Pick-up trucks are unmatched vehicles when it comes to versatility. From towing to hauling to a family mover or personal vehicle, hard-working pick-ups have you covered. In this article, we have researched and asked the experts what half-ton trucks have the best towing capacity, and we will show them to you below.
For 2022 the F-150, Chevy Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra, and Nissan Titan XD round up the list of the best towing trucks for the half-ton class.
Interested to learn more about these trucks, continue reading as we discuss more related questions like should you be towing with a half-ton truck, can a half-ton pull a 30-foot camper, what does a half-ton truck mean, and many more. We will also be sharing other related articles as we discuss, so finish the reading to learn more about half-ton trucks!
What half-ton trucks have the best towing capacity?
Half-ton trucks have been one of the best-selling vehicles in the United States and have been so for the last 43 years despite competition. This section will show you each truck's tow rating from the highest to the lowest.
Ford F-150
The F-150 is the unquestionable king of pick-up trucks, and all for many good reasons. America's best-selling vehicle offers a hybrid V-6, with a 430 horsepower 3.5-liter PowerBoost that pulls 12,400 pounds with a four-wheel-drive transmission.
But this is not the F-150's best engine as another option for a 3.5-liter V-6 is available. This engine outputs over 400 horsepower, which produces 500 lb-ft of torque. This engine gives the F-150 a total of 14,000 pounds, making it the highest-rated towing in its class.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The Silverado has an option for 277-horsepower Duramax 3.0-liter inline-six turbo-diesel with 460 lb-ft of torque and a 9,300 lb towing capacity.
Chevrolet offers another package for the Silverado that comes with a 420-hp, 6.2-liter V-8, and 460 lb-ft of torque. The truck is also paired with a 10-speed transmission, giving this working steed higher rpm's. This makes the truck's tow rating go all the way up to 13,300 lbs.
GMC Sierra 1500
The Silverado's sister, the GMC Sierra, is the more expensive and luxurious truck, equipped with a 6.2-liter V-8 that produces 420-horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, making the Sierra also a reliable work truck.
Maxing out at 13,200 lbs of towing capacity makes this pick-up truck pull small trailers and mini-campers with ease as they usually weigh only 5,000 lbs.
Ram 1500
If you are looking for the best interior out of the list, look no further as the RAM 1500 has that covered for you. Paired with its beautiful interior design is a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 that produces 395 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 410 lb-ft of torque. With these numbers, the Hemi engine produces a maximum towing capacity of 12,750 lbs for this truck.
Another option for the RAM is a VM Motori 3.0-liter, an Italian-made engine that produces 260 horsepower at 3,600 rpm and 480 lb-ft of peak torque at 1,600 rpm.
Toyota Tundra
One of the main selling points for the Tundra is its name, Toyota. When you hear a truck is a Toyota, you instantly expect it to be super reliable and will last you a long time, and that is true, especially with the Tundra, as someone has already driven a million miles on them.
With its new facelift in nearly a decade, the Tundra also updated its engine by putting a win-Turbo V6 engine that delivers up to 389 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. This gives the truck a max tow rating of 12,000 lbs.
Another option of a 3.5L Twin-Turbo V6 hybrid produces 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft, making it the most powerful in its class in terms of torque.
Nissan Titan XD
The Titan XD is powered by a 5.6-liter V-8 that produces 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque. It is also paired with a nine-speed transmission that helps pull a maximum tow rating of 11,070 lbs.
Should you be towing with a half-ton truck? [and why!]
Half-ton trucks are the most common type of pick-up truck you can see on the road. Towing with them is great, especially if you are towing within the limit of its tow rating.
Since they are pick-up trucks, they are designed for this type of use, including hauling things. Most of the time, you will not even max out your half-ton towing limit, not unless your work involves transporting heavy types of machinery or you are pulling huge toy haulers.
For the majority of us, we only tow small boats and small trailers, while others don't even tow at all. With the innovation of modern cars, half-ton trucks that are being produced now have higher tow ratings and payload capacities compared to their predecessors; that's why towing with them is completely fine.
However, you should make sure that what you are towing is within the given limits of your truck. Going over it might put unnecessary strain on your engine that can lead to all kinds of damage.
Can a half-ton pull a 30-foot camper?
Since the average weight of a 30-foot camper ranges anywhere between 6,000-7,000 pounds, your usual half-ton can easily pull one. You must go for a truck that has a few more thousand pounds advantage in towing as this weight is only when the camper is empty; it will add more weight when you put things inside it.
Having more towing capacity left will also make your ride easier as your engine will not struggle; this is especially true when you are driving on a steep gradient or inclined roads.
Some vehicles -especially older ones- can over-heat even if you are only close and haven't reached the max towing capacity while driving on sloped roads. So to avoid this hassle and huge expense, always be wary of the weight of what you are towing. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
How many pounds can a half-ton carry?
The highest payload capacity of a half-ton truck is currently 3,325 pounds, which belongs to the Ford F-150. While the lowest capacity for a half-ton is 1,000 pounds. We can then say that these are the average weights of how heavy these trucks carry on their beds with the given numbers.
It is important to note that this number will only go up as newer models emerge. As every brand fights for consumers' liking, we can expect that the maximum payload and towing of half-ton trucks will be growing for the foreseeable future.
What does a half-ton truck mean?
This would have to do with the payload capacity of the truck. A ton equates to exactly 2,000 pounds, so if a truck is a half-ton it means that it has a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds (or half of 2,000). This is also true to a three-quarter-ton and one-ton.
This all started when these trucks first came out; their classification was with how much payload they had. So when you say half-ton trucks, these are your F-150, Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado 1500, etc. While the three-quarter-ton are the ones with "2500" in their names, like the Ford F-250, Ram 2500, and Chevy Silverado 2500.
One-ton trucks are the top-rated payloaders, the "3500" trucks.
There might be some confusion with the name as these trucks are now towing and carrying way over their original limits, as half-ton trucks now can carry the weight of what one-ton trucks are originally rated to carry.
What is the most reliable truck for towing?
In general, Ford trucks -specifically the F-150 line and the Toyota Tundra- are two of the best and most reliable trucks in the long run compared to others in this class. They also hold up better in value compared to others, especially the Tundra as Toyota is one of the best when it comes to holding its value in general.
The value of your vehicle also depends on its condition at a given time. A two-year-old truck can be appraised lower compared to a three-year-old truck if it has more mileage and has a history of accidents and repairs. The fewer the problems and less used a truck is, the higher the appraising value it will have.
In conclusion
The best half-ton truck for pulling based on their tow rating is the Ford F-150. But torque also plays a very huge role in towing, and the new Toyota Tundra offers the best torque, which gives it an advantage. The designated call signs for pick-up trucks can also be confusing and today make less sense as they have already surpassed their original payload capacity as manufacturers keep upgrading the towing and payload capacities of trucks every year.
Here are some related articles that we have previously written, have a look:
What’s The Average Size Of A Half-Ton Truck?
Can You Pull A 5th Wheel With A Half-Ton Truck?