2023 Ford Super Duty Reigns Supreme in World’s Toughest Towing Test
The all-new 2023 Ford Super Duty helps The Blue Oval retain its position as the king of the heavy-duty hauler hill.
The Ford Super Duty line of pickups has long held a reputation for being superior to the competition in a number of areas. However, one particular measurement that many – including automakers – tend to focus on more than others is maximum towing capacity, numbers that all three of Ford, GM, and Ram continue to improve with each passing generation, jockeying for position in a never ending game of leapfrog. With the arrival of the all-new 2023 Ford Super Duty, that is once again the case, and the heavy-duty hauler recently proved its real-world worth in another installment of The Fast Lane Truck‘s World’s Toughest Towing Test.
Max payload and towing capacity data for the 2023 Ford Super Duty was revealed a few months ago, and the numbers were truly impressive. The big one is 40,000 pounds – which is what a maxed-out F-450 can pull via gooseneck trailer, a number that tops both the Chevy Silverado HD at 36,000 pounds and Ram HD at 37,090 pounds. Throw in an 8,000-pound payload and 30,000-pound conventional max tow rating, and the 2023 Ford Super Duty is very clearly a powerhouse in that department.
However, while paper numbers are nice, it’s always interesting to see how vehicles like this measure up in some more grueling situations, and that’s precisely what this test is all about. TFLT tests these trucks via what it calls the “Ike Gauntlet,” a stretch of road in Colorado that spans eight miles, 11,000 feet of elevation, and contains a steep seven percent grade. On this particular day, it’s also quite warm, which throws an extra monkey wrench into a truck’s capability to climb through the thin air.
With a total of 27,000 pounds behind it, the 2023 Ford Super Duty F-350 in this test is being compared against the recently-refreshed 2024 Chevy Silverado 3500HD, but it once again asserts its dominance against that model, as well as a comparable Ram. The brand new pickup manages to complete the gauntlet in just 10 minutes and six seconds, which is nearly a TFLT record, as well as an incredibly impressive result as the Super Duty pulls the heavy trailer through tough conditions without so much has breaking a sweat.
The Chevy, on the other hand, takes a bit longer at 10 minutes and 19 seconds, which just leaves one thing to do – calculate an overall score of 0-5 for each of these trucks. In that regard, TFLT unsurprisingly favors the 2023 Ford Super Duty, which nabbed a score of 4.75 stars compared to the Chevy at 4.25. Clearly, while both of these trucks are capable and comfortable haulers, the ever-popular Super Duty is just a superior choice – as has been the case for some time now.
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