Ford F-250 Towing Capacity [1999 – 2021]

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Ford F-250s have been best sellers and trendsetters when it comes to towing in full-sized pickup trucks. They are famous for their strength, and it’s no surprise that the F-250 heavy-duty truck can achieve high numbers.

However, not all Ford F-250 trucks have matching towing capacities. Newer models of these heavy-duty trucks come with more impressive figures when compared to older models.

What brings out the different towing capacities of the Ford F-250s? How do the towing numbers stack up in the different years of production of the Ford F-250? This article has all the information you need.

Ford F-250 Pickup Truck Overview

The Ford F-250 was introduced in 1998 but was available from the year 1999. The heavy-duty truck spots a unique chassis from its predecessor, the Ford F-150. Moreover, it comes with suspension components and a heavier-duty chassis to better towing and payload capacities.

The Ford F-250 comes in several engine configurations, which is the greatest determiner for the truck’s towing capacities. Besides, each truck also came with a unique cab configuration that also played a part in determining tow and payload capacities. But, again, other features like the type of transmission, axle ratios, and tech advancements also hold weight and cannot be overlooked. 

Let’s now look into the towing numbers of the Ford F-250 from 1999 to 2021.

Ford F-250 Towing Capacity Details

2021 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

We have three engine configurations on the 2021 Ford F-250. These are the 6.2L V8, 6.7L Power Stroke V8, and 7.3L PFI Gas V8. The overall towing capacity of the F-250’s within this year is 12,500 to 22,800 pounds. That’s a tiny improvement from the 2020 model. 

The lowest towing capacity is realized in the 4WD 6.2L gas engine on the Crew Cab models. On the other hand, the highest tow capacity comes from gooseneck or fifth-wheel towing in the 6.7L PowerStroke diesel engine. 

2020 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

The F-250 heavy-duty trucks manufactured from 2020 offer a mind-blowing 12,000-22,800 pounds range of towing capacity! The range, however, was for both gooseneck and standard towing. All engines within the 2020-2021 range have the same characteristics, and the 5th wheel mostly tells them apart. However, some 5th wheel features require you to install the high tow capacity package.

2019 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

The 2019 Ford F-250 comes with a low trailer weight, but high towing capacity (12,200 – 18,500) pounds. Again, fifth wheel configurations were similar and gave a disparity of around 100-500 pounds across the model year. The 6.7L V8 TurboDiesel had higher tow numbers than the 6.2L V8. Moreover, higher axle ratios also give better towing capacity.

2017 – 2018 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

2018 Ford Super Duty F-250 Lariat – Credit: media.ford.com

The 2017 and 2018 Ford F-250s had pretty similar specs to the 2019 ones. The towing capacity ranges from 12,200 pounds to 18,500 pounds. On some occasions, though, you could find little (100-600lb) differences in the towing capabilities. However, to achieve the highest capacity numbers in some trucks within these years, then you’ll need to install the optional 9,900-pound GVWR package.

2011 – 2016 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

The Ford F-250’s made between 2011 and 2016 had considerable similarities in engine configurations. They all came with either the 6.2L or 6.7L engines. Owing to that, they all had substantially similar towing and payload capacities.

For both the conventional and fifth-wheel hitches, you were getting an average towing capacity of 11,800-16,800 pounds. However, the 6.7L diesel engine rocked higher capacities than the 6.2L gas counterpart, but not by huge margins. Again, the regular cab and 2WD models were better, all with slight differences in numbers. 

Bonus: Ford Flex Towing Capacity [2009 – 2019]

2008 – 2010 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

Compared to the trucks we’ve covered so far, the F-250s between 2008 and 2010 had the lowest towing capacities. That is because most of these trucks featured a manual transmission, which records lower tow capacities than the automatic alternative. In addition, cab configurations, axle ratios, and every other feature were the same throughout these years.

The towing capacities of the Ford F-250 models between 2008 and 2010 were 8,200-16,500 pounds.

2004 – 2007 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

We had three different engine configurations in the Ford F-250 between 2004 and 2007. These were the 5.4L, 6.0L, and 6.8L V8s. Their combined average towing capacity ranged from 6,800lbs to 16,500lbs. The 5.4L engine was the smallest of the three and dished out the lowest towing capabilities in the group. However, the other two engines held up pretty well, with the 6.0L being the better performer of the two.

2003 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

In the year 2003, the Ford F-250 made two diesel engines; the 6.0L and 7.3L models. Moreover, we also had the 6.8L V10 and 5.4LV8. The towing capacities of the F-250s within this year had a range of 6,800-14,100 pounds. To max out the towing capabilities of these engines, you had to enhance performance by tweaking a few configurations here and there.

Both diesel engines recorded the highest numbers, while the 5.4L came with the least ratings. 

2000 – 2002 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

We had four engine types in the Ford F-250s between 2000 and 2002. They were 5.4L, 6.8L, and 7.3L. The fourth was a 6.4L that Ford only used in 2001. 

The towing capacity of the trucks within this range was 6,900-14,500 pounds. The trucks had either manual or automatic transmission. 

The highest values were realized in the 6.8L automatic, while the lowest came in the 5.4L manual transmission trucks.

1999 Ford F-250 Towing Capacity

In 1999, we had two engine configurations; the 4.6L V8 and 5.4L V8. The maximum towing capacity for the F-250s within the year was 8,700lbs. However, fifth-wheel trucks spotted a slightly higher capacity than the conventional F-250s.

Outro

Those are the respective Ford F-250 towing capacities from 1999 to date. Newer models have a better hand at towing than previous models, all down to advancements in their design. Moreover, the engine is the most significant determinant in the towing capacities, so you know what engine you’ll be going for.

Read more: Dodge Ram 2500 Towing Capacity [2000-2021]

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