F350 for 2005 now is rated to tow 19,200 lbs. 2200 more than they claimed at release. here is the article:

By Robert Schoenberger
rschoenberger@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Was it another bluff?

Ford yesterday announced that the 17,000-pound towing capacity it listed for its 2005 F-Series Super Duty trucks was a bit low. Properly equipped, a new Louisville-built F-350 can really tow another ton and then some — up to 19,200 pounds.

"As we were going through testing, our engineers realized that the frame and brakes had more capacity than we'd projected," Ford spokeswoman Lydia Cisaruk said.

But this wouldn't be the first time that Ford has played the low-expectations game.

Last year, Ford was readying the 2004 F-150 pickup at the same time that Nissan was developing the Titan pickup. Nissan officials at the time said if it were to be taken seriously in the market it had to offer towing and horsepower numbers at least as good as the competition.

In early interviews, Ford officials said the F-150 would be able to tow 9,500 pounds, a number Nissan matched when it came out with the Titan. But Ford later admitted it was fibbing. The official F-150 tow rating came out at 9,900 pounds — not a huge lead, but enough for bragging rights.

"We thought we would put a conservative number out there to see what the competition would do," Ford Division President Steve Lyons told USA Today last year. "We knew we could do better than 9,500 pounds."

Mike Omotoso, a truck analyst with Global Insight in Detroit, said Ford's announcement yesterday had shades of the Nissan bluff.

With the 17,000-pound figure, Ford was able to claim bragging rights in the industry by besting General Motors' GMC Sierra heavy duty pickup by 300 pounds and Dodge's Ram heavy duty by 650 pounds.

While it was industry-leading, Omotoso said the top towing number was an easy number for competitors to match and did little to make up for Ford's diesel engine being the weakest in the bunch.

The diesel engine produces 570 pound-feet of torque, lower than the 600 offered by Dodge and the 605 offered by GM.

"Being ahead by 300 pounds (in towing) was nice, but it wasn't a huge selling point," Omotoso said. "Being ahead by 2,500 pounds is great. That's a small car's worth of difference."

In real-world terms, the difference still might not mean that much to many buyers.

Any of the trucks could easily tow a bass boat to the lake or an Airstream trailer on a family vacation.

Phil Dennis, owner of Magnum Trailer Sales in Alberta, Canada, said the old Super Duty, the Dodge and the GM all could tow fully loaded eight-horse trailers. The extra 2,500 pounds offered by Ford could make it possible to tow a loaded 10-horse trailer.

"You might be able to get 10 horses behind the old one, but you're taking a risk, and you're really going to struggle. Realistically, you don't want to go above eight in any of the old trucks," Dennis said.

Cisaruk said the extra towing capacity came from offering a new set of options in the F-350 that Ford has pulled together as the Tow Boss package.

While engine strength is one of the most important measures in towing, other factors include frame strength, axle strength and braking power, three areas that Ford claims to dominate. To get from 17,000 pounds to 19,200 pounds, Cisaruk said, engineers added a limited-slip rear axle that had not been an option in the F-350.

Ford showed off the truck yesterday at the Texas State Fair in Dallas. Texas is the biggest pickup market in the country.

 

The state fair doesn't open until today

must be some forged documents surfacing

 

I smell Dan Rather

 

a limited slip adding 2200 lbs more. you learn something new everyday.

 

LOL.