5 of the best ¾ ton trucks for towing

In the early days of what we recognize as pickup trucks, rating them by payload capacity was a practical way to make sure they were capable of doing the job. These days you will see truck models with 1500, 2500 and 3500 badges which means ½, ¾ and 1 ton trucks, regardless of actual capacity. With 1-ton truck payload capacities exceeding 3.5 tons, it’s probably best to keep the naming system simple.

If you could buy a truck dedicated to towing heavy trailers like 5th wheel campers or construction equipment, it would be hard to beat a 1 Ton Double Rear Wheel Truck (DRW)also known as Dually. However, most people don’t buy a heavy duty truck just for towing and find that a ¾ ton truck has enough towing capacity for their needs while still being a better daily driver.

One factor that limits a truck’s towing capacity is the gross combined weight rating, or GCWR. You can find the GCWR for a particular truck on a sticker, usually located inside the driver’s door. GCWR is the total weight of the truck, equipment, passengers, fuel and trailer combined. Fortunately, most automakers make the calculations easier by providing towing guides for the trucks they sell that contain all, or at least most, of the pertinent numbers. Ford, Chevrolet, GMC and Ram offer the best ¾ ton trucks for towing. However, the Nissan Titan XD is considered a heavy duty truck that could meet the needs of some truck buyers.

The Ford F-250 offers the highest towing capacity of a ¾-ton truck

The ¾ ton one Ford F-250 Super Duty has a GCWR of up to 31,000 pounds when configured with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel, trailer tow package, and 3.31:1 or 3.55:1 axle ratios. With this equipment, the regular cab F-250 can tow a gooseneck trailer weighing up to 23,000 pounds or a trailer up to 20,000 pounds with a conventional receiver hitch. By comparison, Ford F-250s equipped with larger cabs and all-wheel drive have reduced towing capabilities.

Ford is building the F-250 in several configurations and trim packages for 2025. The base F-250 XL and XLT are the only versions that offer an eight-foot truck bed in Regular and SuperCab configurations. Opting for the Crew Cab F-250 offers more options, including a 6.75-foot truck bed and luxury trim levels.

The mid-level Ford F-250 Lariat starts at $80,000 when equipped with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo-diesel capable of producing up to 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. Includes features that make towing easier, such as Pro Trailer Backup Assist, Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, reverse trailer guidance and trailer brake controller.

The 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD has a GCWR of 30,300 pounds.

The 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD delivers up to 30,300 pounds of GCWR in the rear-wheel drive Crew Cab long bed configuration equipped with the Max Trailering package. This combination allows conventional towing trailers up to 20,000 pounds and gooseneck or fifth wheel trailers up to 22,070 pounds. Towing gooseneck and 5th wheel trailers up to 22,430 pounds is available with the regular cab Sierra 2500 HD. In both cases, the highest towing ratings come with the 6.6-liter Duramax V8 turbo-diesel engine that delivers 975 lb-ft of torque.

As with the Ford F-250, the Sierra 2500 HD towing experience is enhanced by technology. In addition to trailer tire pressure monitoring and the ability to create custom trailer profiles, GMC’s trailer technology offers Trailer Angle Indicator with Jack-Knife Alert, Trailer Side Blind Spot Alert and Gross Combined Weight (GCW) Alert .

The mid-size 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLT is priced around $74,000 after selecting the diesel engine option and the Trailering Package. Both of these items are essential to getting the most towing capacity from your Sierra.

The Chevy Silverado 2500 HD is Sierra’s stablemate

As you might expect from another General Motors offering, Chevy Silverado 2500HD it has towing specs very similar to the GMC Sierra. With a GVWR of approximately 30,000 pounds, the Silverado 2500 HD Regular Cab Long Bed is equipped with the 6.6-liter Duramax and Max Trailering package. can tow fifth-wheel and gooseneck trailers up to 22,430 pounds. Opting for all-wheel drive brings the capacity to 22,050 pounds for the same base configuration.

The Chevy Silverado 2500 HD uses the same 6.6-liter Duramax turbo-diesel as the GMC Sierra to provide the highest towing ratings. It also produces 975 lb-ft of torque and up to 470 horsepower, as well as a diesel exhaust brake to slow rolling down steep grades without using the brake pedal.

The mid-level 2024 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD LT with the optional 6.6-liter Duramax engine and Max Trailering package has an MSRP of approximately $69,000. While the work truck (WT) is less expensive to equip, there is no provision on the website to add the Max Trailering package, and with the Duramax, it still costs over $60,000.

The 2024 Ram 2500 has a GCWR under 28,000 pounds

The Ram 2500 has the lowest GCWR of the ¾-ton trucks we’ve listed so far at 27,977 pounds. Ram lists the highest towing capacities for regular cab and Crew models with which they are equipped the Cummins 6.7-liter turbo-diesel engine versus the 6.4-liter HEMI engine, exceeding £20,000but does not specify a difference between towing methods such as conventional, gooseneck or fifth wheel.

The Cummins six-cylinder available for the Ram 2500 produces 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque. If that sounds weak, you might consider the HO Cummins available on the Ram 3500, with 420 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque. Sorry, it’s not available on the ¾-ton Ram, but you can always opt for the Ram 3500 Single Rear Wheel Drive (SRW) to get the best of both worlds.

People who frequently tow heavy trailers will appreciate the towing features found on the Ram 2500. The extra range between fuel stops provided by the 50-gallon fuel tank is a good start, but you’ll have to opt for the Tradesman trim with a Crew configuration Cab and long bed. You’ll also find some models with self-leveling rear air suspension and reverse trailer steering controls.

A rear-wheel drive 2024 Ram 2500 Tradesman regular cab with the optional Cummins and towing package brings the price to just over $61,000. While that truck will do the job, there are nicer options available for just a little more money.

The Nissan Titan XD is a large capacity pickup truck

If you’re not familiar with Nissan pickups, you might be surprised to learn The Titan XD once offered a Cummins diesel engine option. While that option was discontinued in 2019, the Titan XD continues to offer at least mediocre towing ability with its 400-horsepower 5.6-liter V8 making 413 lb-ft of torque. Sure, that doesn’t sound like much compared to the turbo-diesel engine offerings in the other ¾-ton pickups, but it’s on par with the gasoline engines provided in the other base models.

To get the most towing capacity from the 2024 Nissan Titan XD and its 17,700-pound GCWR, you’ll want to step up to the SV and PRO-4X trims and add the Convenience package. These configurations will allow the Titan XD to tow gooseneck trailers up to 11,050 pounds or 10,900 pounds conventionally.

The good news is that a 2024 Titan XD equipped for towing costs around $58,000. For that price, you get a nine-speed transmission with tow mode, trailer sway control, and an available trailer brake controller.