Why even bother with a 3/4 ton truck?

[Skyliner]

There seem to be some universal truths in the RV community. One of those is that most people will almost always upgrade their RV's to a larger and heavier camper. Another almost universal truth seems like you should buy as much truck as you can afford.

I laughed years ago when a full-timer told me I would get a new RV every 2-3 years that was at least 3 feet longer than the last one. Guess what, he was right. I think we are up to our 5th RV and as soon as our truck is paid off in 35 months, will upgrade from our 30 footer to a 33-35 ft 5th wheel.


Anyway, I digress.

My question is, Why do people bother buying a 3/4 ton truck when you can get greater payload and possibly tow rating capacity with a 1 ton truck?

My experience showed that you could get a 1 ton truck for the same money as a 3/4 ton truck and sometimes less because of the "stigma" associated with 1 tons (poor and harsh ride unloaded).

I see, read, and hear a lot of people upgrading their 3/4 ton trucks with airbags in order to increase payload when they do upgrade even though they are not "legal" to carry a heavier load.

As for ride? I put a very heavy Curt 24k 5th wheel hitch in my F350's bed. Couple that with about 500lbs of water and gas hauled in the bed most of the time, I don't really notice a difference between the F350 and F250 trucks.

[Jim34RL]

This must have been posted by a troll!

No other comment needed.

[KFX450RXC]

My guess is:

1. Its often the buyer's first heavy duty truck purchase so a 3/4 ton seems like more than enough for anything they'll ever need.

2. There are typically 5-10 times as many 3/4 tons on the lot as there are 1 tons. With that big of a selection, the buyer is far more able to find "his" truck among the 3/4 tons.

[LegacyFB38]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

This must have been posted by a troll!

No other comment needed.

I don't know anything about the troll part, but the content is not totally without merit. There is more than one person with a 3/4 ton that would be better served with a bigger truck. Even with the trailer they had when they bought the 3/4 ton!

[aceinspp]

Two ways to look at this. First I always bought a 3500 truck just in case. Well now that I'm down the road several years and older now the 2nd option is the 2500 truck. No longer need the 3500 as now towing less of a camper. And yep my new 2500 truck has the air ride supension and rides nice. Adding air bags does not increase payload either. Later RJD

[Skyliner]

Not trolling, just curious. I went from a F150 Platinum to a F350 Platinum to "be done with it".

I know that airbags do not increase payload capacity but there appear to be quite a bit of folks adding airbags to haul RVs that exceed their stickered payload capacities.

I have a neighbor who purchased a 40' 6" foot Jayco that had a tongue weight approximately 340 lbs shy of his caargo capacity rating unloaded. He has a wife, 2 kids, and a dog that tag along ;-)

A year later, this neighbor is now towing the same fiver with a dually. He must have figured out that he was overweight.

Still got a neighbor who is towing a 34 foot travel trailer with an F150 with no factory tow package no tow mirrors but that is another story.

By no means, am I "weight police". I towed a 5500 lb loaded 26 footer with my diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee for years. It did just fine with no white knuckle experiences and was only slightly over my cargo carrying capacity with my dog inside.

[Mad Cow]

In many cases, SRA 1 tons are very similar in ratings to 3/4 tons from the same OEM. Not nearly the range of difference as 3/4 tons are to 1/2 tons.

[Dustyhd]

Many states heavily tax a truck over 10k GVWR even for non commercial. That’s the reason.

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by Mad Cow

In many cases, SRA 1 tons are very similar in ratings to 3/4 tons from the same OEM. Not nearly the range of difference as 3/4 tons are to 1/2 tons.

SRW (Single Rear Wheel) 3/4-ton vs 1-ton difference can be substantial.

Ford:
F-250 CCSB 4x4 6.7L - Max payload 1,836LB
F-350 CCSB 4x4 SRW 6.7L - Max payload 3,117LB, an increase of almost 1,300LB over the F-250.

GM:
2500HD CCSB 4x4 DMAX - Max payload 2,513LB
3500HD CCSB 4x4 SRW DMAX - Max payload 3,927, an increase of just over 1,400LB

Ram:
2500 CCSB 4x4 6.7L - Max payload 2,318LB
3500 CCSB 4x4 SRW 6.7L - Max payload 4,020LB, an increase of just over 1,700LB

I wouldn't call those similar payload capacities at all.

[Wilco]

For me it was the better selection of 3/4 ton trucks when I was shopping. It is licensed for 9500 GVWR so the plates are only expensive (vs exorbitant). I do not anticipate the need for anything larger. I do not pull a 5th wheel because I load my Goldwing into the bed of the truck when we go on extended trips. Even with a 1000# bike in the bed while towing, it is not overloaded.