Are You Buying All These Half-ton Claims?

RoyJ wrote:
These arguments never end.

What defines something as a "1/2 ton", "3/4 ton", or "1 ton"? There's no Holy Book of Engineering that says past a certain frame thickness and/or cross section you're into "2500 territory".

Take a 1970s 3/4 ton, I'm willing to bet a modern 1/2 ton beats it in nearly every category.

I like to look at hard facts, such as F/R GAWR, GVW, payload, and drivetrain (power, gradability and startability). If a truck meets those specs, what difference does the badge on the door make?

If you are talking about payload, the modern half tons are not even in the same hemisphere as most 70's 3/4 ton trucks. I am considering purchasing a '76 F-250 Super Cab from a friend. I do not NEED a second truck, but it has character, and is calling my name. :B It is a 2 wheel drive long bed (155"wb) Camper Special, 390 4V, no A/C. the Title shows unladen weight at 4,400 lbs. GVW is 8,100 lbs. Payload would be 3,700 lbs. He is not sure if both tanks were full when he had it weighed, but one was full for sure. It has dual batteries, and front and rear stabilizer bars, as well as a factory helper leaf on the rear springs. Camper Specials also have doubled frame sections to handle increased loads, such as slide in campers. This truck's payload is approximately 2 1/2 to 3 times as much as most modern half ton trucks. Trailer tow ratings do differ a lot with the modern trucks, though. Back then, three quarter ton trucks had tow ratings around 7,500 to 8,500 lbs, and one ton dually's were rated for 10,000 lbs. towing capacity. Half ton trucks of the day normally had 6,000 lb. or lower tow ratings, but some could go as high as 7,000 when equipped with certain factory heavy duty options. A 3,000 lb. plus payload rating was the norm for a three quarter ton pickup in the 70's.