In the earliest days of what we recognize as pickup trucks, rating them by payload capacity was a practical way to ensure they were capable of doing the work required. These days you’ll see truck models with 1500, 2500, and 3500 badges signifying ½, ¾, and 1-ton trucks with little regard to any actual capacity. With 1-ton truck payload capacities exceeding 3.5 tons, it’s probably best to keep the naming system simple.

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If you could buy a truck dedicated to towing heavy trailers such as 5th-wheel campers or construction equipment, it would be hard to beat a 1-ton truck with dual rear wheels (DRW), also known as a Dually. However, most people don’t buy a heavy-duty truck solely for towing and find that a ¾-ton truck has enough towing capacity for their needs while being a better daily driver.

One factor that limits a truck’s towing capacity is its Gross Combined Weight Rating or GCWR. You can find the GCWR for a particular truck on a sticker, usually located on the inside of the driver’s side door. GCWR is the total weight of the truck, equipment, passengers, fuel, and trailer combined. Thankfully, most automakers make the calculations easier by providing towing guides for the trucks they sell that contain all, or at least most, of the pertinent figures. Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, and Ram offer the best ¾-ton trucks for towing. However, the Nissan Titan XD is considered a heavy-duty truck that could fit the needs of some truck buyers.

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The ¾-ton Ford F-250 Super Duty has a GCWR of up to 31,000 pounds when configured with the 6.7L Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel, the trailer tow package, and either 3.31:1 or 3.55:1 axle ratios. With that equipment, the regular cab F-250 can tow a gooseneck trailer weighing up to 23,000 pounds or up to a 20,000-pound trailer with a conventional receiver hitch. For comparison, Ford F-250s equipped with larger cabs and four-wheel drive have reduced towing capacities.

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Ford builds the F-250 in multiple configurations and trim packages for 2025. The base F-250 XL and XLT trims are the only versions to offer an eight-foot truck bed with Regular and SuperCab configurations. Opting for the Crew Cab F-250 provides more options, including the 6.75-foot truck bed and upscale trim levels.

The mid-tier Ford F-250 Lariat starts at $80K when equipped with the High-Output 6.7L Power Stroke turbo-diesel capable of producing up to 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. It includes towing-friendly features like Pro Trailer Backup Assist, Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, Trailer Reverse Guidance, and a Trailer Brake Controller.

The 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD provides up to 30,300 pounds of GCWR in the rear-wheel drive Crew Cab long bed configuration equipped with the Max Trailering Package. That combination allows conventional towing of trailers up to 20,000 pounds and gooseneck or 5th-wheel trailers up to 22,070 pounds. Towing gooseneck and 5th-wheel trailers weighing up to 22,430 pounds is available with the regular cab Sierra 2500 HD. In either case, the highest tow ratings come with the 6.6L Duramax V8 turbo-diesel engine providing 975 lb-ft of torque.

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As with the Ford F-250, the Sierra 2500 HD towing experience is enhanced by technology. In addition to monitoring trailer tire pressures and the ability to create custom trailer profiles, GMC’s trailering tech provides Trailer Angle Indicator with Jack-Knife Alert, Trailer Side Blind Zone Alert, and Gross Combined Weight (GCW) Alert.

The mid-grade 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLT is priced around $74K after selecting the diesel engine option and Trailering Package. Both of these items are essential to get the highest towing capacity from the Sierra.

As you might expect from another General Motors offering, the Chevy Silverado 2500HD has towing specs closely resembling those of the GMC Sierra. With GVWR ratings around 30,000 pounds, the regular cab long bed Silverado 2500 HD equipped with the 6.6L Duramax and Max Trailering Package can tow 5th-wheel and gooseneck trailers up to 22,430 pounds. Opting for four-wheel drive brings the capacity to 22,050 pounds for the same basic configuration.

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The Chevy Silverado 2500 HD uses the same 6.6L Duramax turbo-diesel as the GMC Sierra to deliver the highest tow ratings. Likewise, it produces 975 lb-ft of torque and up to 470 horsepower, as well as featuring a diesel exhaust brake to slow your roll on steep grades without using your brake pedal.

The mid-tier 2024 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD LT with the optional 6.6L Duramax engine and Max Trailering Package carries an MSRP of around $69K. While the Work Truck (WT) trim is less expensive, there’s no provision on the website to add the Max Trailering Package, and with the Duramax, it’s still priced at over $60K.

The Ram 2500 has the lowest GCWR of the ¾-ton trucks we’ve listed so far at 27,977 pounds. Ram lists its highest towing capacity ratings for the regular and Crew cab models equipped with the 6.7L Cummins turbo-diesel engine versus the 6.4L HEMI, topping out at 20,000 poundsbut doesn’t specify a difference between towing methods such as conventional, gooseneck, or 5th wheel.

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The six-cylinder Cummins available for the Ram 2500 produces 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque. If that sounds low you may be thinking of the HO Cummins available in the Ram 3500 with its 420 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque. Sorry, it’s not available in the ¾-ton Ram, but you could always opt for the single-rear-wheel (SRW) Ram 3500 to get the best of both worlds.

People who frequently tow heavy trailers will appreciate the towing-friendly features found on the Ram 2500. The extra range between fuel stops afforded by the 50-gallon fuel tank is a good start, but you’ll have to opt for the Tradesman trim with a Crew Cab and long bed configuration. You’ll also find some models with auto-leveling rear air suspension and trailer reverse steering controls.

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A regular cab rear-wheel drive 2024 Ram 2500 Tradesman with the optional Cummins and towing package brings the price to just over $61K. While that truck will do the work, there are nicer options available for just a little more money.

If you’re not familiar with the Nissan pickup trucks, you might be surprised to learn the Titan XD once offered a Cummins diesel engine option. While that option was discontinued in 2019, the Titan XD continues to offer at least mediocre towing capacity, with its 400-horsepower 5.6-liter V8 producing 413 lb-ft of torque. Sure, that doesn’t sound like much compared to the turbo-diesel engine offerings in the other ¾-ton pickups, but it’s on par with the gas engines provided in the other base models.

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To get the highest towing capacity from the 2024 Nissan Titan XD and its 17,700-pound GCWR, you’ll want to steer toward the SV and PRO-4X trims and add the Convenience Package. These configurations will allow the Titan XD to tow up to 11,050 pound gooseneck trailers or 10,900 pounds conventionally.

The good news is that a 2024 Titan XD equipped for towing prices out to around $58K. At that price, you’ll get a nine-speed transmission with tow-haul mode, trailer sway control, and an available trailer brake controller.