How do I determine my truck's Curb Weight?

[BLoflin]

Right, so they just let us interpret it the way we want ?

It's a Lariat, 5.0L, 5.5 (standard bed), FX4, Tow Technology Package (17T)

Not sure I follow, or just didn't catch if it was sarcasm...

For your truck then your Max Payload is on your door sticker. Your GVWR is on your other door sticker. Your Max Towing is 10,400lbs. And your GCWR is 15,800lbs. This assumes you have the "normal" 3.73 rear end (Axle Ratio).

This also assumes you have a WDH for Max Towing.

To utilize your Max Towing of 10,400lbs this assume your ACTUAL Curb Weight is 5400lbs (or less).

Your AS BUILT Curb Weight is your GVWR (from sticker) - Payload (from Sticker). Then your actual Curb Weight is As Built Curb Weight plus anything you've added to the truck (tonneau cover, kayak racks, tool chest, etc) plus Driver and Passengers. If this number is over 5400lbs then your Max Towing goes down accordingly.

Now comes the "interpret"ing part, well at least the understand Marketing vs Specs part.

Towing a flat bed loaded with up to 10,400lbs of steel (or concrete, etc) at 15 mph across your farm/business is different than trying to tow an RV at highway speeds. Large RV is very affected by sway (usually from wind gusts or changing lanes fast), therefore you need to have your tongue weight correct (and anti-sway WDH). Your Tongue weight (at least 10%) takes away from your allowable Payload. If you were really trying to tow RV at 10,400 that would mean a tongue weight of 1040, which coupled with your other payload (drivers, passengers, gear in back seat/bed) might violate your Payload rating. So you would have to back off your Tow weight (hence the adjectives MAX in a lot of the specs).

Net is, it is a fair amount of math (but simple math).

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[BLoflin]

Ha, so if wanted to max this thing out, I'd need to lose some weight....I don't think I've weighed anywhere near 150lbs since middle school.

The 5,000lb limit is the spec on the receiver hitch, anything over 5,000 needs a WDB hitch.

The hitch on my Lariat with max tow is rated:
5,000 lbs max trailer weight with a max tongue weight of 500 lbs
14,000 lbs max trailer weight with a max tongue weight of 1,400 lbs with weight distributing hitch.

Right and yours is very close, so not as much as an issue, but others need to understand the Hitch rating printed on the label on your Hitch is NOT your Max Tow rating. It is the rating of the Hitch which is used on many variations of the F150.

In your case your actual vehicle Max Tow Rating is 13,800 not 14,000.

For others their Max Tow Rating might be 9,300lbs even though the hitch sticker says 14,000.

 

[sbi]

Ha, so if wanted to max this thing out, I'd need to lose some weight....I don't think I've weighed anywhere near 150lbs since middle school.

The 5,000lb limit is the spec on the receiver hitch, anything over 5,000 needs a WDB hitch.

The hitch on my Lariat with max tow is rated:
5,000 lbs max trailer weight with a max tongue weight of 500 lbs
14,000 lbs max trailer weight with a max tongue weight of 1,400 lbs with weight distributing hitch.

Yeah, I also got lost with these numbers on my hitch.

 

[sbi]

Not sure I follow, or just didn't catch if it was sarcasm...

For your truck then your Max Payload is on your door sticker. Your GVWR is on your other door sticker. Your Max Towing is 10,400lbs. And your GCWR is 15,800lbs. This assumes you have the "normal" 3.73 rear end (Axle Ratio).

Wait - where did you get Max Towing from?

My differential is electronic locking 3.31.
GVWR = 7050 Lbs
Max Payload = 1739 Lbs.

 

[12Lariat21]

Yeah, I also got lost with these numbers on my hitch.

Yeah, that's where you can get into trouble if you're not careful. Those ratings are for the receiver hitch itself, not the vehicle it is bolted too. I'm sure Ford specs them out to be just over the max rating on the truck so that the hitch isn't the 'weak point'. It all comes down to liability, and that's where it ultimately ends up in your hands to make sure you are loaded correctly, and that your equipment is properly maintained in order to safely transport your stuff.

 

[BLoflin]

Wait - where did you get Max Towing from?

My differential is electronic locking 3.31.
GVWR = 7050 Lbs
Max Payload = 1739 Lbs.

In the Tech Specs document (attached in post#5, but also available elsewhere).

Assuming you are a Short Bed and NOT a 4WD, then:

GVWR = 7050 from your sticker
Payload = 1739 from your sticker
As Built Curbweight = 5311 from (7050-1739)
Actual Curbweight = 5311 plus estimates of what you added/put in your truck plus Driver and Passengers.
GCWR = 14,800 from Tech Specs document
Max Towing = 9,700 from Tech Specs document

But this Max Towing spec has to be derated because of options you have on your As Built from Ford.

14,800 - 5311 = 9489 Max Towing for your truck As Built, but this still doesn't account for Driver, Passengers, gear and accessories you've added.

Assume you and passenger are 400lbs. Assume you carry 200lbs of "stuff" in your truck (tools, after market tonneau cover, etc.).

The your Actual Curbweight is 5911 (from 5311 + 400 + 200).

So then your Max Tow is 8889 (from 14,800 - 5911).

Small point, but you also have to account for added weight of WDH, most are around 100lbs. So really Max tow is 8789.

Then as a final check, you need to make sure you didn't violate your Payload Spec of 1739.

Payload with the 600lbs of you & passenger and gear/accessories plus WDH of 100lbs plus Tongue Weight of 879 (assuming you set WDH for 10%) which totals 1579 and is under your Payload Spec.

Actually you could handle another 160 in Payload (but a corresponding decrees in Towing weight). But personally I would apply that 160 to raising your WDH of 10% to about 12%, which doesn't decrease your tow capability as it is just putting more trailer weight on your hitch.

Clear as mud.....?

There are online calculators for all this.

Also you see why Salesmen (Truck or RV) don't want to talk about this (or understand it), and just jabber about Max Tow from a Marketing "spec".

Finally, for completeness you really do need to go fully loaded to a CAT scale if you are trying to really uses this "max" numbers and make sure you are also within spec for all your axles (Truck Front, Truck Rear, these numbers are on your sticker also) and your trailer Axel/s.

As an aside, when you see a truck so full of stuff in the bed, it's squatting with the rear wheels almost rubbing the top of the wheel well, they are not only violating the trucks overall payload, and GVWR, but violating their Rear Axle rating (and most likely their wheel and tire ratings).

 

[UGADawg96]

The only way to be able to pull over 11k or close to max towing capacity is to load up a widget with the weight and use a long 50 foot I-beam so you don't use any payload. In reality, payload will get maxed before anything else.

 

[sbi]

In the Tech Specs document (attached in post#5, but also available elsewhere).

Assuming you are a Short Bed and NOT a 4WD, then:

GVWR = 7050 from your sticker
Payload = 1739 from your sticker
As Built Curbweight = 5311 from (7050-1739)
Actual Curbweight = 5311 plus estimates of what you added/put in your truck plus Driver and Passengers.
GCWR = 14,800 from Tech Specs document
Max Towing = 9,700 from Tech Specs document

But this Max Towing spec has to be derated because of options you have on your As Built from Ford.

14,800 - 5311 = 9489 Max Towing for your truck As Built, but this still doesn't account for Driver, Passengers, gear and accessories you've added.

Assume you and passenger are 400lbs. Assume you carry 200lbs of "stuff" in your truck (tools, after market tonneau cover, etc.).

The your Actual Curbweight is 5911 (from 5311 + 400 + 200).

So then your Max Tow is 8889 (from 14,800 - 5911).

Small point, but you also have to account for added weight of WDH, most are around 100lbs. So really Max tow is 8789.

Then as a final check, you need to make sure you didn't violate your Payload Spec of 1739.

Payload with the 600lbs of you & passenger and gear/accessories plus WDH of 100lbs plus Tongue Weight of 879 (assuming you set WDH for 10%) which totals 1579 and is under your Payload Spec.

Actually you could handle another 160 in Payload (but a corresponding decrees in Towing weight). But personally I would apply that 160 to raising your WDH of 10% to about 12%, which doesn't decrease your tow capability as it is just putting more trailer weight on your hitch.

Clear as mud.....?

There are online calculators for all this.

Also you see why Salesmen (Truck or RV) don't want to talk about this (or understand it), and just jabber about Max Tow from a Marketing "spec".

Finally, for completeness you really do need to go fully loaded to a CAT scale if you are trying to really uses this "max" numbers and make sure you are also within spec for all your axles (Truck Front, Truck Rear, these numbers are on your sticker also) and your trailer Axel/s.

As an aside, when you see a truck so full of stuff in the bed, it's squatting with the rear wheels almost rubbing the top of the wheel well, they are not only violating the trucks overall payload, and GVWR, but violating their Rear Axle rating (and most likely their wheel and tire ratings).

Short bed & YES 4WD.

So according to my truck specs and the Tow Guide:

5.0L with 3.31 axle, SCREW, 4X4 and 145.4 WB:

GCWR = 14,800 Lbs
Max. Loaded Trailer = 9400 Lbs

Curb 'As Built' = 5311 Lbs
Curb 'Actual' = approx. $5840 (with additions/36 gallons of fuel/myself)
'Actual' assumed Max Tow = 8,960 Lbs.

Now - the Tow Guide has a disclaimer at the bottom (of course...):

Do not exceed trailer weight of 5,000 lbs. when towing with bumper only.

What does this mean "towing with bumper"?

 

[sbi]

Yeah, that's where you can get into trouble if you're not careful. Those ratings are for the receiver hitch itself, not the vehicle it is bolted too. I'm sure Ford specs them out to be just over the max rating on the truck so that the hitch isn't the 'weak point'. It all comes down to liability, and that's where it ultimately ends up in your hands to make sure you are loaded correctly, and that your equipment is properly maintained in order to safely transport your stuff.

OK, so what's the difference between the two numbers? Am I understanding this correctly that even though your truck is capable of towing 14,000 Lbs, you can only do so with WDH, and if you don't use WDH you can only tow up to 5000 Lbs? Or am I reading this wrong?

 

[12Lariat21]

OK, so what's the difference between the two numbers? Am I understanding this correctly that even though your truck is capable of towing 14,000 Lbs, you can only do so with WDH, and if you don't use WDH you can only tow up to 5000 Lbs? Or am I reading this wrong?

Correct. The only difference between the two numbers is the style of hitch you use.
Standard hitch = 5000 lb max
Weight Distribution Hitch = 13,800 for my truck.

Comes down to how the weight is distributed between the truck and trailer, for stability at highway speeds.

 

[BLoflin]

Short bed & YES 4WD.

So according to my truck specs and the Tow Guide:

5.0L with 3.31 axle, SCREW, 4X4 and 145.4 WB:

GCWR = 14,800 Lbs
Max. Loaded Trailer = 9400 Lbs

Curb 'As Built' = 5311 Lbs
Curb 'Actual' = approx. $5840 (with additions/36 gallons of fuel/myself)
'Actual' assumed Max Tow = 8,960 Lbs.

Now - the Tow Guide has a disclaimer at the bottom (of course...):

Do not exceed trailer weight of 5,000 lbs. when towing with bumper only.

What does this mean "towing with bumper"?

Meaning without using a WDH. For over 5k have to use a WDH.

Your calculated As Built Curb is supposed to include all fluids, including full tank of gas. So you don't have to include that in the additions to get to Actual Curb Weight. So that's 216lb than can be subtracted from your Actual Curb, putting it at 5624.

 

[BLoflin]

OK, so what's the difference between the two numbers? Am I understanding this correctly that even though your truck is capable of towing 14,000 Lbs, you can only do so with WDH, and if you don't use WDH you can only tow up to 5000 Lbs? Or am I reading this wrong?

Well to be precise the 14k number on the hitch frame is speaking ONLY to the hitch frame capability (with a WDH), does NOT mean your truck is capable of 14k.... as we were just calculating in the other posts.

For an assembly (the whole truck) to have a Max spec ALL the parts that go into the assembly have to have specs for their function better than the total result (e.g. weakest link in the chain phenomenon).

So you will find the sum of the max spec for the front and rear axle will be more than the GVWR. Also you will find the sum of the 2 wheels/rims on each of the axles will be more than the Axle rating. And the tire weight rating will be more than the wheel/rim rating. And so on....

 

[Kanuck]

I have been following this tread more for the information and understanding the complexity of it all. One thing comes to mind, and that is, in Manitoba Canada - • A combination of vehicles consisting of a truck with two axles or Class 5 passenger vehicle, and a towed vehicle with a registered gross vehicle weight of more than 4,540 kg. (10,000 LBS) requires a Class 3 DL. This is copied of the Man Gov web site. Last couple of years they have been ticketing drivers with out the correct class of DL. and also going after the dealers for not informing the buyers that they need a different class of DL. Is it the same across the boarder that because of the gross weight a different class of DL is required?

 

[FrankThompson]

The only way to be able to pull over 11k or close to max towing capacity is to load up a widget with the weight and use a long 50 foot I-beam so you don't use any payload. In reality, payload will get maxed before anything else.

This has been my major epiphany today. I am looking to upgrade from my '17 f150 lariat 2.7l eb 4x2 to a '22 f150 lariat pb 4x4 and what I've sort of realized is my towing capacity (limited by payload) won't be that much better. Some of that loss is from the pb batteries and motor and some from the 4x4.

I'm novice when it comes to towing and I'm at the point of rethinking my whole plan. Granted I don't plan to tow often, but thought about getting a TT for some family vacations. Now I'm not sure that will be feasible with the truck I'm getting (I need to wait till next week to see the payload numbers for that specific truck).

If the payload is around 1300-1400 I'm no better than what I have as I feel I'll be limited to what I guess is under 5-6k of towing capacity. The only benefit will be from the 3.5l eb portion of the pb as from what I've read the hybrid doesn't help too much overall when towing.

 

[UGADawg96]

I have been following this tread more for the information and understanding the complexity of it all. One thing comes to mind, and that is, in Manitoba Canada - • A combination of vehicles consisting of a truck with two axles or Class 5 passenger vehicle, and a towed vehicle with a registered gross vehicle weight of more than 4,540 kg. (10,000 LBS) requires a Class 3 DL. This is copied of the Man Gov web site. Last couple of years they have been ticketing drivers with out the correct class of DL. and also going after the dealers for not informing the buyers that they need a different class of DL. Is it the same across the boarder that because of the gross weight a different class of DL is required?

Not down south. The number is 26k lbs.

https://www.stateofflorida.com/drivers-license-types/

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