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Comment by fy20 | Hacker News Reader

> I think we need to start requiring commercial drivers licenses on some of these beasts.

In the EU the maximum authorized mass (US: GVWR) you can drive with a standard car license is 3500kg or 7700lbs. That means for some models of the F150 you do need a commercial license.

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There are no F150 models in the US that weight 7700 lbs or even close to it. The heaviest one is 5517 lbs.

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America...

It's not dry vehicle weight that counts. GCWR must not be above 3500 kg for the basic car driver's license.

PS: Actually, the limits for the basic German driver's license (B) are: Max GVWR of 3500 kg. With trailer, if GTWR not above 750 kg, no GCWR restriction, otherwise max GCWR of 3500 kg.

There's an extended license (BE) for max GTWR of 3500 kg and no GCWR restriction. (Max GVWR still 3500 kg.)

https://www.adac.de/verkehr/rund-um-den-fuehrerschein/klasse... (German text).

The curb weight of the F150 tops out at ~5000 pounds, the GVWR [which is what it is when full of people and stuff] tops out at ~7000 pounds.

The F250 line tops out at a curb weight of ~7500 lbs with a GVWR of an even 10,000.

And the GCWR can top 15000 pounds (my personal spec, though I had to custom order to get that combination). My 2018 F150 can tow a little over 10000 pounds vs the 6000 that my dad's 1995 F250 could tow. Things have definitely shifted a category or more. Similar comparisons for a current Ranger and an older F150. Basically, the older Ranger is an Escape with a hitch.

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