Truck towing capacity
Max towing, payload and GCWR by model year and engine, with the configuration each rating actually requires.
Towing capacity lookup
Pick your truck and engine for max towing, payload and GCWR.
Full breakdown: 2025 Ford F-150 towing capacity
By model
Ford F-150 towing capacity
The best-selling truck in the United States for over four decades. Aluminum body since 2015, with EcoBoost V6, naturally aspirated V8, and hybrid powertrains sharing the same frame.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 towing capacity
GM's half-ton pickup, sharing its platform with the GMC Sierra 1500. The 2019 redesign moved the 1500 to a 6x120mm bolt pattern, breaking compatibility with older 6x139.7mm wheels.
Ram 1500 towing capacity
Known for its coil-spring rear suspension and optional air ride. The 2019 DT generation moved to a six-lug hub; the Ram 1500 Classic sold alongside it kept the older five-lug pattern.
How to read a towing rating
Every advertised towing number is the ceiling for one exact truck: a particular cab, bed, drivetrain and axle ratio, with the tow package fitted and nothing else loaded. It is a marketing figure in the sense that almost nobody owns that truck, but it is not a made-up one — it comes from the SAE J2807 test procedure that all three manufacturers now follow.
What matters for your truck is the chain of three limits, and you hit whichever comes first:
- Payload — everything you add to the truck, including tongue weight, passengers and anything in the bed. Printed on a yellow sticker in the driver's door jamb.
- Towing capacity — the trailer's loaded weight on its own.
- GCWR — truck and trailer together. Subtract your loaded truck weight from GCWR and that is what is left for the trailer.
A conventional bumper-pull trailer needs 10-15% of its weight on the tongue to track straight. On a 9,000 lb trailer that is 900-1,350 lb landing on the hitch, straight out of your payload budget before anyone gets in the truck. This is the arithmetic that catches most first-time towers.
Common questions
What is the difference between towing capacity and GCWR?
Towing capacity is the maximum weight of the trailer alone. GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) is the maximum for everything together — the truck, its passengers and cargo, and the loaded trailer. You can exceed GCWR while still being under the towing capacity if the truck itself is loaded heavily, which is why payload usually runs out before towing capacity does.
Why is my truck rated lower than the number advertised?
Advertised maximums apply to one specific configuration — usually a two-wheel-drive regular or double cab with the tow package and the right axle ratio. Adding four-wheel drive, a crew cab, a sunroof or a longer bed all add weight and cut the rating. The certification label inside your driver’s door is authoritative for your truck.
Does payload matter more than towing capacity?
For most half-ton owners, yes. A conventional trailer puts 10-15% of its weight on the hitch as tongue weight, and that counts against payload along with passengers and cargo. A truck rated to tow 13,000 lb with only 1,700 lb of payload runs out of payload well before it runs out of towing capacity.
Check your door jamb. The figures here are the maximum ratings for a properly equipped truck in its best towing configuration. Your specific truck's cab, bed, drivetrain, axle ratio and options all lower it. The certification label inside the driver's door and the owner's manual are the authority for your vehicle. Figures reviewed 10 August 2026.