one side of this equation is getting solved this model year hopefully and it is amazing to me that the truck manufacturers have been allowed to create their own tow ratings for years with no one really doing any fact checking. Starting this year the big 3 will convert to the SAE standard for calculating tow ratings.....the tundra did it a few years ago. Hopefully that will squelch some of the gray areas that seem to be out there when it comes to what a half ton can actually safely tow. I know a lot have half tons and tow over ratings with no problems.....that still doesn't make it right or safe. Everyone seems to always bring up that they're new and that's why they can tow so much. Has anyone really looked at the parts used to build the newer trucks? They've gotten cheaper and lighter weight to save money and meet MPG standards. So I have trouble seeing how they can rate a half ton to tow more than a 3/4 ton from just a decade ago.
The real problem is in those ratings.....no one really knows what a truck can tow of any trim because there's really been no true measures done on them. Hopefully these new SAE standards will at least put a face on these vehicles so we really know where we're at. Another thing they need to address are the gvrw, payload, and tow ratings. It needs to be more clearly defined. Right now they just sell a truck and say it can tow 12,000 pounds and you have to do quite a bit of digging to get the whole story on what the tow ratings actually are. It's borderline criminal and deceptive how these ratings have been handled thus far and it's a huge buying point for most people buying trucks.
