Frustrated that my truck isnt...well..a truck!

You know I've made the same comment for years, they're truck like and pretty utilitarian but rated against other trucks they don't stack up for shit. That said, I don't really have a use for a truck, I own a trailer and a land cruiser if I need to haul things, the truck is just around for camping and exploring, I barely even drive it otherwise.

 

OP's truck has patina, not rust and patina is highly sought after these days.

 

I get it. I drive Rams and F-150s at work all the time. But my Taco does alright.

The brush below is covered by a cargo net.

 

Would a similar sized truck of 30 years ago designed and marketed as mid-size truck though? A genuine question that I dont know. To me it looks like every truck built 30 years ago was designed and marketed as full size (even if dimensions they were smaller). Trucks and offroaders in general got a larger compared to 30 years ago. So I am not sure if comparing them based on dimensions is informative.

 

Well you can base your trucks capacity based on the “size“ of it, but mine is based on the actual payload capacity and it well exceeds 1/2 ton
Math. I trust it.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.au...pickup-payloads-worth-their-weight-159845?amp

 

It's been a LONG time since "1/2" ton meant what it originally meant.

 

You can argue that all day long and I understand what you’re saying but at the end of the day a Tacoma 3rd gen payload rating still exceeds 1/2 ton, and that’s what it’s rated for, not a generally used “terminology”.

 

Bingo. OP, you can always get a real truck like a Honda Ridgeline...

 

Like I said, it doesn't mean what it used to. "1/4 ton", "1/2 ton" etc are now classifications. They don't mean carrying capacity and haven't in a long time. You can argue semantics all day, but things change over time and trucks are no different. The Silverado's payload capacity would make it a 3/4 ton truck, but it's still considered a 1/2 ton truck. If you want to consider GVWR, many 1/2 ton pickups have GVWR or over 7,000 lbs. That doesn't make it a 3.5 ton truck.

Originally it was a nod to carrying capacity, but now it is a classification. Hell, the F150 is rated to tow over 10,000 lbs as a 1/2 ton truck. Trucks have become more capable over time, no question. But saying a 1/2 ton truck could haul only 1/2 ton has been out the window for decades.

 

The bed is only 5 ft . Honestly you should know what you bought and know if it is good for your needs.

 

Number one selling midsize for a reason. People know what they're buying and it fits the bill. You're just not seeing things clearly.

 

Me too. I've had trucks with 5', 5.5', 6', 6.5', 7', and 8' beds. If I can't fit it in a 5' bed I need 8' or a trailer. The 7' bed was a 1970's Jeep truck. But anything between 5'-6.5' isn't enough bigger to matter.

When I made the move from a full size I figured out pretty quickly that I needed a trailer. It's not just the bed size, but the limited payload. With a 6'X10' trailer I can haul more cargo by both weight or volume than I could fit in the bed of a 1 ton truck with an 8' bed. And tow it with ease.

I'm back in a full size now in addition to keeping the Tacoma. I still find it preferable to use the trailer. The ramp makes it a lot easier to load/unload heavy stuff and I don't beat up the bed as much.

 

My truck works fine as a truck . Try loading crap in a vw gti hatchback lol

 

This is a great point!! My issue was that in other country’s a smaller trucks can handle a higher workload. In Kabul I drove a hilux that could conquer anything. I guess I wanted the Tacoma to be the same.

 

1/4 ton, 1/2 ton, etc. aren't official "classifications" they are just general common use terms, the only official classifications are the DOT classes 1-8.
https://www.cjponyparts.com/resources/truck-sizes
As the linked article states - "For determining truck sizes, the U.S. Department of Transportation uses a classification scale called Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. GVWR is defined as the total weight of a fully-loaded vehicle. The GVWR includes the weight of the chassis, body, engine, fuel, driver, passengers, and cargo but excludes trailers. If you subtract the curb weight of the vehicle from that equation, you’ll have the payload capacity. GVWR is largely a safety standard as overloading, or exceeding payload capacity, is not only dangerous, but it can harm your truck as well. GVWR can usually be found in your owner’s manual or on the doorframe of the vehicle."
The official DOT classification for a Tacoma is 1, light duty. Now if you want to know the actual payload capacity for your Tacoma, you look in your door for GVWR and do the math as stated above. You can also check the Tacoma Product Specifications, here's the data for 2019 Tacoma:

That's really all I have to say about it lol

 

This thread is still going?

isn't the TL;DR :

I didn't measure the W'xL' of my bed before I bought it and now I'm dealing with the consequences?

Nuts.

 

The terms 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, etc. haven't been relevant since the end of WW-2. None of the truck manufacturers have used that nomenclature for at least 50 years. It is just slang terms still used by the general public.

The truck manufacturers use the term light duty for what we generally refer to as 1/2 ton trucks, and heavy duty, or super duty for bigger trucks. Ford uses the number 150 for their light duty trucks and 250, 350, 450, 550, etc. for their heavy duty trucks. Chevy and Ram use 4 digit numbers, 1500, 2500, 3500, etc. do describe the same class of trucks.

The older Toyota trucks were classified as small trucks, not light duty, nor 1/4 ton. Starting with 2nd gen's they are classified as a mid-size.

A better way to think of it is GVWR and payload.

Modern Tacoma's have around 5400 lbs. GVWR and 1000-1300 lbs. payload
What we refer to as 1/2 tons will be 7000-7500 lbs. GVWR and payload can vary between 1100-2500 lbs.
What we refer to as 3/4 tons will have 10,000+ GVWR and 2500-4000 lbs. payload

 

It's an old school term of truck capabilities. 1/4 is ranger, 1/2 is f150, 3/4 is f250, and 1 ton is f350.

 

3 pages and i still don't understand how these keep coming up, but i am never disappointed

 

We didn't want to disappoint you. We knew you needed to come in and diss some thread. Because see, you never disappoint, lol.