A Weighty Issue: Calculating Real-World Payload, Towing Capacities
Many readers noted that the 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel in our had just 900 pounds of calculated — the word "calculated" is key here — payload capacity. As we noted in the story, we weighed both of our test pickup trucks (the other pickup was a 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro) at a recently certified truck scale. The Rebel had a full tank of gas and an empty bed and cab, and weighed in at 5,900 pounds. We then subtracted 5,900 from 6,800 pounds to get our 900-pound payload figure. Our test Rebel's door label showed 947 pounds of payload capacity. (You can find a midsize or half-ton pickup's manufacturer payload number on a label inside the driver's side door.)
All this is interesting because we were told the short-bed Rebel crew cab (with a Hemi V-8 and a RamBox) had a towing capacity of around 10,000 pounds. That seemed odd to us, because it doesn't follow the Society of Automotive Engineers' J2807 standard requirement of 10 percent of towing capacity for the recommended tongue weight. Following that formula, the Rebel's 10,000 pounds of towing capacity would have put us 100 pounds over our 900-pound max payload capacity, and that's before adding a driver, passenger or cargo. We should also note that SAE J2807 criteria recommends, before adding tongue weight, adding 300 pounds for passengers as well as 25 to 65 pounds for the receiver and trailer hitch or weight-distributing hitch.
Discarding a 9,000- or 10,000-pound trailer capacity for the Rebel and backing into what the real towing capacity should be based on the SAE requirements, here's what we get: Using 900 pounds of calculated payload capacity and subtracting 300 pounds for passengers leaves us with 600 pounds or so of payload. That means a maximum towing capacity of 6,000 pounds if we use the SAE-recommended 10 percent tongue weight number. But that assumes we can't or won't add any cargo to the bed or carry any passengers in the backseat. If we add a few passengers and cargo, we're down to 300 pounds or less of payload capacity. Does that mean real-world towing capacity — based on the SAE J2807 recommendations — of around 3,000 pounds for a full-size half-ton pickup truck with a V-8?
What does all this mean for pickup owners? It means you need to pay careful attention to your particular truck's capacities. We highly recommend, no matter which manufacturer makes your pickup truck, taking your pickup to your local truck stop or department of motor vehicles and getting the actual weight of your truck. Remember to take all the junk out of the bed and cab. Subtract that number weight from the GVWR posted on the door label. If your truck does not have a door label with that information, it may be in the glove box or the owner's manual. Calculating your truck's real-world payload capacity will help you learn exactly how much weight your truck can carry. That number needs to include tongue weight if you tow. Don't be one of those people who think they can hook up a trailer to their bumper or fifth-wheel and pull it safely.
We also should note that the EPA allows manufacturers to list a maximum tow rating based on only a few simple criteria such as engine size, cab configuration and presumed weight. That's why a Ram 1500 Rebel crew-cab Hemi can get away with listing a towing capability of 10,000 pounds even though it's much heavier than just about any other four-door V-8 pickup Ram sells.
To be specific, our 4×4 Ram Rebel came with the four-corner air suspension (very heavy), the RamBox (also heavy), a spray-in bedliner (surprisingly heavy), much bigger wheels and tires (heavy), and lots of other optional equipment, all of which is not on a stripped 4×2 crew-cab Ram Express Hemi, which actually does and should have a max tow rating closer to 10,000 pounds.
With all that said, we thought it might be interesting to look at each of the three top-selling half-ton pickups — the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 — to see what kind of GVWR and maximum towing capacity range they offer for 2016 models in their different cab configurations: regular cab, extended cab and crew cab. The results are interesting.
Again, what does all this mean? At the very least, it points to the need for truckmakers to more clearly communicate to their customers the appropriate weights they can expect their truck to safely carry and tow. We don't want anyone to find themselves in the position of finding out the new pickup they just bought can safely carry only half the weight they thought it could or only tow a boat half the size of the one in their driveway.
It's worth noting that Ford seems to have the widest GVW ranges of any half-ton maker, which seems to translate into a higher max tow rating range. Ram seems to have the narrowest GVW range (certainly for their extended and crew cabs), and some of the smallest max tow ratings. Of course, the range differences in both GVW and tow capacity have a great deal to do with what engine, axle gears, and driveline configurations are selected.
What worries us is that even if this information is much less complicated than it seems here, we know you're not going to get a straight explanation from a sales person who might not have any idea what the difference is between a gross vehicle weight rating and a gross combined weight rating. To be safe, pickup owners need to arm themselves with the right information about their pickup. In the meantime, you can count on us to keep pushing truckmakers to do a better job.
Cars.com images by Evan Sears
