Confused 1/2ton or 3/4ton ?

Michiganmetzger wrote:
MNGeeks is correct it is the mossy oak 23rls the gvrw is not listed anywhere.Possibly in the neighborhood of 6300lbs? Truck payload? my wife and myself and gear 1500lbs probably less.

Truck payload is listed on the tire / loading sticker (on drivers door post) of every truck. Depending on frame, wheels, tires, axles, gears, suspension, brakes, cab configuration, installed options, etc, every truck has it's own payload and towing capacity. That is why you'll find a few 1/2 ton trucks with payload just as high as some 3/4 ton trucks. Not all F150's are created equal, and not all F250's are created equal. Same goes for trucks built by General Motors, Chrysler, Toyota, and Nissan. There are 1/2 ton trucks capable of towing your trailer, there are more 3/4 ton's that are also capable. You need to look at each and every one to determine what works for you.

When you go truck shopping, open the drivers door and check the loading sticker for a "max occupant / cargo weight" number. That is that particular truck's payload. It is it's capacity to carry everything (including hitch equipment and trailer tongue weight) and everybody you put in it or on it.

Forget about advertised max tow capacity numbers. Those numbers don't include passengers or cargo. That's NOT how people go camping. In the real world, as you add weight to the tow vehicle (people, pets, aftermarket accessories, etc), it's available payload AND it's towing capacity are reduced pound for pound.

Now look at the trailer's UVW. That is the empty weight as the trailer left the factory. The dealer is going to add a few things, making the trailer heavier, before you get it. Then you are going to add dishes, pots and pans, bedding, cleaning gear, camping gear, BBQ, and groceries. On average, when the trailer is ready to go camping, it weighs about 1000 lbs more than it's UVW.

Average tongue weight is 12 - 13 percent of loaded trailer weight. It is not a constant number. It goes up and down during every trip, and at times could be up to 15 percent.

Examples:

Say the truck has 7000 tow capacity and 1400 lbs of payload. If you add 600 lbs of people and cargo, the truck now has 800 lbs of payload available and 6400 lbs of tow capacity.

Say the trailer weighs 5500 lbs (UVW) and you add an average load of 1000 lbs, it now weighs 6500 lbs and has between 780 and 975 lbs of tongue weight. Add 100 (average) lbs of hitch equipment and your trailer would need over 1000 lbs of available payload to tow this. The truck in example above was advertised to have 7000 lb tow capacity, but, with passengers and cargo, it no longer has the payload or tow capacity for this camper.

Here's a calculator that may help.