Truck not enough payload capacity

[Jacqueline in BC]

So we tow our Bigfoot 17' with a V6 Tacoma that has a payload capacity of 1050 lbs. We usually carry 4 passengers, about 450lbs total. The hitch weight, not including the hitch itself, is about 375 lbs. The hitch is another 75 pounds, which brings the total to about 900lbs.

We also carry our bikes I the truck bed to create a stable tow, the bikes are about 130 lbs total. The grand total is now 1030, pretty close to the maximum for our truck.

The 4 passengers are likely to grow in weight, does this mean that we will need to upgrade our truck soon? Which truck would give us the most room to grow? We like the Toyota Tundra crewmax but the payload is only 1240lbs, which is only 190lbs more than the Tacoma! Not the headroom that we are hoping for.

[madjack]

May be overkill BUT, going to a 3/4 ton truck will about triple load capacity and about the same for tow capacity...just sayin'.........
madjack

p.s. ...and it wouldn't add more than 50% to the price .................mj

[steve dunham]

Look at a Ford F150 or a Chevy Silverado 1500 .
Both are 1/2 ton trucks with far better payload and towing capacity than a Toyota.

[floyd]

SEMA

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Look at a Ford F150....

And then stop, because you found the answer.

[Falicea]

Hi Jacqueline
My Highlander tow capacity is 5000 pounds

If you buy a Tacoma 4x4 I'm sure will work perfect.

My friend have a Tacoma 4x4 and he pull a big camper with no problem.

Good luck

[TomK]

The most popular vehicle in North America since 1981, Ford F-150. Our's has a 2.7 eco-boost, 6 cyl engine that will tow 7,600 lbs. Payload to include pax and cargo is 1483 lbs.

Tom

[jsg67]

Originally Posted by Falicea

Hi Jacqueline
My Highlander tow capacity is 5000 pounds

If you buy a Tacoma 4x4 I'm sure will work perfect.

My friend have a Tacoma 4x4 and he pull a big camper with no problem.

Good luck

The poster's concern is payload not towing capacity.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Falicea

Hi Jacqueline
My Highlander tow capacity is 5000 pounds

If you buy a Tacoma 4x4 I'm sure will work perfect.

My friend have a Tacoma 4x4 and he pull a big camper with no problem.

Good luck

The Tacoma , Tundra and Ram have very low payload capacity when compared to Ford or Chevy ( I own a Ram) .Ford and Chevy both build trucks that have a payload capacity that is over 1000 lbs greater than the Tacoma / Tundra . My Ram as equipped has a towing caparity of 10,250 lbs but my payload capacity is only 1300 lbs.
I am nowhere near my towing capacity with my 17 ft Casita but I have maxed out my payload capacity and that's with only 2 passengers.
Using the towing capacity as the only criteria leads to people overloading their vehicle .
Just because you know or have seen people that have done
something doesn't mean that it's the right thing to do !!!
A lot of these vehicle towing threads could be eliminated if people only read their owner's manual , did their homework.and the math.

[DeBreez]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

The Tacoma , Tundra and Ram have very low payload capacity when compared to Ford or Chevy ( I own a Ram) .Ford and Chevy both build trucks that have a payload capacity that is over 1000 lbs greater than the Tacoma / Tundra .

While the Chevy and Ford generally have higher capacities, the payloads for all the trucks mentioned vary considerably based on how they are equipped. The crew cab models tend to be toward the bottom of their ranges..

2017 Tundra: 1,440 to 2,080 lbs
2017 F150: 1,621 to 2,329 lbs
2017 Ram: 1,230 to 1,923 lbs
2017 Silverado: 1,740 to 2,020 lbs

Just for comparison, my 2002 V-8 Tundra 2WD extended cab is 1,938 lbs, but the low end of the range for that year is 1,366.

Originally Posted by steve dunham

A lot of these vehicle towing threads could be eliminated if people only read their owner's manual , did their homework.and the math.

Agreed!

[cmartin748]

The Taco is a midsize truck like the Chevy Colorado that starts at 3500 tow cap.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by DeBreez

While the Chevy and Ford generally have higher capacities, the payloads for all the trucks mentioned vary considerably based on how they are equipped. The crew cab models tend to be toward the bottom of their ranges..

2017 Tundra: 1,440 to 2,080 lbs
2017 F150: 1,621 to 2,329 lbs
2017 Ram: 1,230 to 1,923 lbs
2017 Silverado: 1,740 to 2,020 lbs

Just for comparison, my 2002 V-8 Tundra 2WD extended cab is 1,938 lbs, but the low end of the range for that year is 1,366.



Agreed!

One problem I see and have run into is that the payload capacities listed on the internet do not make allowances for options
My truck lists a payload of over 1600 lbs but after subtracting for options my payload is around 1300 lbs ( Payload taken from vehicle sticker) .
Since very few people buy the stripped down version of any vehicle the published numbers are basically useless
The only positive way to know the actual payload is to look at the vehicle sticker and how many people do ?

[Raz]

My 2012 crewcab 4wd Frontier has a cargo capacity of 1268 lbs. Seems odd a Tacoma would be so much less. Any chance this is a 2004 or earlier Tacoma?

[Tom 72]

This is intended to inform, not preach.

I bet a lot of us suspect that many tow vehicles are at, or exceed their tow and payload limits.

They may seem to handle pretty normal(ly), in pretty normal conditions.

Problems arise when conditions are more extreme like emergency stops or swerves.

If you are in an accident, count on insurance companies, lawyers, and law enforcement determining whether you were exceeding limits.

If your family was in the other vehicle involved, I bet you would want your lawyer, insurance company and the authorities to do the same thing.

Exceeding limits could place you at some fault, even if you did not cause the accident. Chew on that.

If you enjoy your toys, use them properly. ...ok, a little preachy.

[stevebaz]

My 2016 Toyota access cab Tacoma 4x4 offroad model is allowed to tow up to 6500 lbs with a 9 to 11% tongue weight. At 11% that's 715 lbs. Truck has to have factory tow package and trailer has to have brakes.

Since the Tacoma is a 4x4 the cargo capacity is reduced to 1150 Lbs for passengers and cargo and the tongue weight of the trailer.

At maximum load towing that leaves 435 LBS that we could load in the truck. That means me an my gal can go and maybe squeeze in an ice chest but not her purse.

There are other models in the 2016 Tacoma line that have a cargo capacity up to 1400 Lbs.

In the Tacoma, towing up to 4000 lbs is the sweet spot after that its work and you have to drive very differently. It just depends how often you have to tow a very heavy load.

The truck manufacturers want the small trucks to haul small loads and big trucks to haul big loads. Over all it sells more bigger trucks at much higher profit margins.

[steve dunham]

My daughter runs an insurance agency .
When I bought my Casita the insurance company wanted to know the make , length , value , Vin # , the trailers GVWR and what I had for a tow vehicle.
According to what I was told the insurance company uses the GVWR of the trailer to establish if your tow vehicle is adequate.
They don't care how light you pack the GVWR is the GVWR.
They have no intentions of weighing your trailer .
If your trailer has a GVWR of 3500 lbs then you need a vehicle rated to tow 3500 lbs.
The same goes for tongue weight.
You can try fooling yourself but I am not sure you will fool the insurance company or a smart lawyer !!

[Mike Magee]

I read somewhere that a vehicle's payload rating usually takes into account a 150 lb. driver as part of the vehicle weight, thus the driver's weight would not count against payload. You might check with your dealer on this.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

I read somewhere that a vehicle's payload rating usually takes into account a 150 lb. driver as part of the vehicle weight, thus the driver's weight would not count against payload. You might check with your dealer on this.

From what I have read the payload capacity of a vehicle does NOT make allowances for the weight of the drives ( GVWR - Curb weight of vehicle = payload capacity)
The tow rating of a vehicle has a 150 lb weight allowance for the driver.

[Raz]

I read somewhere that a vehicle's payload rating usually takes into account a 150 lb. driver as part of the vehicle weight, thus the driver's weight would not count against payload. You might check with your dealer on this.

I thoughts so too but not true. My owners manual is quite clear. The limit is the payload capacity read off the sticker on the driver's door jamb, in my case 1268 lbs. From that you subtract driver, passenger, tongue weight, cargo. Go below zero you're over. The examples in the manual use 150lbs per person so maybe that's where the 150 lbs comes from.

[J Ron]

4 wheel Dr units have a lower payload capacity than equal 2 WD. The 4 WD hardware weighs 200 to 400 lbs. Unless you need 4WD it is just extra hardware to haul around.