The tow-ratings grudge match between Ford and Ram continues, it seems, as Ford has announced that its 2017 F-450 can haul a maximum of 32,500 pounds?erasing the 2016 Ram 3500’s 10-pound advantage over last year’s F-450. And then some. If there’s pertinent consumer information to be found anywhere in this news, it likely will be of consequence only to those deciding between a semitractor-trailer and a heavy-duty pickup.
In fact, to make that semi-truck comparison easier, Ford’s announcement includes the cheeky little factoid that the F-450 Super Duty’s gross combined weight rating now reaches 41,800 pounds. That, per Ford, is more than half the same weight rating for an unspecified type of 18-wheeler. Even the Super Duty models with smaller numbers in their names?the F-250 and F-350?can now drag 18,000 pounds behind their hitches. Ford claims that number is class leading, but who really cares?we’d say that if you’re planning on regularly hauling anywhere near half a semi-truck’s worth of weight, you should probably just buy an 18-wheeler instead of a heavy-duty pickup, but the higher maximum number should give people towing, say, a mobile home, more peace of mind.
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By the same token, ...