Known facts:
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| 1979 F350 Flatbed with duals
| 351m engine
| Built at Norfolk
| VIN: F37HNFA0340
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Can anyone help me at least estimate the GVW of my old truck?

I've never actually seen the VIN of this truck, and have relied on the old registration which shows: F37HNFA0340 (That is where some of the info above comes from).
(Does the 7 in F37 mean anything special? The decoder just says F37 indicates the series)

The Rating tag on the driver door is off a 1976 1/2 ton F150 so no help.

I understand the VIN is stamped into the frame on front right frame rail (on top) and maybe midway about where the passenger seat is. However I've not seen either of those. And have had no occasion to expose those areas.

I'm guessing there would not have been a whole lot of different GVW ratings for flatbeds with duals for 1979, and hoped that some experienced Ford person here could make a close guess or maybe coach me about how to determine the GVW.

I wasn't real sure how to obtain an accurate wheel base, or if that would even be helpful, but it appears to be short compared to a 1983 Ford F350 Flatbed I had some years ago.
(Is it just measured from axle center line to axle center line?)

 

F37 designates that it is originally a cab and chassis.

You would need to know the chassis code to get the exact GVW. There were 7 different GVW's for an F37 model, 8600, 8800, 8900, 9000, 9100, 9500 and 10,000.

WB is measured center to center of axles.

 

It's probably 10,000lbs.

Every F350 cab-and-chassis truck that was a factory dually, that I've seen, always had a 10,000 GVW, regardless of engine size.

F350s had a front GAWR of about 3500 to about 3800 lbs, and with the dual rear wheels the rear Dana 70 axle has a 7400 lbs GAWR, add those two and you have way over 10,000lbs of GVW.

For a cab-and-chassis truck, the wheelbase was either 131 or 161". The short 131" wb trucks carried like a tow truck boom body, or a short 9ft flatbed. The long 161" wb trucks carried a long 10-12ft flatbed or maybe a service body of some sort.

Either way, that truck can safely carry about a 5000lb payload.

One time I saw a 70's F350 plumber's truck with a service body full of fittings and pipe, that hit the scales at over 14,000lbs! And it pulled a trailer too. Not the safest thing to do, but the guy drove it around for years.

 

I've got a '96 F350 with a service body, autocrane, compressor and welder that when its loaded with my tools tips the scales at 14,000lbs. I pull a trailer with it a LOT. And not a lightly loaded trailer either, I haul full size cars, small farm tractors and pickups on my flatbed car trailer and occasionally hook up to s 3 horse slant trailer and haul a few head of cattle. I maintain the truck and trailer so I know mechanically its all working safely. Granted its probably not the safest setup but, it works..............and I know how to handle it, I have driven semis for a living in the past, so I know how to handle a loaded truck. Ive also got a 95 Class C motorhome on an E350 chassis. It too tips the scale at 14,000............When I was showing cars a lot, I regularly pulled a 4000lb 22' enclosed trailer with a 3500lb Nova and a 700lb Harley in it. Just sayin......................BTW the F350 is a 7.3 Powerstroke and the Motorhome is a 460.......Both bone stock.

 

The GVW is stamped on the 2nd line of the Warranty Plate, which is located on the left door face below the latch.

The front/rear GVW's are listed on the white Safety Standards Certification Label, glued onto the B piller (striker plate door post).

The MODEL code is listed on the 2nd line of the Warranty Plate, when decoded, the GVW is known.

There are 7 possible MODEL codes for 1979 F350 2WD Cab & Chassis (as listed in the truck parts catalog), ranging from 8,600 to 10,000 lbs. GVW.

There is 1 MODEL code for a 1979 F350 Cab & Chassis w/4WD: F380 = 8,550 lbs. GVW.

 

First off, thanks to you NumberDummy, ranger429, DL1221 and 78 PEB for the helpful input...

You might have missed the part in my original post where I mentioned the Driver side door is off a 1976 F100 so not the original door, so the Warranty plate is worthless.

The part you mention about a Safety Certifications label being glued to the B post, now that would be part of the Cab frame right? Not part of the door? And what I see there does not appear to mention anything about GVW.

What it does is list a number of standards that the Cab conforms to and a number of standards the Vehicle conforms to. Of those pertaining to vehicle, I can read only a few:
108, 171, 120 and 210 (there are at least 3 more). But these are the standards it conforms to, not weight listings.

NumberDummy, could it be that the standards referenced there would contain front and rear axle weight ratings?

But, of course, in this case the Warranty Plate is off a 1976 Ford F100.

Does the 7 in the first 3 Characters of the VIN 'F37' Tell anything in particular?

Mine is 2wd.

The wheel base appears to be 136 inches... but was taken very inaccurately. I just laid a tape beside it on the ground and 'eyeballed' the axle center lines. So its probably the 131 inch that `DL1221 mentioned.

It has a 9 foot bed. If the short wheel base models could be tricked out with Tow truck boom body... I'm guessing it would fall in the 10,000 lb GVW class.

Do all of you agree, that best guess would be the 10,000 lb class?

 

One way that folks may be able to help you get an accurate GVW would be to count the number of leaves in the rear springs. Then they would be able to compare it with their trucks. Or, you could go to an online autoparts source such as Rock Auto and research it yourself....................If I had any 1 ton dents around, I'd try to help you out with the comparison method. But I haven't been around any 1 ton dents in years.................

 

The Safety Standards Certification Label was first used in 1970. 1970/80 All Series Trucks, Bronco's & Econolines: It has the production date, the VIN, GVW's, front/rear GVW's and some have the tire sizes/load rates printed on them.

This label is plastic, white in color and was glued to the B pillar aka door post, where the striker plate is located. The A pillar is the windshield post. If a Crew Cab, the C pillar is where the striker plate is located for the rear doors.

VIN SERIES code first three digits: F37: F Series Truck; 3 = F350; 7 = Regular/Crew Cab Chassis & Cab 2WD // F36 = F350 Regular/Crew Cab Pickup 2WD / 1979: F38 = F350 Regular/Crew Cab Chassis & Cab 4WD.

X36 = F350 Super Cab Pickup 2WD / X37 = F350 Super Cab Chassis & Cab 2WD / 1979: X38 = F350 Super Cab Chassis & Cab 4WD.

1979 was the first year F350's were available with 4WD.

 

Here's a pic of my 2wd F350 crew cab DRW that was a cab and chassis....it's 10,000 GVW and looks like there are 10 leaves in back. Pic taken a couple months ago so I didn't go out and look (in case the pic is misleading.)

Dan