3/4 ton payload vs. towing capacity

[Izzy211]

I would like some feedback on the 3/4 payload vs. towing capacity. I know this has probably debated before, however I am new to this forum and new to towing a 5er.From what I have been studying the Ford and Dodge gassers have better payload and the diesel has more towing capacity. Which is more important? From there it is a relatively small price to jump to a 1 ton. If you had to do over what would you do? Any feed back is greatly appreciated.

[Campinfan]

I just upgraded from an F250 V10 gasser to an F350 diesel. It is night and day. I towed through the mountains and the diesel did not scream like the gasser. Yeah, the gasser could handle it but seeing it hit 5000 rpms and higher and hearing it sound like the pistons were going to come through the hood. Diesel never went about 2500 rpms and it did not downshift that much. Most of the time it dropped to 5th gear and a couple times down to 4th. The one ton diesel really took a lot of the stress away...in fact, the first day of the trip I drove 935 miles in 19 hours...stopping for fuel, food, bathroom breaks and leg stretching. Get the 350/3500.

[Old-Biscuit]

Marketing/PR Group

Tow Capacity=GCVWR-GVWR
Payload=GVWR-UVW

Actual Numbers
Tow capacity........run out of payload and GVWR long before reaching magical marketing 'tow rating'
Payload.......Truck loaded up 'camp ready' weight subtracted from GVWR while taking in account RAWR and Rear Tire Max Load Rating at max psi


Real world
Stay within RAWR/Rear Tire Max Load......more then likely will be over GVWR if loading to full rating(s)

3/4 ton........limited payload due to lower GVWR

[BB_TX]

downtheroad wrote:
Keep it simple....especially for a 5th wheel and for the next one you are going to buy......go with a 350/3500 (any of the big 3).

X2. Do it right the first time.

[mhardin]

Go with the one ton to start. I've had them all, from F-100 (a long time ago!) up to the second F-350 I have now. You'll be glad you did.

[Lantley]

Izzy211 wrote:
I would like some feedback on the 3/4 payload vs. towing capacity. I know this has probably debated before, however I am new to this forum and new to towing a 5er.From what I have been studying the Ford and Dodge gassers have better payload and the diesel has more towing capacity. Which is more important?

They are 2 different parameters that are equally important.
They represent to totally different factors.
Sort of like asking what is more important When determining what makes a nice weather day.
Is it a clear sunny sky or is it the temperature?

An 85 degree day at the beach is no fun if it is pouring down raining.

A sunny day at the beach is no fun if the temperature is 15 degrees.

Just like the weather you need to be concerned with both.
Also just like the weather there are more that just two parameters to be concerned with.

[laknox]

Izzy211 wrote:
I would like some feedback on the 3/4 payload vs. towing capacity. I know this has probably debated before, however I am new to this forum and new to towing a 5er.From what I have been studying the Ford and Dodge gassers have better payload and the diesel has more towing capacity. Which is more important? From there it is a relatively small price to jump to a 1 ton. If you had to do over what would you do? Any feed back is greatly appreciated.

Had I to do it over again, I'd definitely have gone with a SRW 3500 Duramax. We do have lots of grades here in the West, so a diesel is really the way to go. You, being in less mountainous terrain and, if you're only planning on a weekend warrior, would do fine with a gasser. The caveat is you have to =drive= it like a gasser, and not like a diesel. You have to not be afraid to rev it up into the power band. Also, there are some really nice light-weight FWs out there, though you do lose cargo capacity over a non-light-weight FW. Second caveat is, if you want to make longer trips, especially into mountainous country, get the diesel.

Lyle

[FLY_4_FUN]

once you understand weight numbers, then matching your future rv to your dream truck becomes pretty simple. If you buy a truck first then stay within the specs. If you fall in love and buy a huge rv...buy a truck that can tow the weight. Pretty simple, but when you do it out of order then the threads go on for days, fights start and threads get closed. Im probably oversimplifying this but personally I feel we all need to educate ourselves before buying rather than learning on the internet from opinions. The manufacturers do a good job of publishing facts about how much they feel their trucks can handle.

[MarkTwain]

agesilaus wrote:
As you pointed out, there is little price difference between a 3/4 and a 1 ton p/u. They don't drive any different. I see no sensible reason to get a 3/4 ton truck. If you plan to drive out west you will soon know why people get a diesel when you are going up a 12 percent grade. The diesel will pull the 5ver up with no trouble, the gasser will bog down and you'll be going up at 35 or 40 mph if you are lucky. Gassers also get awful fuel mileage especially when towing.

X1, another vote for 1 ton /3500 and diesel. In all the mountains in calif. pulling a 35' 5th wheel, I get 14mpg:) I am also partial to the manual 6 speed and the exhaust brake system. I would also suggest you look into installing a replacement fuel tank that is larger than the original. I had a 60 gal. auxiliary tank installed in th exact same location as the original by Transfer Flow in Chico ca. but there are other mfg. as well. It is nice to not have to worry about finding a diesel fuel station and being able to look for the best priced fuel:)

[downtheroad]

Keep it simple....especially for a 5th wheel and for the next one you are going to buy......go with a 350/3500 (any of the big 3).

[agesilaus]

As you pointed out, there is little price difference between a 3/4 and a 1 ton p/u. They don't drive any different. I see no sensible reason to get a 3/4 ton truck. If you plan to drive out west you will soon know why people get a diesel when you are going up a 12 percent grade. The diesel will pull the 5ver up with no trouble, the gasser will bog down and you'll be going up at 35 or 40 mph if you are lucky. Gassers also get awful fuel mileage especially when towing.

[csamayfield55x]

payload on any truck of the same trim package stays the same. Difference is the diesel engines can weigh 500 to 1K more than a gas truck. Any of the 3/4 tons are going to have kind of anemic payloads. You are just better off going to a 1 ton single rear wheel for the little bit of difference in cash. The other option is to just say to heck with the rating and mod the truck to make it work but that will get the weight police all up in arms

Chris