Forum Members Share Tips on 2019 F-450 Real-world Payload Capacity

F-450 is rated to haul less than the F-350 on paper, but owners suggest otherwise.

The 2019 Ford F-450 is technically the strongest truck in Class 3, but to keep this nearly-commercial-grade truck in that class, the Motor Company had to play with the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. In doing so, the automaker was able to keep the F-450 in Class 3 with the F-350, but this leads to an odd situation on paper.

The F-350 is rated to haul a heavier payload than the bigger, stronger F-450. Forum member ChangNoi recently discovered this difference in payload capacities while shopping for a truck to carry his slide-in camper, leading him to seek the advice of owners of the larger Super Duty pickups.

The Introduction

When the OP first introduced the forum to his question, he talked a bit about himself and explained his concern with possibly buying a new Ford F-450:

I currently own a 2018 Raptor and I love it. Only thing is, it is not very good for slide in campers. So, I am looking to buy an F-450 dual rear wheel, crew cab, but want to get an accurate idea on what these vehicles can handle.

I’ve looked at the Ford chart for slide-in campers and I have been a little surprised at the fact that the F-350 can carry more weight. This all aside, I wanted to ask if there is anyone here that has the limited version of the 450 or the Platinum version of the 450 and if they would take a phot of the payload sticker on the door so I can see some samples of how compare to each other.

Two members were quick to respond, and their input would be echoed throughout the three-page thread.

“Ricohman” was the first to chime in:

The F450 is rated like that on paper to keep it in this class.
But really, it will laugh at a 5000lb slide in. This is exactly the reason I bought mine.

And “2009kr” elaborated on the same information:

It will be within 50# of 4750#. It’s an artificially low class 3 limit. It weighs 500# more than the F350 DRW due to stronger tires, wheels, wider front, thicker sway bars and bigger brakes. This results in 500# less payload on paper but a higher real world capability.

Owner Input

The OP had initially asked for owners of newer F-450 pickups to share an image of the payload sticker in the door jamb, and while several members provided good information to answer the question, a few owners also shared the payload sticker.

First, “nuctrooper” shared a picture of a paperwork from a truck scale, showing a 2017 Ford F-450 with a gross weight of 16,500 pounds.

To which the OP replied, thanking everyone for their input:

Folks, Thank you so much! I had suspected that the #14000 was bogus and was just to stay in the class. Thank you @Richoman for confirming.

“Hiddentoken” also shared a picture, showing the door jamb decal for his 2019 F-450 FX4 Platinum with a 4,726-pound payload capacity. He would also share his window sticker, further helping the OP move towards buying a new Super Duty.

Another decal picture from “jimbonnet” and his 2019 F-450 Lariat Ultimate reveals a figure of 4,831 pounds, all-but-removing the concern of the OP of being able to carry a 5,000-pound camper.

Legal Issues

During the discussion about the payload capacity of the 2019 Ford F-450 relative to how much it can actually carry in the real world, it became clear that the truck can easily haul more than the rating, but the OP wondered whether that would lead to any legal issues.

Having shared his input on the weight rating, “nuctrooper” offered some insight into the legalities of hauling too much weight.

Well, I’m certainly not qualified to give official legal advice, but will share my opinion. I believe in a “reasonable approach”. There is a lot of discussion on the forum about legal responsibility if overweight. But — I haven’t seen actual proof/direct stories about anyone being held additionally liable because they were reasonably overweight. A Tacoma hauling a 5th wheel is not reasonable. It will be obviously questoined, will draw additional scrutiny, and has real safety concerns. A modern 350/450 dually hauling a TC? Nobody will think twice, and there is no significant additional safety concern. If you saw my rig, you would never think “2,200lb overweight — criminal!”
This is of course for private truck / RV use, not commercial duty where scale weights can get you in trouble.
And, because it works for me, doesn’t make it right. The 450 is a beast, though, and won’t let you down.

Followed by “RubyRed350Platinum”, who had similar views.

I agree 100%. There is a lot of talk but no one can produce a single case where someone even got a ticket for being overweight. Yes it is possible that someone could go through the immense amount of trouble to verify you were “overweight” but in real life this is not going to happen.

And once again, if anyone can produce a non-commercial overweight ticket, or lawsuit that was brought to court, I would love to see it and research it.

In other words, if you are looking to haul a little more than the stated payload capacity, the 2019 Ford F-450 isnt likely to have a hard time within reason. As for the legal issues, it is a common conception that there could be stiff fines for hauling too much weight, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of a non-commercial driver being fined for overloading a truck.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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