mfifield01 wrote:
I learned something new tonight on an Airstream forum. The door sticker on the Ram is just cargo capacity. If you put your VIN into the Ram website you get payload capacity. From Ram customer service with a 2500 example, ""The plant system that prints the label is not sophisticated enough to calculate the true weight of the vehicle on the fly, base weight plus any combination of options ordered. So, it adds an average Max Options weight to the base weight to get curb weight. In this case, with max options, this vehicles curb weight is 300 lbs higher. So, the payload is approx 300 lbs less at 1980 lbs. The label reads “Passenger and Cargo weight cannot exceed 1980 lbs.” So, it uses base weight plus a standard max options weight.""
The VIN specific is the most accurate representation of payload which reads 2270 lbs"
That being said, my payload is listed at 1393 according to the VIN.
When I plug my VIN number into the RAM site it tells me my payload is 1409. My scale ticket says otherwise. It looks to me like the RAM site is providing the maximum payload possible with only standard features while the door sticker is telling you how much payload is left after all optional equipment was installed on your specific truck before leaving the factory. It doesn't matter what the total payload the truck is capable of is - what matters is how much of that is left when you drive the truck off the lot. That is the amount you have left to work with without exceeding the GVWR.
A detailed break-down of my scale ticket shows that the 1100lb payload on the door sticker is in fact accurate for my truck:
6800 - GVWR
-1100 - payload available from door sticker
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5700 - assumed curb weight (with full fuel/fluids per RAM site)
Passengers/cargo included in scale weight
+ 190 - driver
+ 55 - Bak-Flip bed cover shipping weight
+ 25 - WeatherTech bed liner shipping weight
+ 15 - REI Emergency Supply pack
+ 15 - Portable air pump/assorted tools
------
300 - Passengers/cargo
5700 curb weight + 300 passengers/cargo = 6000 which matches the scale weight leaving only 800 for tongue/hitch/additional passengers/cargo. So yes - the door sticker is just that - cargo capacity. It's all that's left of the max payload for use by the consumer.
If you want to know for certain how much payload will be available to you then you should run it over the scale. Subtract the scale weight from the GVWR and that will be an accurate figure to use for determining how much tongue/hitch/additional passengers/cargo can be carried. And if you are going to be over the GVWR you'll know by exactly how much and can make an informed decision about whether or not that is acceptable.