Are You Buying All These Half-ton Claims?

There's some pretty silly self-convincing going on here. Reminds me of the guy that argued how foolish it was to carry without a round chambered and ready to go. :S

This thread has been so very entertaining to read. I think I may start a new one that says OMG can you believe what the new 1 tons are rated at, because it is all the same.

IMHO I feel that the build quality and the materials are much better then they use to be. So from what some have stated in this is that if I drive a 1/2 ton and I do I should stay well away from my Max limits. However if I make the jump to a 3/4 or 1 ton It is ok. As a HD truck was meant to tow at the very max of its stated limits where as a 1/2 is not.

Any mechanical device can fail even when used as designed, I mean it seems a little unreal that a new F150 could pull 10k with close to a 2K payload, but then look at a F350 HD that is up around 4k payload and 17k towing all the numbers have gotten significantly larger. For the better or worse that is for you to decide.

I'll post from a point of view of one who had a half ton and now has a 3/4 ton.

I had a 2012 Ford F150 FX2 Max Tow EcoBoost with the 3:73 rear end. Truck had 28k miles on it and had issues with overheating (first just while towing and then without a trailer as well). Ford contributed it to excessive wind resistance and called it negligent operation by owner. The truck felt like it was towing my trailer fine (about 8300 loaded, just shy of 1k tongue weight). I was under my payload limit, well below the "tow rating" of the truck.

Fast forward to my 2014 Ram 2500 Gas. After 2 trips I can say that the Hemi doesn't feel much different than what the F150 felt like with the trailer hooked up power wise. The feel of towing is entirely different in the 2500. I can't say I was ever completely comfortable towing with the F150 but I can say that in the 2500. Maybe it's psychological. Maybe I had a lemon of an F150. Who knows. Thats my $.02.

Which truck platform continuously posts about having issues with towing? 1/2 tons. That right there tells me that the mega tow ratings are ridiculous. And those posters aren't towing 11,000lbs, they're towing 6-8500lbs.

FX2Tom said " Ford attributed it to excessive wind resistance and called it negligent operation by owner."

Don't you just love that answer? I once wrote Ford and asked for the tow rating for my old F250. Having checked the VIN, they wrote back with the helpful information that, since it didn't have a tow package, (or some such answer, this was over a decade ago) that I couldn't tow ANYTHING!

goducks10 wrote:
Which truck platform continuously posts about having issues with towing? 1/2 tons. That right there tells me that the mega tow ratings are ridiculous. And those posters aren't towing 11,000lbs, they're towing 6-8500lbs.

Sounds scientific enough to me... Guess all us "grocery getter" owners should rip off the tow hitches so we have enough weight capacity for another 2 bags of groceries...

What "issues" are you talking about?

QUOTE: "How far below? Monkey44 suggest that I stay around 1/2 the truck's payload."

NO! Monkey NEVER said that -- if you all would read the posts it would help.

Monkey said "A truck with half it's payload is safer than a truck maxed out at it's full payload." That's different than Monkey saying we should drive with half our payload.

I also never said "Drive at half the speed limit" as some one else claims.

You guys really need to read what is written, then take a minute to actually understand it, before you all jump on my case, or any other post. Half the time, these 'folks that argue" whip out PART of a statement, wiggle it around so it says something else, then use it to disagree with a post or support their own posts ...

the only thing Monkey ever stated was: If you drive a 1500/150 at it's maximum capacity, or drive a 2500/250 at half its capacity, the 2500/150 will be safer.
PERIOD>

I never said drive at half your payload -- but I'll add to that now, to clarify my meaning ... if you are carrying a maximum payload on a 1500/150, and switch that payload to a 2500/250, you will only be carrying half it's designed carry capacity (more or less) and therefore, you will be driving under safer conditions.

Anytime you run a truck at its maximum payload, you will stress that truck to a greater degree under emergency conditions ... because sliding, swishing, braking under emergency conditions will have a greater margin in a heavier duty truck with less payload - no matter what brand or model you drive ...

So, what that means: You can drive a 1500/150 under maximum load, and probably drive safely if you choose that option. BUT if you take that same load, and put it on a 2500/250, you will be safer under any conditions, including emergencies. I choose the second option ...

That's all Monkey said, and Monkey is correct ... and Monkey only means the truck is SAFER under those HD conditions ... when we take "driver ability and skills, and even attitude" and lock it into the equation, that changes everything.

spoon059 wrote:

goducks10 wrote:
Which truck platform continuously posts about having issues with towing? 1/2 tons. That right there tells me that the mega tow ratings are ridiculous. And those posters aren't towing 11,000lbs, they're towing 6-8500lbs.

Sounds scientific enough to me... Guess all us "grocery getter" owners should rip off the tow hitches so we have enough weight capacity for another 2 bags of groceries...

What "issues" are you talking about?

You can't tow maximum ratings (generally) without going over payload anyway with a half ton. So these "mega claims" that all manufacturers make are a "moot point" IMHO.

Interesting, 10 years ago a Ford DRW was rated to tow a 14K 5th wheel. Now they are over 23K. Don't hear any criticism with that increase. Yep, they re-engineered the platform and power train. They also did that with the 1500/150s but apparently all the internet automotive engineers feel that the 1/2 tons are still over rated. Even those using the SAE J2807 method.

I think it ends up being he who has the biggest toys wins.

cekkk wrote:
FX2Tom said " Ford attributed it to excessive wind resistance and called it negligent operation by owner."

Don't you just love that answer? I once wrote Ford and asked for the tow rating for my old F250. Having checked the VIN, they wrote back with the helpful information that, since it didn't have a tow package, (or some such answer, this was over a decade ago) that I couldn't tow ANYTHING!

I was hopeful that the EB could do everything they said. All said and done all it did was solidified that I would never buy a Ford vehicle again. Worse than the issues with the truck was Ford's treatment of customers. Never again. Hoping that my Ram experience is better.