RJay

I think so, at least originally. These days I suspect its really more a class of truck thing. For example an F150 regular cab 4x4 has a curb weight of 5129, GVWR of 6850, tow capacity of 8400. While the Super cab version weight 5577 with a GVWR of 7200 and a tow capacity of 9200. While the gross payload of these trucks is roughly 3/4 of a ton, I believe they are considered 1/2 tons as you have to factor optional equipment, somebody actually sitting in the driver seat etc. A F250 Lariat 4x4 weighs 6299 with a GVWR 8800 with a towing capacity of 14200, again with the 5.4 V-8 as above, so really over a ton (and I think the 250 is consider a 3/4). So the important point about GVWR is that although the F150 Crew can tow 9200, if you ran a trailer which weighed in at 7500#s, seemingly well within the trucks capacity, if the trailer produces 15% "tongue" weight equaling 1125 pounds, your not left with a lot of room for passengers and stuff before you exceed the vehicles GWVR. So if you needed to carry 1000 pounds of people and stuff your real towing capacity is far lower than the 9200 pound rating quoted. In fact with a 10% tongue weight you could only safely tow roughly 6000 pounds.

So, anyhoo, it would seem to me that 1/2, 3/4 or ton rating seems to be pretty loose these days as payload and towing have gone up. Thats why I wouldn't concern myself with that figure but again with the GVWR and the actual weight of the truck. That determines how much actual capacity you have both for payload and towing without colapsing your rear axle. And as I see you have a 450, you have a helluva lot!

Its really the same deal with trailers BTW. The capacity of the trailer is determined by taking the weight rating of the axles and subtracting the weight of the trailer. Thats why you might have an enclosed trailer with a rating of 7000#s ( two 3500# axles) thats only really capable of handling an SRF insted of a 930. If you load the trailer up with cabinets, generator, lights interior walls, tires, tools etc, you can rapidly overcome the trailers GVWR, which is why a lot of manufacturers offer 5000# axles optionally.

Well you may have a bigger body buddy, but if I recall the 450 is a 6.0 too, so I'd say the size of my motivator is the equal of yours fat boy!

NetManiac

OK. One of the main reasons why I up-scaled my truck. After I calculated my trailer I was going to be close but still under the limit of a 350. Down-sizing the trailer and skimping on "essentials" wasn't an option .


Yeah, truck is fine, and should be for a while. But my trailer is going to be close, if not over a LOT. 15K GVWR. The trailer empty (no water, gas, nothing) is 10K. A 3K car only leaves me with 2K for water, gas, and other essentials. The fiberglass siding look soooo nice, but at a cost of 1500# I had to pass .

You are correct. Same engine and transmission. But it's more than just a bigger body. Suspension, brakes, wheels (19.5" ), diff, etc. Soon after I got it I pulled up next to an Excursion and looked down in it. It was then that I knew I had a BIG truck (Crew Cab 4X4 Dually).

RJay

Well... I will admit I did take a brief look at the 450, but I was under the stupid delusion that the wife would actually drive the truck to fetch vittles and stuff every now and again, so I wound up with something a little more manageable around town. Sigh... didn't ever come to pass. I suspect she experienced some taunting back in High School as she protests that it reminds her too much of riding in a School Bus.

Won't make that mistake again. I'm saving my pennys for my next truck, say in another 6 or seven years. Pulling out all the stops... gotta have a Unimog one day. That way, if I can't beat the competition on track, I can at least roll over them off it

Bull

Just to muddy the waters around the Ford 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton, etc. trucks....those who are bit more "experienced", "mature" like myself may remember way back in the '70s and prior when Ford's 1/2 ton truck was the F100. the F150 started as the "Heavy Duty 1/2 Ton". Never could figure out why to by one of those when the F250 should be the entry level truck!

Edward

Wow, this info is both timely and indispensible. Thanks all, for a superb thread, and especially to RJay for the lesson in how to figure out all the specific numbers!


Edward

NetManiac

Yeah baby. Now THAT's a tow vehicle. I'd dig having a Unimog as a tow vehicle. Heck, I'd dig having a Unimog period.