2005 Ford F-350 Towing Capacities (With Charts)

The 2005 Ford F-350 is a very large truck, one of the biggest in Ford's lineup and it is no surprise that these massive vehicles had a maximum towing capacity of 17,000 pounds. That was not totally unexpected considering their size, however, what was unexpected was that some models were only able to achieve a mirror 8,000 lb rating!

There were many different variables that came into play when it came to the maximum trailer weight ratings, which I go into, in extensive detail, in this article. Let's dive into the data to see what variables contributed to the best weight ratings!

I highly recommend that you read through your owner's manual to familiarize yourself with your truck and that you adhere to all of Ford's recommendations.

2005 F-350 Overview


Overall Capacity: The overall towing capacity for the 2005 Ford F-350 S ranged from 8,000-17,000 pounds, which was a massive gap that a couple of different variables we're responsible for. 


The engine that you had equipped in your truck was probably the biggest variable that impacted the capacity ratings and other factors affected the numbers as well but not as much as the engine did.


Capacity By Trim Levels: There were five different trim levels available for the 2005 F-350s and I listed these below for quick reference. I wanted to see what the capacity ranges looked like for each trim level and decided to take the engine options that were available for each trim and use that data to get a maximum trailer weight rating range for comparative purposes. 


I used the image below, which lays out what engine options were available for what trim levels and was able to plug that data into the charts.

  • XL: 8,000-16,700 lbs.
  • XLT: 8,000-16,700 lbs.
  • Lariat: 8,000-16,700 lbs.
  • King Ranch: 9,000-16,700 lbs.
  • Harley Davidson: 12,500-17,000 lbs.
2005 Superduty Engine Options For Trim Levels

(S) Standard (O) Optional — Not Available

By Engine Options: I also decided to list the three different engine options and wanted to compare the data when it came to the overall ranges for the different options that were available as well. As expected, the 5.4 L engine had the least amount of power, which equated to having the least amount of pulling power attached to it.


The 6.8 L and 6.0 engines were pretty similar when it came to their overall specs, as you can see if you compare the data between the two engines.

  • 5.4L: 8,000-12,300 lbs.
  • 6.8L: 12,500-17,000 lbs.
  • 6.0L: 12,500-16,700 lbs.

Conventional and 5th Wheel Specs: There was not a huge difference when it came to the weight ratings when we compared the two different hitch options. On the low end, the numbers were identical, having a weight rating of around 8,000 pounds, but the fifth wheel hitch had a 2,000 pound advantage when it came to the high end of the spectrum.

  • Conventional: 8,000-15,000 lbs.
  • 5th Wheel: 8,000-17,000 lbs.

The Two Tow Charts:

There were two different charts listed because these trucks were able to have either a conventional type of hitch or a fifth wheel hitch installed and with each hitch came different overall capacities, in general.

If we look at the charts below, it becomes clear that we will need to know a few things about our truck in order to get an accurate trailer weight rating. Some of these things include the cap style that you had equipped, along with the engine that is utilized in the truck, your rear axle ratio and a number of other variables that we will get into (in much more detail) later on in this article.

We can also see that each chart is divided up into automatic transmission models, which appear at the top half of the charts, and then the manual transmission models that are listed at the bottom half of the charts.

2005 Ford F-250 Towing Chart
2005 Ford F-250 5th Wheel Tow Chart
Ford MTW Definition

Trailer Tow Package Options:

I was also able to find a table that lists the different trailer tow package options that were available for these trucks, which I think a lot of people will find helpful, especially because a lot of the equipment is standard on these vehicles.

The column of interest is outlined in the image below, in the red box, which also shares it's equipment with its smaller counterpart, the F-250 trucks. If we take a little closer at the table we can see that a 4/7 pin connector is included in the kit, along with the wiring harness and a rear stabilizer bar, which is only available for the dual rear wheel models that have a 2-wheel drive configuration.

2005 Ford F-250 Trailer Tow Package Options

Hitch Reciever Capacities: Some of the maximum trailer weight ratings that were listed in the charts were quite impressive, having a maximum capacity of 15,000 pounds or more for some models, but if we look at the table below, we can see that there were limits when it came to your conventional hitch.

If you were using a conventional hitch, then you would be limited to a 5,000 or 6,000 pound capacity unless you had a weight distributing hitch setup that allowed you to achieve some of those higher ratings that we saw in the charts. Most people overlooked this little detail, but I thought it was worth mentioning and pointing out since it is quite important.

2005 F-350 Hitch Capacities

Cab Styles: You will need to know what type of cab configuration you had equipped on your truck, in order to get an accurate trailer weight rating. I went ahead and listed the three different cab styles that are available for these trucks so that you can match it up to your truck and cross that variable off the list.

Ford Truck Cab Configurations

Trailer Brakes: There was not a whole lot of information about trailer brakes for these trucks available in the owner's manual, but I went ahead and listed what I was able to find below and it basically states that these vehicles can use trailer brakes and they will need to be compliant with Federal and local laws.

There what is a section in the owner's manual that talked about the brake controller and how to use it, so I would recommend that you read through your owner's manual if you want more information about using trailer brakes, along with any other information that goes along with those.

Ford Trailer Brakes Note

The Certification Label Is Helpful...

Ford Certification Label

GVWR & GAWRs: The gross vehicle weight rating and gross axle weight ratings were not actually listed in any of the literature or resources that I used to gather the research for this article. These two metrics can be found on the certification label that is located on your driver's side door pillar or sometimes the door itself and looks very similar to the label that I have depicted in the image above.

If you look towards the top of the sample label, you can see that the gross vehicle weight rating specifications, along with both of the gross axle weight ratings are listed and this is where you will find the information for your truck, as well.

GCWR: The gross combined weight ratings were very easy to find because they were listed in the charts, right next to the axle ratios and eliminates a lot of additional research that you would have to do in order to find these figures. The 2005 Ford F350s had a gross combined weight rating that ranged from 16,000-23,500 pounds.

Axle Code:  I also wanted to mention that the axle code can be found at the bottom of the certification label and you will need to know your axle ratio, in order to get your maximum trailer weight rating from the chart and this is where this axle code comes in. If you look towards the bottom of the certification label, you will see a two-digit code below the "axle section" and this code will provide you with your rear axle ratio for your truck.

The only problem is that you will need a legend in order to decipher this code and Ford did not provide one for us, so you will have to use some other resource, like this website, in order to decipher the code and figure out what axle ratio you have equipped. 

A Few Helpful Links:

All other research for this article only came from three different resources, which I linked to below, for those of you out there that want to dive a little deeper into the resources, which I highly recommend!

Each resource provided me different information that I gathered and organized and is what formed this article. Probably the most helpful resource was the guide that Ford offers, along with the Superduty brochure, which really helps when it came to the different trim levels. The owner's manual was also very helpful, as it had just about every bit of information you could possibly want in one place.

Last updated on April 27th, 2022 at 06:54 pm

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