I have always been wary of manufacturers tow specs - here are some great links - I wish these could be made into a sticky:
What does it mean to call a pickup truck a half-ton truck?New SAE Trailering Standards ExplainedWhy the Big Three are Stalling on Truck RatingsExcerpts from above:
Most manufacturer procedures generate higher tow maximum ratings because they assume that the truck has no options, you are alone with no luggage and you weigh 150 pounds (the average between a 50th percentile adult male and a 50th percentile adult female).
With the possibility that implementing J2807 would reduce tow ratings, most manufacturers chickened out. When the 2013 model year rolled around, Toyota was the only manufacturer that had fully embraced the new towing capacity testing procedures. It currently lists J2807-derived tow ratings for the Tundra while the pickup segment's big dogs, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, all refuse to dive into the pool and cede tow-rating valor
the standard cost most Toyota models, on average, 300 to 400 pounds in tow-rating reduction. The highest tow rating for the Tundra full-size pickup dropped from 10,800 to 10,400 pounds under the new standard, for example.
So it's fairly simple right now: if you're in the market for a pickup and want one with a tow rating generated by the SAE method, the Toyota's Tundra is the only model complying with the new standard — and its tow rating subsequently is not the highest you'll find.
If you want a Chrysler, Ford or GM full-size pickup truck rated under the new towing standard, it appears you'd have to wait until 2015 when Ford launches the new-generation F-Series. That's assuming the three companies stick to their positions and all bite the reality bullet at the same time.
Until then, it's best to continue to view tow ratings skeptically, particularly when comparison-shopping.
