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Old 12-02-2017, 11:46 AM   #1
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Payload with 1/2 tons?

Hey guys, my current truck has a 1500 lb payload capacity. My question is, is it common to be at or slightly above the payload capacity? Its a full size crew cab V8. With 3 kids, dogs, 2 adults and gas- I'm at near 8-900 lbs. Add a 400-500 lb hitch weight from a travel trailer and I'm maxed. (wanting a 4000-4500 dry weight travel trailer).

Thanks!
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Old 12-02-2017, 12:12 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Brendon44 View Post
Hey guys, my current truck has a 1500 lb payload capacity. My question is, is it common to be at or slightly above the payload capacity? Its a full size crew cab V8. With 3 kids, dogs, 2 adults and gas- I'm at near 8-900 lbs. Add a 400-500 lb hitch weight from a travel trailer and I'm maxed. (wanting a 4000-4500 dry weight travel trailer).

Thanks!
Dry weights are for suckers. They're just a marketing ploy. Ignore them. Look at the GVWR posted on the sticker on the side of the TT. Multiply it by 12-15% to get an estimate of what your tongue weight will be.

A 4000-4500 dry weight TT will end up being 5500 lbs or more loaded, with a tongue weight of around 700+ lbs. A weight distribution hitch will add another 75-100 lbs. And remember, those kids are packing on extra pounds every day! You need a bigger truck, IMHO.

With 3 kids, dogs and wife, a bigger truck would let you get a bigger TT, too!!
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Old 12-02-2017, 12:25 PM   #3
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Ha! Wish that were an option but the wife drives the truck too. The deal was I could get rid of a minivan if I got a 1/2 ton. She doesn't like driving 3/4, 1 ton trucks.
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Old 12-02-2017, 12:39 PM   #4
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As rockfordroo says you should be using the GVWR weights to calculate the maximum trailer size for your truck. If you are willing to order new an F-150 with the 3.5L Ecoboost, max tow and heavy duty payload package should get you another 500 lbs or more for payload. As I said though you will likely have to order as both max tow and HDPP on the same truck on a dealers lot is rare.
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Old 12-02-2017, 12:48 PM   #5
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Great tip guys, I will definitely use the GVWR of the trailer as a guideline. With that said, I'll look for trailers with GVWR in the 4500-5000 range.
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Old 12-02-2017, 12:51 PM   #6
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Great tip guys, I will definitely use the GVWR of the trailer as a guideline. With that said, I'll look for trailers with GVWR in the 4500-5000 range.
According to calculations you were given in post #2 you will be well over your weight rating with a trailer that size.
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Old 12-02-2017, 01:20 PM   #7
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Ha! Wish that were an option but the wife drives the truck too. The deal was I could get rid of a minivan if I got a 1/2 ton. She doesn't like driving 3/4, 1 ton trucks.
When was the last she drove a 3/4? I just replaced an '11 Silverado 1500 with a '17 2500HD. Length and width are the same. Height is greater as the new truck is a 4x4. Even my wife has remarked how well the 2500 rides.
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Old 12-02-2017, 01:31 PM   #8
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My DW will begrudgingly drive my F250. Her daily driver is a Toyota RAV4 so there’s a huge difference for her.

If you can find a TT you like that’s suitable for a F150 with the heavy duty payload pkg. she’ll be happier. That’s assuming you can afford that truck at the same time. It’ll be very difficult to find a used F150 with the HD payload pkg.
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Old 12-02-2017, 01:33 PM   #9
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Great tip guys, I will definitely use the GVWR of the trailer as a guideline. With that said, I'll look for trailers with GVWR in the 4500-5000 range.

Since a full tank of fuel is already included in the curb weight, you shouldn't count fuel against your payload. Another poster mentioned 75-100 lbs for the WD hitch counting against payload, but a properly set up hitch will transfer at least this much weigh back to the trailer's axles, which cancels out the weight of the hitch from your payload calculation.

A 5000 lb GVW trailer at 13% tongue weight is 650 lbs. IMO you should be able to stay at or just under your payload with a trailer of this weight. A more detailed breakdown of exactly how much weight you are putting in the TV would be needed to say with more certainty. Those of us that have towed travel trailers with 1/2 tons usually have to carefully manage weights to stay within specs.
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Old 12-02-2017, 01:35 PM   #10
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That's great news. I did not realize a full tank of gas was already counted for.
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Old 12-02-2017, 01:47 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Brendon44 View Post
Hey guys, my current truck has a 1500 lb payload capacity. My question is, is it common to be at or slightly above the payload capacity? Its a full size crew cab V8. With 3 kids, dogs, 2 adults and gas- I'm at near 8-900 lbs. Add a 400-500 lb hitch weight from a travel trailer and I'm maxed. (wanting a 4000-4500 dry weight travel trailer).

Thanks!
No such thing as a dry weight trailer. Dont even know why they list that. Look at gross weight to be sure!
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Old 12-02-2017, 01:49 PM   #12
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Ha! Wish that were an option but the wife drives the truck too. The deal was I could get rid of a minivan if I got a 1/2 ton. She doesn't like driving 3/4, 1 ton trucks.
Look at the Ram 2500. It has coil springs instead of leaf. Gives it a little better ride than the traditional 3/4 tons.
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Old 12-02-2017, 05:06 PM   #13
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As rockfordroo says you should be using the GVWR weights to calculate the maximum trailer size for your truck. If you are willing to order new an F-150 with the 3.5L Ecoboost, max tow and heavy duty payload package should get you another 500 lbs or more for payload. As I said though you will likely have to order as both max tow and HDPP on the same truck on a dealers lot is rare.
Based on actual cargo numbers from a number of owners (there is a spreadsheet available on the F150 forum).
Staying with a XLT or Lariat trim level and being a little selective on options can get you a payload of between 1,900 and 2,050 lbs. Seems 1,700+ is easy to do based on the number responding with this or larger. This for either the 5.0 or the 3.5 EB on a SCres. The HD payload package adds about 500 lbs.
Jumping to the higher trim levels will cost you up to around 500 lbs of payload.
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Old 12-02-2017, 05:10 PM   #14
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Don't think 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton, just look at the actual payload. Obviously 1/2 ton is 1000 pounds most "1/2 tons" are way more than that. Many are more than my 2500 Cummins has for crying out loud. Also don't just jump to trailer max weight as some are designed to carry a lot of cargo that you may not come close to. The dry weight is meaningful especially when comparing one to another. They all use the same tricks to make that look low so a 4000 pound dry weight trailer is going to weigh less than a 5000 pound dry weight trailer when loaded with standard gear even if both have a 7500 loaded rating. The max rating is more what axles and wheels and tires they installed, but some trailers definitely use lighter weight construction to keep base weights down.
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Old 12-02-2017, 05:17 PM   #15
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Ha! Wish that were an option but the wife drives the truck too. The deal was I could get rid of a minivan if I got a 1/2 ton. She doesn't like driving 3/4, 1 ton trucks.
Ha, Sorry man the half ton truck is good for a pop up that is it. Don't risk the lives of your family towing a trailer that the big. Re-Evaaluate the Truck before buying it and make sure what ever trailer you buy can be towed with GVWR not Dry Weight.
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Old 12-02-2017, 05:41 PM   #16
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Ha, Sorry man the half ton truck is good for a pop up that is it. Don't risk the lives of your family towing a trailer that the big. Re-Evaaluate the Truck before buying it and make sure what ever trailer you buy can be towed with GVWR not Dry Weight.
The OP already owns the truck so reevaluating before buying doesn't apply. In post #5 he says he's looking for a 4500-5000 GVW trailer. Very doable for a 1/2 ton with towing package and proper attention to hitch setup and loading. I'm all for being conservative but 1/2 ton = pop up only?
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Old 12-02-2017, 05:43 PM   #17
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Ha, Sorry man the half ton truck is good for a pop up that is it. Don't risk the lives of your family towing a trailer that the big.
Total BS. The best argument you can come up with against a half ton is fear mongering about endangering family? Shame on you.....
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Old 12-02-2017, 05:44 PM   #18
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If you can find a TT you like that’s suitable for a F150 with the heavy duty payload pkg. she’ll be happier. That’s assuming you can afford that truck at the same time. It’ll be very difficult to find a used F150 with the HD payload pkg.
Amen to that. I've looked far and wide and used ones are very hard to find. We test drove one while searching for our current truck, but DW didn't like it. If I had known how rare they were I would have dug in my heels, but that was even before the days when I knew to check the payload sticker for every truck I looked at.

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Ha, Sorry man the half ton truck is good for a pop up that is it. Don't risk the lives of your family towing a trailer that the big. Re-Evaaluate the Truck before buying it and make sure what ever trailer you buy can be towed with GVWR not Dry Weight.
While it's true that some half ton trucks are better for towing than others, the statement above just isn't true.

There is no doubt that bigger trucks, especially HD diesel trucks, are more capable tow vehicles. But they're not for everyone. And almost all trucks will run out of payload before towing capacity (half tons and diesel HDs are prime examples).

However, a half ton with a decent payload and a trailer within its towing limits is definitely doable. There are lots of choices out there. Safe choices. You just have to do your homework.
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Old 12-02-2017, 06:02 PM   #19
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I can put this to bed right now. I have the same truck (with evidently better gearing). Aside from a 3000 lb tow rating difference, all the other ratings are the same. I finally weighed my rig last month. I don't have the ticket on me, but the bottom line was that the trailer came in at about 7500 lbs., TW was just shy of 1000 lbs. Four people in the truck and WDH setup by measuring wheel wells only with 1000 lb bars and heavier rear tires and everything was within spec. according to the scales. WDH probably could have been tweaked a little more but it's done fine for over 3000 miles this year. Now...payload was a little close, but TW on 5000 lbs will be a few hundred lighter on the nose (and I run two 30 lb bottles and two 6V up front..so I'm a little heavier than some).

Point is, OP is perfectly fine with that truck and a loaded trailer weighing 5000 lbs. May not like the fuel economy though, lol.
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Old 12-02-2017, 06:04 PM   #20
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I'm going to strongly disagree with the majority here.

An F-150 pulling a 5000 lb. TT? I would do that in a heartbeat and not worry a bit. That set-up would be absolutely fine in my opinion.

This is totally my opinion but there are far too many people here who waaaay overreact when it comes to weights and towing. That's my opinion. Throw your darts. They can't travel through my modem anyway.
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