Great breakdown of tow vehicle towing capacity by make/model

I always like these little badger sessions. I always tell folks that come up to me and ask about towing to go to any RV park and just drive around and look to see what those that tow the most know the most.
You can't have a truck you use three weeks out of the year and have the same prospective as the rest of us that do this month in, month out.

Gdetrailer wrote:

BenK wrote:
Am always in amazement when folks prefer to believe non-OEM sites for specifications

How's about these specification sites? Just a few minutes searching and
note that there are tons and tons more form each OEM...and even more
from non-OEM sites

Dodge Towing Guide


RAM Technical Specifications


SUPER DUTY PICKUP Specifications


2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500HD SPECIFICATIONS


Bottom line, again, folks only want to hear...what they want to hear/read...

Ben,

I can't say about the other manufacturers, but Fords guide is ONLY a "Guide" and has nothing to do with the ACTUAL towing capacity of each vehicle. Using those guides will often result in one ending up with too much trailer or cargo and not enough vehicle payload.

The actual payload tends to vary, A LOT depending on what options, cab size, 4x4 vs 4x2, bed length and even trim level.. All the options add weight to the vehicle which in turn reduces the available capacity.

Ford CLEARLY POSTS all the needed info on the drivers door post, the max cargo weight rating is pretty much the limit of what one should use and it IS spelled out on the drivers door. One should not rely on a generic printed guide since the guide does not take into account all the option configurations that the vehicle may or may not have.

Some of the cargo ratings also depend on certain payload options or packages, some trucks on the lots may or may not have ALL the proper combination of those packages and therefore be rather short on cargo capacity.

Additionally F350s have multiple GVWR options from 10,000 lb up to 15,000 lbs..

Choosing a F350 at 10,000 lbs GVWR level will net you pretty much no more cargo capacity than a F250 which is only available in a 10,000 GVWR, but you will pay an extra $1,000-$2,000 for the F350 10K GVWR..

True, but one thing we know for sure is no 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton diesel is going to offer 3,000 lb or 4,000lb payloads like the diesel SRW 3500-series trucks do and have done for 10 years. An specific downrated 10k GVWR option has to be ticked to bring capacity down to 3/4 ton levels.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Or using the MFGs reference guides paying attention to the * and fine print

Yep, that's the problem most of the time.

GordonThree wrote:
Is the gasser Ram 2500 no good for towing? Why weren't its specs included, not everyone can afford the diesel.

You need to look at the following 2014 page for gasser information.

2014 Side by Side Ratings Comparison by Category

Also, here's a another page that may help:

The Basics: What do I Need to Tow it?

BenK wrote:
Am always in amazement when folks prefer to believe non-OEM sites for specifications

Did you not read the following as shown on the website page?

Notice:
1. All rating information has been taken from published information provided by the manufacturer. Always verify vehicle ratings with the dealer. Ratings are subject to change by the manufacturer without notice. There may be slight differences between manufacturer's online views and PDF files.

Also, convenient links to the manufacturer's towing specifications are provided. Do you think the site's owner would have some reason to provide false and unverifiable data?

rjstractor wrote:

FifthWheelst wrote:
FACT: On this page, Ford's and Ram's three-quarter ton truck's awesome diesel engine and transmission power combination is robbed by rear end gear ratios of 3.55 and 3.42, respectively. Only Chevy/GMC supplies a respectable 3.73 gear ratio in their three-quarter ton truck. - See more at: http://fifthwheelst.com/2016-three-quarter-ton-truck-towing.html#sthash.mHGVdTS6.dpuf

After reading this I wouldn't trust anything these bozos say. Obviously they either don't know what a transmission does , can't do math, or don't bother doing any research. Fact- The Ford with a 3.42 rear axle actually has slightly better gearing for towing than a GM with a 3.73 rear axle due to transmission gearing.

Can you provide some links to supporting documentation that proves "The Ford with a 3.42 rear axle actually has slightly better gearing for towing than a GM with a 3.73 rear axle due to transmission gearing"?

Has not the rear end gear ratio always been the final torque factor in transferring torque from the engine and transmission? No matter what the gearing is in the transmission, will it not work harder when applying torque to a 3.42 than a 3.73 when towing or hauling the same amount of weight? Will the engine not run a higher RPM when the transmission has to be in a lower gear to tow or haul with a 3.42, with the same amount of weight, than if the rear end is a 3.73?

BenK wrote:
Am always in amazement when folks prefer to believe non-OEM sites for specifications

How's about these specification sites? Just a few minutes searching and
note that there are tons and tons more form each OEM...and even more
from non-OEM sites

Dodge Towing Guide


RAM Technical Specifications


SUPER DUTY PICKUP Specifications


2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500HD SPECIFICATIONS


Bottom line, again, folks only want to hear...what they want to hear/read...

Ben,

I can't say about the other manufacturers, but Fords guide is ONLY a "Guide" and has nothing to do with the ACTUAL towing capacity of each vehicle. Using those guides will often result in one ending up with too much trailer or cargo and not enough vehicle payload.

The actual payload tends to vary, A LOT depending on what options, cab size, 4x4 vs 4x2, bed length and even trim level.. All the options add weight to the vehicle which in turn reduces the available capacity.

Ford CLEARLY POSTS all the needed info on the drivers door post, the max cargo weight rating is pretty much the limit of what one should use and it IS spelled out on the drivers door. One should not rely on a generic printed guide since the guide does not take into account all the option configurations that the vehicle may or may not have.

Some of the cargo ratings also depend on certain payload options or packages, some trucks on the lots may or may not have ALL the proper combination of those packages and therefore be rather short on cargo capacity.

Additionally F350s have multiple GVWR options from 10,000 lb up to 15,000 lbs..

Choosing a F350 at 10,000 lbs GVWR level will net you pretty much no more cargo capacity than a F250 which is only available in a 10,000 GVWR, but you will pay an extra $1,000-$2,000 for the F350 10K GVWR..

goducks10 wrote:

cbshoestring wrote:
Most interesting part to me was found in question #1 and answer #1.

A 2500 HD Diesel with 1200# of available payload (after subtracting driver & Passenger).

This is why I always laugh when the "get a 25/3500 HD diesel, if you want to haul that much weight" crowd speaks up.

Those 15/25/35 numbers USE to be a good indication of how much payload capacity a truck had---not anymore. Too many options, too many variations of engines/tranny/rear-end, etc, etc, etc...

My 1500 has more payload than that 2500.

Do NOT buy a truck based upon the advertised generic numbers...

DOOR STICKER, DOOR STICKER, DOOR STICKER

By the way....my RAM 1500 has 3.73 rear-end, how come it isn't offered on the 2500/3500? Maybe as rjstractor said...it ain't needed.

Unless you changed the gears in your 1500 Ram then you don't have 3.73s. You have 3.21, 3.55 or 3.92. Only the 2500-3500 gassers have the 3.73. Also you don't have more payload than a 2500 CTD. The most you have is a couple 100lbs less than 2000lbs. Most 2500 CTDs are right at 2000lbs.
I'd be interested to see your door sticker. From looking at Rams towing guide I just don't see any 1500 Tradesman 5.7 Hemi's with much more than 1710lbs. That's less than 2500 CTDs.

You are CORRECT...I have 3.92 gears ($50 option according to the sticker)...don't know why I was thinking 3.73 :S

You are INCORRECT about my statement concerning payload...:)

The question asked in the article mentioned a HD 2500 with 1200# of available payload after accounting for the driver and passenger. When I subtract myself and DW I still have 1300# of available payload (stickered at 1668#) . Therefore, I do in fact have more available payload than the HD 2500 mentioned in the article. Might not be more than the standard CTD's, but more than that 2500 HD mentioned.

The point being......check the door. Do NOT assume a 3500 hauls more than a 2500, which hauls more than a 1500. Should they? YES!!! However, with available options...the 15/25/35 numbers are not as cut and dry as it would appear. They are a starting point, but the door tells the tale.

cbshoestring wrote:
Most interesting part to me was found in question #1 and answer #1.

A 2500 HD Diesel with 1200# of available payload (after subtracting driver & Passenger).

This is why I always laugh when the "get a 25/3500 HD diesel, if you want to haul that much weight" crowd speaks up.

Those 15/25/35 numbers USE to be a good indication of how much payload capacity a truck had---not anymore. Too many options, too many variations of engines/tranny/rear-end, etc, etc, etc...

My 1500 has more payload than that 2500.

Do NOT buy a truck based upon the advertised generic numbers...

DOOR STICKER, DOOR STICKER, DOOR STICKER

By the way....my RAM 1500 has 3.73 rear-end, how come it isn't offered on the 2500/3500? Maybe as rjstractor said...it ain't needed.

Unless you changed the gears in your 1500 Ram then you don't have 3.73s. You have 3.21, 3.55 or 3.92. Only the 2500-3500 gassers have the 3.73. Also you don't have more payload than a 2500 CTD. The most you have is a couple 100lbs less than 2000lbs. Most 2500 CTDs are right at 2000lbs.
I'd be interested to see your door sticker. From looking at Rams towing guide I just don't see any 1500 Tradesman 5.7 Hemi's with much more than 1710lbs. That's less than 2500 CTDs.

cbshoestring wrote:
By the way....my RAM 1500 has 3.73 rear-end, how come it isn't offered on the 2500/3500? Maybe as rjstractor said...it ain't needed.

I have a 3.73. It's really not needed for a diesel, especially one that doubles my torque output.