TFLtruck – Gold Hitch Award: And the Best Towing Truck in the Land is … ?

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The question is very simple. Which is the best towing truck in the land? And the answer is TFLtruck’s – Gold Hitch Award.

The Gold Hitch Award is broken down into five distinct categories, where pickup trucks compete for the win. They are: Midsize, Full-Size SUVHalf-Ton/ Light Duty, Heavy Duty Gas, and Heavy Duty Diesel.

2014 ram 3500 dually ike gauntlet extreme towing video preview

The main award criteria is the empirical data gathered during the TFLtruck’s signature – Ike Gauntlet – extreme towing test. This includes braking performance on the downhill and power delivery on the timed uphill run.

However, the Ike Gauntlet performance is not the sole criteria to determine the winner in each category. Each truck will also be judged by a panel of experienced truck testers to evaluate the overall comfort, handling, and confidence when towing.

tfl truck ike gauntlet crew

The Ike Gauntlet test results and the judges’ evaluation will be combined to determine the winners.

The 2015 Gold Hitch Award will be given to the 2015 model year trucks (or trucks from previous model years that have not significantly changed for 2015). Trucks are only eligible for the award if they were tested on the Ike Gauntlet in Colorado before March 31st, 2015. Award winners will be announced at the 2015 Denver Auto Show on April 8th, 2015.

Send questions or for more details send to: ask@tfltruck.com

(Trucks eligible for award as of March 14th, 2015)

Fullsize SUV (Target GCWR: 14,000 lbs):

GMC Yukon XLWINNER!

Infiniti QX80

Lexus LX 570

Lincoln Navigator

 

Midsize (Target GCWR: 10,800 lbs):

GMC Canyon 3.6L V6WINNER!

Nissan Frontier 4.0L V6

Toyota Tacoma 4.0L V6

 

Half-Ton/Light Duty (Target GCWR: 15,900 lbs / 12,700 lbs):

Ford F-150 2.7L V6WINNER!

GMC Sierra 6.2L V8

Nissan Titan 5.6L V8

Ram 1500 EcoDiesel V6

Toyota Tundra 5.7L V8

 

Heavy Duty Gas (Target GCWR: 20,200 lbs):

Chevy Silverado 2500 6.0L V8WINNER!

Ram 2500 6.4L V8

 

Heavy Duty Diesel (Target GCWR: 27,800 lbs / 30,900 lbs):

Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually 6.6L V8

Ford F-350 Dually 6.7L V8

GMC Sierra 3500 6.6L V8

Ram 2500 6.7L I6 4×2

Ram 3500 Dually 6.7L I6WINNER!