The Ford F-350 is a powerhouse when it comes to towing capacity, but it has evolved over the years to become what it is today.
It was interesting to look at the numbers from earlier models and compare those to later model years to see just how much these trucks have evolved.
Overview of the Data For the Ford F-350's:
Engine Choices: There were many different engine options for the F-350's over the years and the engine you had equipped in your truck was the main factor when it came to pulling power.
The larger engines had the best specs out of all of the charts like the V10 and diesel engine options and were far superior to some of the other options like the 5.4l engine, which was a bit small for a truck as powerful as the F-350.
Cab Configurations: There was a slight difference in the specs when it came to what type of cab configuration you had installed on your F-350. The three choices were: a regular cab, a super cab and a crew cab.
The regular cab seemed to have the best weight ratings compared to the other two options, followed by the super cab and the crew cab usually had a slightly lower numbers listed than the other two types as well.
Axle Ratios: The axle ratios listed in the charts for the F-350s were definitely something you should pay attention too because it did have an impact on the numbers in the charts as well.
The differences I noticed were as small as 100 pounds for some F-350s with the same cab configurations, transmission and engine equipped, but I also noticed a difference of several thousand pounds in other cases, so be sure you know what axle ratio your truck has to get an accurate number.
Towing Capacity: The capacity numbers for the F-350's really did vary over the years, having a minimum specified weight rating of 6,800 pounds for the earlier 2000's models and increasing to a 12,000 pound minimum number for the newer 2020 models.
If we look at the higher end of the spectrum, it is quite astounding to see the differences from a 2000 model F-350 and a 2020 model, more than a 21,000 pound difference!
I arranged the Ford F-350's tow specs by which engine options were available for specific model years and attached the corresponding charts in the sections below.
For example, the 2011-2018 F-350's had the same engine options according, to the charts, so I grouped these model years together.
Remember to refer to your owner's manual for all of your tow related information to get as familiar as you can with your F-350's capabilities.
2020 Models:
The 2020 F-350s had three different engine options to choose from: the 6.2l engine, the 6.7l engine and the 7.3l engine.
The towing capacity for the 2020 F-350's ranged from 12,000 pounds on the lowest end (6.2l engine and SRW) and went up to 35,750 pounds with a DRW model, equipped with the 6.7l diesel engine.
If we look at the SRW models, the range was between 12,000 pounds and 22,800 pounds.
The 6.7l engine had some of the strongest figures in the charts, by far, followed by the 7.3l engine models. The 6.2l engine had some of the lowest ratings on the charts.
2020 F 350 SRW Conventional Chart
2020 F 350 SRW Gooseneck Chart
2020 F 350 DRW Charts
2019-2017 Models:
For 2019-2017 model years, the F-350's only had two different engine options: the 6.2l engine and the 6.7l engine.
The towing capacity for the 2019-2017 F-350's ranged from 11,900 pounds, all the way up to 32,000 pounds, which was about 1.5 tons less than the highest figure for the 2020 models.
The same was true for the 2019-2017 F-350's, with the DRW vehicles having the highest numbers, compared to the SRW models.
2019-2017 F-350's that had the 6.2l engine equipped had a capacity of between 12,000 pounds and 16,700 pounds, while models equipped with the 6.7l diesel engine had a much higher range of between 13,600-32,000 pounds.
2019 F 350 SRW Conventional Chart
2019 F 350 SRW Gooseneck Chart
2019 F 350 DRW Charts
2018 F 350 SRW Conventional Chart
2018 F 350 SRW Gooseneck Chart
2018 F 350 DRW Charts
2017 F 350 SRW Conventional Chart
2017 F 350 SRW Gooseneck Chart
2017 F 350 DRW Charts
2016-2011 Models:
The 2016-2011 F-350 charts did only have the 6.2l and 6.7l engines as options, like the 2019-2017 models but there were no DRW figures for the 2016-2011 models which would throw the averages way off balance.
The towing capacity range for the 2016-2011 F-350s started at around 11,700 pounds and went up to a maximum weight of 26,500 pounds.
The 2016-2011 model F-350s that had the 6.2l engine equipped saw a range of between 11,700-16,700 lbs. compared to the 6.7l engine models that ranged from 12,500-26,500 lbs.
2016 F 350 Charts
2015 F 350 Charts
2014 F 350 Charts
2013 F 350 Charts
2012 F 350 Charts
2011 F 350 Charts
2010-2008 Models:
For 2018-2008 model F-350s, there were three completely different engine options than we saw in the later model years and these were the: 5.4l, 6.8l and 6.4l (diesel) engines.
The towing capacity averages that I came up with for the 2010-2008 F-350s were between 8,200 pounds and wet up to 16,900 pounds.
The charts for the 2010-2008 did have specs for manual transmission models and automatic transmission models and the F-350s that had the automatic transmission equipped had a significant advantage over the manual transmission models.
The 6.8l and 6.4l engines had the highest ratings, according to the charts and the 5.4l engine had the lowest specs, in general.
There were also significant differences in the numbers between conventional and 5th wheel/gooseneck ratings for the 2010-2008 models, which is typical and to be expected.
2010 F 350 Conventional Chart
2010 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2009 F 350 Conventional Chart
2009 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2008 F 350 Conventional Chart
2008 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2007-2004 Models:
2007-2004 F-350s engine options were between the 5.4l, the 6.8l and the 6.0l (diesel) engines. The 6.4l diesel engine replaced the 6.0l engine for the later 2008-2010 model F-350's.
The towing capacity range for the 2007-2004 F-350's ranged from 6,800 pounds on the low end and went up to a phenomenal 19,200 pounds!
Some of the lowest specs I noticed for the 2007-2004 F-350's were from models equipped with the 5.4l engine and if you had a manual transmission equipped with that motor, then the specs seemed to dive even lower.
The highest ratings I noticed came from models that had either the 6.8l or 6.0l engines equipped with automatic transmissions, especially when paired with the 4.10 4.30 axle ratios.
2007 F 350 Conventional Chart
2007 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2006 F 350 Conventional Chart
2006 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2006 F 350 Gooseneck Tailgate Clearances
2005 F 350 Conventional Chart
2005 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2005 F 350 Gooseneck Tailgate Clearances
2004 F 350 Conventional Chart
2004 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2004 F 350 Gooseneck Tailgate Clearances
2003 Models:
The 2003 F-350's has their own section because they had the 6.0l engine like the '04-'07 models and also had the 7.3l engine like the '00-'02 models with the addition of the 5.4l and 6.8l engines.
The average towing capacity of the 2003 Ford F-350's ranged from 6,800 pounds and went all the way up to 14,100 pounds.
The 6.8l, 7.3l and the 6.0l engines all had the best specs in the charts, ranging from 9,400-14,100 pounds and the 5.4l came up pretty shy compared to those specs, ranging from 6,800-9,300 pounds.
2003 F 350 Conventional Chart
2003 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2003 F 350 Gooseneck Tailgate Clearances
2002-2000 Models:
For the 2002-2000 model years of the F-350, there were three different engine options available: the 5.4l, the 6.8l and the 7.3l engines.
The towing capacity numbers for the 2002-2000 F-350's ranged, starting at around 6,900 pounds and went up to 14,400 pounds on the high side, very similar overall to the 2003 F-350's specs.
I noticed the same trends for the 2002-2000 model F-350's that I noticed for some of the later model years and that was that the 5.4l engine is the smallest engine and had the lowest ratings and seemed to be under powered for such a large truck.
On the other hand, engines like the V10 (6.8l) and the 7.3l diesel engines provided plenty of power, having an average of around 10,000-12,000 pounds of pulling power.
2002 F 350 Conventional Chart
2002 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2002 F 350 Gooseneck Tailgate Clearances
2001 F 350 Conventional Chart
2001 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2001 F 350 Gooseneck Tailgate Clearances
2000 F 350 Conventional Chart
2000 F 350 Gooseneck Chart
2000 F 350 Gooseneck Tailgate Clearances
Do I Have A Tow Package Installed?
Some F-350's in the tow charts stated that in order to achieve some of the figures that were listed, you would need to have a tow package or GVWR package installed.
This is usually a hard thing to verify as Ford does not really make any identifying clues for which models have any of their optional packages installed.
As always, I would recommend that you take your vehicle to the dealer to see if it has any sort of package installed.
If I come across any info that would help to identify if you have one of these packages installed on your truck, I will update this post and provide it here at a later date.
DRW VS SRW Configurations
On some of the newer tables (2017 and newer) Ford has a label for their F-350's as a SRW or DRW which stands for Single Rear Wheels or Dual Rear Wheels.
So basically a SRW is a single rear axle and DRW is a dually model with 4 rear wheels in total.
SRW F-350
DRW F-350
Finding The Axle Code For Your F-350:
On all of the charts that were listed for the F-350's, there were axle ratios listed and a corresponding maximum trailer weight limit.
You will need to know your axle ratio and finding what that is does require some light investigative work.
If you open the driver's side door, you will see a label (or a couple). On that label, usually towards the bottom, there is a section that states "axle" or "axle code".
Below that you will see numbers/letters. These will determine what axle ratio you have in your F-350.
Example Of Ford Axle Code
I would recommend using blueovaltrucks.com to decipher that sequence of letters/numbers to see what axle you have equipped and that will allow you to get a more accurate number.
HINT: Once you are on blueovaltrucks.com, hold control (command for Macs) and press the "F" key and type in the axle code to eliminate looking through all the charts.
I do have other specs on the other Ford Trucks listed on my website that may be of interest to some of you out there, so be sure to check those out too. I have F-450 Tow Specs, along with F-250 Tow Specs and F-150 Tow Specs and a list of all of the Ford Tow Guides from 1999 and up!
Resources That Helped Me Out:
I gathered all of my information on the F-350's from Ford's Tow Guides, including the charts, which were pulled directly from the guides themselves. I will link to all of Ford's tow charts below, so you can verify the information for yourself or to just check them out further.
Last updated on April 27th, 2022 at 06:54 pm
