These tow capacity numbers can't be right

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To me the only difference between a 250 and 350 is the suspension.  Am I totally wrong with that?
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Suspension (mostly rear) and tires are pretty much it, plus the option to have a dual tire rear axle. The basic chassis, engine, tranny, steering, etc. are identical in similar models.  The 350 will also have the cab-mounted marker lights required by its higher GVWR rating. However, some 250's may have those as well if it has extra payload or other options that increase the GVWR above the 8600 lb limit.

UPDATE: The divider between truck class 2 & class 3 is now at 10,000 lbs, not 8600 as I mentioned above.
 
steveblonde said:
My 2017 dually which is lighter than xrated 2016 dually has 100lbs less cargo weight mostly because of all the extra stuff they put on the 2017s (cameras and panorama sunroof etc) so watch your cargo capacitiesx closely
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And mine is a King Ranch, so if it were an XLT I would probably have an additional 300-400 lbs of payload capacity
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Suspension (mostly rear) and tires are pretty much it, plus the option to have a dual tire rear axle. The basic chassis, engine, tranny, steering, etc. are identical in similar models.  The 350 will also have the cab-mounted marker lights required by its higher GVWR rating. However, some 250's may have those as well if it has extra payload or other options that increase the GVWR above the 8600 lb limit.
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Unless I'm mistaken, all of the F250 Ford trucks have either 9900 or 10,000 GVWR.
 
Perhaps - I haven't kept up to date.  :-[  The manufacturers used to try to keep at least some 250/2500 GVWRs at or under 8600 because trucks above that fall under federal safety regs for larger trucks, plus several states have registration and fee/tax rates that change at 8600.  Maybe that tier is now between the F150 and F250?

I see that an F250 is now available with GVWRs as high as 14,000 lbs ("suitably equipped", as they say), so you are probably right about that, at least for newer Superdutys.  My old 1999 F250 only needed marker lights if I configured it with the Camper package or Heavy Duty Payload package, but all F350's of that same year required them.
UPDATE: I AM out of date!  The dividing line between federal Class 2 & Class 3 is now at 10,000 lbs GVWR, not 8600.  Mea Culpa!
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Suspension (mostly rear) and tires are pretty much it, plus the option to have a dual tire rear axle. The basic chassis, engine, tranny, steering, etc. are identical in similar models.  The 350 will also have the cab-mounted marker lights required by its higher GVWR rating. However, some 250's may have those as well if it has extra payload or other options that increase the GVWR above the 8600 lb limit.
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So.....

why not just buy new wheels /tires and overload springs ( and some cab lights  ::) )......... instead of buying a whole new pickup truck  ???

Those door stickers are for warranty and liability purposes,    They are not used by police to enforce vehicle or road weight laws.  It is not Illegal to paint over or remove those door stickers.

( FYI.. the "Tow package" option on a 3/4 ton,  usually includes all the heavier wheels and suspension parts of a 1 ton.)

You already own that truck,  make it what ever you want.    Do your own Tow package.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
The 350 will also have the cab-mounted marker lights required by its higher GVWR rating. However, some 250's may have those as well if it has extra payload or other options that increase the GVWR above the 8600 lb limit.
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The federally required front and rear identification lights (the 3 light center mounted array) indicate a vehicle is over 80" wide, not that it has a particular GVWR rating.

http://www.pmlights.com/requirements.cfm?type=1&chart=1

The Ford full-size pickup is 80" wide in the single rear wheel version, the dual rear tire fenders bumps that out to 96 inches, triggering the identification light requirement.
 
Those lights used to be refereed to as ICC lights,  they identified the interstate commerce sized vehicles at night.

.

Here in California a 1/2 ton truck cost about $200 less to register every year as a 3/4 ton does,  and a 1 ton cost another 200 per year. 

so many guys out here are taking big motor 1/2 ton trucks,  and putting one dually wheels, dual rear axles and or 1 ton suspension on them.

buy the ICC lights and make it into one of these if you want  :)) :)).

 

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My 2002 2500 had the cab lights. My 2010 2500 does not. I miss them. They serve no practical purpose but I like them. Somehow the truck looks tougher with them (insert Tim the Tool Man Taylor "more power" grunt here!).  8)
 
I just checked the Ford site.  For 2019, and I am sure this is true for recent years as well, cab lights are OPTIONAL on F250 and F350 SRW models.  They are included in several option packages, but are not basic standard equipment (required equipment).  They ARE standard on Dually models.
 
they are not only standard on the dually's.... they are mandated by DOT because of the rear width.

Hmm...I wonder if the Hummer H1's had clearance lights ?
 
I didn't mean to throw us off on a tangent about marker lights.  The point is that the truck will be factory equipped to comply with the federal FMVSS regs that apply to its vehicle class for the year it is built.  Weight, width and height are the main determinants.  You don't get to make your own option call on that - the factory is required to comply if the truck configuration exceeds any of the parameters.  You can add stuff that isn't required, but you cannot opt out.

That states, though, soften use vehicle class designations in their title & registration fee scale. Pennsylvania, for example, charges based on truck gross weight (GVWR) with tiers of 5000-7000, 7001-9000, 9001-10,000, etc.
 
Isn't there a frame thickness difference between the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 tons? Thought I read someplace that the material thickness increases with load/carrying capacity of the various ton trucks. 3/4 tons have thicker frame material than 1/2 tons, and 1 tons have thicker frame material than 3/4 tons. If that is true, swapping springs and such won't increase the strength of the frame.
 
There may be a difference in the thickness, but the designs are the biggest difference between half tons and the others. Many 3/4 &1 tons use the exact same frame. I'm not sure of other years, but Ford used the same frame for F250s to F450s from 2011 to 2016. Same part number for all, depending on wheelbase.
 
What I find crazy is the price!!!

I attribute the $$ to the people that buy trucks as daily drivers!... not so much the people that use them ... but the people that buy 250s (2500) diesel dual  ... and have no plans to haul anything at all... in the box or behind the vehicle...

There are a lot of people like this in my office!!
They like to put coolers in the back... that's about all the truck will ever carry!!
Don't get me wrong... I learned to drive on a truck that was our daily driver; but she worked just as hard as the rest of us and she sure as heck didn't get a wash and wax weekly!!!

The pick-up has become more of a status symbol and less of a work horse.
Makes it hard to get one... without breaking the bank!
I feel like finding a truck that isn't decked out with all the fancy trim packages is becoming difficult... and finding one that has bare bones options to make it a WORK vehicle is almost impossible!
 
Isn't there a frame thickness difference between the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 tons?
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Among the Big Three (Ford, GMC/Chevy, Ram), the half tons use a different chassis than the 3/4 & 1-tons.  Half tons are generally designed to be more car-like, reflecting their primary use personal transport, even the "work truck" versions.  The larger trucks share a chassis but have different bolt-on components, e.g. axles, suspension, wheels, tires, etc.
 
SarniaTricia said:
The pick-up has become more of a status symbol and less of a work horse.
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Everything is a status symbol....the clothes you wear,  the truck you drive,  the RV you own,

..why would a man wear a $10k Rolex watch...is it just to tell time ?

 
sightseers said:
Everything is a status symbol....the clothes you wear,  the truck you drive,  the RV you own,

..why would a man wear a $10k Rolex watch...is it just to tell time ?
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Maybe it is in your world, but not mine!
 
sightseers said:
some might say a King Ranch is the Rolex of pickups... ;)
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Ditto! I could care less if the truck has power anything. However it's impossible to find one capable without the options.
Ever hear of the millionaire next door? I know a few that you would never know by looking at them or the car they drive. Clothes that are 20 years old, car with 150,000+ miles, a modest home, etc. 
 
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