Ford F-450 claims best-in-class towing, company abandons practice of removing items to boost payload number

Tue, 02 Sep 2014

The ongoing heavy-duty truck battle between Ford and Ram is showing no signs of slowing down. The Blue Oval is trying to remove at least one point of contention between the two brands by testing its 2015 F-450 Super Duty using the Society of Automotive Engineers J2807 towing standard, which Ram also uses. In the new evaluation, the F-450 is rated at a max towing capacity of 31,200 pounds. That's an identical amount as under Ford's own, previous test.

"We leave no doubt with customers that the F-450 pickup truck has best-in-class towing of 31,200 pounds – whether tested using our own internal towing standards or SAE J2807," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president for Global Product Development, in the company's release.

At the same time, Ford is also changing how it calculates the F-450's payload. Instead of using its minimum curb weight as before, the brand is now using the truck's base curb weight. The revision lowers the pickup's rating to 5,300 pounds, compared to 5,450 pounds previously. The company said in its announcement that the reason for this is "aligning its payload rating practices with other manufacturers to make it easier for customers to compare vehicles." General Motors made a similar switch for its pickups in August.

The SAE J2807 evaluation is somewhat different from Ford's previous test, and the new standard requires about 400 pounds of additional weight in the pickup than before. Still, the towing figure is the same 31,200 pounds in each analysis. Because of the new test, the company is also re-rating the F-450's gross combined weight rating to 40,400 pounds.

Ram is already firing back with the following statement: "Ram Truck stands firm on our claims within the 350/3500 segment with best-in-class 30,000 pounds of towing capacity, best-in-class 865 lb-ft of torque and best-in-class payload of 7,390 pounds. Additionally, unlike our competitors, our entire 2015 Ram Heavy Duty line up adheres to J2807 test criteria, not just one model."

No matter where you fall in this debate, it seems like customers are getting the best out of truck makers fighting to top each other's specs. Scroll down to read Ford's complete announcement of its new figures for the F-450.

ULTIMATE TOWING MACHINE: 2015 FORD F-450 RATED BEST-IN-CLASS USING SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS J2807 STANDARD
SEP 2, 2014 | DEARBORN, MICH.

For customers who require no-compromise towing capability, the 2015 Ford F-450 Super Duty Class 3 pickup boasts the highest rating of any pickup truck in the United States – 31,200 pounds, measured using the Society of Automotive Engineers J2807 standard

F-450 Super Duty towing capability is 2,200 pounds greater than its closest competitor's crew cab 4x4 pickup truck

Ford will rate 2015 F-Series Super Duty maximum payload using base curb weight, aligning its payload rating practices with other manufacturers to make it easier for customers to compare vehicles

Ford reaffirms the undisputed heavy-duty towing leadership of the 2015 Ford F-450 Super Duty Class 3 pickup at 31,200 pounds after testing using the Society of Automotive Engineers J2807 standard.

SAE J2807 establishes tow vehicle performance requirements against certain performance criteria to determine a truck's maximum trailer tow rating. Ford is a founding member of the J2807 committee, which includes other truck and trailer manufacturers.

"We leave no doubt with customers that the F-450 pickup truck has best-in-class towing of 31,200 pounds – whether tested using our own internal towing standards or SAE J2807," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development.

2015 Ford F-450 upgrades
Ford improved the 2015 F-450 pickup by giving it a more capable version of the F-350 frame, plus a more capable suspension and 19.5-inch wheels and tires to enable its best-in-class towing.

The F-450 pickup is available exclusively as a crew cab 4x4. The truck's J2807-certified maximum tow rating is 2,200 pounds greater than its closest competitor's crew cab 4x4 pickup.

Best-in-class towing performance is achieved with Ford's second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V8 turbo diesel engine that has been developed to provide the segment's top combination of power, torque and efficiency. The Power Stroke boasts best-in-class 440 horsepower across all Super Duty pickup models – from F-250 to F-450. Super Duty also offers 860 lb.-ft. of torque for the same models.

Ford is the only heavy-duty pickup truck manufacturer that designs and builds its own diesel engine and transmission combination – from concept to execution – ensuring the powertrain will work seamlessly with all chassis components and vehicle calibrations. This approach enables Ford engineers to optimize the vehicle's performance across the entire lineup.

Ford previously determined F-450 pickup towing capacity using rigorous internal testing standards exclusively. Now it has added SAE J2807 test procedures, reaffirming the F-450 pickup rating. F-450 passed the additional tests with 31,200 pounds in tow, just as it passed Ford internal tests.

SAE J2807 requires the vehicle to be loaded with about 400 pounds more weight than Ford's internal test (two passengers instead of one, and base curb weight instead of minimum curb weight), but the weight addition has no effect on F-450 towing capacity. Using either standard, F-450 has best-in-class towing capacity of 31,200 pounds.

As a result of the J2807 test results, Ford is also increasing the F-450 pickup's already best-in-class gross combined weight rating from 40,000 pounds to 40,400 pounds – topping the nearest competitor by 2,500 pounds

Payload rating changes
Ford is migrating to the J2807 standard when it introduces all-new vehicles and will use base curb weight, rather than minimum curb weight, to determine payload ratings for all of its pickup trucks. The change will align Ford's payload rating practices with other manufacturers to make it easier for customers to compare vehicles.

Using base curb weight, maximum payload for the 2015 F-450 pickup goes from 5,450 pounds to 5,300 pounds.

As always, actual payload ratings are determined for an individual vehicle in its as-built condition at the factory. Ford F-Series Super Duty customers continue to have the flexibility to add or delete equipment to meet their specific payload needs. Each truck's unique payload rating can be found on the tire and loading label on the door frame.

By Chris Bruce