What is the risk of exceeding payload?

jtallon wrote:
Edited to clarify my point...

I think we have much higher standards and expectations today than we did in the 60's, 70's and 80's.

Used to be we didn't wear seatbelts. We'd fold the rear seats down on a station wagon to make a play area for the kids. Now we expect three point seatbelts (not just lap belts), car seats, padded dashes, crumple zones, safety glass, and airbags.

Used to be we didn't think twice at plodding up a grade at 30mph, engine screaming, AC turned off for a few extra horsepower. No one else towing was going any faster. It's just how it was.

Now we want all the safety gadgets surrounding us. And we want to tow up that 8% grade at the speed limit (or preferably 5 over to avoid getting the finger from someone) even at 9000 feet high, slightly annoyed if it has to drop a gear or two in the process. And get at least 12mpg doing it.

It's a matter of which set of expectations you're looking to meet.. the ones from the 70's, or the ones from 2015. They were good years back then. But the times have changed, for better or worse. We're capable of doing better now, and we should encourage it, not just settle for what used to work.

I agree, we have come a long way. And that's my point.

Let's talk about the OP's truck and one of the trucks I own right now.

My truck:
93 3/4 ton diesel. 200 HP, 4L80 tranny with a full floating rear. I think the truck weighs around 6,500 lbs? Truck tows my 7K TT just fine until I get to the mountains. Then the lack of HP really shows up.

OP's truck:

Yota 1/2 ton gas. I don't know what year the Yoda is but it has almost twice the HP of my diesel if it has the 5.7 engine and over 30 more HP even if it's a V6! Yota wins big time!

The Yoda has a 5 speed auto and mine has a 4 speed auto. Yota wins!

Rear end I would bet the 1/2 ton Yota has a semi-floating axel? If it does, I win because I have a full floater!

Brakes? Yota has ABS disk all the way around. My truck has ABS in the rear only and disk in the front only. Yota wins! (although I more than likely have bigger brakes)(I bet the Yota would stop the truck and trailer faster than my 3/4 ton truck and trailer)

If I drove into a campground most people would say "that's a very safe setup", (and it is!!!) but if the Yota pulled in pulling the same trailer most people on this site would say, "it's dangerous or it's just ok but it would be better if you had a 3/4 ton truck."

WTH? The Yoda is clearly a "safer" truck then my 3/4 ton diesel in most areas, but people for some weird reason perceive it's not? :h

My point? My 93 diesel is a damn nice truck to tow with but a modern 1/2 ton will out tow it in almost every performance and safety category. For some reason just because it has black smoke coming out of the pipe and the 2500 badge on the fender most think it's a brute, and because the Yoda is a half ton people think its a light weight. :h