The 2022 Ford F250s had quite the towing capacity attached to them and they seem to get more and more capable every year. The standard models were capable of pulling up to 12,200 lbs., but this was nothing compared to the top models that had the optional equipment installed that had a rating of 22,800 lbs.!
The ability to achieve the highest ratings boiled down to just a couple of different things and you need to know what these were in order to get the most out of your truck. Let's dive into the data to see what these trucks needed in order to achieve the highest ratings possible.
Be Sure you read through your owner's manual to get familiar with your truck and that you abide by all of Ford's recommendations and requirements.
2022 F-250 Overview
Overall Towing Capacity: The overall towing capacity for the 2022 Ford F250s ranged from ranged from 12,200-22,800 lbs. and was dependent upon many different variables but the two main factors that really contributed to the trailer weight ratings were the engine that you had equipped and the axle ratio that you had equipped.
Engine Options: There were three different engine options available for the 2022 models and this was the 6.2 L engine, the 6.7 L engine and the 7.3 liter engine. Two of these engines were gasoline models (6.2 L and 7.3 L) and only the 6.7 L engine was a diesel model.
Naturally, the 6.7 L diesel engine had some of the highest capacity ratings listed, ranging from 14,000 lbs. on the low end and going all the way up to that highest rating that we saw on the charts of 22,800 lbs.
The 7.3 L engine came in a close second place, which is quite amazing considering that it is a gasoline powered engine and had a capacity range of between 13,000-19,500 pounds.
The 6.2 L engines were still a strong engine and had very respectable ratings but compared to the other two engines fell short of what they were capable of. The capacity range for the 6.2 L engines came in at 12,200 pounds on the low end and only went up to 15,800 lbs. on the highest end.
Axle Ratios: The axle ratios also played a critical role in your overall trailer capacity but not as much as the engine you had equipped did. What really made the difference was what axle ratio you had equipped and whether you had a tow package installed on the vehicle which really jacked the numbers up.
Assumed Weight: In order to list the maximum trailer weight ratings, Ford had to specify an assumed weight in the vehicle in order to make the figures as accurate as possible. I was able to find some information in the guide that states that the maximum trailer weight ratings were listed assuming a driver and a passenger in the vehicle, both weighing 150 lbs. each, giving us a grand total of 300 lbs. of assumed weight in the vehicle.
Standard and Gooseneck Charts:
The 2022 Ford F250s had a very similar chart that had the same three engine options and very close specs to the 2021 and 2020 models and a lot of the information was also closely related.
If we look at the charts below, we can see that one chart is listed for conventional hitches and the other one is listed for fifth wheel or gooseneck hitches. You will typically get a little bit more capacity with a fifth wheel or gooseneck hitch and this is where that monster is 22,800 lb. rating comes from.
If we look at the charts, we can see that there is a lot of information that we have to plug into the chart in order to get an accurate weight rating for our truck.
Some of these things include the engine that you had equipped, along with the matching axle ratio, among other things that will also need to be plugged in. I will go into all of these different variables in this article to avoid any confusion that some of you out there may have.
I also posted the specifics for the trailer frontal area considerations that Ford specifies, along with the tailgate clearances, for those of you out there that will be using either a fifth wheel hitch or a gooseneck hitch.
Trailer Frontal Area Considerations
Tongue Weight Rating:
The tongue weight ratings usually come in the form of a percentage of the overall weight of the trailer and for the 2022 models, you can find this information at the bottom of the charts in a very small print. I went ahead and enlarged this print and posted an image of what Ford specifies, which is 10% for conventional types of hitches and 15% for fifth wheel or gooseneck hitches.
I do recommend that you read through the owner's manual on the tongue weight ratings though because I found another note that talks about conventional hitches and how you do not want to go below or above 10 to 15% of the trailer's weight, so I guess those figures would be the minimum and maximum requirements.
What Axle Ratio Do I Have?
Now we start to get into some of the data that we have to find on our trucks in order to plug it into the charts to find our trailer weight ratings. The axle ratio is probably going to be one of the first things that you are going to look for, and this can be found on the certification label that is located on your truck on the driver side door pillar or the door itself.
This label looks very similar to the label that I have posted in the image below and if you look at the bottom of the label, towards the center of it, you will see the word axle and then below that you'll see a two-digit code that consists of either two numbers or a letter and a number. You will want to jot this figure down and then you will have to decipher that code.
After you have your code, you have to look at the chart below and match up the two-digit code that you found on the certification label and this will tell you what axle ratio you have equipped in your truck from the factory.
You might also notice that there are three different types of rear axles and these are listed as the limited slip axle, a non limited-slip axle and an electronic locking rear axle.
The type of axle you have will not affect the trailer weight ratings, you only need to know what the axle ratio is. I do want to point out that there were only four axle ratios available for these model year trucks and I highlighted these four ratios via the red boxes in the image below.
Wheelbase Length Is Another Factor...
Moving on down the list, we get to your wheelbase length, which is another element that you have to plug into the charts and you will have to physically measure your wheel base in order to know what it is.
If you are unfamiliar with what the wheelbase of a vehicle is, it is simply just the measurement of the front tire to the rear tire, measuring from the center of the wheels themselves. This is a lot easier if you have a helper to hold one end of the tape measure and these measurements are in inches.
In the charts, these metrics are labeled a little bit weird and are abbreviated in order to fit all of the data nicely in the small columns and these are shown as 146" WB, 176" WB etc.
Box Length (8' or 6-3/4'):
You will also need to know the length of your bed, which Ford refers to as box length and if you look at the charts, these are labeled as 8' Box and 6-3/4' Box. This just basically means that there are two bed length options, a standard bed or a long bed option.
The long bed will measure a little bit longer than 8 ft, coming in at about 98 in., while the standard bad will measure approximately 81 in.
Weight Carrying Hitch or Weight Distributing Hitch?
There are also additional variables that you will find in the conventional chart that is not listed in the fifth wheel and gooseneck chart. These are referred to as weight-carrying or weight distributing and this is simply just referring to the type of hitch setup that you have on your truck and trailer.
A weight carrying hitch is basically just a standard hitch and is what most people out there will be using with their trucks when using conventional hitches, but the weight distributing hitch is a little bit different than a standard hitch and can actually distribute some of the weight of the trailer more evenly, so you can take on heavier loads.
Trim Levels Explained:
There were six different trim levels available for the 2022 models which did not seem to directly affect the trailer weight ratings, but I did notice that some trim levels did require optional equipment be installed in order to achieve a certain rating, so you will have to keep an eye out for that and look at the tow package chart (further down in this article) and refer to the notes at the bottom of the charts in order to see which trim levels this applies to.
The six different trim levels that were listed as the: XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited models. I also want to know that not all trim levels may have the ability to have some of the optional equipment that is offered for other trim level models.
Cab Styles...
There were three different cab styles for these trucks, just like all the other model year trucks and these were listed as the: regular cab, super cab and the crew cab or super crew cab. These are located at the very top of the charts and are the three main columns that divided all of the data.
GVWR and GAWR Figures:
GVWR & GAWRs: It was really nice to Ford lists the gross combined weight ratings in the charts, as you avoid having to go search for that data but the gross vehicle weight rating and gross axle weight ratings were not listed anywhere in any of the literature so you will have to do a little digging in order to find these two figures. The good news is that these figures are located on the truck itself, on the certification label, which is where we found the axle codes before.
Certification Label: Remember, you can find the certification label if you open your driver side door and it should be located on either the pillar or the door. At the top of the label, you will find the gross vehicle weight rating listed for the truck, along with the front gross axle weight rating and the rear gross axle weight rating, like the image below illustrates.
Standard Equipment & What's Included...
I was also able to find some of the tow equipment that was offered for these trucks, both standard options and the two optional packages that were offered. The two optional packages were listed as the 535 package and the 53Q package and were available only for trucks that had the 6.7 L diesel engine equipped.
This is probably why models that had the 6.7 L diesel engine equipped had some of the highest ratings that we saw out of all three engine options.
(2) Requires 6.7L diesel engine. (8) F-350 DRW/F-450 only. (9) In-cab, no controller (SRW). (12) Required on XL.
Trailer Brakes:
Trailer brakes were also a requirement by Ford and if your trailer weighed 1,500 pounds or more, then you were required to have trailer brakes installed on your trailer. These brakes need to be independent of your truck's braking system, in order to stop the additional weight of the trailer.
Remember, your truck's brakes are only designed to stop a fully loaded vehicle, they do not have the strength to stop the additional weight that you will be pulling behind your vehicle, in addition to the truck's weight.
Other Notes I Found:
There were a couple of other notes that I found in the owner's manual when I was doing research on these trucks and they mainly talk about high altitudes and minimum octane ratings for your gasoline.
To elaborate, you will have to reduce the gross combined weight rating of your truck by 2% for every 1,000 feet of elevation change and this is because higher altitudes will make your vehicle work harder. Remember, this can add up pretty quickly, especially if you're planning on traveling to an elevation of 8,000 ft., which would reduce your gross combined weight rating by 16%!
The other note I found talks about the minimum octane rating of gasoline and really only applies to models that have either the 6.2 L engine equipped or the 7.3 liter engine equipped. Ford recommends a minimum octane rating of 87 and higher.
Helpful Links:
I used three different resources when doing the research for this article and all three of these resources came directly from Ford and included the owners manual, the 2022 super duty brochure and Ford's guide that lists all of the trailer weight ratings for all of their capable models.
I went ahead and linked to these three resources below. Feel free to check them out for yourself, as there is a lot of useful information to be found in all three resources.
Last updated on April 27th, 2022 at 06:46 pm