What determines Capacity

[madtrucker2016]

I know there are a few states, like Florida, where you can be charged with a felony if you caused an injury accident while overloaded (payload). I've seen some pickups with unbelievable tow number ratings that would challenge the vehicle's payload numbers once the tongue/pin weight of the trailer was factored in.

So a truck with a stated tow number of 10,150 pounds is looking at a tongue weight between 1,000 and 1,300 pounds if the trailer is loaded properly. Add in the weight of the driver and other gear and the vehicle's payload is likely overwhelmed.

I look at the payload and tow numbers as a reference for making common-sense choices.

what about the load range with your tires thats a big thing also

 

[CYSTemrebel]

It is simple and easy to know if your truck is overloaded. You can read numbers but the feel of the load is another indicator, one that cannot be ignored. Load placement also has a big bearing on how the vehicle handles, and especially with how trailers "follow" and perform.

We hauled seven loads of hardwood last week on a lot clearing job, and stacking my load I computed 192 cubic feet which at a rough estimate of 50 pounds per cubic foot comes in at 9600 pounds. However, for example, Northern red oak weighs 64 pounds a cubic foot and all the wood was hardwood.

I have helper springs, load range E tires with 60 pounds of air in them, and they show a very slight bulge on the back tires. Truck goes down the road straight and true, no sways or instability on curves at speed limits.

My truck is a 2500 2008 hemi with stick 6 and I can manually change the ratios at will with a downshift or upshift. There is almost 320,000 km on the odometer and the only MAJOR repair was a complete front end renewal using aftermarket parts having grease nipples on them. I do not buy cheap crap parts either and this front end will last a long time with the capacity to amply lubricate unlike the stock front end.

You hobby truck owners(my term for those who delight in a spotless and immaculate truck) would wince at the places I go off road and the loads the truck carries/hauls but a load of 192 cubic feet hardwood I sell at $3.56 a cubic foot brings in $683.50 and we hauled three loads a day on that job. There are times we access our property to remove dead/diseased/dying trees and take out one a day but the amount even for that is nothing to sneeze at.

My truck more than pays its way and has for over 12 years.

As someone already pointed out, tires have a lot to do with capacity. Automatics are out for me, I would not have one for the applications I require. I know there are 8 speed automatics but I prefer the rugged standards though they are getting hard to come by. Yeah, I know transports have automatic transmissions and haul zillions of pounds but I will always prefer the ability to dial the power by a shift or two, custom tailored to conditions, load and road.

 

[CYSTemrebel]

...and I ALWAYS use dedicated WINTER tires in winter and dedicated summer tires in the summer. If I did not use winter tires I would be unable to access the off road places I do in winter.

 

[Kukailimoku]

manufacturers use the SAE J2807 standard to determine towing/hauling capacity. It's a bunch of tests on how fast a vehicle can repeatedly get a load moving up a hill, up to a certain speed, etc. without overheating or errors.
Lower gearing will get loads moving quicker due to the torque multiplication

wat he said

 

[BruceMorgan]

It is simple and easy to know if your truck is overloaded. You can read numbers but the feel of the load is another indicator, one that cannot be ignored. Load placement also has a big bearing on how the vehicle handles, and especially with how trailers "follow" and perform.

We hauled seven loads of hardwood last week on a lot clearing job, and stacking my load I computed 192 cubic feet which at a rough estimate of 50 pounds per cubic foot comes in at 9600 pounds. However, for example, Northern red oak weighs 64 pounds a cubic foot and all the wood was hardwood.

I have helper springs, load range E tires with 60 pounds of air in them, and they show a very slight bulge on the back tires. Truck goes down the road straight and true, no sways or instability on curves at speed limits.

My truck is a 2500 2008 hemi with stick 6 and I can manually change the ratios at will with a downshift or upshift. There is almost 320,000 km on the odometer and the only MAJOR repair was a complete front end renewal using aftermarket parts having grease nipples on them. I do not buy cheap crap parts either and this front end will last a long time with the capacity to amply lubricate unlike the stock front end.

You hobby truck owners(my term for those who delight in a spotless and immaculate truck) would wince at the places I go off road and the loads the truck carries/hauls but a load of 192 cubic feet hardwood I sell at $3.56 a cubic foot brings in $683.50 and we hauled three loads a day on that job. There are times we access our property to remove dead/diseased/dying trees and take out one a day but the amount even for that is nothing to sneeze at.

My truck more than pays its way and has for over 12 years.

As someone already pointed out, tires have a lot to do with capacity. Automatics are out for me, I would not have one for the applications I require. I know there are 8 speed automatics but I prefer the rugged standards though they are getting hard to come by. Yeah, I know transports have automatic transmissions and haul zillions of pounds but I will always prefer the ability to dial the power by a shift or two, custom tailored to conditions, load and road.

Good for you to make $2100 for a day of hard physical labor.

My city truck (my term for a truck that is mostly used in the city and highways, neither immaculate nor beat to ****) takes me to my office job. There I make money with keyboard and mouse, rather than an axe.

One approach is not inherently better or worse than the other.

 

[bdc2]

It is simple and easy to know if your truck is overloaded. You can read numbers but the feel of the load is another indicator, one that cannot be ignored. Load placement also has a big bearing on how the vehicle handles, and especially with how trailers "follow" and perform.

We hauled seven loads of hardwood last week on a lot clearing job, and stacking my load I computed 192 cubic feet which at a rough estimate of 50 pounds per cubic foot comes in at 9600 pounds. However, for example, Northern red oak weighs 64 pounds a cubic foot and all the wood was hardwood.

I have helper springs, load range E tires with 60 pounds of air in them, and they show a very slight bulge on the back tires. Truck goes down the road straight and true, no sways or instability on curves at speed limits.

My truck is a 2500 2008 hemi with stick 6 and I can manually change the ratios at will with a downshift or upshift. There is almost 320,000 km on the odometer and the only MAJOR repair was a complete front end renewal using aftermarket parts having grease nipples on them. I do not buy cheap crap parts either and this front end will last a long time with the capacity to amply lubricate unlike the stock front end.

You hobby truck owners(my term for those who delight in a spotless and immaculate truck) would wince at the places I go off road and the loads the truck carries/hauls but a load of 192 cubic feet hardwood I sell at $3.56 a cubic foot brings in $683.50 and we hauled three loads a day on that job. There are times we access our property to remove dead/diseased/dying trees and take out one a day but the amount even for that is nothing to sneeze at.

My truck more than pays its way and has for over 12 years.

As someone already pointed out, tires have a lot to do with capacity. Automatics are out for me, I would not have one for the applications I require. I know there are 8 speed automatics but I prefer the rugged standards though they are getting hard to come by. Yeah, I know transports have automatic transmissions and haul zillions of pounds but I will always prefer the ability to dial the power by a shift or two, custom tailored to conditions, load and road.

Wait I'm not following you.

 

[bobeast]

Changing equipment won't make the bureaucrats happy, either on this forum or at your insurance office. However from a practical standpoint, physics does not care one whit whether you installed the gearing, or some guy at the factory did so. There is not some magic that makes the factory truck any safer than a given after-purchase installation, assuming proper installation procedures were followed.

So when someone makes the blanket statement that changing gearing doesn't actually increase your truck's capacity, just remember, that what works at the factory also works out here in the real world. It just does. That said, you have to decide for yourself whether you are willing to risk running afoul of said bureaucrats.

 

[Frank4711]

payload ... if you can carry it you can tow it ... need real numbers from a scale ... later Frank

 

[scott lass 18]

I have a 2017 quad cab 4x4, 5.7 with 3:21 gears. Looking at the towing guide the max towing capacity is 8000. However the same truck with same transmission but with 3:92 gears has a max towing of 10150. How does gearing make it jump that much? My assume towing capacity was based on suspension and increased frame size. I am debating on installing 3:92 just for that extra capacity. Thoughts?

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

do a detroit truetrac and 3.92 u wont have any warranty on axle but bet be much happier mine tows great ! also if they have a recall on 3.21 junk spindle nut not done right too small anyway Dorman nut bigger and a flange on it too if one wants safety and something that works better think it would win in court just thinking ?

 

[tron67j]

There was a time not long ago when, for example, Ford would remove bumpers to falsely increase payloads. Thankfully these days are long gone since the acceptance of the J2807 standard. That is good news for us.

You may find this interesting, TFL spend sometime with RAM engineers on the test tracks going over some of the J2807 specifications and how they test.

After watching the video, it is much easier to understand why adding, for example, airbags, can't change the vehicle's payload and tow-weight numbers.

The airbag issue is one I see a lot of discussion about in this and other websites. Time and again I see good information about why airbags are not the answer to a unlevel truck with a trailer. This video is added to that list. My personal advice whenever asked is to go to a reputable hitch installer and have them properly set your vehicle up for towing the trailer you have (and stay at or under 20% of your tow vehicle's max specifications) because at the end of the day it is you, your family's and the driving public's safety riding on your hitch.

 

[CYSTemrebel]

Good for you to make $2100 for a day of hard physical labor.

My city truck (my term for a truck that is mostly used in the city and highways, neither immaculate nor beat to ****) takes me to my office job. There I make money with keyboard and mouse, rather than an axe.

One approach is not inherently better or worse than the other.

...except my truck is a tool without which I could not earn money the way I do.

I recall clearly when I worked for a construction company in 1981 walking into the work trailer where we all ate at noon. A guy strode in and sat down quite abruptly and he was irritated about something. His first name was Richard and he drove a Ford half ton. He had been talking about buying a new one several days previous and it did not take long for him to engage in discussion with some rural guys who were part time farmers but worked as carpenters for that company. Apparently he had been out looking at new ones but was floored at the current prices. He blamed the big demand by people who "did not need a truck" but bought them to join the fad. He was hostile as were a few others in the trailer who also joined the discussion.

My truck is a regular cab but most buy trucks capable of carrying passengers. I now see the envirowhackos are freaking because people in eastern "Canuckistan" are NOT buying electric cars or small fuel efficient compacts but there is a trend towards full sized trucks. The objective? It appears to be for better protection in case of a mishap and that is a real good reason to get one. It fit into my situation as I use my truck for vacations every year for at least a month and at times two.

I got a good idea of how tinny a Minnie van is. (NIssan) One of my employees turned left with a one ton towing a trailered stump grinder and a young gal slammed into the trailer totalling her mini van but only doing $300.00 damage to the trailer. I told the policeman they make crap cars anymore and he said they are designed to fall apart to absorb impact. Had to go to court to challenge the "at fault" charge and beat it based on the reality the other driver admitted she had seen the truck but not the trailer which was carrying an almost two ton bright yellow stump grinder.

So the protection thing is a valid reason to get a larger vehicle.

 

[BruceMorgan]

So the protection thing is a valid reason to get a larger vehicle.

What is your point? That too many people get trucks for reasons that you consider invalid? As the meme goes, you are not my supervisor.

You had your whole “hobby truck” thread to grind your axe against truck posers. No need to rehash it here.

And those are crumple zones, not a sign of being poorly built. I’m sure you know that but you want to make your point anyway.

The passenger capsule is far more important than some sheet metal. And once the airbags deploy, the vehicle is a huge step closer to a total due to repair costs. I don’t care as long as my loved ones are safe.

 

[dhay13]

Did I 'NEED' a 2500 to tow my boat? No. My 1500 got the job done. But I wasn't legal. I had a good friend and 2 of his 3 triplets killed by an improperly attached trailer. Not the same as we are talking about here but nonetheless I don't ever want to be in a situation where I might hurt someone else due to my negligence and not risking everything I have worked hard to get. I'm also picky about my vehicles. Mine do not go off-road unless they have to and I keep it clean, inside and out. That doesn't make my needs any less important than anyone elses.

 

[Pttrader]

Forget towing 10,000#s. After towing a 8400# travel trailer with my old 1500 I found out that it is limited by it's payload.

When I experienced sway going down some 6% hills. I played with the hitch setup, but it was increasing the hitch weight to 15% minimum (Loading the front Compartment of Travel Trailer) that made all the difference. I was then able to go down those same hills and have semi trucks pass me without having any sway.

Take an 8000# trailer at 15% and that's 1200# on the hitch, add the driver, the hitch weight and you max out your payload rating. So much for the wife, kids, or the stuff in the box with a 1480# payload...
With that in mind if you go to 3:92's your truck will pull an 8000# trailer easier, maintain higher gears towing and give you better gas mileage.

I moved up to a 2500 and now I have plenty of payload capacity...

 

[dhay13]

Yes but upgrading to 3.92s will not change payload.

 

[gofishn]

...except my truck is a tool without which I could not earn money the way I do.

I recall clearly when I worked for a construction company in 1981 walking into the work trailer where we all ate at noon. A guy strode in and sat down quite abruptly and he was irritated about something. His first name was Richard and he drove a Ford half ton. He had been talking about buying a new one several days previous and it did not take long for him to engage in discussion with some rural guys who were part time farmers but worked as carpenters for that company. Apparently he had been out looking at new ones but was floored at the current prices. He blamed the big demand by people who "did not need a truck" but bought them to join the fad. He was hostile as were a few others in the trailer who also joined the discussion.

My truck is a regular cab but most buy trucks capable of carrying passengers. I now see the envirowhackos are freaking because people in eastern "Canuckistan" are NOT buying electric cars or small fuel efficient compacts but there is a trend towards full sized trucks. The objective? It appears to be for better protection in case of a mishap and that is a real good reason to get one. It fit into my situation as I use my truck for vacations every year for at least a month and at times two.

I got a good idea of how tinny a Minnie van is. (NIssan) One of my employees turned left with a one ton towing a trailered stump grinder and a young gal slammed into the trailer totalling her mini van but only doing $300.00 damage to the trailer. I told the policeman they make crap cars anymore and he said they are designed to fall apart to absorb impact. Had to go to court to challenge the "at fault" charge and beat it based on the reality the other driver admitted she had seen the truck but not the trailer which was carrying an almost two ton bright yellow stump grinder.

So the protection thing is a valid reason to get a larger vehicle.

The SINGLE greatest thing about this forum is one can employ the Ignore Feature for those who insult when they Pontificate.

If only life had a Ignore Feature.

 

[CaptOchs]

Dont forget bed size, cab type, and transmission too. Those are all factors.

Personal experience is anything 70% (empty) or less of tow capacity is pretty smooth sailing. I had an Expedition that was 82% of capacity and the trailer was really too much for it. It did the job, but I wouldn't go further than 200 miles. Also had to keep speed reasonable. Trailer is 7,000 lbs empty, RAM is 10k with 3.92 gears.

https://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/