After joining the truck camper world a short while ago and learning that I love it I have found that payload is the biggest problem with trucks. I am sure that a lot of people are over their GVW as it seems to be fairly normal for carrying a camper. That is fine and I don't want to debate that. But, if someone wanted to stay under their truck GVW with a short box crew cab SRW diesel , which truck has the best payload? Are there any that have 3500 lbs or more? I am fairly sure the newer you go the better but lets hear what you have.

Getting an "XL" optioned model will net the most payload for the most part. The diesel engine sucks up a lot of a trucks payload, so the most would come from an "XL" based rig with a gas engine... ;)But, most folks don't get those... They gotta have all the bells and whistles and that all takes away from the GVWR so it's a give/take deal.Getting a '35' series truck helps due to the added GVWR over a '25' series truck. I think pretty much all 3 manufactures have roughly the same GVWR figures for their 25/35 series trucks respectively?Good luck!Mitch

Your best short bed payload will be a 2wd F350 XL Supercab with gasoline engine. A crew cab will add weight and so will the extra frame length. 4wd, diesel or higher level trim will take away from available payload. GM no longer offers a 3500 extended cab short bed and Ram does not have a 3500 extended cab.

My 2500 truck has a 11,000 GVWR which is 1000 pounds greater than the standard 3500 SRW truck. No factory stock pickup truck with DRW will provide a 3500 lb. payload for two simple to understand reasons. First is that the tires used by the factory at going to have a 3200@80 PSI load rating so that makes the maximum load at the rear axle 6400 lbs. minus the 3200 lb. weight of the truck which leaves a payload of less than 3200 lbs. at best. Second is that the manufacturers subtract 150 lbs. for each passenger seat in the truck which is why the highest payload ratings are for the trucks with a regular cab and the lowest are for the crew cab versions (and the crew cab adds another 200-300 lbs. of weight). If you want to haul a 3,000 lb. camper with zero mods then you need to buy a DRW and pay the penalty in ease of operation and more tires to rotate and replace. With SRW though the modifications needed are trivial. Add Supersprings, change out the tires for 3750 rated "E" tires on the factory rims, or for maximum load capacity go to 19.5 rims and tires that provide over 4400 lbs. load capacity per wheel. Diesel engines add another 800 lbs. of weight but the weight is carried 100% by the front wheels so it has no impact on payload. Conversely with a camper most of the load is carried by the rear axle. My 3400 lb. camper adds 100 lbs. to the load on the front tires with 3300 lbs. supported by the rear tires. All three truck manufacturers calculate the payload based on the weakest link for the truck which will be the wheels followed by the leaf springs followed by the frame. All 2500/3500 trucks made in the last 10 years have rear axles and wheel bearings rated for at least 8900 lbs. so this is not the limitation.

My 2012 F350 Lariat SRW diesel crew cab (11,500 GVW) has a sticker showing cargo capacity of 3492. The OEM tires are rated for 3750 each. If you went with a gas engine you could easily get 3500lbs payload.I haven't got to a scale but I think I should be within my ratings. I may be a bit over when towing my quad trailer but not much since it doesn't have a lot of tongue weight.

My 2014 Ram 3500, Crew Cab, CTD, short bed, SRW, shows cargo capacity at 3814 lb

most payload in a SRW short box | Good Sam Community

22 Replies

campingken
Explorer
Dec 04, 2014
10 years does make a difference. Our 2003 Dodge 3500 5.9 diesel 4x4 SB has a GVW of 9900 pounds and weighs 7400 pounds empty. That equals a 2500 pound payload.
Mello_Mike
Explorer
Dec 03, 2014
3,809 lbs for my 2013 Ram 3500 SB 4x4 with the 6.7L CTD.
wintersun
Explorer II
Dec 03, 2014
The payload with the regular cab versus the crew cab is based on more than actual weight for the trucks. The crew cab adds only about 200 lbs. as compared to the regular cab. The difference in payload ratings is the result of the calculations done by the manufacturer that subtract 150 lbs. per passenger seat. The actual frame, suspension, leaf packs, wheels and tires, etc. being the same will support the same amount of weight in the bed of the truck.

The factory provides a rating based on how the truck is configured when it leaves the factory. Owners can make modifications that either increase the payload with extra springs, better tires, better shocks, or reduce the safe payload capacity as with lifted or lowered trucks and fancy low profile rims and tires.
Bob__B
Explorer
Dec 03, 2014
maxum1989 wrote:
JIMNLIN wrote:
But, if someone wanted to stay under their truck GVW with a short box crew cab SRW diesel , which truck has the best payload? Are there any that have 3500 lbs or more? I am fairly sure the newer you go the better but lets hear what you have.

The newer Rams has the highest GVWR for a one ton SRW at 12400 lbs and a 7000 lb RAWR. However older '11 (??) Rams had a sickly 10xxx GVWRs and weak 6200-6500 RAWRs.

I'm a member of other RV websites and a couple of haulers websites with members from BC. The only place I see claims that the truck mfg GVWR is the only GVWR used for registration is on this website.

Other BC truck owners say they do have to register their trucks at a 'GVWR' number which may be the door GVWR or it can be up to the sum of the GAWRs.

This from BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations
Weight scales: ...... snip for length
(3) The gross weight of any tandem axles and the gross weight of any group of axles shall be the sum of the gross axle weights of all the axles comprising the tandem axles or the group of axles, as the case may be.

(4) The gross weight of any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be the sum of the individual gross axle weights of all the axles of the vehicle or combination of vehicles. "
................................................

In other words a one ton SRW with a 5600 FAWR and a 7000 RAWR would be registered at 12600 'GVWR'. Other states use a different term such as tonnage or laden or gvwr/etc. And other state like mine have no weight for registration. We simply carry weight per the individual axle/tire ratings.

Anyhow use these clicky links for actual GVWR/FAWR/RAWR/payloads/GCWR/etc for the different brands

RAM link
and
Ford link
and
GM link.

This also is a post that works in my favour. I will be looking into the sum of the axles weight rating closely. If this turns out to be the weight I need to stay under then I don't have an issue at all.

This makes sense to me as the rule to be adhered to. If a TC driver did get checked for weight, this is the most likely way it would be tested...To me, the cargo capacity is to help the owner while planning to get the truck properly loaded......After all, I don't think they are going to pull the camper out of the truck bed to see what it weighs.
maxum1989
Explorer II
Dec 02, 2014
JIMNLIN wrote:
But, if someone wanted to stay under their truck GVW with a short box crew cab SRW diesel , which truck has the best payload? Are there any that have 3500 lbs or more? I am fairly sure the newer you go the better but lets hear what you have.

The newer Rams has the highest GVWR for a one ton SRW at 12400 lbs and a 7000 lb RAWR. However older '11 (??) Rams had a sickly 10xxx GVWRs and weak 6200-6500 RAWRs.

I'm a member of other RV websites and a couple of haulers websites with members from BC. The only place I see claims that the truck mfg GVWR is the only GVWR used for registration is on this website.

Other BC truck owners say they do have to register their trucks at a 'GVWR' number which may be the door GVWR or it can be up to the sum of the GAWRs.

This from BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations
Weight scales: ...... snip for length
(3) The gross weight of any tandem axles and the gross weight of any group of axles shall be the sum of the gross axle weights of all the axles comprising the tandem axles or the group of axles, as the case may be.

(4) The gross weight of any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be the sum of the individual gross axle weights of all the axles of the vehicle or combination of vehicles. "
................................................

In other words a one ton SRW with a 5600 FAWR and a 7000 RAWR would be registered at 12600 'GVWR'. Other states use a different term such as tonnage or laden or gvwr/etc. And other state like mine have no weight for registration. We simply carry weight per the individual axle/tire ratings.

Anyhow use these clicky links for actual GVWR/FAWR/RAWR/payloads/GCWR/etc for the different brands

RAM link
and
Ford link
and
GM link.

This also is a post that works in my favour. I will be looking into the sum of the axles weight rating closely. If this turns out to be the weight I need to stay under then I don't have an issue at all.
maxum1989
Explorer II
Dec 02, 2014
bcbouy wrote:
i live in pitt meadows b.c and spring till late fall i travel into the okanagan/caribou almost every weekend with my camper and my towed boat for years.i've never seen the police checking weights of camper/trucks.i've been through fish/game checks at least once a year,also no weight checks.driven past the commercial scales in hope hundreds of times,no problems. cvse only checks commercial vehicles.maybe i've just been lucky.i honestly think the b.c rcmp could care less if you were over,icbc on the other hand...

Ok. This makes me feel good. Thanks for posting this. I am going to just use my camper where I please now and wait to see if there is an issue. I won't worry about it until I have to. Thanks.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Dec 02, 2014
But, if someone wanted to stay under their truck GVW with a short box crew cab SRW diesel , which truck has the best payload? Are there any that have 3500 lbs or more? I am fairly sure the newer you go the better but lets hear what you have.

The newer Rams has the highest GVWR for a one ton SRW at 12400 lbs and a 7000 lb RAWR. However older '11 (??) Rams had a sickly 10xxx GVWRs and weak 6200-6500 RAWRs.

I'm a member of other RV websites and a couple of haulers websites with members from BC. The only place I see claims that the truck mfg GVWR is the only GVWR used for registration is on this website.

Other BC truck owners say they do have to register their trucks at a 'GVWR' number which may be the door GVWR or it can be up to the sum of the GAWRs.

This from BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations
Weight scales: ...... snip for length
(3) The gross weight of any tandem axles and the gross weight of any group of axles shall be the sum of the gross axle weights of all the axles comprising the tandem axles or the group of axles, as the case may be.

(4) The gross weight of any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be the sum of the individual gross axle weights of all the axles of the vehicle or combination of vehicles. "
................................................

In other words a one ton SRW with a 5600 FAWR and a 7000 RAWR would be registered at 12600 'GVWR'. Other states use a different term such as tonnage or laden or gvwr/etc. And other state like mine have no weight for registration. We simply carry weight per the individual axle/tire ratings.

Anyhow use these clicky links for actual GVWR/FAWR/RAWR/payloads/GCWR/etc for the different brands

RAM link
and
Ford link
and
GM link.
bcbouy
Explorer
Dec 02, 2014
i live in pitt meadows b.c and spring till late fall i travel into the okanagan/caribou almost every weekend with my camper and my towed boat for years.i've never seen the police checking weights of camper/trucks.i've been through fish/game checks at least once a year,also no weight checks.driven past the commercial scales in hope hundreds of times,no problems. cvse only checks commercial vehicles.maybe i've just been lucky.i honestly think the b.c rcmp could care less if you were over,icbc on the other hand...
maxum1989
Explorer II
Dec 02, 2014
805gregg wrote:
Why go with a short bed?

Two reasons. One is I love the camper layout I have now. Its a short bed discontinued model that suits me perfectly. If its not possible to make the weight work in a short box, I would have to consider a long box.

However, that brings me to the second reason. I have a place I park up in Whistler B.C. that is VERY tight to get in and out of. My current short box usually takes someone outside to direct me in and out-inches matter. A long box wouldn't fit. If I had to, I could park in visitor parking but occasionally that is full.
805gregg
Explorer
Dec 02, 2014
Why go with a short bed?