16tc

So this is my first post here and I am about to spend $50,000+ on ordering a 2016 F150 4x4 SuperCrew 3.5 Ecoboost Lariat. I am buying this truck to use with a pop up truck camper. I am very torn as to whether to go with the heavy duty payload package or not.

I am always a bit reluctant to try to ask these types of questions on an internet forum. This is going to be a bit long-winded, but if people could actually read my post before just replying that I should get the heavy duty payload package or a super duty I would appreciate it. I have done the math several times and at full capacity loaded with everything I will be at just under 2400 pounds of payload. I am fully aware that in order to be under sticker payload I will need the heavy duty payload package but there are a few reasons I am considering skipping it.

If I do not get the heavy payload package I will end up with a truck that has more of the options that I want. I would skip heavy options such as the moon roof to keep the weight down, but I would be able to get things like LED headlights, the center console, the sport appearance package and the Sony stereo. I realize that this stuff adds a few pounds but I would upgrade the stereo if I got the hd payload anyway and the rest of it I don't see weighing more than a hundred pounds. Another potentially big advantage is the fact that I could get a truck with softer rear springs and better ride quality for day to day driving when I was not using the camper. I would rather get the stiffness out of airbags, stable loads or something similar than having an extra leaf if I'm honest. I know that this would give me a ride quality advantage, but I have no idea how much of one since I am unable to test drive a SuperCrew heavy duty payload package since they haven't built any yet. If anyone has any feedback regarding ride quality of previous generations or different body styles with the heavy duty payload package please let me know.

After doing a lot of research it looks like the heavy duty payload package gives me stiffer springs, a 3.73 rear end with a heavy duty diff that takes more oil, heavy duty wheels, higher rated tires, stiffer springs and a frame that is 1/100 of an inch thicker.

If properly equipped a normal F-150 can be spec'd with the exact same tires and although you cannot get the same wheels to me the Sport Wheels look completely identical aside from finished. You can only get the 3.55 rear end but it's still 9.75 although it is not the heavy duty version and requires less fluid. I think this gives the axle rating in the rear a lower weight rating which is my main concern. So it really seems like aside from the very minutely thicker frame the only meaningful difference is the rear axle. Does anybody know how a 9.75 3.73 heavy-duty rear end is different from a 3.55 9.75 rear end? How bad of an idea would it be to order the truck without the heavy duty payload package for the advantages of getting a better spec'd truck with a smoother ride and an almost guarantee that they will actually build it unlike the heavy duty payload package? I've read stories about legal issues for going over payload, but has this actually ever happened to anyone? all of the issues I've read about are theoretical. If anyone actually made it through this wall of text I appreciate you reading my post. There wasn't really a concise way to ask this.

Steve Osborne

not showing.....package......xl-xlt-lariat-king ranch.....my screw xlt/max tow has payload of.1744lbs....doubt to see 2400+lbs on a screw unless its an xl with hd + max tow....

16tc

Thanks for the reply. I apologize for leaving out that detail. I am going to order a Lariat. I want the highest spec truck I can get and Lariat would be it with this. It would definitely have the max tow either way. The heavy duty payload package forces you to get the max tow and if I did not get the heavy duty payload package I would certainly at least get the max tow. The base payload on this truck with heavy duty payload package is 2650 pounds. I know that this is not the number that actually ends up on the sticker, but the heavy duty payload package forces you to buy a pretty stripped-down truck. There are not a ton of options on it and even if it came in 10% under base payload I would still have approximately the number I needed.

Steve Osborne

before signing/ordering....go looking at the door sticker of close matching trucks......I think you'll be surprized......for booklets/dealers lead in the wrong directions....https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?...K72JuHJWuenvwI

16tc

So it sounds like the average numbers for the kind of truck I am looking to order are about 284 pounds less than the numbers advertised on ford's website. There is no data available for the heavy duty payload package Super Crew since they have built none of them yet with the new generation, but the base payload is 590 pounds more than these trucks. You can tell me if you think this is a good assumption or not, but I would assume that the heavy duty payload SuperCrew would have at least 590 pounds more payload since it forces you to get less options. I don't see how it would have anything less than 590 pounds payload more than these average numbers but I think it actually would be more. Looking at the link you sent this would make the payload in the high 2300’s which would be right around where I needed to be. If I got to a scale and was a bit over I could take some water out of a holding tank or move some cargo into the boat. However, if I did not get the heavy payload package I would obviously be way over the payload on the sticker. The main thing I am trying to figure out here is how much that would actually matter in the real world given how minor the actual differences between a properly spec’d heavy-duty tow and heavy duty payload package truck would be.

Feathermerchant

Personally I love the way my HD rides. But it is a 2011 and a newer truck may ride different. I don't slow down for speed bumps.

16tc

Thanks for the feedback. I test drove a couple of Super Duties and absolutely hated the way they rode. You could feel the vibrations all the way up to your head instead of just in your feet like the F150. The F150 feels well dampened and much softer over the same bumps the Super Duty felt harsh and sharp over. I know that some guys prefer the ride of the super duty, but I certainly did not. Anyway I was just concerned that the stiffer springs on heavy duty payload package F150 may make it ride a bit more like the super duty. I realize that it will not have a solid front axle regardless though. The lighter weight probably will affect things somewhat with the new generation vs. previous generation, but is yours a SuperCrew? Did you test drive one that did not have the heavy duty payload package and notice much difference?

Feathermerchant

Mine is a Super Cab 8ft bed. The long wheelbase probably helps. I did not drive a regular duty F150. I am agonizing over shocks. Will need some soon. Really like the "specially valved" Ford shocks. I have not driven a Super Duty but was advised against it by my oilfield engineer son.
I think the more rigid frame, long wheelbase and LTE tires make a great combo. We have slept in the bed a few times and even when windy, it does not seem to rock.

TooManyVehicles

Well there is *some* reason why Ford has considerably different payload ratings. Some folks think it is marketing, some don't.

Me? I'd go HD Payload if I could.

One other consideration. HD Payload requires the 157" wheelbase, so if you go SCREW you will need to have the 6.5' bed.

Another reason that I think you should go HD Payload + SCREW is so we get a 2016 HD Payload Screw example to add to the spreadsheet.

Velosprout

The Lariat SCrew HDPP truck is what I ordered in both 2015 and 2016. I was frustrated that the scheduled build time kept getting delayed or the truck cancelled by Ford, and finally found a very-low mileage 2014 SCrew HDPP to purchase. The build is currently showing late second quarter, so they will either be scheduled to build or delayed/cancelled again soon. I wish you luck in getting one.