NC F150

I copy and pasted part of this guys article on picking the correct pickup for the job. He says that axle ratings are a better indicator of payload than manufacturers gvwr.

What do you think?

PAYLOAD

The last question is payload capacity. Most of the standard half-tons list their payload capacity between 1500 and 1800 pounds. Generally, this number is pretty well equal to the available capacity on the rear axle. Recently, I weighed a Ram 1500 – the rear axle dry weight was 2250 pounds and it is rated at 3900 pounds, so in theory you could add 1650 pounds to the rear axle before overloading it. Fuel is going to put a couple of hundred pounds on the rear axle, so you wind up with close to the 1430 pounds of payload listed for the truck. 1430 pounds is also pretty close to the difference between the base weight of the pickup (5320 pounds) and the list GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of 6,800 pounds.

So in theory, you should never carry more than 1430 pounds in this truck… or should you? The front and rear axles are both rated to carry 3900 pounds so the truck can easily carry 7800 pounds if you could distribute the weight to the front wheels. Chrysler knows that this is impossible, since all the carrying space is at the back, with quite a lot of it actually behind the rear axle. However, when we tow a travel trailer we can carry any weight behind the axle because we use a properly set-up weight distributing hitch that transfers some of the weight to the front axle.

The Ram 1500 described above was connected to a 33’ travel trailer that has 1,075 pounds of hitch weight. The truck had the customer’s normal gear in the box and 3 adult passengers. On the road the combination drove very nicely, with no feeling of being overloaded and the truck was perfectly level. The rear axle of the truck was carrying 3780 pounds and the front axle carried 3660. So neither axle was overloaded, and the tires were rated for 4370 pounds per axle so they had plenty of leeway. So even though the truck was 640 pounds over its GVWR nothing was overloaded, and the truck was stable with plenty of leeway on any item that matters.

smokeywren

Nonsense and ignorance. The GVWR (and payload capacity) was overloaded by 640 pounds. Payload capacity matters. Ask any certified chassis engineer with a PE in chassis engineering.

You cannot add front and rear GAWR and get GVWR. That's because most well-designed pickups allow a guy up north to mount a heavy snowplow on the front end without exceeding front GAWR, or a cowboy in Texas to haul a heavy gooseneck livestock trailer without exceeding the rear GAWR. But you cannot haul both a snow plow and a heavy gooseneck trailer at the same time without exceeding the payload capacity of the pickup.

GVWR matters. That's why it's on the Federal Certification sticker on the driver's doorpost of every vehicle. The only folks that claim GVWR doesn't matter are those that are overloaded but don't want to admit that they are overloaded. Or those that are trying to sell you something that will overload your tow vehicle. Or those that are trying to sell you a tow vehicle that will be overloaded with your wet and loaded trailer.

BlackBoost

To the average Joe who isn't trying to tow as much as possible and hit the limits, GVWR and GAWR don't matter as much as Payload.

Payload tells you exactly how much weight you can have in the truck and on the hitch. Of course you also have to check your hitch rating but I'm not talking about that right now.

GVWR and GAWR only come into play if you've already taken your truck to the scales and know exactly how much it weighs... Stick to Payload rating, it's much easier to figure out. And to be honest, if you're trying to figure out if you're within a 50 lb range of being able to tow a certain trailer, then you're already almost maxed out, and you should either upgrade the truck, or get a lighter trailer.

jp360cj

I agree that the Payload number is a good place to start, but GVWR matters much more than the payload number. Payload is simply a calculation based on the GVWR and the truck's weight, but it's not a legal limit number like the GVWR is. Say you were to remove all unnecessary equipment (extra seats/console, spare tire, tailgate, running boards, etc) and never fill past say 1/2 tank of fuel, you could add more payload than the sticker indicates and be 100% legal, as long as you stayed below the GVWR and GAWR.

BlackBoost

This is true, but again like you said, payload takes GVWR into account. Most people won't start stripping things out just to tow more but it's possible. If that's the case then you have less to worry about being overweight. And as I always say, if you're within 50 lbs of you limit, or you're removing parts to be able to tow, then you should either upgrade the truck or get a smaller trailer... Towing often near max ratings is a lot more wear and tear on the suspension and drivetrain. You'll flatten your leafs within a few years towing often like that.

Gladehound

What Smokywren said - "Nonsense and ignorance".

marshallr

Payload is the curb weight subtracted from GVWR when it left the factory. Both numbers matter, but the posted payload probably isn't accurate. To determine an accurate payload weigh the truck, then subtract that number from GVWR. Added accessories, passengers, tools, or anything else kept in the truck eats away at payload and needs to be factored in.

11screw50

Payload is simply calculated from GVWR and truck weight as delivered (with a full tank of fuel). It is a number meant to help the owner understand how much they can load into their truck. Combined axle ratings exceed the GVWR to allow loads to be distributed in ways that may be necessary (say a plow on the front or a heavy load in the bed).

odd-6

Axle capacity is only one part of the formula, leave it to Fords Engineers to tell us what each trucks capacity is.

TerryD64

my truck
fAWR - 3750
rAWR - 4800
GVWR - 7850
3750 + 4800 = 8550 NOT 7850 WTF?

The combined limit for the total vehicle is 7850 NOT 8550
Front and rear AWR are also individually rated so more weight can be positioned either front OR rear depending on application and not exceed GVWR.
Example would be a Plow. I can load the front to the fAWR and only enough in the bed up to GVWR (7850 lb for my truck) but NOT up to the rAWR
The inverse is true as well.
Loading the rear to the rAWR to 4800 which leaves 3050 for the front. starting to get unsafe at this point IMO as it will most likely be on or close to the bump stops with the headlights providing mood lighting in the tree tops.

so if I load a plow on the front of my truck and take it to 3750 lbs I have 4100 left for driver, any passengers, additional cargo etc. That's it.

NOTE: curb weight on my front axle is 3400 and that' includes full fuel, driver, passenger, my dog, tools and some misc camping crap in the bed. This leads me to 2 conclusions
1. I'm guessing there are not many people plowing with the F150 (Unless there is a specific plow package I am unaware of.)
2. Loading the rear to rAWR is impractical as it does not leave enough for the engine, front transfer case in the case of a 4WD like mine, driver, passengers, etc.

but you get the idea on the math.

Loading the truck to 8550 is just dangerous. But if I did....
Will the truck catch on fire or suddenly stop working? NO
Will the first LEO I cross paths with impound my vehicle? Probably not.

Do I decrease my ability to control the vehicle in less than optimal conditions? YES
Do I increase my exposure to risk? Absolutely
Am I liable in the event of an accident? Possibly I can't say yes or no as I'm not an attorney. But there is a case to be made and I'd rather not be on the side that gets served with papers.

Do I tow at my limits with the rig below in my in my signature? YES
Am I over weight? I have been, but not currently. and YES I have run this rig over the scales It depends on how I load and if I haul passengers.
I do know my limits and how my truck behaves when heavy and in less than optimal conditions.

Unfortunately, trucks and trailers tend to gain weight over time and my trailer goes on a diet when it goes into storage for the winter.