Why is a F-150 called a half ton truck?

I had 1.22 tons of dirt in it last week, maybe a ton the week before.
Wasn't very zippy, sagged a bit, but it drove fine.

 

Decades ago the 'half ton' label was based on weight capacity ratings. Then the trucks got better.

 

Look back not too long, like the 80's and they weren't even rated for 1000lbs in the bed.

 

Although 'Half-Ton' is incorrect, 7 out of 9 Marketing Majors agree that
'Half-Ton' sells better than the correct term, 'Less-Than-A-Ton'.

 

This doesn't quite follow the thread, but I want a compilation of all 5000 of RAOUL's posts. Ha ha ha... you make my day!

 

You can put a "ton" on stuff in a Toyota Tacoma too, but that does not make it a "one ton" truck.....

A '1/2 ton' is still pretty close to the actual payload available WITHOUT exceeding your trucks GVWR, even these days..... Anybody can exceed the trucks GVWR and GAWR and the truck will still get down the road....

But, if you are talking about an actual amount of weight (payload) a truck can handle WITHOUT exceeding it's other ratings first, then the actual "1/2", "3/4", "1 Ton" kinda still come into play....

For example..... My truck has a GVWR of #6250. If I drive it across a scale with me and a full tank of gas (plus the other cr@p I have in it) it will weigh in at about #5400. That really only leaves me with an actual additional payload of only #850!! Sure, it'll handle a heck of a lot more, but then it's technically 'overweight' at that point too.....

Think that big bad F250 Crew Cab with the Powerstroke is a payload monster??? It's GVWR is #8800 (not the new 2005 however, it's much more now...) . Drag it over a scale and I'll bet it easily weighs over #7000. That leaves only #1800 of actual 'payload'. Going to an F350 is better, because it has an additional #1100 of GVWR and does not really weigh anymore then an F250. Now, the 2005's have a bunch more GVWR to them, so they would have even more payload as such.....

Now, the truck themselves can handle a lot more payload then what it's 'rated' for, so that's where some of the confussion comes in.....

Just my thoughts on the subject....

Mitch

 

This is a good discussion that many would do well to read before buying a truck and to consider it's intended heaviest application.
Towing; how much hitch weight and passenger weight etc. still applies even if nothing is put in the box.
Engine size, gear ratio etc.
Most states set lic fees based on model size and weight rating.