Payload capacity app?

Two parts limit the payload, the tires and the leaf springs. If the sidewall on the rear tire states a max load of 3200@80 PSI then the total load is 6400 lbs. minus the 3000-3300 lb. weight of the truck.
It the tires can take the load then the next aspect is the leaf springs.

Once the camper is in the bed you can see if the truck sags in the rear. The odds are high that it will sag and so you add more springs using a $450 set of SuperSprings.

These trucks are designed to tow over 13,000 lbs. and the rear axles and wheel bearings are rated anywhere from 8900 to 10,900 lbs. so the load limiting factors are the rims/tires and the leaf springs.

Budget $800 for new tires, $400 for new shocks, and $450 for Supersprings, and possibly another $500 for a heavy duty anti-sway bar. These are common modifications required on most trucks to handle a 3,000 lb. or heavier camper load.

I largely agree with bighatnohorse in that tires are typically the determining factor in payload. Of course this only applies to 3/4ton and larger trucks.

My truck's door sticker payload capacity is directly tied to the rating of the tires the truck came with (to the pound). It was clear to me that buying tires with a higher load rating safely increased the payload capacity of my truck.

ruthiebaby88 wrote:
bighatnohorse - thank you for bringing my attention to the tire load ratings

Is that something that could be changed by buying different tires?

Do you find that the tire load rating is generally less than the vehicle payload - so you are erring on the side of caution using that number?
. . .

Yes. As a rule, stronger tires will allow one to exceed the manufacturers published payload rating.
As a rule, manufacturers install an axle with a large safety margin in terms of capacity.

For example, my trucks rear axle is rated by the manufacturer (Dana 80) for 11,000 pounds.
Dana sells it to Ford who installed it in my truck. Ford rates the rear axle for 9,100 pounds - BUT this trucks sticker tire load (payload) is 5,450 pounds - far less than the axle rating.
When I look at the tire's rating printed on it's sidewall, it is 2,910 pounds when used on a dually.
The dually has two tires (2,910 x 2) on each side, so that is 5,820 pounds per side.
And that 5,820 number is close to the payload rating that we saw (5,450 pounds) on the sticker rating.

If you're buying a used truck, it would be wise to learn if the owner has put factory rated tires on it, or if they upgraded the tires, or if they saved money and bought cheaper tires with a lower rating.

If you have not already figured it out - the axle rating is
(approximately) equal to the two supporting tire ratings combined.

If you're dealing with a used truck sales person, ignore most of what they say.
Instead, look at the tire's printed rating and look at the driver's side post sticker for the rear axle rating.
The rear axle rating and the tire's rating (tire's rating x2) should be near the same. The axle will probably be a little higher than the tire x2 rating.

Manufacturers tend to build in safety margins when they publish their ratings - which is why one sees the discrepancies between tire ratings and axle ratings.
But bottom line is the tire's ability to support the load.

Since your looking at used trucks, check the drivers door jamb sticker. It will list the tires sizes that came on the truck originally which is in direct relationship with the listed vehicle GVWR. Check that tire size against what is actually on the truck, often they will be different. My truck tires have a load rating much higher than what came on the truck originally, but that doesn't mean my GVWR is higher.

bighatnohorse - thank you for bringing my attention to the tire load ratings

Is that something that could be changed by buying different tires?

Do you find that the tire load rating is generally less than the vehicle payload - so you are erring on the side of caution using that number?

I imagine people may have added stuff to their pickup after market - perhaps a trip to the scale would be a good confirmation prior to buying - but you can use the tire rating as a quick rule out so you don't waste time looking at things that are way too light?

Some of the information that you are getting here is inaccurate.
For example, the newer Ford trucks have a sticker on the post that shows tire loading that older trucks don't.

Example: Tire & Loading Information

Again, this is a no-brainer.
Look at the tire load rating which is printed on the side of the tire.
If you put a 2000 pound camper on a 1500 pound rated tire, you will have exceed the payload capacity.

There is no such app because every vehicles is different. There is only one way to know a vehicles true Payload Capacity have it weighed. Then: GVWR - Actual Weight = Payload. Those numbers that web sites, brochures, and salesmen throw out there are only guesses....

dahkota the door sticker on the F150 I looked at only showed the GVWR - it didn't show the weight of the vehicle so that I could calculate the payload.

A simple straight forward quick and dirty method of determining the payload capacity of the truck is to look at the weight rating of the rear tire.
The tire rating will be the limit of the payload.
Kind of a no-brainer really.
(That's for single rear wheel trucks. Dual rear wheels are a little different though. . .)


And don't be steered off topic by axle weight ratings and all that distracting stuff.
You do not want to overload the tires under any circumstance.

The yellow and white stickers are the best info on what the truck can accommodate as it left the factory. The problem is we all put on hitches, lids, bed liners, and other stuff that's not reflected in those numbers. Best bet is to go weigh the truck at a CAT scale with fuel, passengers, and whatever you plan to carry. Then you'll know more realistically what range of load you can haul.