I know. First truck so I really didn't pay attention to it. If I were to do it again I'd delete some options and try and get some payload back. In reality I don't plan to do a ton of towing or hauling.
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Willwork4truck
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Then it’s fine as is. I guess I could care less about the 1500 series payload for my wife’s truck as it only hauls her and a couple bags of groceries. After all, isn’t that what a truck is for?
ColoradoCub
Ram Guru
The whole payload thing is completely a joke and not something I would pay a whole hell of a lot of attention to. If you are going to haul or tow heavy with these trucks you have to do two things, ditch the squishy P rated tires for E rated tires and add air bags to assist the rear coil suspension. I think the coils are the weak link in payload , ever since they started putting them in 1500’s and 2500’s the payload went to **** in exchange for a smoother ride. The safety nannies will tell you to never exceed what the sticker in the door jamb says and that’s ridiculous, 4 grown men, a bed full of camping gear and a smallish travel trailer will put you over the payload rating in 3 seconds flat, it’s not worth even looking at.
Willwork4truck
Spends too much time on here
Be interesting to know what the 2.5 ton trucks from back in WW2 days were hauling weightwise on the famed “Red Ball Express” as they resupplied Pattons army. No doubt they were just a tad bit overloaded... actually a”deuce and a half” was named for its off-road capacity...
“The basic M35 cargo truck is rated to carry 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) off-road or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) on roads.” All that with an appx 127 hp engine and 4 speed dual range transmission.
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ColoradoCub
Ram Guru
I had an 01 2500 with a Cummins, it had the massive leaf spring pack with a factory overload spring. I didn’t add anything to the rear suspension of that truck. I hauled a really heavy cab over camper and would regularly tow a boat and or a large trailer with several ATV’s on it at the same time as hauling the camper and the suspension barely sagged. My 2018 Ram 2500 couldn’t even carry a cab over of the same weight with or without air bags. If a guy really uses a truck to haul really heavy these days you have to get a 3500, all the lesser models are built to appeal to soccer moms and city folks.
Willwork4truck
Spends too much time on here
Thats a fact, sadly. Most trucks are merely SUV’s with a bit of bed space. Theres an RV dealer online up in Michigan who posts about what trucks can really carry as far as tongue or pin weight. He will tell customers not to buy a particular heavy trailer and if they insist, he makes them sign a waiver. He doesnt refuse the sale but he is pretty emphatic that they are going past laws.
Wether or not trucks have “engineered safety tolerances or allowances” isn't the issue, its an enforceable statute, even if rarely done. Just ask the small fry solo lawncare operators in the eastern states like Pa or Va about how the DOT and local LEO’s treat them.
Wether or not trucks have “engineered safety tolerances or allowances” isn't the issue, its an enforceable statute, even if rarely done. Just ask the small fry solo lawncare operators in the eastern states like Pa or Va about how the DOT and local LEO’s treat them.
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Willwork4truck
Spends too much time on here
Last bit on this, fron the “nees.pickuptrucks.con” site, an excerpt on pickup payloads:
“Most marketing materials advertise a maximum payload capacity for an entire family of pickups, such as a 1500 lineup. However, we know that maximum payload numbers are generally assigned only to one or two low-volume specific configurations — usually a two-wheel-drive, regular-cab long bed with a heavy-duty suspension and gearing package. The much more popular configurations, like the four-wheel-drive, crew-cab short bed with a more comfortable base suspension, is likely to have a much lower payload rating.
To avoid any deception, misleading recommendations or improper purchases, it might be more informative to advertise a payload range for each class of pickup, instead of just the maximum payload weight across the lineup. Who knows? Maybe someday the actual payload or towing capacity of a given pickup will be written across the windshield along with its price.” End of quote
“Most marketing materials advertise a maximum payload capacity for an entire family of pickups, such as a 1500 lineup. However, we know that maximum payload numbers are generally assigned only to one or two low-volume specific configurations — usually a two-wheel-drive, regular-cab long bed with a heavy-duty suspension and gearing package. The much more popular configurations, like the four-wheel-drive, crew-cab short bed with a more comfortable base suspension, is likely to have a much lower payload rating.
To avoid any deception, misleading recommendations or improper purchases, it might be more informative to advertise a payload range for each class of pickup, instead of just the maximum payload weight across the lineup. Who knows? Maybe someday the actual payload or towing capacity of a given pickup will be written across the windshield along with its price.” End of quote
It's a law for commercial at 10k GVRW and requiring a CDL at 26k GCWR. Maybe in Canada. But many vehicles are modified and modifications can raise or lower GVWR and it is never rerated.
Next, there doesn't appear to be any standard or even SAE paper on this calculation. I'm still trying to contact someone at a manufacturer to let me know how they arrive at this. My guess is that it is just a safety factor under combined GAWRs. Some spec sheets show the calc with 'Reserve Axle Capacity' as the result. Of course, accurately distributing the load and side-to-side variance undoubtedly factors into the safety factor between GAWR and GVWR.
Going to LT tires with higher load ratings, wheels rated at 2500 lb (I haven't seen any higher), and the air suspension or supplemental airbags and the rear axle GAWR has been effectively increased and along with it the GVWR even if you include the 10%-12% safety factor. Interestingly, everything I've seen so far indicates Ford is using a wheel rated under 2300 lb capacity on its F-150 Heavy Duty Payload package that they rate at 4800 lb GAWR.
In the only standard is the SAE J2807 for GCWR and it is now widely used. The only issues here have been on the 3.21 vs 3.92 axle ratios causing a big difference in load. That is probably because of timed acceleration on a 7% grade as part of the test. Again...a ridiculous benchmark. J2807 was only used by Toyota 10 years ago and 25 years ago the Cummins-powered 3500 had 175hp.
This is correct...with a few more caveats. The wheels should have a 2400lb-2500lb rating. The WDH has to be adjusted so the rear axle load remains under 5000lb and preferably 4800lb. This is tricky...the front is nowhere near its capacity and the hitch ball is 5'-5.5' or more behind the rear axle actually taking significant weight off the front wheels. The WDH bars can be made to tight (I've done it) which basically makes it hard for the truck/trailer joint to flex. The amount of weight transferred to the front wheels could be a limiting factor. With the mods discussed rear GAWR goes to from 4100# to 4800#=5000#. It is really the only thing limiting the load. With a 1200# tongue weight, without WDH bars it is taking 550# off the front wheels. Adding 1750# to the rear wheels. FCA recommended a bar adjustment to put 2/3rds of the weight back on the front before engaging the air suspension would add 1385# to the rear axle.
raven_DT
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Lots of options that weigh the truck. One of the reasons I skipped the air ride suspension.
702 more than mine!
From my 2017 Ram CTD 4WD CC (Tradesman). The CTD really impacts the payload capacity on the 3/4 ton trucks. But once you drive a CTD your hooked...
Is that real or is it marketing. The 2500 and 3500 have the approximately same front GAWR and the CTD and 6.4L have the same rear GAWR in each (6000 in the 2500, 7000 in the 3500). Yet, in the 2500 the CTD has 760 lb lower payload and in the 3500 it has 140 lb higher payload. Should more as if the GVWR was kept at 10k lb for the 2500 and payload fit that constraint.
smankins
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raven_DT
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Legal DOT regs, the 2500 has the same suspension as the SRW 3500 sans the coil springs, but the AAM rear axle is the same except for the coil interface. So thats why i subsceibe to the GAWR for the 2500s. The 2500s are artificially capped at a GVWR of 10k not by capability but by regulations.
Thank the DOT, they cap the 3/4 ton segment at 10K GVWR. So the Ram 2500 and SRW 3500 have essentially the suspension with the exception being the AAM rear axle in the 2500 has provisions for coils instead of leaf springs. Same axle otherwise, yet the 2500 is derated to fit in the 10K envelope. GM looks like they have pushed that 3/4 ton payload envelope in their new trucks.
ColoradoCub
Ram Guru
I can tell you that there is definitely a difference in the payload of the newer coil spring 2500’s vs the older ones that had leaf springs. I put a 1700 lb cabover camper in the bed of my 2500 and it was squirrely as hell. I had to add big airbags in order to stabilize the load. My older 2500 carried a 2300 lb camper and didn’t even wimper.
That is the spring stiffness. They could have gone stiffer, had dual springs with a helper spring which would have acted like two-stage leaf-springs. IMHO and pickup (or Suburban, Expedition MAX, Grand Wagoneer) used as a truck (load or trailer) should have primary or supplemental airbags. BTW, the Durango and Wagoneer apparently are going to built on the Ram 1500 DT platform.
Fully agree, and the same criteria should be used for the 1500. With LT tires and 2500#-2650# wheels, either air suspension or airbags, it even at 6000# curb weight it should handle a 10k trailer and 600#-700# in the cab and bed.
Cross88
Well-Known Member
Here’s mine, still not 100% sure what my actual towing “max” is. Kind of a towing nubbie. But I do plan to tow a camper trailer in the future. Any input or help from the pros would be appreciated.
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DraKhen99
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I'm not sure which engine you have, but I'm guessing it's the 5.7 Hemi. If you have 500lbs of passengers, cargo, and towing equipment (hitch, etc.) in your truck, given your sticker, that leaves you about 8,700lbs of towing capacity, assuming a 13% tongue weight on your trailer. You'll want a WDH at that point too, and I'm not sure what those setups weigh, but that factors into your cargo/pass/equip figure as well. For piece of mind and to have a big of wiggle room, you'll want to stick to a 7,500lb or lighter trailer.
That's my educated guesswork and experience boiled down for the Internet and should not be construed in any way as an admission of liability should something go wrong.
-John
