. You did not state what engine it has but I am guessing its a gas truck.

This goes with what I have been saying for a while about the new 1/2 tons. They are much more trucks than the 3/4 tons made 10 plus years ago. For example, my 2007 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 with 3.73's has a GCWR of 15,000#'s and weighs just shy of 5,700#'s, so it can tow 9,300#'s or 3,000#'s more than your F-250 on paper. It has a GVWR of 7,200#'s so it can haul 1,500#'s in the cab or bed. By the way my tuck actually weighs 5,660#'s with me in it a and 3/4 tank of fuel plus all the stuff that lives in the truck like tow straps, hitches, small tool box, gloves, flash light, ect, ect.

I have a 2004 F-250 4x4 Extended Cab Short Bed with the 6.0 PSD and 3.73's. It weighs 7,600#'s with me, 3/4 tank, and all my junk so its a good 1,600#'s heavier than your truck. It has a GCWR of 23,000#'s and a GVWR of 10,000#'s. So as you can see they just keep getting stronger, this truck has nearly twice the GCWR of your 92 and they just keep getting stronger.

Chris

No, I have the 7.3 diesel. While I agree the 3.55's are a limiting factor, but even with 4.10's I think the GCVR is like 17,000. I agree the new trucks are getting stronger, but that wasn't really what I'm talking about. My point was that the ads are misleading in calling the GCWR the "Max towing compacity" without subtracting the weight of the truck.

 

[Diamondpilot]

No, I have the 7.3 diesel. While I agree the 3.55's are a limiting factor, but even with 4.10's I think the GCVR is like 17,000. I agree the new trucks are getting stronger, but that wasn't really what I'm talking about. My point was that the ads are misleading in calling the GCWR the "Max towing compacity" without subtracting the weight of the truck.

Got ya. I get a kick out of the ad's. You really need to educate yourself like you have before buying a vehicle, especially a tow rig. I was doing some research on GM trucks and comparing them to the Fords. The Ford site only list what it does better than the competition, the GM site only brags about what it does better than its competition. You see where this is going. They love to talk about what they do better but fail to mention what they lack in. Someone in marketing is getting paid big $$$$$ to keep the info in there favor.

Chris

 

[Builder]

I love the brochures. They're so full of BS. Read the fine print on those lofty towing & payload numbers (if they are even honest enough to put the fine print on the bottom of the page anymore).

Nothing but asterisks, limitations, "when properly equipped", etc.

The fact is, no truck buyer would even buy the truck portrayed in the brochures.

I remember Ford bragging the Superduty had the highest towing capacity in its' class. Turns out the truck had to be a regular cab, V-10 gas engine, dually, 4x2 with a manual transmission, single fuel tank and XL trim level.

Virtually nobody buys that truck configuration. 90% of truck buyers buy a Superduty with most of these featues: Diesel engine (reduces capacity) 4x4 (reduces capacity) a crewcab or supercab (reduces capacity) and a higher trim level (reduces capacity).

By the time you purchase most or all those features, payload and towing are significantly reduced. The average guy driving a fancy crewcab diesel 4x4 is not going to be able to tow the numbers quoted in the brochures.

 

[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...

Ok, bringing this back up.
With our trailer @ 3200lbs+, loaded with 80 bales of hay and another 26 in the bed of the truck, it towed just fine. I would guess the bales are around 30-40lbs ea. Approximately a 70 mile round trip, mostly highway. 65mph was easy to hold without serious downshifts. I'm pleased.