If the OP is just looking for 'you are good for it', or 'been
doing that for decades with no problems', etc...you will get tons
of that, but I'll just provide the metrics to figure it out yourself
Any class/size TV can and does get over loaded, or at/over their ratings (limits)
Another issue is the marketing verbiage/coinage
All of these are 'half tons'...
6,200 lb GVWR
7,000 lb GVWR
7,200 lb GVWR
7,600 lb GVWR
8,100 lb GVWR
Some have additional marketing verbiage:
Big Ten
HD
Heavy Duty
Super Duty
Once folks get past those marketing badges/verbiage/etc, and look at
the real metrics....their GVWR/GCWR/F-R GAWR...they find that the MTWR
(Max Tow Weight Rating) is not anywhere near what they REALLY are
rated to tow
Because the OEMs must fight for buyers and that means their marketing
must get the buyers attention with "King of the Hill" stuff
MTWR is based on a stripper model that is often never offered for sale
Nor does most folks ever order a stripper model (curb)
Some argue that braking isn't a 'performance' issue, nor a necessary
thing to worry about..."it is sized for that vehicle". Disagree in
principle, but also agree that 'it is sized for that vehicle'. Since
sized for that vehicle, it is sized for it's GVWR and GCWR. Then note
that an empty TV will stop in less distance than one loaded up to it's
rating, GVWR...
Then note that it's not just stopping, though very important, but also
manhandling it during the moment when Mr Murphy crosses your path.
When/where/etc is unknown. At that moment, either you have the right
stuff or not. No time to go back to the store for better/bigger/et
or to readjuste whatever.
Made up this diagram just for this type of question and once you
understand that all of the ratings are not stand alone (out of context)
but work in concert. You will see that you will have to go out and
actually weigh the setup, axle by axle fully loaded and empty.
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
Greetings and for what it's worth...our last 1/2 ton was pretty close to the pin weight of our fiver so I had an extra leaf added to the rear leaf springs on the truck...this made it a '5/8th' ton and never had any worries or problems...drive safe. Bob
Bingo. What you discovered is common for a "1/2 ton" truck. They generally run out of cargo capacity long before they run out of max tow capacity.
I have a '05 F150 SuperCab, 6.5' box, 5.4L, 4x4, 3.73 rear, and 17" factory alloy wheels. The yellow door sticker says the max cargo capacity is 1,496#. Ford says my truck can tow 9,300# when using a WD hitch.
If I pulled an 8300# loaded weight trailer, the tongue would weigh 1,079# @ 13%. If I take away the weight of me, my wife, and the Undercover brand tonneau cover, I'm down to around 1076#, which is what the tongue would weight. And I haven't put any cargo in the truck, nor substracted for the weight of the hitch itself.
Playtime II wrote: When it is pulling a TT.
As my signature shows, I have a 2007 F150 SuperCrew, 5.5bed(SWB) with the 5.4L and 4x4 and 3.73 gears and 20"(Factory) Rims. The books/websites say 'generically'; Tows 9200 and I thought that was about as good as it gets for a 1/2T that is also my everyday vehicle.
I finally got around and opened the door (and the manual) and read the specs of my configured TV:
Max Cargo (tire label): 1329
GVWR (door label): 7200
FGAWR (door label): 3750
RGAWR (door label): 3850
GCWR: (manual for this TV config): 1450
Max Tow: (manual for this TV config): 8700
I know to subtract the weight of my bed cap and bed mat: 224 and the weight of the passengers (me, DW, DD, 3 dogs): 530 from my cargo max. Leaving only 575 for cargo AND hitch weight! My TT has a stickered Hitch weight of 703!
I really do not want to get the actual loaded weights at the scale as we love camping and we cannot afford to replace the TV with a 3/4T.
Denial is a wonderful coping mechanism.
Erroll, Mary, Duffy the Badger Dog plus "Ollie"
2009 HiLo Towlite 2209T
2005 F150 Supercab 4x4, w/ 5.4L
A "half ton" truck has a payload capacity of 1000 pounds. Half a ton.
It is just that simple.
A "150" or "1500" truck is a "Heavy Half Ton", and, IMO, should have a payload capacity of 1500 pounds. So, in reality, they are (or should be) 3/4 ton trucks!
Are there any trucks these days which meet those specifications?
Once upon a time, I got to worrying about the numbers (due to reading these forums), and decided it would be a good idea to weight the rig. So, after about three years of towing a fiver around the West, over the river and through the woods, and across the mountains (several times), I did it. I took it across a J-Scale.
It was well under GAWRs (truck), GAWRs (trailer), GVWRs (truck and trailer), WAY under registered GVW, but the GCW was 21,180 lbs.
The book says the configuration of my truck has a GCWR of 18,000 lbs.
That's right, I had been towing that thing for years at MORE THAN A TON AND A HALF OVER GCWR!!
Nothing broke, nobody died or was injured, no tires blew out...
So, I continued on home and didn't worry about it.
Now, I refuse to "over-think" the issue. The numbers are, IMO, great guidelines. BUT, the only LEGAL number I have to worry about is the 14K registered GVW of the truck. I never exceed that.
Otherwise, I am back to the "good old days", before the Feds mandated the door stickers:
1. Will it GO?
2. Will it STOP?
3. Has anything bent or broke?
If the answer to question #1 & 2 is YES, and the answer to question #3 is NO, we are good to go.
If the answer to either # 1 or 2 is NO, or the answer to #3 is YES, FIX IT, alleviate the problem, then we are good to go.
CM1, USN (RET)
2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32V, Ford V10
Toad: 2006 Jeep Rubicon LJ
Other toad: '06 PT Cruiser, Kar Kaddy dolly
Toy: 1977 Dodge W100 CC SWB, 3/4 ton axles & springs
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away!"
I say that knowing I too am 'overweight' on my F150.. It's an older model F150 than yours (see sig) and has a 'ton' of miles on it.. Yet, it's still going strong and I have no worries about another camping season with it.
I did some math after my last ACTUAL weight numbers (scaled last year) and came to some interesting figures...
I'm over my trucks GVWR by #460
I'm over my trucks rear GAWR by #200
I'm over my trailers GVWR by #250
To date the truck has not imploded and ended up in a fiery ball of death..
Been towing this combo for 9 years and been very happy with it's performance and reliability.
Spec's say I had a 'tow rating' of #7700 on the truck.. Well, a #5000 TT wiped that out pretty quick!
I've been on this site for almost 10 years now and just shake my head when I read all of the "what can my truck tow with a 'tow rating' of #####..."
Of course you need to know your own vehicle and know it's capabilities, so that's why I feel comfortable with my combo..
Lots of variables with being able to tow overloaded and get away with it on a regular basis IMO.. Only YOU can determine that..
Best of luck and safe travels for all!
Mitch
*Anything I post is for entertainment purposes only and what usually works for me.. Your Mileage May Vary..
It all comes down to doing the right thing to ensure the safety of your loved ones. I am committed to it, some others not so much. Your choice to make.
You own it, and you are not willing to make changes...
...so drive it and deal with any consequences if/when they come along. If you're happy with how it handles and performs, even better.
There's only one rule to RVing: EVERYTHING is heavier than you think it is.
There's really nothing else to be said.
2002 Chevy 3500 DRW 8.1L/Allison
2000 Palomino B1500
...and the reason why I need a DRW to haul a Palomino:
2004 United 7x14 tandem axle enclosed toy trailer
2011 PJ 8x20 7-ton deckover equipment trailer
i cant believe you are driving 3 hours a day with that truck. the fuel savings alone would pay the payments on a little car. and then you would be maintaining something that costs less than half to maintain. i wouldnt get to excited about being a little over weight, just drive a little slower and do the proper maintanence on your running gear. watch the rear axle bearing/shafts as they tend to wear excessivly.
2000 K3500 CCLB DRW 6.5 TURBO
2009 Cougar 320 SRX
2007 atlas 24 auto hauler
1987 GMC origional low miles
I currently pull our 2009 Jayco 32BHDS with my '99 Silverado 1500 ECSB (6.5') 4x4 with the 5.3 and 3.73 gears. I'm over on almost (all?) numbers. We were planning a new truck in 2010, but that didn't work and now we are looking at maybe next year. So right now I take my chances, when I buy I will probably move up to a 3500 Series. Talking to my buddy the other day. He just bought a new Tundra. "Oh, it'll pull your camper. It has 401 HP." OK, start reading the door jamb. I figure this truck weighs 5500lbs or so as it is a crew cab. Front axle rating of 4000, rear axle rating of 8150. Sounds good right? Now the GVWR of the truck is 7100 lbs. So by the time I were to put 5 people in it at 650 lbs. I'm down to less than a thousand pounds. Throw a some firewood in the bed of the truck and again I'm way over the numbers. So why would I buy a new truck that doesn't at least get my numbers in line with each other. Nevermind the fact that I'm running 1300 (at least) of tongue wait. He didn't know what to say when I told him his 401 HP didn't beat my 275 HP in my old Chevy because he is still overloaded too - and he is a mechanic and body guy. This IT guy taught him a little something.
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It's an older model F150 than yours (see sig) and has a 'ton' of miles on it.. Yet, it's still going strong and I have no worries about another camping season with it. 
