#1G
Ram 3500
89The pick — 36,620 lb tow rating, 4,710 lb payload capacity. Strong tow.
Goose is on it
Goose is on it
This list is my answer to one question: which trucks tow honestly, with margin, based on what their stickers prove. Not brochure maximums — those assume an empty truck and a perfect build. I'm ranking real configurations, one truck at a time.
You'll notice the top of this list runs heavy-duty. That's not brand favoritism; it's arithmetic. Weight ratings scale with the chassis, and HD platforms are built around those numbers. But don't skip past the middle of the list — plenty of half-tons post scores that cover boats, utility trailers, and small campers with room to spare. The right truck isn't the highest score. It's the score that covers your trailer with margin left over.
The big movers are the tow rating and payload — they're the ceiling everything else lives under. Below those, hardware earns its points: the factory tow package and its transmission cooler, the integrated brake controller, hitch class, sway control.
Read the list knowing the terrain: the purpose-built pullers crowd the top, a broad capable middle covers most private towing with margin, and the lower band is telling you towing isn't that truck's job — which its other scores usually explain.
A pattern repeats at the top of this list: diesel powertrain, max tow package, factory-integrated brake controller. That trio is the score's fingerprint.
Watch for half-tons punching up: the right cab, axle, and max-tow-package combination can push a half-ton past where you'd expect its class to sit — and past some heavier trucks, which is the mirror-image surprise: an HD in base spec with no tow package can score below a maxed half-ton. The class doesn't set the score. The build does. That's the whole reason this list exists.
On used trucks near the top: the sticker tells me what it was built with; it can't tell me how it was used. Check hitch wear, look at the transmission cooler's condition, and ask for towing history like it matters — because it does.
Top score versus purchase price: the strongest scores carry margin you may never use, and margin costs money. Buying two bands above your trailer is peace of mind; buying four is a payment.
Diesel versus gas runs through every tier of this list — same math as always: sustained heavy pulls and high annual miles justify the diesel premium; occasional towing doesn't.
Trim pattern worth knowing: work-trim-plus-max-tow beats loaded-trim-plus-base-tow on this list, every time. Which cab you'd rather live in daily is a different question — and a different score on my lot.
Ranked on real listings. Updated as inventory moves.
I score towing on capacity, hardware, and how honest the number is. Marketing brochures round up. Window stickers don't.
The pick — 36,620 lb tow rating, 4,710 lb payload capacity. Strong tow.
Loading Ram 3500 listings…
36,000 lb tow rating, 5,600 lb payload capacity. Strong tow.
Loading Chevrolet Silverado 3500hd listings…
36,000 lb tow rating, 5,600 lb payload capacity. Strong tow.
Loading GMC Sierra 3500hd listings…
37,000 lb tow rating, 5,900 lb payload capacity. Strong tow.
21,000 lb tow rating, 7,550 lb payload capacity. Capable tow.
18,000 lb tow rating, 3,770 lb payload capacity. Capable tow.
18,500 lb tow rating, 3,397 lb payload capacity. Capable tow.
18,500 lb tow rating, 3,300 lb payload capacity. Capable tow.
13,500 lb tow rating, 2,445 lb payload capacity. Marginal tow — occasional use.
13,400 lb tow rating, Max tow package. Marginal tow — occasional use.
12,560 lb tow rating, Trailer sway control. Marginal tow — occasional use.
| Model | Max Tow (lbs) | Max Payload (lbs) | Powertrains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ram 3500 | 37,090 | 7,680 | 6.7L Cummins I6 High-Output Turbo Diesel |
| Chevrolet Silverado 3500hd | 36,000 | 7,442 | 6.6L Duramax Diesel |
| GMC Sierra 3500hd | 36,000 | 7,442 | 6.6L Duramax Diesel |
| Ford F-450 Super Duty | — | — | — |
| Ram 2500 | 22,660 | 6,830 | 6.7L Cummins I6 Turbo Diesel, 6.4L V8 HEMI, 6.4L HEMI V8 |
| Ford F-350 Super Duty | — | — | — |
| Ford F-250 Super Duty | — | — | — |
| Chevrolet Silverado 2500hd | 18,500 | 3,979 | 6.6L V8, 6.6L Duramax Diesel |
| GMC Sierra 2500hd | 18,500 | 3,979 | 6.6L V8, 6.6L Duramax Diesel |
| Ford F-150 | 14,000 | 3,325 | 3.5L EcoBoost V6, 3.5L HO EcoBoost V6, 5.2L Supercharged V8, 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 |
Towing is math, not marketing. I read the sticker, not the ad copy.
Towing is math, not marketing. I read the OEM tow rating, payload, powertrain, and hitch hardware straight off the sticker — the same numbers the manufacturer certifies, not what the ad copy rounds up to. A truck that tows 12,000 lbs but runs out of payload at 1,400 gets called out for it, because your trailer's tongue weight doesn't care about the brochure. Higher score, more trailer, fewer surprises at the scales.
Towing is what the truck pulls behind it; payload is what it carries, including the trailer's tongue weight, your passengers, and your gear. Most trucks run out of payload before towing. That's the number buyers skip and shouldn't.
Some can, barely, with the right configuration. Two horses plus a steel trailer eats most of a half-ton's rating and nearly all its payload. I'd rather see you in a 250/2500 with margin than at 98% of a maxed-out 150.
Axle ratio, powertrain, and tow packages. Two trucks with the same trim badge can be thousands of pounds apart in certified rating. That's why I score the actual configuration, not the model name.
80+ means built to tow heavy as a primary job. 50–79 handles boats, campers, and equipment with margin. Under 50 tows light duty — fine, as long as your trailer knows it.
It changes as inventory moves — that's the point of a live ranking. Check the top of the list above; it's rebuilt from the actual trucks for sale, not a static award. The reliable pattern: an HD platform, diesel, max tow package, work-to-mid trim. What wears the crown on any given week depends on what's on the lot.