What's Your Payload?

Hello, new member and my first post.

I’ve put a deposit down on a SR5 Crew Cab 4x4, 5.5ft bed with the TSS package. I need to pull a travel trailer (about 5,000lbs), I’m currently pulling it now with my 2017 Tacoma 4x4 with a max payload of 1,000lbs and I’m always at the max payload. I was under the impression the Tundra’s payload for the configuration mentioned above would be about 1,700lbs after the factory options. This was based on the Toyota brochures and information on their site after building an SR5. I’ve been shopping around, and most payload tags that I see are at about 1,400lbs. with the similar configuration.

The brochure and door jam tag all indicate the GVWR for that configuration at 7,210lbs and the Curb Weight at 5390, which has a maximum payload of 1820lbs. I wouldn’t think that the factory options weigh 420lbs? seems like a lot of weight.

Curious if anyone has had their truck weighed, calculated their payload, and compared it to the door tag?

 

Hopefully you'll get some responses. There was at least one member that did this and reported the actual GVWR less truck weight with full gas tank was significantly more than the sticker. Many of us are interested in this.

 

Interesting. Increasing my carrying capacity is one of the main reasons for considering a full size truck. I was hoping to gain more than 400lbs between the Tacoma and Tundra. I know the Tundra is built on a larger chassis, longer wheel base, more horse power & torque, etc.. overall a better towing machine. But I’m hoping for more carrying capacity than 1,400lbs.

 

Just weighed a DC Limited with TRD Off-Road package, 6.5’ bed, full fuel, Toyota tonneau cover, bed mat, all weather floor mats, and oval steps. Based on a GVWR of 7310 and Cat Scale weight of 5770 the available payload was 1540 lbs. There was no payload sticker on the door but a sticker placed on the door jamb indicating 9 lbs was added (floor mats).

Tom

 

Yeah, I remember two 3rd gen owners on the forum finding more room between curb weight and gross weight than their door jamb numbers said they had. If I recall correctly, it was something substantial like ~250lb.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but it works like this: if your door jamb says GVWR is 7200 lb and occupants & cargo should not exceed 1500 lb, that means your curb weight should be 5700 lb. You decide to check Toyota's math and go weigh your bone stock truck at the CAT scales and get 5450 lb with a full tank of fuel and no one in it. That would mean you actually have 1750 lb of payload.

Wish that were the case with my truck, lol. My only real gripe.

 

Thanks Tom, the specs on the brochure indicate a Curb Weight for your configuration at 5,490lbs, that means that the Toyota tonneau cover, bed mat, all weather floor mats, and oval steps weigh 280lb, which makes sense. You don't see a sticker like the one below to compare against your calculated payload?

 

Terndrerrr,
do you tow? if so, are you at max payload and what's your thoughts on how the tundra handles it?

 

I’m in a 2nd gen, which is a very heavy truck, and yes it tows fantastic. I haven’t towed at my max, but I have had the truck weighed down over GVWR by a few hundred pounds. Drove to Colorado, all over Colorado, and back to Tennessee that way. Never broke a sweat. I’m sure the 3rd gen is really nice towing with all that torque lower in the RPM band.

Adding something to the rear to help eliminate squat is a requirement on half tons, in my opinion.

 

I'll look into Air Bags.

 

FrankGB,

I completely missed that. I was looking for a yellow sticker and needed to take my glasses off to read the small print. It said a payload of 1490. I think 280 is a little much for those options. I would put it closer to 140-150. My impression is the TRD package added the additional weight. I put both the tonneau and steps on and they aren’t that heavy. Either way, the door sticker understated the payload by at least 150 lbs.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom for checking, i think it was 50lbs understated? sticker said 1,490lbs , you calculated 1,540 = 50lb difference.

 

Yeah, I have a 2016, crew cab, 2wd, SR5, texas edition and I went through what you are going through now. Here is my post about payload:
https://www.tundras.com/threads/questions-about-payload-and-gvwr.71074/
it includes the receipt from the truck scales. Since then, I added catalytic converter shields (50 pounds) so that leaves me with 1000 pounds of payload. I have a lot of modifications which eats up the payload. The tundra is a heavy truck.

 

FrankGB,

I took the tonneau and steps out of the equation, since the door sticker would not have included them. Add the 9 lbs for the floor mats and that’s how I came up with 150-160 lbs. All things considered, my DC with full fuel sitting in the driveway with the items I put in the console and under the back seat has 1520 lbs of available payload. I have the payload for 2 people, one yellow lab, a 900 lb tongue wt 7000 lb loaded trailer, an EU2000 generator, a couple gallons of gas, with a few lbs left over. The next step is to weigh the truck and fully loaded trailer to see what the real axle loading is.

Tom

 

Toyota has a set “payload” listed in the owner’s manual for each trim and cab configuration. I’m not sure how it’s calculated but it’s probably the heaviest spec of that particular grade/cab/bed combo. I think most trucks will have higher payload than what is listed on the door jamb sticker but it’s hard for most people to go weigh their trucks. It seems like Toyota is just being conservative listing the lowest possible payload.

 

You have to weigh the truck to know for sure. Several people have had their door stickers read 200-250 lbs lower than the actual payload capacity. Toyota just picks one of 15 or so numbers(which are listed in the owners manual so you can pretty much guess what your truck will have on the sticker) and slaps it on the sticker, its not specific to each individual truck like you see on F150's or Silverados.

There is another thread on the forum about this where its covered pretty well.

Here is a picture from the 2022 owners manual, everything I have seen says that any 2022 truck you get will have one of these numbers on the door sticker. So your 4x4 SR5 Crewmax 5.5' bed will say either 1400, 1395, or 1310.

 

thanks, I thought the sticker was truck specific. Now it makes sense why a limited with power seats and panoramic roof had the same payload as a SR5 without those options. Both Crew Cab, Both 4x4, both short bed, so they both get a similar tag.

 

I have a SR5 CM, short bed 4x4. I was worried about payload as well. I tow a 5700lb (dry) TT. 30' long. I took my truck on it's "test" drive to a local scale and weighed it. Door sticker said 1395lb payload. The GVWR is listed on the sticker as 7210. My truck weighed 5560. That gives me 1650 for payload. I have the trailer set up with a WDH. When fully loaded (tongue weight of 1000lb, weighed with a scale) my truck tows amazing. It does sag 2" in the back, but that just levels it out. I had a 2019 Ram 1500 (new style with the 8spd tranny) prior and this truck tows better, IMHO. Hope that helps!

 

Dfrink, thanks. Puts me at ease! I'm in California and making a trip out to Texas to pick up the truck. Here in the Los Angeles area all dealers are marking up the Tundra's by 15-20K, I cannot contribute to that! so decided to look further out. This information is extremely helpful, I was starting to question if the Tundra was the right truck. I want to be able to carry stuff in the bed without worrying about being overweight. 1,600 lbs should be more than enough for us. Thanks again for the information.

 

forgot to ask, what package to you have on your SR5?

 

My truck is barebones SR5. No TRD. Dealer didn't have one with TRD, but TRD will also drop your payload a bit. FYI, I bought from my local dealer up in Nor Cal (Auburn, near Sac). Paid msrp. I had to wait for 5 weeks though.

 

FWIW, the plain SR5 version is just about as nice as the Ram Big horn trim. It's pretty sweet! Just wish I had the locker and skid plates....

 

thanks, I do wish it came with a locker. i'll be looking to add one in the coming years. How is the interior?

 

It's nice. It's the most comfortable truck I've owned. I test drove the F150. The Tundra just felt better and it's slightly more comfortable than the Ram I had (and I really liked that truck).

 

The door sticker IS specific. The brochure/ads/toyota website is generic.

 

Not according to owners who manually calculated payload, which consisted of weighing their truck at scale and subtracting it from GVWR

 

Yep, I'd certainly like to see more data, but so far of the few who have done so, all of them have found 200-250 more pounds of available payload than what their door jambs say.

 

The door sticker is not specific. It lumps SR and SR5 together (S as 3rd to last digit in model code) and it lumps Platinum and 1794 together (Z as 3rd to last digit in model code).

The brochure is showing GVWR minus advertised curb weight as payload. The sticker seems to list GVWR minus the heaviest spec in a certain model code. That’s why the two are such different values AND why people are finding their actual payload is higher than what the sticker says. Maybe the only specific bit is the yellow add-on sticker for dealer or port installed accessories.

 

Good info. My previous statement can be amended to the following: The door sticker is more specific as it at least begins to break into trim levels. The brochure/ads/toyota website is more generic as it pertains to cab and drive usually.

 

Anyone notice if the longer bed CM has a higher payload then the short bed? I would think the longer bed could handle more weight

 

Why would it have a higher payload? More space doesn't mean better braking, better cooling, better suspension, beefier axles, or any of the other things that go into a payload rating. Maybe a longer wheelbase would help, but I don't personally know how wheelbase length plays into payload. I would tend to think the added materials of the longer frame and bed would result in a lower payload, but I don't actually know.

Generally speaking, if you want higher payload and towing numbers you go with smaller cabs and 2WD.