1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 Ton Trucks! Know the Towing and Payload Differences! 

He’s simply saying, it’s better to over-truck your trailer than it is to over-trailer your truck. And that makes perfect sense, especially from a safety factor.

Finally, an intelligent, to the point discussion on towing vehicles.

I had F350 camper special supercab pulling 7K lbs. 5th wheel trailer. For ~30 years camping life came to an end now. Built a small cottage for 4 seaon use. Many, many fond memories travelling/camping.

The most important number to know on these trucks is the $1,200/month payment...

In a nutshell. 150/1500 series are good to tow a 6,500lb travel trailer or less 250/2500 series are good for travel trailers 350/3500 series are good for travel trailers and up to mid sized 5th wheels. 350/3500 Dually trucks - can tow anything I can afford.

I went from a 1/2 ton GMC to a 1 ton dually Ford with my 33’ travel trailer and it was a huge improvement! Having too much truck is ALWAYS the best move!

JD , I think this is probably your best Towing video, the explanation of different truck size and types and vehicle capabilities is very well done and spot on. If everyone searching for a towing vehicle or RV watched this video I feel that many towing issues could be avoided and many questions answered. I watched this video a few times before purchasing my truck and Fifth wheel and feel very confident that my choices were chosen properly and responsibly . Thanks keep ‘me coming.

This guy really knows his trucks. Awesome info.

It took me several years to learn the lesson that as families grow, so to does payload. My first tow vehicle purchased 10 years ago was a 1/2 ton Ram. The payload was easily maxed out with the particular configuration of that truck. After a few years and with the kids growing up I purchased a 2013 Suburban 1/2 ton. This Suburban had fairly respectable towing capacity but payload really suffered when we had all 7 seats being utilized and then having a couple of loaded coolers in the back. A few years ago I decided to go the 3/4 ton route and purchased a 2017 Silverado HD gasser and haven’t looked back. Hauling my 8000 # bumper pull without stressing about being overloaded really puts me at ease and driving is much more enjoyable. I wish 10 years ago I had the knowledge about towing that I have now.

Thanks Brother! I appreciate your time putting this together

Answered so many questions for me as I contemplate towable RVs. Great video.

Great discussion and expert presentation. I wish I had come across this video earlier. Really well done. Thank you!!

Excellent break down of trucks & capability. Well done!

Great video. Information dense and well-paced. Thank you.

This video has been very informative. Been following you while I make my decision to purchase a travel trailer. Thanks for your unbiased reviews and information.

Love Love Love my 2008 Chevy Silverado Diesel Dually 4x4..8' bed..Quad cab..Pulls everything I need it to haul & pull.. THank you for your review. I send FB friends to you and your reviews..New RVers need all the info they can get. I see so many rearend trucks pulling RV's on the highway, bottomed out and sunken in, and that is scary, very dangerous too.. Happy Trails Tallahassee FL,..

Quick and nicely comprehensive. Thanks!!

I wish someone would put a class together to explain all this to dealerships. It should be required training. I always ask people at the dealers for the payload sticker and they always look at me like I'm crazy.

Thank you so much for this video. Very unbiased and informative. I “accidentally” got a F350 diesel super duty which was more than I needed but I love it and I am excited to know I can pretty much go in whatever direction I want when time comes to update my travel trailer.

This was so perfectly and efficiently explained, thank you. You're very well spoken

I had a 2018 Colorado and pulled a 3500lb boat with it and absolutely hated it, so I bought a 2019 Frontier and that thing pulls that 3,500lb boat beautifully.

Excellent breakdown helped me a lot thanks.

Factor in the experience and ability of the driver(s).

This was very helpful explaining what a customer needs to consider when purchasing a truck to tow a trailer. Excellent!

Thank you for the detailed explanation. This helped me decide if I want to move to a 5th wheel with my 2006 Ford F-350 single wheel diesel

So Very helpful. We are planning on getting a truck snd travel Trailer in the near future. This video was just what we needed to hear. Thank you.

I got a 1/2 ton for my 4700 pound trailer. Works great and it didn't break the bank.

Very knowledgeable person.. Great information to know, good job.👍

Thank you. I could understand what you were saying and it was very helpful. I know what to look for now when I purchase.

Super helpful. I’m wanting to get a 5th wheel RV in the future and seems like for the safety and control of a larger trailer the dulley is the way to go

thank you for the clarity on the subject!

This was very informative and helpful. Especially being new to travel trailers and towing them. I am looking at starting small and used. A small Scamp and an good used truck.😀

I put some timbrens on the rear of my F-150 and it was night and day difference in towing my 9,000lb travel trailer. They are great!!

Mostly from viewing your videos and taking stock of what I had, I bought a 2021 XLT F-250 SuperDuty with the Camper Package yesterday. What a huge difference from my previous 2018 Lariat F-150. Now I'll be getting a Weigh Safe WD Hitch to handle the upcoming travel trailer we are in the process of purchasing. Thanks for keying me on how NOT to skirt weight capacities on payload and towing. I was at almost 90% on the F-150.

Some REAL talk!!!! Thank you

Thanks again for messaging me back the other day. We really appreciate what you do.

What I got out of this, more options in the truck, less trailer weight. Gotta stick to small runaway campers and getting used to porta potty. Thank you for sharing and be safe.

So much great information in this video!

Excellent overview and very helpful

We need more people like this to educate people! I saw a ram 1500 on its roof last weekend near Austin TX on 130, cause he was doing 85mph (85 is the speed limit there) and had too much trailer for his truck.

Also the hitch makes all the difference. I use Equalizer Hitch and it’s awesome

Great informational video! Thanks

Thanks for the video. The information provided bolstered what I was trying to explain to my wife. Go big or not at all.

Ha. Watched your video about 1/2 T travel trailers and you talked just about trailers. I commented that you need to spend a moment to talk trucks... well here you are! Nicely done.

Thanks for talking about the Work Truck model...I have been looking at 5th wheels and I have a 2013 gas 2500HD WT and wasnt sure about what I can pull.

Super helpful and informative video, thank you!

This was very insightful and interesting. Thank you

This is one of your best videos. I was surprised when I special ordered my 2017 RAM SRW 3500 Limited, as the dealer told me my towing capacity was at a mere 16,800 pounds. I have nearly every option on my truck, and as such opted for the 3500 over the 2500. My 5th wheel comes in at 13,500 fully loaded, so I wanted the extra ceiling space when it comes to capacity.

Great video and easy to understand. Thanks.

Absolutely great video!

Thank you kindly for this. My Silverado 1/2 ton 4 wheel extended cab basic rig tows my Baja Jayco 15 ft trailer like a dream.

Fantastic info, tired of people and fake news. Thanks so much!

I really like all the truck videos made me sit with paper and pencil and figure what truck I really need to pull the camper my family wants being new to campers it really helps to have videos like this

The new GM 2500s have 11350 GVWR and have payloads around 3000 to 3300 depending on trim level. For raised their GVWR to 10800 for the 2020 F-250s pushing their cargo To around 2800. So it seems that these 3/4 trucks have payload capacities that were the standard for the 1 tons just last year.

Very nicely explained - hopefully saves some folks some headaches. Note: There is a new(ish) ISO / ASME standard for payload numbers - these allow for the passengers ( per seat belt) and other items already discounted and are much more apples to apples when comparing. I know Ford and Toyota adhere to it, I'm sure that by now GM and Ram must as well ( but I don't know for sure...) it makes it easier when reading the numbers since it takes out the variables ( to an extent) for cab config .... Full Disclosure: We tow a KODIAK 291RESL ... 32 foot ball to bumper TT with GVWR of 8800#..Curb weight of 6500# - we never tow full, so call it 7500# average tow load. WE were towing it with a 2009 F150 with the 7200# GVWR option, door sticker was about 1250# and 9200# tow rating ( have to deduct 500# off the chart's max tow of 9700# and max GCVWR with the 18 or 20" wheels on this year, and it had the 18") if I recall. Needless to say, I was more or less doing a weight and balance calculation with every loadout and we won't discuss what the real numbers may have been since I never managed to hit scales with it. It worked. I upgraded to the Load Range E tires when I bought it for the added towing stability etc ( you have to find your own empty tire pressures for driving around or else you have the equivalent of a truck with no springs at all in the back as the tires have no give when at towing pressure and no load in the bed - I was at 62 Front, 50 rear EMPTY TRUCK - 64 front 75 rear - TOWING, rear tires just had a nice foot print and stayed very cool etc... probably could have done 70 ... these are the same tires you find on the 3/4 and 1 ton truck by the way), and eventually did end up adding air springs to it to regain the full empty ride height - this was needed to avoid that "light" front end ( yes, I know, air bags don't handle Weight Dist - I had that covered in the hitch ) This is due to that item mentioned about the softer suspension on the 1/2 ton ... oddly enough, realigning the driveline as a side benefit made it tow "easier" and the mileage went up a twitch and the RPM stabilized ( stopped hunting the 4th / 5th gear under load, and even enjoyed time in 6th more often than not while at 62 - 65 mph), or at least was able to be maintained ... this is over the same 1000 miles of highway which included crossing the Appalachians in each config - so apples to apples. . Most noticeable was the suspension authority on bumps ( due to returning full travel to it) and the front end authority over transitions ( bridge expansion joints in the rain for example ) CAUTION: if you use airbags in this way, they WILL NOT INCREASE your payload #'s, they are only there in this config to restore the suspension travel by transferring the load off the primary springs... and yeah, I was the geek with the tape measure checking that fender height off the ground - no shame in my game. With the full suspension authority returned, towing was again "stress free"... Okay, all that insanity said - bottom line - if you know how to drive a trailer ( let's just say Granny might start laying down the smack talk) you can do this safely...I was given many opportunities to deal with the road idiots and I can say that I've not a scratch in the paint to show for it. Today: My F350 SRW is sitting in the yard with 3,000 miles on it waiting for me to decide on hitch equipment. Mine has the 11,300# GVWR which, in the 6.2L gasser has the highest starting payload ( 4600#) and tow (12,300#) for the config ... I've graduated to the " Load and Go" club, and I'm not unhappy about it at all. You can tow a larg(er) trailer with a lighter truck safely - IF - you are careful on the entire cofiguration and then you do not overdrive the rig - can't tell you how many times I'd see 1/2 ton trucks blow my doors off with a 5th wheel on them, or a trailer like mine but the bed packed with a crew cab and family of 4 in there plus the dog....sure, the new ones will go - they have the power ( my '09 1/2 ton had a 5.4L, the '19 1 ton has a 6.2L - that's only 0.8L more "power" ) but they don't have the frame, brakes, stability, or just plain "bigness" to deal with all of that AND aggressive driving....if those other trailers started throwing their weight around those 1/2 tons would not be able to deal as they were loaded and driven. Know your limits - stay away from them - enjoy your time on the road ( and if you can't then change the limits - go bigger (truck) or stay home) - I went bigger truck 'cuz I ain't stayin' home! Let the hating commence!!

Very informative and well said! Much appreciated

Excellent explanation, good sir!

I like the video alot. A good rule of thumb is to not let the Gross combined weight to exceed 75% of the GCWR. Numbers are calculated at standard day sea level conditions. Always good to keep sufficient margin, which is what I liked about this video..

thanks for this , I was looking at a Ram 2500 mega cab with cummings and wondered how it faired compared to a gas extended cab.

Awesome job!

I got sucked into that “this half ton will easily pull this trailer” sales pitch, but quickly found out that the payload ran out immediately. I have now settled on a one ton srw truck and no longer have to white-knuckle it on the highway. Too soon old, too late smart.

Excellent video, Josh! I've been doing my homework on the various trucks; their limitations; and how to properly match them up with the proper travel trailer, or 5th wheel trailer. You hit on all the important points! This video should be mandatory viewing for anyone who wants to purchase a truck/trailer, or anyone new to it. I've seen some dangerous combinations rolling and saying down the highway. Josh, you're not in my neck of the woods, but if/when the time comes that I make the plunge, you're the first person I'm calling. Of course, I'm building the business case to present to my -boss... er... I mean- wife. 😁 I wonder how much duty I'd pay on an RV. 🤔

Excellent and informative video.

So Helpful. Thanks!!!

Very informative! Thanks. Liked and subscribed

Thank you! Good info.

GREAT VIDEO good pointers

This video is very informative and exactly what people need to know about trucks and their associated towing capacity. Well done!!

thank you this was so helpful

I really love my 2017 F150 2.7L STX combined with a 2017 GEO Pro 16ft 3000LB trailer. 13-14mpg tow on flat surface, and 10mpg in hills.

Thanks for the info it helps very much.

Those colorado really look good!!

Excellent video.

Great video I did enjoy this for sure

Most informative. Thank You.

Very informative video. Thanks.

I liked watching all your videos.

Another idea to understand a particular trucks towing capability...do a copy & paste of the trucks VIN # from the dealers website; then go to an rv dealer site that has a page about towing, find where you can enter a VIN # and you can get capacity for that specific vehicle. Don't guarantee exact numbers as I've seen some variation. But gives you a pretty good idea.

Nice work sir. I really enjoy your videos! Keep it up!

Proud of that video was very good and I'm from Corpus

I’m in central Texas and many people in Texas drive 4x4 or AWD and never leave the pavement. Snow what is that? Moreover 4x4 & AWD require more maintenance, use more gas and cost more to fix as they age. Most people can get better service going rear wheel drive.

Thanks for the informative video. I have a Chevy Colorado with the V6 and am looking forward to buying a modest travel trailer in the next few years. The 3500-4000# range seems to be the sweet spot from what I've been reading, especially if used with the anti-sway hitch.

Phenomenal breakdown and explanation and also very sound and solid advice great video overall thank you

Thank you for video!

well done. Diesel engines are not as much of a no brainer as ppl think. theres a big tradeoff in weight, maintenance, and initial cost that you have to do the math on and see if its worth it.

Very valuable information and thanks for the Corpus Christi scenery. Reminds me when I lived there six years ago. BTW: what’s your opinion on air bags to level the rear suspension while using a weight distribution hitch?

All the new Chevy 2500 Diesel trucks have a GVWR in the 11k range. The one I almost bought had a payload of 3300 lbs. They are really a whole new class of vehicle now.

My 2020 F150 has a max tow package of 13,200lbs. I bought a trailer that has a dry gvw of 7,000lbs....pulls it no sweat!

Awesome information thank you

great video, thanks!

Great information

Great video. Thank you.

Well explained,👍👍

Good info. Your video along with comments from people in my circle impressed upon me about the limitations of my Ram 1500 which still bottomed out even after replacing the rear springs with two levels stiffer. As well, I was concerned with how insurance companies will not cover you should an incident happen (when you’re over limits). I ended up upgrading to a Chevy 2500 LT 4x4 (6.6L gas) and feel so much more secure especially with it having a 3300 lbs payload capacity (1500 more than the Ram I recently sold). Not looking back; looking forward, securely.

Great Comparison .. Thanks

10:20, Double Dog UGLY front end, what were they thinking, sheesh

What makes all this even more confusing is the different drivetrain options. You can’t really say buy x truck for xx,xxx lbs towing. It would be nice if you could just use the numbers on the truck to guarantee being able to tow a certain weight (1500 truck towing 10,000 lbs, 2500 truck towing 20,000 lbs etc.) however the only answer is really to check the sticker in the door before you buy...

Since you had to go to Ford anyway, I wish you would have thrown the F450 in the mix as well. It's relatively the same price as the F350's, but with so much more to offer to someone seriously looking into a dedicated tow rig (vs daily driver).

My wife and I have a 33' bumper pull RV (~9klb dry, ~800 lb tongue weigh) and we've been pulling it with an '03 Chevy Silverado 1500HD. It works, but doesn't have much extra. I'm retiring this year, and we've decided that we're going to buy a new truck, primarily for towing the RV. I've been debating with myself between a Ford F-150, which is the only 1/2 ton that I'm considering, because of its best-in-class torque (especially with the 3.5l turbo engine) and HP. (F-150 towing/payload are good for a 1/2 ton, but not great), and a 3/4 ton. I think that almost any of the 3/4 will work for us. I don't see us ever going to a 5th wheel, or going longer than 36' bumper-pull. I've watched several of your videos today, and they have certainly helped to solidify in my mind that I want to go 3/4 ton. Thanks for the good, concise coverage of the subject. [liked] [subscribed]

This was an informative video. I'm new to hard shell camping. I called my Toyota dealership, gave my VIN # and asked what was my towing capacity. They came back with 6000. I cut that in half for my older 4x4 toy. We choose a tear drop with a dry weight of 1900 and total of 3000lb. I doubt that we will ever choose an RV over 6000lbs. I like the 21' larger tear drops. I was hoping a 4x4 half ton, like a Silverado, would work with a sway bar. Thank you. ~ Diane