There's towing and then there's towing. While SUVs, crossovers and even certain cars will do just fine for hauling small- to medium-size loads, the heaviest loads call for that Big Kahuna of tow vehicles: the almighty truck.
The 10 models shown below are the pickup trucks with the highest tow ratings. You'll see that many of the choices listed are heavy-duty versions of popular models. While these trucks tow like beasts and offer utility beyond compare, keep in mind that they also guzzle gas like nobody's business. This makes them less-than-practical choices from a fuel-efficiency standpoint, unless you have a genuine and frequent need for their capabilities — towing and otherwise.
The numbers shown represent ratings for conventional towing. If you plan to tow with a fifth-wheel or gooseneck setup, in many cases, the tow ratings will be much higher. The rankings will be different, as well. When it comes to fifth-wheel towing, the Ram 3500 is king of the pack, capable of towing up to 30,000 pounds.
1. Ford F-350 Super Duty (tie)
Towing capacity: 18,500 pounds
Ford F-450 Super Duty (tie)
Towing capacity: 18,500 pounds
2. Ram 2500
Towing capacity: 18,350 pounds
3. GMC Sierra 3500HD (tie)
Towing capacity: 18,000 pounds
Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD (tie)
Towing capacity: 18,000 pounds
4. Ram 3500
Towing capacity: 17,940 pounds
Towing capacity: 14,000 pounds
6. GMC Sierra 2500HD (tie)
Towing capacity: 13,000 pounds
Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD (tie)
Towing capacity: 13,000 pounds
7. Ford F-150
Towing capacity: 11,300 pounds
