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2015 Ford F150 Officially Crushes Ram and Silverado in Towing and Hauling

Ford Motor Company still hasn’t rolled out all of the information on the 2015 Ford F150, but they announced the towing and payload numbers for the next generation pickup and – as I expected – the new lightweight F150 is the most capable F150 ever with towing and payload figures that make it by far the best in the half ton truck class.

The 2015 Ford F150 has groundbreaking levels of aluminum in the body and because of that, the next generation F150 will be the significantly lighter than the outgoing models. This will help to make the 2015 F150 one of the most efficient half ton trucks sold in America, but a few months back I speculated that this lightweight design would have a big impact on the towing and payload capabilities. After all, cutting weight from the body means that the chassis, suspension, brakes and drivetrain are able to tow or haul that much more weight.

It turns out that I was right, the 2015 Ford F150 is vastly more capable; with numbers that make it much better than the outgoing 2015 F150 and more importantly – much better than any other new half ton truck sold in America. Also, the maximum payload numbers for the 2015 F150 put it way above the competition from General Motors and Chrysler’s Ram brand. Most importantly, these numbers from Ford are certified under the new SAE towing standards so the other automakers can no longer point out the fact that their towing numbers are SAE approved while Ford’s are not. Everyone is on a level playing field – and the 2015 F150 beats the competitors very soundly.

15 Great Pictures of 2015 Ford F-150 with Wheel and Color Options

2015 F150 Offers Best in Class Towing
The 2015 Ford F150 is available with four engines – the new entry level 3.5L V6, the new 2.7L EcoBoost V6, the returning 5.0L V8 and the returning 3.5L EcoBoost V6. If you want the most towing capacity possible from your 2015 F150, you will need to once again opt for the 3.5L EcoBoost V6. When equipped with the Max Tow package, the twin turbocharged 2015 F150 will allow you to tow a whopping 12,200 pounds.

2015 Ford F150 Galleries:
A closer look at the trimlines of the 2015 Ford F150
The 2015 Ford F150 at the 2014 NAIAS

Aside from the 2015 Ford F150, the most capable truck in terms of towing levels is the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the 6.2L V8 and rear wheel drive. That truck is able to pull 11,800 pounds according to the Chevrolet website. The strongest towing Ram 1500 packs the 5.7L Hemi and a max towing rating of 10,450 pounds.

For those of you who aren’t keen on math, this means that the 2015 Ford F150 can tow 400 pounds more than the 2015 Silverado 1500 and 1,750 more than the 2014 Ram 1500.

The 2015 F150 Dominates the Hauling World
It is a big deal for the 2015 Ford F150 to offer significantly more towing capabilities than the strongest Ram or General Motors under the new SAE requirements, but just as important is the fact that the new F150 beats the Ram and Chevy in hauling numbers…by a massive margin.

The strongest 2015 Ford F150 in terms of payload is one that is fitted with the 5.0L V8 engine. When properly configured with the engine that is shared with the Mustang GT, the 2015 F150 is able to haul a stunning 3,300 pounds. That’s right – 3,300 pounds. That is a massive advantage over the Ram 1500’s best payload number of 1,910lbs or the Silverado’s best number of 2,210lbs.

A payload capacity of 3,300lbs means that the 2015 Ford F150 could haul around a car in the bed if it would fit and for those question that – I own a classic American muscle car that weighs a touch under 3,000lbs.

Will anyone really haul 3,300lbs in the bed of their 2015 Ford F150? Probably, but it won’t be common and the important part is that if you NEED to haul 3,000lbs worth of anything – the 2015 F150 is the only half-ton truck on the market that will be able to safely handle that load.

Comments

Matt C (not verified)    September 29, 2014 - 8:01PM

A small displacement Twin Turbocharged V-6 pulling 12k behind regularly? You will be on first name basis at dealer service dept.. That motor is constantly under duress..

F (not verified)    October 1, 2014 - 2:52PM

In reply to by Matt C (not verified)

The Twin Turbo is over built to with stand the stress. Forged steel "I-beam" connecting rods, Forged steel crankshaft, 6-bolt main bearing caps and additional support ribs, and the list goes on. Currently there are almost a half million 3.5L Twin Turbo Ecoboosts F150's on the road today. Mine pulls like a mule.

Adam (not verified)    February 17, 2015 - 9:30PM

In reply to by Matt C (not verified)

I own a 3.5 ecoboost and pull 11,12 k daily have over 230000 no issues with truck whatsoever so for people reading they'll have problems no worries some people can't think outside the box of V8 lmao

B-rad (not verified)    October 1, 2014 - 7:43PM

Is the max Towing package the same thing they use on the F250 where they take a lot of weight out of the truck (makes a base work truck look loaded and comfy) to get that number and to beat the GM trucks?
I wish that the only number listed for things like this is either the average of the ways you can get them (trim levels etc) or take the model that sells the most and give that number

Ivan (not verified)    October 7, 2014 - 11:04AM

This article can be a bit misleading. Sure, when you compare the absolute max towing across the entire lineups, it can't be beat. But the move is towards efficiency. If you compare the efficient 2.7L Ecoboost, it only tows 8500lbs while the 3.0L diesel in the Ram 1500 tows 700 lbs more at 9200lbs, and does it using less gas (numbers aren't out yet but estimates don't have it beating the Ram).

Ivan (not verified)    October 8, 2014 - 8:31AM

In reply to by youdontneedit (not verified)

That couldn't be further from the truth. The lowest Ford is the 3.5L non-turbo V6 at 7600lbs and the highest Ram is the Hemi at 10450lbs. If I just cared about making the Ram look better I would have said that. I'm simply comparing the most fuel efficient engines in each lineup. The trend is moving towards doing more with less.

Dan (not verified)    December 5, 2014 - 12:07PM

In reply to by Ivan (not verified)

That may be true. And realistically, no one hauls much more than 7-8000lbs with there half ton. But when you consider the price difference between diesel and gas, ford just whipped dodges ass.

Jordan Kidd (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 8:35PM

Since when is 400 lbs. "CRUSHING" the competition!?!?!? The chevy 6.2l is just as capable as any ford. With the cylinder deactivation, it is just as fuel efficient as the equivalent ford. This article is EXTREMELY biased!

Jason Cuff (not verified)    April 6, 2015 - 1:58PM

I have a 2015 f150 with Maxtow my friend has the new 6.2 gmc we both agree the ford is a much better truck for towing and payload we have a 10000 lbs camper each a leave him far behind that 6.2 is a big let down

Jason Cuff (not verified)    April 6, 2015 - 1:58PM

I have a 2015 f150 with Maxtow my friend has the new 6.2 gmc we both agree the ford is a much better truck for towing and payload we have a 10000 lbs camper each a leave him far behind that 6.2 is a big let down

Keith (not verified)    April 11, 2015 - 1:34PM

The payload is important, in my opinion. If you're hoping to tow a 9,000 pound travel trailer with 900 pound tongue weight, plus 650 pounds of humans, 180 pounds of canine, and whatever other options and gear you have in the truck, you're blowing past the 1500-2000 pound payload of most crew cab half tons. Crew cab Ford is still available with 2900 pound payload, leaving plenty of safety margin in case the humans put on a few more pounds!

john (not verified)    May 31, 2015 - 12:04AM

You are comparing apples to oranges. The Ford needs to be decked out with all this special equipment to pull this weight while the RAM is a standard run of the mill engine and no special "towing package" that probably costs thousands of dollars more to the already over priced Ford. I laugh at your logic.

Peter (not verified)    October 14, 2015 - 11:22AM

Engine hp and torque is less critical to towing than WHEELBASE, BRAKES, TRANSMISSION, and SUSPENSION. Try driving down a mountain in a crosswind towing 12K lbs with an F-150. Keep your insurance paid up.

Mark (not verified)    October 26, 2015 - 1:15PM

It is all good who can pull the most. Important is combined weight. As a officer if you pull more then the combined weight you will get a ticket. Now who pulls more?

john Damphier sr (not verified)    January 7, 2017 - 9:37PM

I own fords [07 Lincoln lt ] 2011 cgevy exr cab z71 5,3, WHAT IDIET AT GM PUTS THEM THROUGHT WITH TRAILOR TOW AND A 3.08 GEAR RATIO, I HAD TO WHAT 3 WEEKS TO DELER TRADE FOR A 3,55 BUT WERE ARE THE GM GUYS BITCHING ABOUT THAT DUMB IDEA,OH YEAH THE SALSMAN SAID DONT WORRIE THEY HAVE A 6 SPD, FOR HAS A 8 SPD, I HAVE 2012 2500 DURAMAX 9,3 BOSS PLOW,i 16500 regurley but hay I have an Allison,ikept my 04 ford f 150 4x4 because its a ext cab step side 5,4 11th gen ford, same frame and shocks as a17, 225,198 miles and not 1 spot of rust ANYPLACE, I SPRAY IT 4 TIMES A YEAR WITH REMINGTON GUN OIL,ITS SHARP,but my problem with ford is they do stupid things, a 7,3 desiel [big international]250 hrs power I think 425 tourq [I forget 2002] drop to a 6 liter and put out 550 horse and 725 tourq, CAN YOU DAY LEMON, 196 TSB IN 90 DAYS THOUSANDS OF LEMON LAW BUY BACKS,I FEEL SORRY for the ford faithfull they should send you a check for 10,000 of your next ford, too many gimmicks, ill keep an eye on these hot dog v6 turbos,