Home »
What’s the Ford Transit payload? How much weight can my Ford Transit carry? What’s the Ford Transit capacity?
These are all essentially the same question that you want to know about and you’ve found the right place to get your answers on van payloads.
Take a look at our Ford Transit payload guide to find out what the payload of a fourth generation Transit is.
The answer is from 1110kg to 1472kg which excludes the weight of the driver but including all necessary fluids and 90% fuel.
If that’s answered your question, great – glad we could help, but its actually a bit more complicated than just a straightforward number.
Most Transit vans are plated (that’s the official term for the legal amount the vehicle and its contents can weigh) at 3.5-tonnes or 3,500kg but you can actually get Transit vans at smaller weights or 2.9-tonnes (2,940kg), 3.1-tonnes (3,140kg) and 3.3-tonnes (3,365kg).
To find out which one you have look at the badge because a 2.9-tonne van is a 290, a 3.1-tonne van is a 310, a 3.3-tonne van is a 330 and a 3.5-tonne van is a 350.
You’ll also see these referred to as T290, T310, T330 and T350.
It’s all logical when you know.
Read our Ford Transit review
Because of the very different plated weights there is a large range of what payload capacity the vans have and how much payload weight your Ford Transit can carry. But, we’ll try to spell it out for you according to Ford’s latest Transit van payload specs.
Transit 290 has a payload capacity of 895kg to 936kg
Transit 310 vans get a payload capacity of 993kg to 1136kg
Transit 330 has a payload capacity of 1239kg to 1337kg
Transit 350 vans get a payload capacity of 1277kg to 1472kg
That’s the basics and the reason for the wide range is because you can have a Transit van at those weights in a number of different body sizes from short-wheelbase to extra-long-wheelbase. If you want to know more about the Ford Transit dimension take a look at our guide.
They are also only the numbers for the front-wheel-drive models. If you have a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD) Transit van you will have a slightly reduced payload because of the added weight and complexity of the driveline.
Rear-wheel-drive vans are only available as Transit 350 models and their payload weight capacity ranges from 1110kg to 1385kg, but as a general rule of thumb they are 80kg to 100kg lower in their payload than the front-wheel drive models. There’s also a Transit 470 with a 4.7-tonne gross vehicle weight (GVW) and payload of 2209kg. The largest Transit van, the Transit 500 has a payload of 2383kg.
The same is true of the all-wheel-drive vans. They drop the payload by 100kg from the front-wheel-drive vans and range from a payload weight capacity of 1172kg to 1279kg.
Take a look at the table below. It will give you all of the Transit payload spec for each panel van variant.
Aside from the overall payload of the van, another thing to consider is the axle weights of the front and rear axles. This is the individual amount of load that can be on any one axle. Fortunately they are a lot higher than the overall Ford Transit payload of the van, but it doesn’t mean you can’t mistakenly overload an individual axle. Let’s explain…
If you put a pallet weighing exactly one-tonne on the centre of the rear axle, you have added 1000kg of weight to the van. This is accounted for in its overall payload. You’ve also placed weight on both the front and rear axle, as the chassis will distribute the weight across the length of the van. Because it is at the back of the van, however, most of the weight will be on the rear axle, and the further back towards the rear door you put that pallet the more of the weight will be taken solely by the rear axle.
This is how overloading can happen because not only is the rear axle supporting the 1-tonne pallet it is also supporting the body of the van, the engine, the gearbox and even you and your sandwiches. They all contribute to the final number on the rear axle and what you can legally carry.
The rear axle weight for the Transit 290 is 1575kg. Transit 310 is 1725, Transit 330 is 2050kg and Transit 350 is 2150kg to 2250kg (depending on the body size).
As you can see that’s a lot higher than the payload, ratings but if you were to put the maximum 1472kg of the biggest carrying Transit right at the back of the van – maybe because you loaded it there with a forklift – then you’ve be in danger of being overloaded on that rear axle.
It’s exactly the same scenario with the front axle, but there’s even more to think about because you have the weight of the engine and any occupants to consider.
The front axle weights for the Transit 290 is 1625kg. Transit 310 is 1650kg or 1750kg. Transit 330 is 1750kg and Transit 350 is also 1750kg.
Here’s a look at Ford’s own table of weights and measures for the Ford Transit range. As with the above, this covers the UK Transit models from 2014 onwards.
The most important thing when it comes to carrying weight in your van is to remain on the right side of the law. While we hope our guide is useful and can give you a good indication of how much weight your Transit van can carry the best way to find out how much payload your van has is to check the vehicle plate.
This is a small metal plate (or more commonly now a sticker) usually found on the inside of the driver or passenger side door that lists the GVW, payload and front and rear axle weights. On some occasions you can find it under the bonnet. Our advice... always check the plate.
