Ford Super Duty pickups to come up with higher towing capacity

Ford Motor says it's going to boost the towing capacity of its pickup trucks.

As announced on Monday July 18, the 2017 F-Series F-450 Super Duty, one of the heavy-duty versions of its F-150 full-size pickups will be capable of towing a 21,000-pound trailer. This according to Ford is 1,000 pounds more than the competition.

Ford confirms that the boost becomes possible from a heavier driveline and other factors triggered by the switch to an all-aluminium body. Since aluminium is about 350 pounds lighter than standard steel body, that extra weight could be used for heavier drive components which accounted for the added towing capacity. Considering the fact that Ford F-Series has been the US's best-selling heavy vehicle and consumers may not appreciate the change of materials, the switch to aluminium was one of the boldest moves by the company.

According to Ford, the F-450 Super Duty SuperCrew 4x4 can now tow a fifth-wheel trailer up to 27,500 pounds which is 2,500 pounds more than rivals. Ford says that other Super Duty models, like F-250 and F-350 with single rear wheels will also fare considerably well in towing capacity in comparison to its rivals. They will be capable of 18,000 pounds of towing capacity.