RAM 1500 can handle a heavy payload easily.

[jmr]

I recently helped out my brother in law by picking up a pallet of flooring he had ordered.
The load worked out to be a pallet of 48 packs of flooring weighing 1,750 pounds.
The max payload is listed at 1,970 pounds for my configuration 2019 RAM Bighorn QC 4x4, 5.7 Hemi w/ 3.92 gears and limited slip.
I put 40 psi of air in the tires and the truck squatted down 3 inches but really just looked like a rear leveling kit was installed.

 

[LaxDfns15]

If you're under your payload limit it doesn't have a problem. The issue is people with 1300 pound limits are trying to put 2000 pounds of stuff in it. I know with my 500 pound motorcycle in the bed my Rebel squatted over 1.5" inches. At 1750 you're probably sitting on the bump stops. Let's assume you weigh 200 pounds. Got more than 20 pounds worth of "stuff" in your truck? You're over payload. That's why these half ton trucks rarely reach their towing limit because the payload runs out long before. Just having 2 adults in the cab is going to eat 300-400+ pounds off your payload.

Plenty of people (myself included) have gone over payload, but I don't condone it at higher speeds and definitely not over long distances. About the most I will do is a pallet of sod at 35mph for a few miles.

 

[COSPILOT]

If you're under your payload limit it doesn't have a problem. The issue is people with 1300 pound limits are trying to put 2000 pounds of stuff in it. I know with my 500 pound motorcycle in the bed my Rebel squatted over 1.5" inches. At 1750 you're probably sitting on the bump stops. Let's assume you weigh 200 pounds. Got more than 20 pounds worth of "stuff" in your truck? You're over payload. That's why these half ton trucks rarely reach their towing limit because the payload runs out long before. Just having 2 adults in the cab is going to eat 300-400+ pounds off your payload.

Plenty of people (myself included) have gone over payload, but I don't condone it at higher speeds and definitely not over long distances. About the most I will do is a pallet of sod at 35mph for a few miles.

Not to mention people forget that the weights given don’t include fuel. A full tank of gas can be an extra 198 lbs as well assuming a 33 gallon tank.
Will you get away with overloading the truck? Most of the time the answer is yes. Should you do it? The answer is no.

 

[COSPILOT]

Take your truck with a full tank of gas and normal cargo to weigh station, you will be shocked at what you see.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Take your truck with a full tank of gas and normal cargo to weigh station, you will be shocked at what you see.

Oh yeah. In my old truck I was at 6k pounds without me in it (another 160 pounds). I had over 250 pounds of "stuff" in it.

 

[devildodge]

Not to mention people forget that the weights given don’t include fuel. A full tank of gas can be an extra 198 lbs as well assuming a 33 gallon tank.
Will you get away with overloading the truck? Most of the time the answer is yes. Should you do it? The answer is no.

The weights given do include fuel...a full tank.

Payload is GVWR minus base weight.
Base weight includes full fluids. This includes a FULL tank of gas.

Payload is anything put in the truck. People drinks food accessories.

Another misconception is that 150lbs is allowed for each passenger. This is also wrong. There is no allowance for people with the payload number.

The 150lb passenger allowance comes into the max towing figure.

The max towing figure allows for 300lbs cargo and passengers in the truck.

The reason max towing is usually unattainable...most families weigh over 300 lbs and carry cargo with them

There is definitely capacity left on the table...and it is fine to try to use it...but the truck will not perform as intended.

 

[Finn5033]

I recently helped out my brother in law by picking up a pallet of flooring he had ordered.
The load worked out to be a pallet of 48 packs of flooring weighing 1,750 pounds.
The max payload is listed at 1,970 pounds for my configuration 2019 RAM Bighorn QC 4x4, 5.7 Hemi w/ 3.92 gears and limited slip.
I put 40 psi of air in the tires and the truck squatted down 3 inches but really just looked like a rear leveling kit was installed.
View attachment 66382

You said the max payload for your configuration is 1,970lbs, what is the payload rating on the sticker in your door jamb?

 

[devildodge]

The max payload is listed at 1,970 pounds for my configuration 2019 RAM Bighorn QC 4x4, 5.7 Hemi w/ 3.92 gears and limited slip.

1970 is for a tradesman. Go look at your door sticker...it is gonna be less

 

[devildodge]

One more time. The configurator is for the type of truck in a tradesman trim.

You need to use your VIN or go to the door jamb.

 

[SpeedyV]

Not to mention people forget that the weights given don’t include fuel. A full tank of gas can be an extra 198 lbs as well assuming a 33 gallon tank.
Will you get away with overloading the truck? Most of the time the answer is yes. Should you do it? The answer is no.

Not just fuel, but every option! As @devildodge points out above, the online capacities are not accurate for specific vehicle configurations.

 

[jmr]

Sticker shows 1,827 pounds this includes occupant and cargo so fluids are included, although it had only 1/3 of a tank.
I was pushing the envelope and it was just me driving. Luckily I didn't have far to go.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Sticker shows 1,827 pounds so I was pushing the envelope. It was just me driving and about 1/3 tank of fuel. Luckily I didn't have far to go.

Right, so unless you and every other item you've put in your truck (ignoring gas) weighs less than 77 pounds, you're over your payload limit. It's not going to cause your truck to fail as long as you don't do that regularly or for extended periods of time. Like if I grab a 2000 pound pallet of sod in my 1673 payload truck I try to at least get half the sod out as quickly as I can.

 

[ChadT]

The weights given do include fuel...a full tank.

Payload is GVWR minus base weight.
Base weight includes full fluids. This includes a FULL tank of gas.
Payload is anything put in the truck. People drinks food accessories.
Another misconception is that 150lbs is allowed for each passenger. This is also wrong. There is no allowance for people with the payload number.
The 150lb passenger allowance comes into the max towing figure.
The max towing figure allows for 300lbs cargo and passengers in the truck.
The reason max towing is usually unattainable...most families weigh over 300 lbs and carry cargo with them
There is definitely capacity left on the table...and it is fine to try to use it...but the truck will not perform as intended.

I'd also like to add that the factory "rake" on the truck is by design.
It's so when load is added, and the rear of the truck starts to sit, the brakes, steering geometry, are all working on the right plane.
As we load it further and further, it squats further and further. It's essentially telling you to "stop"!

This is why leveling kits are personally not for me. If It's level with nothing in it, that changes pretty quickly once something consequential is actually placed in the back. This is unless you have an airbag setup, or the shocks have a "payload" setting or something to that effect. There are certainly exceptions, but for the most part many of the "levelled" trucks I've seen are now starting to teeter skyward with as little as 300lbs in the back. Add more, then add in Mass X Velocity^2 when going over bumps? Bad juju. It isn't designed to handle the towing and hauling with the nose in the air and weight lifting off the steering wheels. If It's bad on level ground, certain scenarios (like bumps, road imperfections, speed), can make it downright dangerous.

Just my opinion on that. As I got the truck to occasionally have 800-900lb loads in the back, leveling kits are not for me. If It's level now, it will only sink 900lbs later.

 

[devildodge]

Thanks for mentioning that. I had intended too.

Leveling kits do not belong on a working truck.

Level it with the work.

Can not agree more.

 

[jmr]

You're right leveling kits on the back reduce payload unless adding bags or shocks, the rake isn't that much for this truck.
The payload was removed quickly when I got to my destination so it din't linger.
Seems like the most I've had in the bed before was 16 bags of mulch.

 

[ChadT]

Thanks for mentioning that. I had intended too.

Leveling kits do not belong on a working truck.

Level it with the work.

Can not agree more.

I kinda think jmr proved why!
He has the stock setup, no air suspension: and yet his un-leveled setup was pretty capable in a pinch

Had he leveled it? Noooo effing way I'd attempt that weight, even if under GVWR which it appears to have been.
Again unless there were airbags involved, or say Falcon shocks with a tow/haul mode, or even the ram factory air suspension which will level with quite a lot of weight. Super cool to see it used as a truck

 

[ChadT]

You're right leveling kits on the back reduce payload unless adding bags or shocks, the rake isn't that much for this truck.
The payload was removed quickly when I got to my destination so it din't linger.
Seems like the most I've had in the bed before was 16 bags of mulch.

Gotta say the rake isn't that much, and yet it looks way way way more capable than the fans of other brands will give Ram credit for. Really neat to see this truck, used as a truck! Never gets old. I do get a kick out of people who assume 1/2ton owners never use their trucks as trucks. Go tell that to the mulch and the flooring.

And up its sleeve? If you needed to move like 6,000lbs+ of either, That 3.92 Hemi Ram would make easy work of that. Amazing how much utility is there between the bed's hauling and the trailer towing capacities.

 

[devildodge]

@jmr just to be clear we are not knocking what you did.

We are just clearing up some misinformation...people keep saying the wrong thing over and over.

And we are just stating an opinion about level kits... They make using the truck to its ability impossible

To be honest...i checked your numbers...you had plenty of rear axle rating left...and for going to the local stone or lumber yard...you were fine.

We love seeing RAM trucks work. Much more fun than seeing a nice stance in the parking lot

 

[ChadT]

@jmr just to be clear we are not knocking what you did.

We are just clearing up some misinformation...people keep saying the wrong thing over and over.
And we are just stating an opinion about level kits... They make using the truck to its ability impossible
To be honest...i checked your numbers...you had plenty of rear axle rating left...and for going to the local stone or lumber yard...you were fine.

We love seeing RAM trucks work. Much more fun than seeing a nice stance in the parking lot

This is actually part of what's holding up my lift/tires project. I'd like a lift on my rebel, not really a level, and the 2in mopar unit is IIRC incompatible due to the front shock setup. I plan on using it as a truck, and having it totally level means tradeoffs if a 900lb load is in the cards.

I'm looking hard at falcon shocks (Which have a tow/haul setting), running the front shock on "medium", to keep it running right when being loaded regularly is in the cards- which is what that increment is set specifically for.

 

[realralfy]

I put 3800 lbs of LVP flooring in my Laramie 1500 a couple on months ago and drove it 125 miles home...it was a scary ride. Rolled like a boat....