Max cargo variations.

Ahh, yes that is the caveat emptor.

My point was, once again it is up to the buyer to do his homework. Just because my neighbour's 3/4 ton has a certain cargo rating does not mean they all do.

This may sound obvious to some but before I bought my RV, towing capacity was about the only number people talked about. The assumption was the payload would be the same for all similar models.

I don't understand your question. Didn't you just determine how much various other vehicles you didn't purchase had for payload? How did you know one truck had 2300 pounds of payload, another had 2000?

The Tire and Loading sticker is designed to do exactly that, provide payload on each vehicle as equipped from the factory as well as tire pressures to support that weight. It is one result from the Ford Explorer/Firestone debacle 10+ years ago when consumers claimed they didn't know how much weight they could add to their vehicles or what pressures to use in the tires.

mdamerell wrote:
The biggest problem the F250/2500 series trucks have is they are built heavy duty like the F350/3500 but they are limited to a 10,000# GVWR. This is a magic number when it comes to commercial applications 10,001# require commercial license and some state jack up the registration fees at 10,001#.

It basically castrates the cargo capacity.

We had the problem here in Ontario, Canada for a number of years between the 1/2 tons and the 3/4 tons. Basically any 3/4 ton had to be commercially licensed and annually inspected. I had a 2001 Sierra 1500 HD commonly referred to as the half-heavy. It was only available in a crew cab, 8 bolt lugs, 4x4, 6.0 liter gasser engine. It was technically listed as a 1/2 ton, but all the payload, max axle, tongue weight, and trailer maximum ratings were EXACTLY 5 lbs below the identical 3/4 ton model (Crew cab, short box, 4x4, 6.0 liter engine)

Well the first ¾ ton had 900 lbs. max cargo over my ½ ton. (My 1400 lbs. vs. its 2300 lbs.) I was impressed. However, the second ¾ ton had just a bit more than 600 lbs. max cargo over my ½ ton. I was not so impressed.

Sure we can look around and find a 3/4 ton truck with a low payload numbers but if your seriously looking at a bigger truck why go in that direction.
This subject gets beat to death.

This made me wonder if there is a way you can tell the max cargo before you buy the TV. For the difference in price, I would be disappointed if I bought a ¾ ton and only gained 600 lbs.

The big three have websites that show us payloads for each configured truck.
And if your looking at a dealers trucks simply look at the payload number on the door.

I've owned probably over 15-16 LDT size trucks since the late '50s. Many of those were work trucks (commercial service). Most had no payload stickers.
The last few trucks I bought I think had a payload sticker which is just a tire placard sticker. I've never looked.
I'm more concerned with the individual GAWR's for how much load my trucks can carry.

Anyhow if your concerned with payload stickers do your home work before upgrading to a 3/4 ton truck. The info is out here.

The biggest problem the F250/2500 series trucks have is they are built heavy duty like the F350/3500 but they are limited to a 10,000# GVWR. This is a magic number when it comes to commercial applications 10,001# require commercial license and some state jack up the registration fees at 10,001#.

It basically castrates the cargo capacity.

The information should be inside the door of each truck. You can look at the sticker before you buy. You can order a truck and know when you order just what the carrying capacity will be.

Maximum cargo will vary quite a bit. It is essentially the difference between GVWR (a rating for maximum weight loaded) and empty weight.

Tire and wheel choices, suspension options determine the GVWR of the truck. This can vary somewhat in 3/4 ton models, more in 1-ton because of choice of dual vs single rear wheels, and much more in "1/2 ton." "1/2 ton" no longer has much meaning. High GVWR options for 150/1500 series trucks take them beyond where 250/2500 were twenty years ago. 1/2 ton once meant no heavier than 6000 pounds, but that number grew as EPA changed the CAFE rules defining what size truck is a passenger vehicle and what is a commercial vehicle, so now you find "1/2 ton" trucks with 8600 pound GVWR option, into the middle of what used to be Class 2 or "3/4 ton."

On the other side, cab size, trim levels, optional equipment can make for big variations in empty weight. A really large cab loaded with luxury can use up more than 1000 pounds of a pickup's GVWR, compared to a regular cab work truck with a plain bench seat and minimal electronics.

What you will get in a 250/2500 that you may not in a 150/1500 of similar cargo capacity is a drivetrain (engine, transmission, axles, cooling system) rated to be used at close to full capacity most of the time. Because this category is not included in the passenger vehicle CAFE, these trucks don't have to be engineered to run at low output during the CAFE test cycle, with higher power settings available relatively briefly either at high RPM, or in the case of turbocharged engines, at higher boost.

At a truck dealership (not just a car dealership selling pickups) there will be a knowledgeable fleet sales manager or fleet sales specialist who can help you order a truck to maximize capacity (it will look a lot like a work truck) or find one in regional inventory. A lot of sales people will not look beyond their own stock, especially if they are mostly selling only family passenger trucks.