2023 Ford Super Duty: Best-in-Class Towing, Payload, and Power

More Super in their Duty, Ford’s latest HD pickups get more towing, payload, and torque than any other consumer truck.

Pickup truck capacity wars are a big deal. Ford, General Motors, and RAM are constantly battling to see who has the “strongest” truck. It’s a battle that usually sees one truck just edging out the others for the next model year.

Not this time, though. This time, Ford has gone to great lengths to out-truck the competition across the board.

2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty: More Power

We’ll start with the engines, where Ford has four different choices to pick from. All of the engines get a 10-speed automatic, so Ford isn’t burdening the lower-powered engines with an older gearbox.

There are two gas engine options, a 6.8L V8 and a 7.3L V8. The first one makes 405 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque, figures that make it almost the best in the class. Almost, because the 430 horsepower and 485 pound-feet of the 7.3 are figures that are the highest among gas heavy-duty trucks.

For comparison, the 6.6L gas V8 in the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD makes just 401 horsepower and 464 pound-feet of torque. Ram’s 6.4L offers 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque.

On the diesel side, Ford will offer two versions of its 6.7L Power Stroke V8 starting with the “regular output” version of the engine. That engine will put down 475 horsepower and 1,050 pound-feet of torque, much more power than the Ram’s standard 6.7L Cummins I6 (370 horsepower and 850 pound-feet).

It’s also more powerful, with slightly less torque, than RAM’s High Output Cummins at 420 horsepower and 1,075 pound-feet of torque. GM’s diesel choice will give you 470 horsepower and 975 pound-feet of torque.

To really outdo the competition, the 2023 Ford Super Duty offers a High Output version of the Power Stroke diesel. 500 horsepower and 1,200 pound-feet of torque are figures that crush the competition. They crush semi truck engines from just a few years ago, too.

What we don’t know yet is what trucks will get the High Output diesel engine. Ford might make it available in the F-250, F-350, and F-450 trucks, but it could follow RAM’s example and make it an option only on the heaviest trucks.

2023 F-Series Super Duty: Big Towing Capacity

Ford is giving the Super Duty payload and tow ratings to match the big power levels. A properly equipped F-450 will be able to tow a best-in-class 40,000 pounds when using a gooseneck trailer.

That peak figure is a bit apples to oranges because GM and RAM don’t offer a 4500 pickup to match the F-450. This doesn’t really matter to Ford because the F-350 can out-tow RAM and GM’s 3500 trucks with a gooseneck, too. It can handle up to 38,000 pounds, versus the 37,090 pounds of a RAM 3500 or 36,000 pounds of GM’s trucks.

Conventional towing, when you’re using a receiver hitch instead of a hitch mounted in the truck box, is also high. An F-450 can handle 30,000 pounds and the F-350 can tow up to 28,000 pounds this way, while GM maxes out at 20,000 and RAM at 23,000 pounds.

Even Ford’s off-road trim trucks can tow big loads. The F-350 Tremor is rated at up to 23,000 pounds towing when equipped with the HO diesel engine and 21,000 pounds with a gas V8.

This is where we should note that all of these figures are based on specific combinations. So, if you’re planning on towing near or even approaching the limit, wait for the full tow guide and verify the specific cab, engine, trim, and box length truck you’re looking at.

2023 Super Duty: Massive Payload

The last jewel in what Ford is calling the Heavy Duty Triple Crown is payload. Ford says that a gas-engine truck equipped with the Heavy-Duty Payload package can haul up to 8,000 pounds of cargo in the bed. RAM’s best is 7,680 pounds and GM’s is 7,290.

To help drivers haul heavy, the F-Series Super Duty will come loaded with tow tech including Onboard Scales, smart hitch guidance, and plenty of trailer view cameras.

The Super Duty trucks are available to order today and Ford expects deliveries set to start early next year. Pricing for the new HD trucks will start from $43,970 plus destination and fees.

Can Ford Stay Ahead of the Competition With the 2023 F-Series Super Duty Lineup?

With Chevrolet, GMC, and RAM all getting ready to roll out heavy-duty models of their own, how does the 2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty come out ahead? Read more…