rhagfo wrote:
BUT the ONE THING you can't change is the Payload sticker or the VIN GVWR sticker.
If involved in a crash, a hungry lawyer can take the and the owners manual that states many times that it is "UNSAFE" to exceed any of the max ratings.
I never worried about getting pulled over for my load as the truck sat still a tick tail high with the 5er hooked up. Only suspension add was a set of Bilstein shocks.
The payload sticker is for marketing purposes only and carries no legal weight. The GVWR is meant to give a guide for registration and carries no legal weight.
If you are within the weight of your lowest rated component, you are fine. Your brakes are rated for more than the F250 rating. Your axle, engine, transmission, frame, wheel studs, wheels/tires (assuming 18", not 17"), cooling system, etc are all rated for more than the F250 rating.
The class 2B rating is an arbitrary weight for registration purposes in some states. In Maryland, the 10,000 lbs rating is the line between what can drive in the left lane of some highways and what can't. Its the line between what you can drive through some neighborhoods and what you can't. It is nothing more than a number.
Your truck is not going to explode over that number, nor are you inherently "less safe" if you carry 11,000 lbs instead of 10k lbs.
Much more important are things like the condition of your brakes, your tires, the speed you were traveling, were you distracted (eating food? talking on phone? looking at the dog?) Did you fail to pay full time and attention to the road? When was the last time you changed your brake fluid? What have you done to keep your reaction time quick as you age? How old is that prescription in your glasses? Does that heart medicine warn you about driving?
Arguing that an F250 is somehow less capable than a SRW F350 because of advertising specs is a very weak argument. There is SO much other stuff that is much more relevant and is glossed over every day on this forum...