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Ford F150 Towing Capacity and Payload Capacity History 1975-2025
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Jul 14, 2025
Curious about the towing capacity and payload capacity of the Ford F-150 over the years? This guide breaks down the Ford F-150’s towing and payload specs from 1975 to 2025. See how America’s best-selling truck has evolved through each generation—perfect for buyers, owners, and truck enthusiasts. Learn what different engines, trims, and configurations could tow and haul, from classic workhorses to modern high-tech F-150s. Great info for comparing older and newer models side by side. #FordF150 #F150TowingCapacity #F150Payload #FordTruckHistory #ClassicTrucks #F150Specs #TruckTowing #PayloadCapacity #FordNation #FSeries
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0:00
Thinking about towing with a Ford F-150
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and wondering just how much it can
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actually handle? Well, whether you're
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eyeing a classic from the 70s or a brand
0:08
new 2025 model, today we're breaking
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down 50 years of Ford F-150 towing and
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payload capacity right here. Hey folks,
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Tom here from Car Justified. I've worked
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on more F-150s than I can count, and
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I've towed everything from jet skis to
0:23
car haulers with these trucks. So today
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we're going to walk through how the
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F-150's towing and payload numbers have
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changed from 1975 all the way to 2025.
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Let's kick it off with the 1970s, back
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when seat belts were optional and
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everything smelled like gas and vinyl.
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The first official F-150 came out in
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1975, and back then you were looking at
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a max towing capacity of around 5,000
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lb, give or take, depending on the
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engine and rear axle. Payload was right
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around 1500 to 2,000 lb. Keep in mind,
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this was a heavy old school truck. Not a
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ton of horsepower, but solid as a rock.
1:00
Jump ahead to the 1980s and Ford started
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refining things a bit. By 1985, if you
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had the right setup, like the 5.8 L V8
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and towing package, you could pull
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around 7,000 lb. Payload stayed fairly
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steady in that 1500 to 2200 range. Still
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not a monster by today's standards, but
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definitely enough for a camper or a
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small trailer. Then came the 1990s. I
1:22
call this the modernizing decade. In
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1997, the F-150 got a full redesign with
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the new rounded body style. If you had
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the 5.4 L Triton V8, towing jumped up to
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around 8,000 lb. Payload was climbing,
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too. Some configs hit 3,300 lb. My uncle
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actually towed a 21 ft boat with his 98
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F-150. Slow going uphill, but it got
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there. All right, now the 2000s. This is
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where the F-150 started to really grow
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up. In 2004, Ford launched the 11th gen
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F-150, and towing shot up to about 9,500
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lb with the right engine and towing
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package. Payload was solid, too. Around
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2500 lb, depending on cab and bed size.
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Big jump in refinement, too. Nicer ride,
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better brakes, stronger frame. Then we
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get to the 2010s, and this is where
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things get wild. In 2011, Ford dropped
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the 3.5 L EcoBoost turbo V6, and
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everyone was like, "Wait, a V6 can tow?"
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Yeah, and tow it did up to 11,300 lb in
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some models. The lighter aluminum body
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came out in 2015, and by then, max
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towing hit 12,200 lb with payload
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pushing up to 3,300 lb in the right
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trim. And now, the 2020s F-150s are
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basically towing machines with heated
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seats and Wi-Fi. In 2021, the hybrid
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power boost engine showed up. And
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believe it or not, it toes up to 12,700
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lb. That's wild. And payload, just over
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3,300 lb max if you spec it right.
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Usually in a regular cab with the heavy
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duty payload package. The 2025 models,
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Ford hasn't reinvented the wheel this
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year, but they fine-tuned things. Max
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towing is right around 13,500 lb. And
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payload holds steady at that 3,300 mark,
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depending on bed, cab, axle ratio, and
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of course, your engine choice. You've
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got options like the 5.0 L V8, the
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EcoBoost V6s, and the Power Boost Hybrid
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still hanging strong. Now, couple quick
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notes if you're trying to figure out
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what your own F-150 can handle. First,
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always, always check your door jam
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sticker or the Ford towing guide. Those
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numbers change depending on axle ratio,
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drivetrain, cab size, even the wheels
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sometimes. Two trucks that look
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identical can have very different towing
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limits. I've seen people overload their
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truck because they thought it was the
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same as their buddies. Second, if you're
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towing close to your max, get a weight
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distribution hitch and make sure your
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trailer brakes are dialed in. Doesn't
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matter if the truck can tow it, it has
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to stop it, too. And hey, payload
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matters just as much. I see folks load
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up the bed with gravel or gear and
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forget the tongue weight from a trailer
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counts toward payload, too. Don't ignore
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that number. All right, quick decade by
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decade recap for you. 1975 around 5,000
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lb towing. 1985 around 7,000. 1997 up to
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8,000. 2004 around 9,500. 2011 hits
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11300 with EcoBoost. 2015 12200 with the
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aluminum body. 2021 hybrid toes 12700
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2025 maxes out around 13 E500 towing
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3300 payload. Bottom line, the F-150s
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come a long way, but it's still a tool
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and tools only work if you know how to
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use them right. Whether you're towing a
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lawn trailer or a bass boat, just make
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sure you know your numbers and you'll be
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golden. If this helped you figure out
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what your truck can really handle, or if
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you're shopping for an F-150 and didn't
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know what those numbers meant, go ahead
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and hit that like button and subscribe
4:57
for more straight talk car advice from a
4:59
guy who spent half his life under a
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hood. Thanks for watching and hey, tow
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smart, not just strong. Catch you in the
5:06
next
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