Determining Payload
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Pittsburgh
Determining Payload
I was on a fishing forum i belong to and they have a towing and trailer section , Mainly about boats of course. But one guy posted he uses his axles ratings to determine how much his payload actually is. So looking at my truck the GVWR is 7200 Lbs but the front axle is rated to 3750 Lbs and the rear is 3850 Lbs so the total is 7600. And according to the PA registration my unladen weight is 4150 ? So how does this get to my payload of 1298 Lbs ? not looking for absolute answer just more curious .
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Your registration weight is wrong.....it's way off! 7200 minus 1298 = approx. 5900 lbs....give or take a couple. Your truck weight, as it was built was 5900 lbs. and that includes a full tank of fuel and an allowance for a 150 lb driver. Anything and everything that has been added to the truck.....tool box, bed cover, etc, is then deducted from the 1298 number.....if anything additional has been added.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Pittsburgh
I know that those things affect it It was more of a thought about why the difference between the GVWR of 7200 and the axles being rated to 7600. I`m not going to try and overload the truck . And 150 for the driver seems low . Just curious how they come up with these numbers especially the State with the unladen numbers. Thanks for replying
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I have no idea where the states come up with their numbers, but they, like advertisement brochures that state "maximum payload xxxx lbs", mean absoutely nothing unless you just bought the stripped completely down, regular cab, 2WD, XL, with a gas motor and crank down windows......then you might be pretty close to those numbers. Recent model years of the Fords (and maybe other brands), don't even include the driver weight against the payload. So the truck coming off the line and a full tank of fuel.....is it! GVWR minus the truck as built, and with a full tank. Still the same rules though....anything and everything that goes in or on after the build is counted again the available payload numbers.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Pittsburgh
They probably dropped the weight of the driver because there isn`t a whole lot of people at 150 anymore . Since i retired i`m close to 230
. I `m pretty sure the Coast Guard changed the rating for boats from 150 to 180 because of people getting larger.
. I `m pretty sure the Coast Guard changed the rating for boats from 150 to 180 because of people getting larger.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
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From: Wyoming
Just because your axle is rated for more than your cargo capacity would indicate doesn't mean that the rest of the truck is up to that much weight. Leaf springs, shackles and brackets are taken into consideration when calculating cargo capacity. I've broken a leaf spring bracket due to too much weight. You don't want that.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Pittsburgh
Payload
I`m am not looking to overload my truck. I was just curious about how the payload rating was determined. Usually when i tow the travel trailer its just me in the truck and fishing gear / tools . I have seen my buddy overload his 96 F150 with shale and break the springs . No way do i want that on the back roads i usually travel. Again just posted this out of curiosity and thanks for the input
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
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From: Wyoming
I'm not going to give you a rose-colored-glasses type answer. Unlike others who say an F-250 (or whatever) will tow anything, I'm going to be the pessimistic voice of caution. I would rather see someone not buy as big a trailer and have a great experience rather than buy too much trailer and have a lousy experience.
A general rule of thumb of keeping the trailer below 80% of the the truck's capacity has been floated out "there" for a long time. It's a decent measure to provide to folks that are new to towing. Towing at 100% on the farm is one thing, but towing at max capacity across the country is a different matter.
A general rule of thumb of keeping the trailer below 80% of the the truck's capacity has been floated out "there" for a long time. It's a decent measure to provide to folks that are new to towing. Towing at 100% on the farm is one thing, but towing at max capacity across the country is a different matter.
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Joined: Nov 2010
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I'm not going to give you a rose-colored-glasses type answer. Unlike others who say an F-250 (or whatever) will tow anything, I'm going to be the pessimistic voice of caution. I would rather see someone not buy as big a trailer and have a great experience rather than buy too much trailer and have a lousy experience.
A general rule of thumb of keeping the trailer below 80% of the the truck's capacity has been floated out "there" for a long time. It's a decent measure to provide to folks that are new to towing. Towing at 100% on the farm is one thing, but towing at max capacity across the country is a different matter.
A general rule of thumb of keeping the trailer below 80% of the the truck's capacity has been floated out "there" for a long time. It's a decent measure to provide to folks that are new to towing. Towing at 100% on the farm is one thing, but towing at max capacity across the country is a different matter.
Moderator
Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Sioux Falls Area
The correct technical answer to your question is to fill up the truck with gas, and drive it across the scale. subtract that number from 7200 and that is your payload capacity.
you can go up to 7200lbs so long as the weight on your rear axle doesnt exceed 3850 and the front axle doesnt exceed 3750
the 1298lbs on your sticker comes from the known weights of your truck with all the options your truck came with. it is not going to be 100% accurate, but it is going to be really darn close, and IMO, is good enough to go by.
1298lbs is a very low payload capacity.... which is a result of all the options that come on the FX4 trim.
you can go up to 7200lbs so long as the weight on your rear axle doesnt exceed 3850 and the front axle doesnt exceed 3750
the 1298lbs on your sticker comes from the known weights of your truck with all the options your truck came with. it is not going to be 100% accurate, but it is going to be really darn close, and IMO, is good enough to go by.
1298lbs is a very low payload capacity.... which is a result of all the options that come on the FX4 trim.
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: Pittsburgh
Mike ; I know i need to weigh the truck and trailer but i`m not worrying about be over the limits on either because of how i travel, Like i mention in some other post i bought this trailer to get out of tent camping. I intend to stay within a 200 mile radius of home. I started this thread just to based on what i read on another forum . The way this summer is going i`ll be lucky if i take it out at all.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2010
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Your GVWR will always be a little under the sum of your GAWRs. It is a safety margin. It would be highly likely that if you loaded your truck up to the sum of your GAWRs, one of your axles would be over weight.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Pittsburgh
Payload
So if i was willing to spend the money( which i`m not) theoretically i could get all the components ( axles , springs and so forth ) to give a truck higher payload ? I would just buy another truck if i needed more payload but i am always curious about these things. I wish i had known about the payload ratings before i might have bought a different truck.
Moderator
Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Sioux Falls Area
Not really.
upgrading all of those components will make it handle the weight better, but nothing will increase your payload because it is dictated by the GVWR and the curb weight of the truck. The only 2 ways to increase your payload from the factory rating is to reduce the curb weight, or raise the GVWR. Raising the GVWR is possible for certain commercial vehicles and specialty vehicles, but i don't think it is a service available to the masses.
In my state, if you add an axle to a vehicle (think Straight truck, or Semi truck, not pickup), you can register it for a higher GVWR, but that is for Farm and Commercial. on those vehicles, GVWR is taken very seriously and you DON'T want to exceed it, but then again it is usually based off the tire footprint on all of the axle groups since the total weight (GVWR) on these vehicles are dictated by the pounds per inch of width for a given tire.
upgrading all of those components will make it handle the weight better, but nothing will increase your payload because it is dictated by the GVWR and the curb weight of the truck. The only 2 ways to increase your payload from the factory rating is to reduce the curb weight, or raise the GVWR. Raising the GVWR is possible for certain commercial vehicles and specialty vehicles, but i don't think it is a service available to the masses.
In my state, if you add an axle to a vehicle (think Straight truck, or Semi truck, not pickup), you can register it for a higher GVWR, but that is for Farm and Commercial. on those vehicles, GVWR is taken very seriously and you DON'T want to exceed it, but then again it is usually based off the tire footprint on all of the axle groups since the total weight (GVWR) on these vehicles are dictated by the pounds per inch of width for a given tire.