kbroderick

Well, an early-70s Buick Estate weighed about the same as my 3.5 EB did from the factory.

I think a related issue is that engine performance has improved dramatically, while the physics of towing haven't changed a whole lot. The ability to pull a load at speed is relatively easy for a driver to understand (and it becomes pretty damn obvious rather quickly when you don't have enough motor). The ability to control that load when conditions get unexpectedly worse (wind, passing semis, etc) isn't as self-evident, and when it combines with a ****-poor understanding of driving to begin with, bad things can happen. I'd guess that might have something to do with lower tow ratings in the U.S. versus Europe on identical chassis-drivetrain combinations.

I'd also wager that the addition of the payload sticker in the early 2000s makes it a lot easier to figure some of the book limits out and understand what "overloaded" actually is. After I started reading up on payload, I understood a lot better why my friend's F-150 with a slide-in camper drove like dog poop.

ks54703

We started with a 56 Mercury wagon, then to a 62 ford wagon then to a 68 Dodge Polara then to 79 & 82 Jeep Wagoneers. All had trailer brakes and over sized brakes for trailer pulling plus other goodies. Know things have changed over the years just making a lite hearted observation of today's situation.
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502a lariat screw max tow.

elptxjc

Didn't even occur to me it'd be such a forum on a freaking truck site. Duh! That's what I needeed. Awesome. Thanks a million for pointing the obvious, and without making me feel stupid. Ha ha.

Thanks a million to all who replied. Greatly appreciated. I honestly didn't buy the truck to tow anything (just to haul a bike), but now that I have one, just wanted to know what's safe and what's not, and thanks to you, now I fully understand where I need to be in that regard. And yes, with my lousy payload, I don't need to worry about what my GCWR is. He he. I also wanted the max tow for the extra cooling for my hot climate, and for the other extras, like beefier front sway bar, and beefier rear bumper (don't understand what for, since it doesn't have a 'bumper hitch'). At any rate, seems to me my truck wouldn't be able to handle anything over 7,500 lbs even when lightly loaded, and that's with a heavy WDH that I don't plan to buy just to have it laying around. Ha ha. So I'll limit my truck to the 5K-lb limit without one. It should be perfectly safe to haul at that level. And even though Amazon sent my a 7,500-lb ball mount kit with a 6K-lb ball, it should be perfectly safe to tow 5K lbs for any recreational stuff. The only instance I'd be pushing the limits is if I rent an enclosed U-Haul to move my gym and some other heavy crap 550 miles away when my house sells. For starters, I'd need a WDH for sure, plus a 10K bar with a 2-5/8"/1-1/4"shank ball, correct? And no way I'd exceed 7,500 lbs, just to be safe. The problem is knowing how much what you're loading weighs. I'd have to find a freaking scale somewhere before leaving. But I'd use the towing forum for questions if that happens. Thanks again everybody .

Ryan_2020

I think some it also has to do with attitude, I remember towing with my parents.....way more loaded than we do now BUT we were ok doing 50-55mph.........now people expect to be able to tow at 65-75mph, it's no doubt why regulators would want lower tow/payload ratings. Who wants 10,000 lb missiles flying down the highway at 75 mph controlled by a driver who literally needs zero training towing a trailer.