Payload Capacity: C'mon, is it REALLY Important?

[NMMIKE]

How in the world do you know East Texas Big Thicket living in the 50's/60's so accurately? ??

My grandpa and daddy were preachers though. So it was uncles and neighbors drinking the Falstaf. ?

Seriously though (kinda. I can't do real serious very well) I actually do tow/haul pretty consistently. Multiple RV's and various trucks. I know what you are getting at. I'm just saying that for ME personally, if I can get the weight balanced and distributed properly, I absolutely have and will cross that stamped number, if you know what I mean. Probably not for some interstate or cross country jaunt, but for a weekend at the beach or lake?

(Isn’t likely to happen these days though since I recently added a ~5000# Payload F350 to the family fleet)

I graduated Robert E Lee H.S. 69, UT 75. I heard about U East Texas Cowboys!

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[Tank]

Yes its important....read up on SAEJ2807, and how the tests are performed...
If they fail ANY part of the test, they reduce some weight and run the test again...and rinse repeat until it passes...

So, if you have a low Payload and Tow rating, then that means your truck FAILED at a higher weight...

 

[Groovicles]

I've seen a lot of discussion and debate regarding payload/towing capacities on this forum, so this may tickle some curious responses...

[All photo credits go to eBAUM'S World ( https://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/20-photos-of-absolutely-overloaded-pickup-trucks/87704108/ ) and Pinterest]

These look all up to spec

 

[FirstFord]

At my present age, I'm a little embarrassed to admit how often I overloaded my trucks in years past - the one saving grace was that it was never for great distances - pretty short trips. My '74 Chevy 1/2 ton was a beater, and I regularly overloaded it, but once seriously so - I had a full bucket of gravel dumped into the bed. I was ignorant as to how much weight I was really taking on. The tires were bulging, the rear springs were sitting on the snubbers, and the front end was high enough that the tires had no real traction. While transporting the gravel to its destination, if I needed to course-correct with a turn, I had to let off the gas to let enough weight transfer to take place that the front tires would get enough traction to actually work. Thankfully, it was a fairly short distance, but still... Another tale of being young and stupid!

 

[Snakebitten]

Yes its important....read up on SAEJ2807, and how the tests are performed...
If they fail ANY part of the test, they reduce some weight and run the test again...and rinse repeat until it passes...

So, if you have a low Payload and Tow rating, then that means your truck FAILED at a higher weight...

Exactly.
So if one extra fat uncle got in the back seat, my tires didn't blow out. My axles didn't break.

But I might need to start slowing down about 5' sooner from 20mph. ?

I'm just making the point that the actual number on the door jamb is in fact the number that = those standards like you posted.

 

[Davexxxx]

At my present age, I'm a little embarrassed to admit how often I overloaded my trucks in years past - the one saving grace was that it was never for great distances - pretty short trips. My '74 Chevy 1/2 ton was a beater, and I regularly overloaded it, but once seriously so - I had a full bucket of gravel dumped into the bed. I was ignorant as to how much weight I was really taking on. The tires were bulging, the rear springs were sitting on the snubbers, and the front end was high enough that the tires had no real traction. While transporting the gravel to its destination, if I needed to course-correct with a turn, I had to let off the gas to let enough weight transfer to take place that the front tires would get enough traction to actually work. Thankfully, it was a fairly short distance, but still... Another tale of being young and stupid!

We had a little patch of timber with a pond, that we planned to use as a future home site and the road in, needed tending in a few spots. I'd been hauling in pickup loads of rock but one time, the loader operator was a bit optimistic of what would fit and I was kinda in a hurry and decided to give it a go. As you say, short distance.

After a similar puckery ride, it was enough to crack the short spring. of the packs on each side. No other damage and replaced them but started hiring dump trucks after that.

 

[Gros Ventre]

As they say... There's good news & bad news... If your truck was old enough to have been built in the slide rule era... It had some margin... the bad news is if it was built in the computer era, there's darn little margin...

 

[Gros Ventre]

lmao, last car is a low rider lol..

Really low!!

 

[Blown F-150]

I've added over 500lbs of accessories and tires over stock, so that payload sticker means not much to me. I do what I can to stay under the GAWR, GVWR and GCWR ratings when towing and hauling. Sometimes I'm over and am really not concerned about it.

 

[Big Dog Daddy]

I personally watched this at my local Home Depot a year ago. The guy insisted on taking the entire pallet at once. The HD employees should have never loaded this but they did, when the fellow went to back up he had zero steering control. The truck would not turn. Finally in a fit of rage the guy dumped half the load in the parking lot and drove away. I have no idea if he returned for the rest. At least the employees were using safety flags to keep people back while they loaded!??

 

[Grafx36510]

I personally watched this at my local Home Depot a year ago. The guy insisted on taking the entire pallet at once. The HD employees should have never loaded this but they did, when the fellow went to back up he had zero steering control. The truck would not turn. Finally in a fit of rage the guy dumped half the load in the parking lot and drove away. I have no idea if he returned for the rest. At least the employees were using safety flags to keep people back while they loaded!??

Why is it I’m never in the right place to personally witness (and document) such shenanigans?! You covered all the angles, too!! My personal shenanigans… 1500#. I’m not daring enough I suppose

 

[F150 John]

 

[Samson16]

I personally watched this at my local Home Depot a year ago. The guy insisted on taking the entire pallet at once. The HD employees should have never loaded this but they did, when the fellow went to back up he had zero steering control. The truck would not turn. Finally in a fit of rage the guy dumped half the load in the parking lot and drove away. I have no idea if he returned for the rest. At least the employees were using safety flags to keep people back while they loaded!??

Now if he had a PowerBoost that heavy hybrid battery would have kept his front wheels planted. Always go PB ?

 

[Gros Ventre]

I've added over 500lbs of accessories and tires over stock, so that payload sticker means not much to me. I do what I can to stay under the GAWR, GVWR and GCWR ratings when towing and hauling. Sometimes I'm over and am really not concerned about it.

Ignorance is bliss... Just because your tires can handle your load, doesn't mean the axle bearings can...

 

[Snakebitten]

So what happens to the "axle bearings" if a truck with a 1500# Payload Capacity yellow sticker is carrying 500 extra #'s of cargo?

Or maybe a better way to put it is what happens to the axle bearings when a 7350 GVW Powerboost is rolling down the road at 7800lbs?

Note that a non Powerboost F150 has a 7050# GVW. But a Powerboost has 7350# GVW. I don't know for sure, but I bet they both have very similar, if not, exactly the same bearings?

Or put another way, I don't think the axle bearings are specifically what determines GVW. I'm pretty comfortable with believing something OTHER than the bearings would be the weak link in an overload wear/stress use case. Especially short term.

My only objection to hauling/towing at or near or even over the Towing/Payload limits are the lousy experience of doing so. I don't like the diminished handling, not to mention the lower margin of error for unexpected traffic conditions. Takes the joy out of driving big time.

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