I have an 86 F-150 5.0 EFI,AOD,3.55 open rearend, short box. The GVWR on the door is only 4800 pounds. I drive a astro van for work and it has a GVWR of 5600 pounds. I realize that different makes may have different ways of determining GVWR but I find it hard to belive a full size truck has a lower rating than a midsize van. I have to think that 4800 is about as low as you could get in a full size truck and there are half ton models that go up to 6000 and 7000 pounds. I know a set of helper springs would help to haul the load but it will not bring up the GVWR, so how do other half tons get higher ratings? Thanks, Dan

 

It is a combo of many things. Things that affect the ratings are

frame, brakes, axle ratio, wheel bearings, springs, axle strength, shock, tires, rims, drive train, cooling capacity and I am sure I missed a few.

Helper springs can help you think that the load is OK, but it does not affect the rest of the items mentioned.

Basically the weight rating is set up to assure safety, durability and performance. When you go over the rating you will compromise at least one or more systems. In most states you will also be breaking the law.

To upgrade your rating you would need to get higher rated components installed for all the systems mentioned. I don't know if this will change the legal status though.

A truck that is overstressed can be no fun to drive with a load and can be dangerous in many cases. You may not notice a problem until you get into a panic situation and then it is too late.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Are you sure they didn't put a Ranger GVWR plate on there by mistake? My 1994 F-150 regular cab 4x4 is rated at 6250. Frame, springs, axles, brakes, tires and wheels are all part of the rating. Engine, transmission and gearing relate more to GCWR for towing.

Politics are also part of it. Different states tax trucks based on different wieght ratings. California fees are based on unladen weight. Over 8500 GVWR exempts air-bag and some emissions requirements. Some states allow an under 6000 GVWR to be licensed as a passenger car. Fleets can order vehicles under-rated for such reasons. Maybe yours was one of them.

Jim

 

Thanks for the feedback. I know I can't really change the GVWR but it seems strange to me that on a half ton truck you could do anything other than springs and maybe wheels and tires to make the rating higher. As the second post jimandmandy stated other than being 8 years newer and a 4x4 how do they manage 1400 pounds difference between the trucks? It is not really a problem but as I have been reading posts on FTE and learning more about the different classifications and recommendations this is a question I wanted to ask. My truck does fine for what I need hauling the trash, going to Lowes or Home Depot or pulling my 5x10 utility trailer but I was thinking of getting a travel trailer and that got me looking at the GVWR and GCWR ratings. The GCWR rating according to my owners manual is 11,500 with my set up so that means I could pull a 6700 pound trailer, technicaly. But having pulled a 5000 pound twin axle trailer with a 66 mustang on it, I think it would be a struggle to even that much in hilly terrain. My Durango has a 6050 GVWR and it can't weigh much more than my truck but I does have the 5.9L and much more power. Again, thanks for the input guys, just want more knowledge thats all. Dan

 

You can not automaticly assume your truck is equipped to pull the higher GCWR weights as listed in your owners guide. If you read a page or two before the Trailer towing guides you will see that Ford states: "Super cooling is required for trailers over 2,000 lbs." in other words if you do not have the cooling package you are limited to a 2,000 lb. trailer or less for your 302 automatic with 3.55 gears.
The manual then goes on to state: "Super Cooling and Handling/Suspension
Package are required for trailers over 3,500 lbs.
Ford also derates your GCWR by 2% for every additional 1,000 ft. of altitude change...example: if you tow to 5,000 ft elevation you need to derate by 10%.
As you can see there are a LOT of things that determine what your safe GCWR really is (go back and re-read Jim Hendersons posting). Good luck and "more knowledge" never hurt anybody. Deen

 

I definitly would add a tranny cooler and an anti-sway bar if I was planning to tow that weight all the time, actually I would probobly get another truck F-250 or up. I think when the time comes for the trailer it will be 4000 lbs. GVWR or less and I will still do the above upgrades. I plan on heavy duty shocks in the near future and I already have Dunlop "C" rated allterrain tires on it. I did not buy them for the weight rating but because they served the purpose I needed. Thanks for the info. Dan

 

I realize that the GVWR is effectively the weakest link of a number of factors. Is it possible to learn which is the determining factor for a particular truck? In other words, if my springs are the limiting factor, I could upgrade them up to the rating of my axle; but if my frame is the limiting factor (seems unlikely), then there would be no "upgrade path".

MrBSS

 

As I mentioned in a previous posting, lots of things can affect the GVWR. The most common things that can change it and which you can easily upgrade are springs, cooling system, engine, tires and wheels. More difficult is the tranny, axle, brakes(not talking better pads here) and frame.

To know what your weakest link is, you need to get your vin and either use the owners manual or post some questions to determine what you have. The vin will tell you a lot about your truck. There are a lot of combinations and GVWRs in the manual so there is no pat answer. Only the one big answer, ie GVWR is the key for most of us. The tire is easy, just read the sidewall and it will tell you maximum load. The wheel I am not sure how to figure out other than posting, or maybe it is stamped on.

The biggest problem is that when Ford(or anyone) built your truck, they built it to match a certain GVWR, so they probably used several systems with that rating. Very likely one of the systems will be difficult or expensive to upgrade. For example if your axle is rated for XYZ, then probably the brakes, tires and wheels are also. While it is easy to change(not necessarily cheap) the tires and wheels, the axle and brakes may require a complet swap and may affect the entire braking system. You will either spend a fair chunk of change or get into a rat's nest of never ending mods.

In short, you probably can upgrade your truck. But it may get expensive and may affect multiple systems. Not a fun task unless you are handy with tools and like swapping and UNDERSTANDING the reasoning behind the parts you are exchanging.

I am by no means an expert, so you can take my advice with a grain of salt. But IMHO this is not a task to be done by the casual mechanic and without a good understanding of why you are doing it.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

 

Ihave a 1960 ford f 500, can anyone give me the approx GVWR on this thing???????

 

You'd be best off starting your own thread rather than "hyjacking" a 7 year old post

 

Please EXCUSE ME I am new here,YOU didn't have to be a SMART ***!!!!

 

Sorry I got off on your wrong foot, but if anyone has an intelligent answer I will be thankfull..........

 

Uhm... that's a common forum thing. People don't look at ancient posts usually. If you started a new one with the title of your question you'd get better responces faster. It wasn't a smart *** responce, it was a piece of advice.

 

As someone else noted, you should probably start a new thread. I'd suggest you might get more informed answers in another forum:

1948 - 1960 F1, F100 And Larger F-Series Trucks

Expertise on these older trucks is limited, and I think you will find a more knowledgeable audience in that forum. The other two things to consider are (1) is there a stamped plate in your door jamb or engine compartment which lists the GVWR? Or (2) is it listed on your vehicle registration?

Good luck,
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