Max Payload vs. Pin Weight (Ford, Ram, Chevy)
Hi, I recently bought a new 5th wheel and truck to tow it. I got a 40 foot Open Range with a 2500 pound pin weight. I was looking at fairly loaded SRW long bed diesels from Ford, Chevy and Ram...
Forum Discussion
Hi I am the OP,
Thanks again for the comments. Here are some responses / additional info:
My source of data is the door sticker inside the drivers door jam. That is the only reliable source of data for legal max payload.
I actually wanted a Ford, but my final check before buying was the door sticker. What I found was that all the ones I looked at had a MUCH lower door sticker weight than I had been led to believe based on the literature and research I had done.
This is for a long bed, diesel, 4x4, quad cab in the Lariat package (which has a lower payload than the less decked out models).
Some of the Rams had lower payloads too, but the one I found was at 4200. Given that my loaded weight and king pin would be maybe 3400 or more I thought this was a safter bet.
Interestingly enough, when I reasearched this subject on this forum prior to buying either the trailer or truck the vast majority of folks told me I needed a dually or was very close to needing one to tow the 14k 5th wheel I was looking at. All said that was a lot of trailer for a SRW 3500 truck. Seems now that several people in this post are telling me not to even pay attention to the pay load and just go for whatever I like.
But I can't imagine buying a new truck specifically to tow this camper and getting one that was at or over the payload. That would seem like a bad decision. Different story if I already had the truck perhaps.
As to my question about "towing better" I thought it was implied that I meant from a handling perspective. Of course it is not going to be faster, brake better, etc. However, whatever is making the payload higher (presumably suspension, frame or lower curb weight) might imply better handling. Maybe not....but from an engineering perspective there is a bell curve for performance and most things are designed to perform best within a couple of standard deviations of the middle of the bell curve. Once you are out at the tails you usually see less than optimal performane. That was the logic I was applying.
Just like I would assume that given the same trailer that would max or almost max out a 2500 that the 3500 would handle better with it.
Again, just the logic I applied.
The bigger question though to me is what makes the payload capacity so much different. BTW that was the version of the Ford with the highest GVWR package and not one lowered to supposedly negate taxation issues in some states due to the truck's weight rating as some people claim the manufacturers do
Matt
Thanks again for the comments. Here are some responses / additional info:
My source of data is the door sticker inside the drivers door jam. That is the only reliable source of data for legal max payload.
I actually wanted a Ford, but my final check before buying was the door sticker. What I found was that all the ones I looked at had a MUCH lower door sticker weight than I had been led to believe based on the literature and research I had done.
This is for a long bed, diesel, 4x4, quad cab in the Lariat package (which has a lower payload than the less decked out models).
Some of the Rams had lower payloads too, but the one I found was at 4200. Given that my loaded weight and king pin would be maybe 3400 or more I thought this was a safter bet.
Interestingly enough, when I reasearched this subject on this forum prior to buying either the trailer or truck the vast majority of folks told me I needed a dually or was very close to needing one to tow the 14k 5th wheel I was looking at. All said that was a lot of trailer for a SRW 3500 truck. Seems now that several people in this post are telling me not to even pay attention to the pay load and just go for whatever I like.
But I can't imagine buying a new truck specifically to tow this camper and getting one that was at or over the payload. That would seem like a bad decision. Different story if I already had the truck perhaps.
As to my question about "towing better" I thought it was implied that I meant from a handling perspective. Of course it is not going to be faster, brake better, etc. However, whatever is making the payload higher (presumably suspension, frame or lower curb weight) might imply better handling. Maybe not....but from an engineering perspective there is a bell curve for performance and most things are designed to perform best within a couple of standard deviations of the middle of the bell curve. Once you are out at the tails you usually see less than optimal performane. That was the logic I was applying.
Just like I would assume that given the same trailer that would max or almost max out a 2500 that the 3500 would handle better with it.
Again, just the logic I applied.
The bigger question though to me is what makes the payload capacity so much different. BTW that was the version of the Ford with the highest GVWR package and not one lowered to supposedly negate taxation issues in some states due to the truck's weight rating as some people claim the manufacturers do
Matt
