Comparison of Truck Towing Capacities

Six popular models of large pickup trucks are sold in the United States, each of which offers varying truck towing capacites. The Ford F-150 is the sales leader, with the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Dodge Ram 3500, Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan also competing for consumer attention.

Ford Super Duty

The Ford F-150 is the perennial sales leader among full-size pickup trucks. The 2011 model with automatic transmission has an 11,300 conventional towing capacity and identical fifth-wheel towing capacity. Fifth-wheel towing is a connection that permits the transfer of some towing weight to a special connection attached to the truck's bed.

Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra

The Chevrolet and GMC models are essentially the same. They each have a standard towing capacity of 8,900 pounds, with fifth-wheel towing capacity of 20,000 pounds.

Dodge Ram 3500

This truck has a conventional towing capacity of 12,000 pounds and fifth-wheel towing limit of 19,100 pounds.

Toyota Tundra

The Toyota Tundra has a conventional towing capacity of 9,000 pounds. With fifth-wheel Class V towing, that capacity increases to 25,000 pounds. Class V towing requires the use of a special hitch.

Nissan Titan

The Nissan Titan offers a maximum towing capacity of 9,300 pounds, or 9,500 pounds with a premium utility package. That package includes tailgate-area illumination and tow mirrors.

References

• FordVehicles.com: 2011 Ford Super Duty Specifications
• Cars.com: 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD
• Dodge.com: 2011 Ram 3500 Specifications
• Toyota.com: Toyota Guide to Towing
• Nissanusa.com: Nissan Titan Specifications