www.iFourWinns.com

As an aside, I don't tow my boat; my car isn't homologated for towing ( some stupid EU rule; every other version of the same car, all with less power, is homologated for towing!). Even so, the weight of the boat + trailer would far exceed the legal towing limt for all the variants and for the 200 miles it is towed each year, the cost of buying and running a huge ( in UK terms) 4x4 is not justified for me..

I often see reference in the US to 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton. 1 ton trucks. What does that mean ? ; the towing capacities seems to far exceed the 1120, 1680 and 2240 lbs those ton weights correspond to.

Graham

Primarily how much weight the truck will haul in the bed. A 1 ton has bigger/thicker frame, larger springs, shocks, normally bigger engine and such as compared to a 1/2 ton. So the bigger the truck (3/4 or 1 ton) will have more towing weight capability.

The 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton and 1 ton designations are, in simple terms, classification of how robust the suspension/axles/brakes etc are in a particular truck. They used to correspond to payload capacity (weight you could put in the bed) but different manufacturers have played with those numbers. I had a 3/4 ton Ford F-250 which shares a lot of parts with the 1 ton version (the F-350). Suspension is stiff and the axles/brakes etc are designed for heavy loads. I have pulled 11,000 lbs with it no problem and not much rear end sag with 800-900 lbs tongue weight. I have since moved down to a 1/2 ton (F-150) which offers a much smoother ride but is not designed to handle the heavy loads as well. However, with an equalizer hitch, it tows my SL262 (8,000 lbs with the trailer) quite well. The 1/2 ton trucks are more robust than they used to be and it shows.

Anyway, someone could probably give a better explanation with more facts but what I stated should be pretty close.

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2009 SL262, Merc 8.1L HO 425 HP With
Bravo III "X" Drive and DTS Smart Tow

Just a tweak to the good definitions already provided. At least in the case of my Ford, the "1/2 ton" designation includes the capacity of all weight carried by the truck including passengers, accessories, etc.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Things are very different here ! Even the biggest 4x4 ( like a Range Rover) is limited to towing something weighing 3500kg: ca 7700 lbs. Maximum 60 mph on a motorway/ dual carriegeway ( freeway), 50 mph on a single carriegeway road.

I must admit my car ( with an according to the EU, illegally fitted towbar) tows the empty 550 kg trailer quite happily at above the speed limit; not a calibrated speedo of course !

Graham

I like the way you roll Graham.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Those terms I think were just approximate ratings of payload capacity...and often (Dodge and Chevy/GMC) you'd see 1500 for the 1/2 ton....2500 for the 3/4 ton...there the variations are due to differences in suspension/axle/tire/brake capacity sometimes the frames were different too..
The tow capacities differences were also dependent on engine/transmission choice...and one of the biggest determining factors was final drive ratios....for some there was a large difference when you went from a 3.42 to a 4.10....

I think you have to take some of these tow ratings with a grain of salt...my 4.0 six cylinder Grand Cherokee is "rated" to tow 5000 lbs with the tow package....but to do this safely....it needs Bilstein monotube shocks....Air Lift air bags in the rear coil springs....XL rated tires....trans cooler....and trailer brakes that WORK!

My next Jeep will be Hemi powered and those are rated over 7000 lbs capcacity..but they have much better brakes than the little bitty 11" discs that my 1st generation Grand has....

I have hung on to it for so long because it has a couple of endearing traits not found in the current generation:
1-AMC designed 4.0 six that can run from 200-300K miles---easy to work on and they get 22 mpg at highway speeds.
2-Selectrac manually engaged 4x4 with a full time differential so 4x4 can be engaged all the time..there is no lag waiting for the rear wheels to slip before the front engages as with auto engaging systems
3-Large windows...much better visibility than the current Grand...I don't like the pseudo-German car styling of the low roof and little bitty windows.
4-Simple and strong live axle suspension that makes changing shocks and other modifications very easy as compared to the horror show of a coil-over strut change on the newer ones.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

1 ton = complete truck
3/4 = truck minus a few options
1/2 = just that, half a truck!


I know, I have owned them all.

IMHO, around here the 1/2 tons make great grocery getters! But for towing anything with real weight to it around the rocky mountains, the lighter duty 1/2 ton chassis just will not cut it. Too small or light duty, motor, drive train, chassis, suspension, brake system, springs, ect... for safe towing and handling.
Now towing at or near sea level, on flat land you can get away with less truck, but why would one want to compromise safety????

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Well put powell!
But, as you know, 90% of the 1/2 tons sold in the US will never tow over 3,500 lbs in their lifetime. I've owned them all and must admit, I'd take the 5.7 1/2 ton Tundra back over my 2500 HD Dmax/Allison any day.

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H210SS 6.2
F150 Platinum

Interesting.... I'm looking at get a new tow vehicle in August and the 5.7 Tundra is on the short list. Can u elaborate more on this?

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Walter

2003 248 Vista - VP 5.0 GXi
2009 Toyota Tundra SR5 5.7L 4x4

Sure. Operational cost of the Tundra was much less than the Dmax. 18 mpg on a trip. 16mpg avg of all driving. The Tundra drives around town like a sports car. Rides better, stops better, turns in a parking lot like a midsize car. I pulled the same toyhauler the same distance several times with each. The Dmax will outpull the Tundra. But not to the extent that its worth the extra costs. 75 mph w/ Dmax towing 10K = 10mpg. Tundra, same load 7mpg. With the Tundra, you get all the nannies. My Dmax had none. This make a big difference in the snow/ice. Also, the weight of the Dmax truck played havoc on my yard when moving trailers around when it's wet. Oil change at Toyota Dealership = $32. Do-it-yourself with the Dmax = $35. The $70 fuel filter every 3 months was not a welcomed expense either.

Remember this is coming from a once die-hard GM guy.

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H210SS 6.2
F150 Platinum

I think Brent is right on the money with this. I also get 7-8mpg when towing, but the rest of the time I get 16-17 and have no trouble with parking, etc. I had a chance to drive my brother-in-law's F250 awhile back; holy crap that thing felt like I was driving a school bus. Sure, it would out-tow my truck by 4:1, but what would be the point?

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I agree with much that has been said and I think the three biggest factors in deciding on a truck are:
1. Where do you tow and how far
2. How many times per year do you tow the weight
3. How much weight are you towing.

These factors all played a role in my decision to downsize from an F-250 Diesel to an F-150 5.4L V-8. I am towing my boat only...roughly 8,000 lbs total. I might tow long distance (2+ hours) 5-8 times per year here in the northeast. I see very little difference in how the two trucks handle the weight and I think this is due to the new design of the F-150. They have added crossbeams to the frame and in is all laser welded which is the best you can ask for because the seams are as strong as possible. The brakes seem fine and my trailer has brakes as well. I do use a Weight Distribution system if I go on the longer trips which smooths out the ride. I get 15-16 MPG around town (and I live in a hilly town) and 18-20 on the highway. Towing from massachusetts to new hampshire and back I got 9 mpg. Not too bad!! The six speed tranny really helps out too.

With all that said, the conclusion is that for my purposes, the F-150 super crew has worked out great! And, while not towing, I get the smooth ride and quietness of the gas engine over the diesel. As an aside, my truck is rated to tow 11,200 lbs max but I don't think it would be smart to tow that weight around that much IMHO.

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2009 SL262, Merc 8.1L HO 425 HP With
Bravo III "X" Drive and DTS Smart Tow

But to come up with that impressive number, Ford took curb weight of a stripped down, reg cab truck. Minus from the GCWR (gross combine weight rating) which come up with 11k.
Now if you take the curb weight of your nice truck plus passengers, fuel, gear in bed (wet curb weight) and subtract from GCWR you wont have anywhere near 11k.

I am looking a buying a F150 to haul lawn mower, dirt dike and dogs around in so that F350 can sit. I agree the diesel costs alot to run/maintain. I am ready to have a gasser for running around, and jeep wrangler just is not working for hauling stuff, but it is FUN.

The GCWR of my truck is 17,100 lbs. The dry weight of the truck is just under 5,700 lbs. on a truck scale. Add a full tank of gas and you tack on another 288 lbs. Put two people in the truck and add another 400lbs. So, now you have a wet truck weight with 2 passengers of just under 6,400 lbs without any other cargo in the bed. 17,100 - 6,400 = 10,700 lbs of max trailer weight. Of course, with anything in the bed of the pickup you would have to subtract futher. This is why I think the 8,000 I tow is pretty good for this truck and I agree, I would not want to tow much more weight...especially if you are going to have more weight in the truck. But, I don't think Ford uses a regular cab dry to come up with its towing capacity for a supercrew.

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2009 SL262, Merc 8.1L HO 425 HP With
Bravo III "X" Drive and DTS Smart Tow