How to Configure These 2023 Half-Ton Pickups for Maximum Towing Capacity
Getting the top tow rating from the truck ads often requires sorting through the fine print.
Ford
Automobile manufacturers have exhibited a tendency to exaggerate when it comes to performance claims and specifications. It's pretty easy to understand when it comes to horsepower. Although you can get a 2023 Ram 1500 with up to 702 horsepower, the vast majority of trucks sold are less powerful.
Few areas are as exaggerated as often as a pickup truck's towing capacity. The maximum often gets advertised, but for most trucks that number may not be possible with the most popular configuration the truck maker offers. Often the popular four-wheel-drive crew-cab models tow quite a bit less than the two-wheel-drive base-cab versions do. You might fall down a fine-print rabbit hole trying to figure out which combination tows the most.
We've parsed the specs, footnotes, trim levels, and optional packages to come up with a list of 2023 full-size half-ton pickups and how each should be configured to unlock each truck's maximum towing capacity.
Ford
2023 Ford F-150
Maximum Towing Capacity: 14,000 pounds
The best selling vehicle in the U.S. is available in a multitude of trim levels, drivetrains, cab sizes, and bed sizes. Depending on the combination, your F-150's towing capability might fall short of that headline-grabbing 14,000-pound figure. If your needs list for an F-150 has towing near the top, there's a section of Ford's F-150 page that delves into information on towing.
To reach the F-150's maximum towing capacity of 14,000 pounds, select an XL or XLT trim Super Cab (crew cab, in Ford-speak) with an 8-foot bed, or XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, or Platinum trim SuperCrew with a 6.5-foot box. No matter the trim, to hit that top number you'll need rear-wheel drive, the available twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 making 400 horsepower, and the Max Trailer Towing Package.
Chevrolet
2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Maximum Towing Capacity: 13,300 pounds
Right behind the F-150 in U.S. sales charts, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 also offers a full menu of bed sizes and cab configurations. Helpfully, Chevrolet provides a thorough chart outlining which versions of the Silverado 1500 full-size pickup get you to its 13,300-pound towing capacity.
The bow-tie brand also stands apart by offering several paths to get to its top tow rating. One of the models that check the right boxes is the RST Double Cab four-wheel drive with the 420-hp 6.2-liter V8, the Max Trailering Package, and 20-inch wheels. Rear-wheel drive Double Cab LT models with the 305-hp turbo 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder diesel, Max Trailering Package, and 20-inch wheels get you there, too, as do rear-wheel drive LT, RST, and LTZ crew-cab, short-bed models with the same Duramax 3.0-liter diesel, trailer package, and wheels.
GMC
2023 GMC Sierra 1500
Maximum Towing Capacity: 13,000 pounds
The GMC Sierra 1500 is the dressier sibling to the Chevrolet Silverado in General Motors' stable of full-size pickups, with more available features as you work your way up to the top Denali trim level. Incidentally, like its Chevy sibling, you have to stay below the well-equipped Denali trim to get the most towing capacity.
Either the 2023 Sierra 1500 Double Cab in SLE or Elevation trims with four-wheel drive, 20-inch wheels and tires, the Max Trailering Package, and the so-called Enhanced Duramax 305-hp 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine bump the truck's towing capacity to 13,000 pounds, which is just shy of the 13,300-pound max of the Silverado 1500.
Ram
2023 Ram 1500
Maximum Towing Capacity: 12,750 pounds
The third bestselling vehicle in the U.S. is, no surprise, the third member of the North American full-size pickup trio: the Ram pickup.
There are several ways to configure a 2023 Ram 1500 — Ram offers eight trim levels — but there are only two ways to hit its maximum towing capacity of 12,750 pounds. Buyers can opt for a 2023 Ram 1500 Tradesman or Big Horn (called the Lone Star in some markets) model in Quad Cab, 6-foot-4 bed configuration with rear-wheel drive and the available Hemi 395-hp 5.7-liter V8 engine with a mild-hybrid system.
One caveat: Ram offers a model called 1500 Classic, which is a continuation of the previous Ram 1500 that bowed for the 2009 model year. Sold in just two trim levels, this version tops out at 10,620 pounds of towing capacity.
Toyota
2023 Toyota Tundra
Maximum Towing Capacity: 12,000 pounds
Overshadowed in sales by the midsize Tacoma, Toyota's 2023 Tundra full-size pickup truck is available in seven trim levels with a wide range of packages and options, but there's only one way to get its 12,000-pound maximum towing capacity.
Only the SR5 Double Cab with 6-foot-5 bed, rear-wheel drive, and i-Force 389-hp twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 engine reaches the 2023 Tundra's maximum towing capacity. That could be a bit confusing considering that, along with the SR and Limited, it's one of three Tundra trim levels available in this body and powertrain combination.
On the plus side for the frugal buyer, no additional options or packages are required to achieve the maximum towing capacity.
Nissan
2023 Nissan Titan
Maximum Towing Capacity: 9,323 pounds
Nissan's full-size entry in the full-size pickup category isn't as ubiquitous as the better sellers, but it offers a long warranty and a 400-hp 5.6-liter V8 engine at all trim levels, making it the only import full-size truck with an available V8. For more intense hauling and towing needs, there are Titan XD heavy-duty models available, but here we consider the standard half-ton pickup.
Rear-wheel-drive 2023 Titan King Cab models garner the highest towing capacity out of the lineup at 9,320 pounds, barely beating out the rear-wheel-drive Crew Cab at 9,317 pounds. Among four-wheel-drive models, Titan King Cab models rate the highest at 9,200 pounds.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
James TateJames Tate has been writing about cars professionally for 15 years and he remains obsessed with them. He enjoys digging into the incredible technology of new vehicles as much as he likes the tactility and the driving experience of yesterday’s cars. He has written for a variety of legacy automotive magazines and websites.
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