Payload Ratings are a farce

[Dutch_Oven_Man]

Spent months shopping for a new Superduty, ended up ordering one that fit our criteria- XLT, Powerstroke, 3.55 rear-end, Camper package, fifth wheel, etc. We were debating back and forth between a F250 SRW and F350 SRW, ended up with the F250.

The dealer, technical specs in the promo material and everything else from Ford states the payload is 3,450 lbs. I knew with options this number would come down, especially with the diesel. But I was pretty shocked when the sticker on the door said the actual payload is 2,130 lbs. A whole 1,300 lbs less!! Our XLT is pretty basic, but I get it that the diesel and 4x4 adds to this weight, but a 2,130 payload is pretty light for any serious towing. I looked at a F350 SRW on the lot and the door sticker said 2,500 lbs, still really light.

Anyway, I'm not going to worry about it, I've pulled over 100,000 miles on an old F250 with lower ratings with the same camper with no issues. It's just really misleading all the material that is out there touting one number, but in real life, it's much different. My old truck was before the payload numbers were put on the door jamb, so I've been overweight for 17 years and didn't really know it. I have always been within my "owners manual" payload number and combined gross weights, but I'm sure I was 500+ lbs over on payload if they would have measured/reported payload the same in 2001.

I have to say, despite the disappointing door sticker payload numbers, you would never know it...these new trucks are light years ahead of the old ones in handling, power and stopping.

[blt2ski]

Last I checked, door sticker was a warranty weight rating only! not a true legal one if pulled over by true weight cops. I have yet to get a ticket being over the door sticker numbers from a CVEO, as long as I had a paid for license higher than I weighed, and was under the Federal Bridge Law limits per axel!

So in a nutshell, the door sticker payload ratings are a farce, "EXCEPT" to the manufacture, or a civil lawyer in a civil suit, and even in the civil side......being over may not be that big a deal!

Marty

[souraider]

Don't know what trim level F350 you were looking at, but my '17 STX 4x4, SRW, short bed diesel has a cargo capacity of #3766 per the door sticker.

[2edgesword]

You have to read all of the fine print and then (knowing all of the various add-ons and limitations) do the calculating to find the weakest link. Payload is typically the weakest link.

Then there are the local/state regulations. I need a 3/4 ton to tow the trailer my wife wanted. One of the problems I ran into was the maximum 6,000 lbs maximum curb weight to get passenger plates and ability to drive state parkways. This was going to be a summer tow vehicle and my regular commuting vehicle and I use parkways in commuting to work and just about every other place I have to go. Nothing in 3/4 ton with a crew/extended cab, 4x4, etc. made the weight so I had to keep searching until I found a regular cab F250 4x2 that just made it under the passenger vehicle weight limit (the curb weight on this truck is 5860 lbs).

There were a few other ways to avoid having to put commercial plates on what was going to be a passenger vehicle but it required making add-ons (seats attachments in the truck bed, camper shell, etc.) that I didn't want to make.

[Devocamper]

GM Ford and Ram all have tow guides and Ford and Ram have a camper Guide for Slide in campers. When I ordered our Ram it came in within a few pounds of what the guides said it would , 4x4, diesel ,cab size even front seats ,bench or buckets made a difference in payload and gvwr ratings on paper. The info is out there just need to find it , found GM the hardest to figure out weights with a given configuration and GM always came out with lower payloads and gvwr's, I had been a gm owner for all my past trucks but needed the maximum payload available this time around and that was the ram when each truck was configured the same.

[nickthehunter]

"If you hit your max GVWR, you will probably be way over in Payload."
Payload is the gross weight of the truck subtracted from the GVWR. It is impossible to have an inverse relationship between the two numbers. If you are over one, you are over on both. If you are under one, you are under on both.

[bartlettj]

mbopp wrote:
That 3450# payload is for a gas engine. I've always maintained if you want a Diesel go with a 1-ton since 3/4-ton Diesels don't have much more payload than a 1/2-ton gasser.

The payload on my 2500hd diesel crew is limited by the legal limit of 10000 GVWR for class 2 trucks. It weighs 7900 lbs curb. When you go by the axle ratings it still has plenty of payload, as it has the same spring packs and axles as a 3500 SRW

[mbopp]

That 3450# payload is for a gas engine. I've always maintained if you want a Diesel go with a 1-ton since 3/4-ton Diesels don't have much more payload than a 1/2-ton gasser.

[mowermech]

I have never worried about the door sticker numbers. When I register my trucks, I put the GVW on the registration that I want, and get on down the road. My old '94 3500 was registered for 14,000 GVW. I'm sure I never exceeded that LEGAL limit!
I run LT Load Range E tires on all trucks. Yes, even the half tons I have owned in the past.
My 2500 has Cooper Discoverer LT E tires, but I don't know what the registered GVW is. I don't care, either. I have a 2500 because it tows the 7X14 enclosed trailer with both ATVs aboard with no problems, and I like the Cummins.

[thomas201]

My suggestion. At a large dealership, find a truck on the lot that is almost what you plan to order by the window sticker. Open the door and check the door sticker. You should be close. Works very well if the only problem is the color.

[Dutch_Oven_Man]

Let me preface by saying I'm not an engineer, but I'm pretty mechanically mindedand a mathematician by trade, so I deal with numbers all day. What Ford does is not possible in the math world; there is not a realistic combination of numbers that keep you within specs on any of these trucks. It's like they have a group of engineers that come up with the GVWR, and different group that comes up with the Tow Ratings, a separate group that comes up with Payloads, another GCWR, etc...Then, after everyone comes up with their own numbers, they independently send their numbers to the printer for the various technical and promo material and door stickers without ever consulting each other.

If you look at just tow ratings, you will be way over somewhere else. If you hit your max GVWR, you will probably be way over in Payload. If you stay within payload, you will not even be close to the max of any other number. Even with a F450, I'm not sure you could hit the max in any of their stated numbers and not be over in some other number.

Use common sense, use the stated numbers as a guide, but don't drive yourself crazy trying to come within the right combination of numbers. It's like trying to hit all of your ideal numbers that your doctor says are "perfect"- you will be miserable trying to hit all your numbers and you will still be deficient in something!

[MFL]

When ORDERING a new SuperDuty with a diesel engine, it just makes more sense to get the 350. While the 250 diesel, with camper package is just as capable as the SRW 350, it is limited to 10k GVWR for registration purposes. You can choose your GVWR on the 350, so payload number can vary, even though the truck is the same. It is simply the final curb wt of truck, as ordered, minus the GVWR ordered.

In reality, if the 250 diesel is not capable, you may as well move right to the 350 DRW.

Jerry

[Lantley]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

BB_TX wrote:
Ford specs have about a dozen different payload ratings each for the F250, F350 SRW, and the F350 DRW. Cab, bed, engine, even tire size, affect the payload rating. And the difference between the low and high of each is significant. Your salesman probably picked the F250 configuration with the highest rating and passed that off as the rating for all F250s.

Maybe I am missing the issue? I have never had a dealer slap handcuffs on me and lock me in a room until I signed the sales agreement. If you're not happy with the numbers on a certain new vehicle, why buy it, because the combinations are almost unlimited no matter who the manufacturer is, and at worst it will cost you a little more and possibly / most likely, some wait time.

Personally I would have no issue ordering a vehicle and if something was not as I expected when it came in telling the dealer to stick it. I guess if you signed some type of binding agreement beforehand, then thats a different story, but for the life of me I don't know why anyone would do that with anything.

Furthermore, while sitting at the campsite the week before, during, and the week after the holiday I did an unofficial, unscientific, and inebriated survey of what came in to a state park campground, and what left, as well as what I noticed while driving around the local area. I would say its over 80% 1/2 ton trucks towing TT's @ or in excess of 30', and a fair amount of 5ers to boot. And throw in the mix a lot of mid size SUV's towing all kinds of TT's some @ 29'-30'. The only place people worry about payloads is on this and other RV boards. The vast majority of the RV towing public think payload is when you cash your paycheck at the bank and they hand you a load of money. Despite the state park having 280 sites, and 4 or 5 other parks in the general area with probably over 2000+ sites total, I did not see one breakdown or one rig in splinters along any of the roads. I did smell some burning brakes from time to time going down the mountain.

Those unofficial surveys are just that "unofficial"
It really depends on where you are at. Go to a local state park and you will find lots of vehicles that reflect the people did not travel very far to get there.
Go to a destination park and you will find vehicles that reflect these people traveled a long way.
Vehicle size and type will be the result of how you camp and how far you travel. The farther from home you travel the more concerned you will become about your towing parameters.

[Ralph_Cramden]

BB_TX wrote:
Ford specs have about a dozen different payload ratings each for the F250, F350 SRW, and the F350 DRW. Cab, bed, engine, even tire size, affect the payload rating. And the difference between the low and high of each is significant. Your salesman probably picked the F250 configuration with the highest rating and passed that off as the rating for all F250s.

Maybe I am missing the issue? I have never had a dealer slap handcuffs on me and lock me in a room until I signed the sales agreement. If you're not happy with the numbers on a certain new vehicle, why buy it, because the combinations are almost unlimited no matter who the manufacturer is, and at worst it will cost you a little more and possibly / most likely, some wait time.

Personally I would have no issue ordering a vehicle and if something was not as I expected when it came in telling the dealer to stick it. I guess if you signed some type of binding agreement beforehand, then thats a different story, but for the life of me I don't know why anyone would do that with anything.

Furthermore, while sitting at the campsite the week before, during, and the week after the holiday I did an unofficial, unscientific, and inebriated survey of what came in to a state park campground, and what left, as well as what I noticed while driving around the local area. I would say its over 80% 1/2 ton trucks towing TT's @ or in excess of 30', and a fair amount of 5ers to boot. And throw in the mix a lot of mid size SUV's towing all kinds of TT's some @ 29'-30'. The only place people worry about payloads is on this and other RV boards. The vast majority of the RV towing public think payload is when you cash your paycheck at the bank and they hand you a load of money. Despite the state park having 280 sites, and 4 or 5 other parks in the general area with probably over 2000+ sites total, I did not see one breakdown or one rig in splinters along any of the roads. I did smell some burning brakes from time to time going down the mountain.

[rhagfo]

Bionic Man wrote:
It’s been a while since i ordered a truck (2002) and when I did i didn’t care about anything other than tow rating.

Can you not get payload info for the truck you order when you order it?

You would think you could get a payload rating within about 100# of actual when ordering. Manufactures should know the weight of each option or option group, and be able to determine within 100# what the curb weight of the truck will be.

[Bionic_Man]

It’s been a while since i ordered a truck (2002) and when I did i didn’t care about anything other than tow rating.

Can you not get payload info for the truck you order when you order it?