The towing war is alive and well in the heavy duty pickup truck market. The updated 2015 Ford F-450 Lariat is rated at 31,200 lbs of maximum towing capacity. The 2014 Ram 3500 HD Laramie is rated at maximum of 30,060 lbs. The 2015 Chevy 3500 HD is rated at 23,200 lbs. Of course, nobody is sitting still and GM is hard at work to get into the thick of things with next generation of Duramax diesel and Allison transmission, as we caught them high altitude testing.
So why did Ford pick the Ram 3500 to match up against the F-450 Platinum? Their official word is: “It is the closest competitor”. Indeed, the Ram 3500 HD Laramie has the highest tow rating out of all Ram HD lineup including the 4500 and the 5500. The 4500/5500 series trucks have higher payload ratings (upwards of 11,786 lbs for the Ram 5500). However, they are rated lower on maximum towing. Ram 4500 Crew Cab Laramie is listed at 24,650 lbs, and the Ram 5500 is rated at 29,600 pounds. This is also because the higher series trucks use the Cummins with a lower power level to improve longevity and durability.
If you are looking for ultimate payload hauling capability, then you should look into the Ram 4500 and 5500. 2015 Ford F-450 maximum payload is at 7,080 lbs, which is also nothing to sneeze at. However, it appears that the Ram 3500 is the closest competitor to the F-450 is terms of towing heavy trailers.
The updated 6.7L Power Stroke V8 is rated at 440 hp and 860 lb-ft of torque. The 6.7L Cummins straight-six in the Ram is rated at 385 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque.
Watch this very detailed video to see how each (Ford and Ram) handle the big load down and up a steep grade.
