Ford F-250 Super Duty Towing Capacity: Conventional, Fifth Wheel and Gooseneck

How much can my F-250 tow? Year by year, 2017 to 2027

Find your model year below. Every top rating in this span needs the 6.7L diesel, and since 2023 the most is 22,000 lb on a bumper-pull trailer.

From 2020 on, the top figure also needs Ford's High Capacity Axle Upgrade Package (535). Your own truck's rating depends on its cab, bed and axle. Each model year's Ford towing guide has the full list, and the older editions are on Ford Pro's content server.

Gas trucks rate lower. The 6.2L V8 (2017 to 2022) and the 7.3L in its first years topped out at 15,000 lb. The 7.3L rose to 18,200 lb from 2023.

Bumper-pull, fifth wheel or gooseneck: what a 2026 F-250 can tow

How the trailer hitches up changes the number. A bumper-pull trailer hooks to the receiver under the rear bumper; a fifth wheel or gooseneck sits on a hitch in the bed. The bed hitches earn slightly more, but only on a Regular Cab with the 8-foot box.

Ford's 2026 towing guide lists every cab, bed and axle combination. Its ratings assume a nearly empty truck: a 150 lb driver, a 150 lb passenger, no cargo and few options.

Cab and box matter as much as the engine. Only three of ten diesel builds reach 22,000 lb bumper-pull; the rest are rated 18,200 to 21,900 lb. The Regular Cab that tops the fifth-wheel list is rated only 18,200 lb bumper-pull. The 6.8L gas V8 stops at 17,300 lb, and the 7.3L gas reaches 19,500 lb on a bed hitch. A Crew Cab 4x4 with the H.O. diesel is rated 20,500 lb for a fifth wheel with the short 6-3/4' box, and a little less with the 8' box. Ford's guide has the figure for your exact build.

The hitch in the bed has its own rating

Your trailer can weigh no more than the hitch in the bed is rated for. Through 2022 Ford capped the fifth-wheel rating at the hitch's own rating, 18,000 or 19,000 lb depending on the year. Newer ratings drop that cap, but Ford's own SRW fifth-wheel hitch kit is a 20,000 lb unit. Have a licensed technician install any bed hitch, because it is structural work on the frame.

Gas or diesel for towing?

If your trailer weighs more than 18,200 lb, you need a diesel. At or below that, the 7.3L gas V8 tows the same and leaves you more payload.

The diesel is heavier, and that weight comes out of payload, the people, cargo and trailer tongue weight the truck can carry. On the same Crew Cab 4x4 truck, the 7.3L gas carries 4,034 lb and the 6.7L H.O. diesel 3,669 lb. Ford's 2026 Super Duty technical specifications give the payload range for each engine.

Any rating above 18,200 lb also needs the 535 package, which you can only order with a diesel. Ford warns that towing above 18,200 lb without it may void the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

How much payload does an F-250 have?

For 2026, 3,445 to 4,246 lb on a truck with minimum equipment. The trailer's weight on the hitch comes out of that, along with passengers, cargo and options, which is why payload decides what you can actually hitch up.

Where does the 40,000 lb figure come from?

Not from any F-250. Ford's Super Duty marketing quotes 40,000 lb of towing and 8,000 lb of payload, but those belong to heavier Super Duty models with special packages.

What changes for the 2027 F-250?

The ratings barely move, but Ford's 2027 Super Duty towing guide lists only two F-250 engines: the 7.3L gas V8 (still up to 18,200 lb) and the 6.7L H.O. diesel (still up to 22,000 lb). The top fifth-wheel figure falls to 22,100 lb; gooseneck stays at 23,000 lb. Ford has not confirmed whether the 6.8L gas and the standard 6.7L diesel are gone from the F-250 or only from the towing tables.

Hitch receiver, weight distribution and brakes

The factory receiver on a 2026 F-250 is rated for a 22,000 lb trailer with 2,200 lb on the tongue. On a Tremor it is 18,200 lb and 1,820 lb, which is also the most a Tremor can tow.

The F-250 has the same ratings with or without a weight-distributing hitch, unlike the F-150, where the limit without one is 5,000 lb. If you use one, Ford recommends restoring 50% of the front axle load.

Ford limits trailer frontal area to 75 sq. ft. for fifth-wheel and gooseneck trailers and 60 sq. ft. for the rest. The truck's own brakes are rated for the loaded truck alone, so the trailer needs brakes of its own; many states require them above 1,500 lb (see NHTSA's towing guidance).

Finding the figure for your own truck

The labels in the driver's door opening show the truck's maximum loaded weight (GVWR), its axle ratings and, on many trucks, its own payload. Then find the row in Ford's guide that matches your engine, cab, drivetrain, wheelbase, box and axle ratio. Ford's Towing Calculator does this from your VIN on 2020 and newer F-Series, and the lookup walkthrough covers the full method.

Many F-250s have no payload sticker at all, because it is required only on trucks rated at 10,000 lb GVWR or less.

Does the GVWR package change what an F-250 can tow?

Only slightly in most cases, but one package choice keeps a truck at 18,200 lb or below.

• F-250 Greater than 10K GVWR Package (68U) raises the truck's maximum loaded weight. It is optional on XL and XLT and standard on Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum (2026 order guide).
• F-250 High Capacity Axle Upgrade Package (535) adds a heavier 11.6-inch axle and raises GVWR to as much as 11,400 lb. It includes 68U, is diesel only, and is needed for any rating above 18,200 lb.
• Fixed 10,000 lb. GVWR Package is optional on Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum. It cannot be combined with the Tremor, the H.O. diesel or 535. A truck ordered this way cannot be rated above 18,200 lb.

Ford's towing guides call that last one "Fixed 9,900 GVWR", and it costs a little trailer rating, for example 16,900 lb instead of 17,000 lb on one 2026 gas SuperCab.

Common questions