Why do you still call it a "half ton"?
We have all heard and used the terms "half ton", "three-quarter ton", or "one ton" before. In fact these terms are tossed around here on a daily basis without even thinking about. But why?
Most people know that the term "half ton" does not literally apply to what you would call "half ton" anymore and hasn't for almost half a century. Back when these terms actually applied to the payload rating of pickup trucks; a "half ton" only had a payload of half a ton, a "three quarter ton" only had a payload of three quarters of a ton, and so on. This isn't the case anymore since most of these pick up trucks nowadays have a payload of almost double that of these "half ton" or "one ton" terms.
What gets even more complex is what to you designates it as a "half ton" and such? Is it the numbers on the side of the door? If that is the case then the Tundra and Titan do do not have numbers on the side of their doors yet they are commonly refereed to as "half tons". If the argument is made after that in saying that the Titan and Tundra are "half tons" because of their GVWR puts them in the same class as other "half tons" then why do we call all pre-2004 single rear wheel 350/3500's as a "one ton" when their GVWR was under 10,000 lbs which means it is a "three quarter ton" going by the same GVWR rules. Then there is the pick-version of the F450 that had it's GVWR lowered to so Ford can move it into the same class 3 as the F350 of other 3500 trucks which is what most would refer to as a "one ton".
There is also the fact that the manufacturers themselves do not by law have to designate their GVWR class 2A truck as 150/1500, or their class 2B trucks as 250/2500, and so on. Truth be told, the manufacturer can name or number their different models anything they want by DOT standards. It is perfectly legal for a manufacturer to re-badge or re-name their 3500 trucks as a 1500 starting tomorrow as long they gave it a proper GVWR for it's class. Hence the number on the side of the door is nothing more than just a number that the manufacturer decides to give it.
In fact it is only us, the consumer, that have these odd stipulations that a class 2A/"half ton" truck has to have a 150/1500 badge on the side or that a class 3/"one ton" truck has to have a 350/3500 badge on the side even though there is no law stating so. It is only us who thinks anything with a 150/1500 badge that we deem as a "half ton" should be restricted to tow or haul X amount even though it is not a DOT regulation. Why is that?
So post up stating why do you yourself still call it a "half ton" and what to you designates it as a "half ton"? As a bonus, if you don't think we should call them "half tons" or "three quarter tons" then what term do you think we should?
For me, I think we should do away with these old terms and call them by their actual DOT truck classes like class 2A, class 2B, Class 3, and so on based on their GVWR. After all, that is how the actual government and truck manufacturers classify them, so why don't we?
***EDIT: I think I have to say this because some are not understanding what I am saying. I am not saying that the manufacturers should rename their trucks from 1500,2500, and 3500 to class 2a, class 2b, and class 3. No where am I saying that nor am I saying that the manufacturer has to do anything extra to their trucks than what they're doing now.
What I am talking about is changing the incorrect and half a century old terms that we , the consumer, use to identify trucks. Why? For one it has long passed its legitimacy. For two, how people distinguish a truck to be called a "half ton" and such is not the same from person to person to where the class system is very specific. Some people say the number on the door determines whether a truck is called a "half ton" and such, but there are trucks like the Tacoma, Tundra, or Titan XD that don't have numbers so how do you know where they go? Others may say it is payload that determines if a truck is called a "half ton" and such, but there are midsize trucks that have more payload that what you would call a "half ton" and there some "half tons" that have more payload than what you would call a "three quarter ton".
The only cut and dry way to classify trucks is by the class system since it uses GVWR, and no class can overlap each other. You will never have a class 1 truck having a higher GVWR than a class 2a truck and so on like you would with using the payload method determining what term to use on a truck. Like I said, it is very cut and dry.
Most people know that the term "half ton" does not literally apply to what you would call "half ton" anymore and hasn't for almost half a century. Back when these terms actually applied to the payload rating of pickup trucks; a "half ton" only had a payload of half a ton, a "three quarter ton" only had a payload of three quarters of a ton, and so on. This isn't the case anymore since most of these pick up trucks nowadays have a payload of almost double that of these "half ton" or "one ton" terms.
What gets even more complex is what to you designates it as a "half ton" and such? Is it the numbers on the side of the door? If that is the case then the Tundra and Titan do do not have numbers on the side of their doors yet they are commonly refereed to as "half tons". If the argument is made after that in saying that the Titan and Tundra are "half tons" because of their GVWR puts them in the same class as other "half tons" then why do we call all pre-2004 single rear wheel 350/3500's as a "one ton" when their GVWR was under 10,000 lbs which means it is a "three quarter ton" going by the same GVWR rules. Then there is the pick-version of the F450 that had it's GVWR lowered to so Ford can move it into the same class 3 as the F350 of other 3500 trucks which is what most would refer to as a "one ton".
There is also the fact that the manufacturers themselves do not by law have to designate their GVWR class 2A truck as 150/1500, or their class 2B trucks as 250/2500, and so on. Truth be told, the manufacturer can name or number their different models anything they want by DOT standards. It is perfectly legal for a manufacturer to re-badge or re-name their 3500 trucks as a 1500 starting tomorrow as long they gave it a proper GVWR for it's class. Hence the number on the side of the door is nothing more than just a number that the manufacturer decides to give it.
In fact it is only us, the consumer, that have these odd stipulations that a class 2A/"half ton" truck has to have a 150/1500 badge on the side or that a class 3/"one ton" truck has to have a 350/3500 badge on the side even though there is no law stating so. It is only us who thinks anything with a 150/1500 badge that we deem as a "half ton" should be restricted to tow or haul X amount even though it is not a DOT regulation. Why is that?
So post up stating why do you yourself still call it a "half ton" and what to you designates it as a "half ton"? As a bonus, if you don't think we should call them "half tons" or "three quarter tons" then what term do you think we should?
For me, I think we should do away with these old terms and call them by their actual DOT truck classes like class 2A, class 2B, Class 3, and so on based on their GVWR. After all, that is how the actual government and truck manufacturers classify them, so why don't we?
***EDIT: I think I have to say this because some are not understanding what I am saying. I am not saying that the manufacturers should rename their trucks from 1500,2500, and 3500 to class 2a, class 2b, and class 3. No where am I saying that nor am I saying that the manufacturer has to do anything extra to their trucks than what they're doing now.
What I am talking about is changing the incorrect and half a century old terms that we , the consumer, use to identify trucks. Why? For one it has long passed its legitimacy. For two, how people distinguish a truck to be called a "half ton" and such is not the same from person to person to where the class system is very specific. Some people say the number on the door determines whether a truck is called a "half ton" and such, but there are trucks like the Tacoma, Tundra, or Titan XD that don't have numbers so how do you know where they go? Others may say it is payload that determines if a truck is called a "half ton" and such, but there are midsize trucks that have more payload that what you would call a "half ton" and there some "half tons" that have more payload than what you would call a "three quarter ton".
The only cut and dry way to classify trucks is by the class system since it uses GVWR, and no class can overlap each other. You will never have a class 1 truck having a higher GVWR than a class 2a truck and so on like you would with using the payload method determining what term to use on a truck. Like I said, it is very cut and dry.
