Are You Buying All These Half-ton Claims?

Happens every year about this time when folks start talking instead of towing. I have owned a lot of pickups and the higher the gvwr, the better they tow. I do not buy based on commercials or advertising words like "Max", "Super", "Magnum", or "Ram". Those words are better suited for selling men's personal products.

mich800 wrote:
if we cannot use the mfg's ratings who are we supposed to trust to let us know what what those ratings should be?

Obviously half tons can't be trusted, so you need either a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel to do the job. Now is where it gets tricky...

3/4 ton owners say that their trucks are just as capable as the 1 ton, they just found a way to sneak around the higher registration cost of the 1 ton. 1 ton owners state that 3/4 ton aren't up to the task simply because they didn't pay for a higher GVWR registration fee.

Then you have the CRAZIES... the guy that bought the 3/4 ton truck with a 9,999 GVWR and registered it at 12,000 lbs GVWR. Then they state they are "legal" (registered for the weight) and the trucks are "basically the same as a 1 ton" so they are safe, even though they are 2000 lbs over the manufacturers rated weight.

Then you have the guys that say if it doesn't have 6 tires on the ground, you can't tow anything!

Then you have the guys that spell the work TOW as TOE and BRAKES as BREAKS and then you really have to question the intelligence of someone who doesn't know the appendage on their foot from the act of dragging another vehicle behind them. But hey... they usually drive an older 1 ton with questionable mechanical work done it... but its a 1 ton so it can "toe" anything.

Does that answer your question?

Is it just me or has this board gone a little crazy lately? It used to be someone had a question about towing limits they would be educated on how to determine for their specific vehicle. Usually the first question by the board would be; what is your gvwr, payload, sticker on the door etc. They would then be shown the nice diagrams on how to calculate if they are under those weights. Even some nice threads on how to get weighed. But now it seems the tide has shifted and this is no longer the case. But, if we cannot use the mfg's ratings who are we supposed to trust to let us know what what those ratings should be?

5th wheels are a trap for gvwr vs. Rear axle rating vs. Tire rating. Drw axle will be rated higher than srw axle because they are different. One is rated to carry 4 tires the other 2. The ratings are not hidden for those who read and add the figures up.. People just don't read. They listen to the truck salesmen and the ads. Drop the cash and head on down and listen to the rv dealer.

The rv dealer is just as guilty as the truck dealer. But the buyer ultimately responsible.

Many times it boils down to what an OP *wants* to hear

Then they call advisors a derogatory: "The Weight Police", in order to put down
what they didn't want to hear

Many don't understand the difference between 'can do' vs 'should do'

The 'half ton' of today used to be the 3/4 or 1 ton of bygone eras. What has NOT
changed are their GVWR's

Betcha the percentages between 'half ton' vs the higher class TV's is something
like 80/20, or even higher

So the OEM demographicers are smack on target with their marketing of 'half ton'
as the main pickup/SUV offerings

Ditto the OEM marketing numbers to the public. They know that most all will NOT
read the fine print, and if do, won't understand the ramifications...so they
will normally take the MTWR as an absolute....we read that here most all the time

To the original OP and question, NOPE, don't beleive IT even for a second, been there, done that with about 8500pds and it was no fun. I am 100% convinced that all these, "it toes great" responses are no more then people trying to convince theself. I have driven with guys who stated they had no issues, and I can tell you they got issues it just does not bother them.,I have not been in one half ton combo with a trailer over 8000pds and or over 30ft and felt in control.

Fords video of the 2015 F150 and the cattle rancher is weak....

I am sure my old 97 F150 with a 5.4 would have held up for 3 days under heavy load.

Now ford should have done what Toyota did... Drop they keys in the ranchers hands an say call us when it hits 100k...then take the truck apart down to the frame and inspect it.

I have never seen any other manufacturer do that.

Not that it means much in the grand scheme of things...

Thanks!

Jeremiah

buddyIam wrote:
If your under the gvwr. Your good. Just remember your driving a system. Just passing the axle rating doesn't count.

Why would you believe the manufacturer would rate the axle correctly if you think nobody knows how to rate the truck.

No not under the 8,800# GVWR!

Well once again the manufacture has posted numbers that don't make since. Same frame, same brakes,same springs, same Dana 80 rear axle as the 3500, only difference is mine has SRW and the 3500 was DRW.
This truck has the Camper package 3500 springs and 265/75-16E's (stock 245/75-16E, tires good for additional 1,324# of load. Still 600#+ of spare rear axle rating. The rear axle is rated by the Manufacture (DANA for 10,000#) Dodge rated it by the stock tires 6,084#!
I have no need for bags or Timbren's to support the load the camper package does it just fine. still at less than 90% of axle rating, F150 Max/Max runs 98%. That means that while an F150 Max/Max can be UNDER GVWR it can be OVER rear GAWR!! Which is worse??
Interstates are a walk in the park, I drive roads like these at the posted 55mph to 60mph with zero issues or concerns. The last picture I did stick to 45mph! Yes it is the same road as in the first two!!

If your under the gvwr. Your good. Just remember your driving a system. Just passing the axle rating doesn't count.

Why would you believe the manufacturer would rate the axle correctly if you think nobody knows how to rate the truck.

Buck50HD wrote:
Many also think that their 10 or 15 year old 3/4 and 1-tons are equivalent to a 2014 model.

And, these new ratings pass the highly acclaimed and anticipated J2807 standard:S

No don't believe my 2001 is as good as 2014, stock 235 hp and 410# torque about about 150 hp and 440# of torque short of a 2014.
That said with a small 50 hp and 150# of torque chip I pull 11,000# 5er at speed up and down hill. One more upgrade and another 40 hp and a bit more torque, I should be happy for some time.

I will state that I have more tire capacity with my optional 265/75-16E's than all Rams with 17" wheels produced after 2002, as the 265/70-17E only rate 3,195 compared to my 3,415# per tire!