Why all the hate on 1/2 ton tvs

BenK wrote:
Not 'hate' per say, but cautionary advice

Then the derogatory's tossed when they don't hear what they want to hear
Like 'weight police', which there is none on any of these freebie forums

Most wait till they hear/read what they want and then off they go

Decide if you believe in the ratings system or not

If not, then do whatever, but know that you have taken the OEM(s) off
the warranty hook (if there is any left) and the biggie...liability
hook and taken it on yourself

If yes, the bone up on the ratings system works and then follow them
noting the fine print modifiers of those ratings

Or the great confusion using market badging. Like 'half ton', which
spans +6K GVWR up to +8K GVWR. Am told one OEM has over 12 models
in their 'half ton' line up

Since the 'smaller' of the pickups has the lowest ratings...of course
they run into ratings problems more easily...note that the bigger
pickups also have folks run up against their ratings too

Yes, I proudly take that derogatory 'weight police'...as someone who
will NOT tell them they can, but provide the metrics for them to figure
it out themselves...which normally takes at least one trip to the
scales to find out where they are in reference to their ratings...

Spot on post Ben.

It has to do with working in the limits of the vehicle. Vehicles are inanimate objects who we hire with our money to do a job.

I have a GVWR 3500lbs single axle utility trailer that I pull with my Minivan. Is the minivan a good tow vehicle? Heck yea it is...right up to the 3600 lbs it's rated to pull. My Van has a 6,000 ish GVWR IIRC. With my utility trailer and my van I have more capability than any half ton truck by itself. If I could get the DW on board we would be pulling a decent sized PUP with this van.

I have more than enough payload to carry my family and a 400-500 lb tongue weight and still be under GVWR...

I also understand the simple fact that as great as my van pulls and handles while towing....it is NOT sufficient to pull a large camper... Will the van move a large trailer? Yes...Can Am rv has proved that over and over again...but the Van isn't designed for TT towing. It's just not...

I ran a Half Ton right up to its limits and I was comfy doing that because I wasn't over. I have exclaimed my HD Dually crew cab as being the wrong choice for me and my family...and it was. A 3/4 ton short bed would have been perfect at that time.

Towing has consequences....it just flat does...parts wear out faster and there is more to maintain....using the incorrect tool will increase wear and tear. Pure and simple.

Unsafe...depends on the particular rig..and a ton of other factors. I have often pointed out that the operator is what makes a rig safe. I still believe that. But part of being a responsible operator is to ensure that the equipment you run is up to snuff.

My brother is a truck driver and I was talking to him one day while he was on a dock...he was between loads and had some down time. I overheard him tell the dock worker..."do not load more than 30,000 lbs in my trailer".... Shortly after he had to let me go. I say that to say a prudent operator is always aware of loads and capabilities of the vehicle in question.

It doesn't matter what the tow vehicle is...they have limits. Just be aware of them.