F-150 payload

[steve dunham]

The way it was explained to me is that the payload shown on your vehicle sticker is your payload limit
If you modify your vehicle ( leaf springs , air bags , sumo springs etc etc) your payload is still the payload # shown on the vehicle sticker
You can improve your vehicles handling but you cannot improve / change the payload limit
Tin stated it correctly in regards to payload and the differences between a 1/2 , 3/4 , 1 ton trucks .
The rules for payload do not just apply to Ford as some would lead us to believe. I know for my Ram 1500 the rules are exactly the same !

[Tin]

Payload = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and subtracting the truck’s curb weight from that figure.
The Yellow sticker on your door jam represents this calculation as it leaves the factory. Anything your dealer adds or you add increases the trucks curb weight there for decreasing the available payload of your truck.

Your trucks Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) does not change

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

... the only difference between an F250 and an F350, the F350 having a greater cargo capacity, is the addition of one more leaf (spring) in the rear suspension.

While this may or may not be true (depending on year, and on other options), I'll note that this is comparing two variants of the same series of truck, the Ford F-SuperDuty, only the two most similar variants, and only the single-rear-wheel F-350.

Originally Posted by Tin

... the difference between a 150 to 250 and 350 is much much more than than a leaf spring.

Yes, but the F-150 is a completely separate vehicle from the F-SuperDuty (F-250 and up); that would be why Carl didn't include the F-150 in his comparison.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

In reality, the only difference between an F250 and an F350, the F350 having a greater cargo capacity, is the addition of one more leaf (spring) in the rear suspension...

If that is true, it implies that every other component of the F-250 which limits the GVWR is already strong enough to meet the requirements of the F-350's GVWR. Obviously, there will significant limits on that.

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

...the cargo capacity of any F150 can be increased by alterations to the rear suspension (helper springs, Roadmaster Active Suspension).
...
One really does not need to spend thousands of dollars upgrading an F150 to a beefier truck to safely tow a 5.0TA and carry additional equipment.

Originally Posted by Chotch

You can upgrade your payload in any number of ways from Timbren or Sumo poly springs, airbags, adding to or replacing the leaf springs right up to complete replacement of rear suspension with an air ride set up.

While stiffer springs can certainly help the ability of a vehicle to handle loads within its rating well, it does not change the rating. The capacity of the truck is limited by many components, not just the springs.

If you put the springs from a gravel truck on an F-150, would it be able to handle 20 tons of cargo? Of course not, and no one is suggesting that... but where is the limit? How would anyone outside of Ford's engineering department know?

Originally Posted by Chotch

As long as wheels and tires match your up grade your good to go.

Sure... if you really meant the wheels, tires, axle, brakes, frame, and probably some components that I have forgotten.

Originally Posted by Chotch

Unless you find yourself in a situation where you have to be weighed.😫
Not sure how often that happens towing a camper.

I don't know how often, either, but I have heard reports of British Columbia's CVSE running checks on recreational rigs.

[SFDavis50]

You are not LEGALLY increasing the payload of your vehicle but you are increasing the safety and handling factor by adding SUMO Springs or other air bags. Also on a 5.0TA you can decrease the pin weight by emptying the black tank, (and grey) filling the fresh tank, moving heavy cargo out of the front storage areas and putting them behind the axles, using only one propane tank, adding a bicycle rack or cargo box to the back of the trailer. As long as you aren't hauling lead or gold bars you probably can't make the pin weight so light that the trailer becomes dangerous. A fifth wheel design which puts the pin weight on or just ahead of the axle is inherently more stable and aerodynamic than a bumper pull. If you want a 5.0TA and your sticker says your 1/2 ton truck only has 1200 to 1350 Lbs. cargo capacity go ahead and get the 5.0TA and just be careful what you are hauling. Also, the towing and cargo capacity figures also assume a worst case, ie... hauling the payload plus the "fudge factor" up Colorado I 70 to the Eisenhower tunnel and then down into Silverthorne while maintaining a speed of 65 mph, followed by driving over some serious bumpy roads. They closely monitor the handling, anti sway, breaking including emergency braking and monitor the short and long term wear and come up with a very safe number which can last for a long life. There is a lot of fudge in those numbers. The max numbers are not based on I 70 eastbound thru Kansas or I 95 to Florida.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by SFDavis50

You are not LEGALLY increasing the payload of your vehicle but you are increasing the safety and handling factor by adding SUMO Springs or other air bags. Also on a 5.0TA you can decrease the pin weight by emptying the black tank, (and grey) filling the fresh tank, moving heavy cargo out of the front storage areas and putting them behind the axles, using only one propane tank, adding a bicycle rack or cargo box to the back of the trailer. As long as you aren't hauling lead or gold bars you probably can't make the pin weight so light that the trailer becomes dangerous. A fifth wheel design which puts the pin weight on or just ahead of the axle is inherently more stable and aerodynamic than a bumper pull. If you want a 5.0TA and your sticker says your 1/2 ton truck only has 1200 to 1350 Lbs. cargo capacity go ahead and get the 5.0TA and just be careful what you are hauling. Also, the towing and cargo capacity figures also assume a worst case, ie... hauling the payload plus the "fudge factor" up Colorado I 70 to the Eisenhower tunnel and then down into Silverthorne while maintaining a speed of 65 mph, followed by driving over some serious bumpy roads. They closely monitor the handling, anti sway, breaking including emergency braking and monitor the short and long term wear and come up with a very safe number which can last for a long life. There is a lot of fudge in those numbers. The max numbers are not based on I 70 eastbound thru Kansas or I 95 to Florida.

I did not mean to create a “fecal material storm” with my post regarding the differences between the F250 and F350, and even the F150, but what I stated about the number of leafs in the spring assembly is true.
Steve stated my point of view better than me. Years ago (early 1980s) I had to move a bunch of sand from my house to a neighbors house about 1/2 miles down a rural road. We shoveled the sand into the bed of a Toyota pickup to the point that the springs were compressed and the front wheels were barely touching the ground. Handling was a bit squirrelly but the speed was kept under 10 mph. Was it legal in terms of cargo capacity? Doubtful. Was it safe? Neither I nor my passenger were ever in danger. Could the truck have been damaged? Yes, it could have been but it wasn’t.
Knowing engineers, I doubt that those at Ford who determined the formula for rating payload capacity reached a consensus. And I would bet money that the legal staff (lawyers seem to think they are engineers, doctors, nurses, coffee baristas, etc.) played a big role in setting the numbers.
Steve really hit the nail on the head. Towing a 5.0TA with an F150 does not constitute a road hazard. Perhaps if one were going to enter the combination in the Baja Endurance Event it might. But as Brian so aptly put it, nobody is going to put springs from a dump truck on an F150 and expect it to haul 10 tons of gravel. We are not talking a 40-foot 5th Wheel here, we are talking about a pinweight typically in the range of 700 to 750 lbs. Fully loaded, my pinweight is 722 lbs, based on a certified scale weight. Even with a cargo bed tool box and accessories in the back seat, I am still below the max cargo weight rating of my F150, and it does not have the added payload option.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by SFDavis50

You are not LEGALLY increasing the payload of your vehicle but you are increasing the safety and handling factor by adding SUMO Springs or other air bags. Also on a 5.0TA you can decrease the pin weight by emptying the black tank, (and grey) filling the fresh tank, moving heavy cargo out of the front storage areas and putting them behind the axles, using only one propane tank, adding a bicycle rack or cargo box to the back of the trailer. As long as you aren't hauling lead or gold bars you probably can't make the pin weight so light that the trailer becomes dangerous. A fifth wheel design which puts the pin weight on or just ahead of the axle is inherently more stable and aerodynamic than a bumper pull. If you want a 5.0TA and your sticker says your 1/2 ton truck only has 1200 to 1350 Lbs. cargo capacity go ahead and get the 5.0TA and just be careful what you are hauling. Also, the towing and cargo capacity figures also assume a worst case, ie... hauling the payload plus the "fudge factor" up Colorado I 70 to the Eisenhower tunnel and then down into Silverthorne while maintaining a speed of 65 mph, followed by driving over some serious bumpy roads. They closely monitor the handling, anti sway, breaking including emergency braking and monitor the short and long term wear and come up with a very safe number which can last for a long life. There is a lot of fudge in those numbers. The max numbers are not based on I 70 eastbound thru Kansas or I 95 to Florida.

AMEN! 5.0TA and Toyota Tundra Dbl Cab 4x4 1/2 ton no mods works just fine for me! Be careful about what you bring and where you put it. Keep it simple, lightweight camper and you are CAMPING....