Ram HD blows past Ford tow ratings, capacity
 

This morning, Dodge released towing and weight ratings for the 2013 Ram Heavy Duty pickups and Chassis Cab trucks. The Ram 3500 Heavy Duty pickup is rated at up to 30,000 pounds of trailer capacity, blowing by Ford, GMC, and Chevrolet; its closest competitor’s maximum tow capacity is 23,100 pounds.

The Ram 3500’s capacity increase was enabled by a new 50,000 pounds-per-square-inch, high-strength steel frame, a stronger transfer case, a higher-load transmission (Aisin AS69RC), larger front drive shafts and U-joints, an upgraded 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel engine with a best-in-class 850 lb.-ft. of torque, and other upgrades.

The Ram 3500’s Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) — the maximum combined weight of the truck, payload and trailer — has been raised to 37,600 pounds, which far surpasses the closest competitor’s 30,500-pound GCWR.

The 2013 Ram 2500 also saw towing and combined weight rating boosts; at 18,350 and 25,000, Ram 2500’s towing and GCW ratings are also best among ¾-ton pickups

After looking at pictures of the frame I really don't see how they can up the ratings to 30k. Thats Medium Duty truck territory and although beefy, I would not be interested in towing 30k behind a dually pick up. JMHO but it looks like "towing rating inflation" to me.

Wannabe

Should need more than a regular operators license when hauling that kind of weight imo.

to me it's just marketing BS. Who the heck is going to tow 30,000 lbs with a dually?? The Big 3 are all great trucks and are very capable. Being able to say you have the highest ratings is just fluff!

Wouldn't a truck rated to 30000lbs tow a 12000lb trailer better than a truck rated at 18000lbs?

Does not hold a candle to the Tundra and the Space Shuttle. :D

I think the whole point of the new tow ratings is that I would feel more comfortable towing 15,000 lbs with a truck rated for 30 than with 1 rated for 20. Plus the tow ratings are popular selling points since trucks are more likely bought for usage than just the cool factor they were when gas was cheap. The new SUV's don't tow crap anymore, you need a truck.

We have a F350 to tow all of our boats, BUT the wife's new Nissan Armada is rated to tow up to 9,100 lbs. That's pretty stout for a SUV.......