It Is A Class Question With Ford, F-450; Class 3 Or 4 Truck

There is no denying that auto manufacturers have been in one of the most aggressive no physical fights for supremacy over the past decade and a half. With billions of dollars at stake, having the biggest and baddest simply means selling more trucks!

Since the electronic diesel has entered the marketplace, manufacturers have been working on ways to turn up the power. Generally, one manufacturer will claim the horsepower and another will claim the torque title. Manufacturer number 3 just sits back and watches. In the past 4 years, this battle has really been between Ford and RAM. RAM with its 6.7L Cummins laying claim to the torque crown and Ford with their 6.7L has laid claim to the horsepower rating.

RAM has been able to lay claim to the torque rating mainly thanks to the addition of the Aisin transmission. This seems to be the only transmission that RAM has been able to put behind the Cummins that can actually handle that amount of torque. This is funny because for years, to get the higher horsepower and torque rating, owners had to buy the manual transmission. Now the good ole’ manual transmission comes with the lowest horsepower rating.

Ford on the other hand, has basically said that no one buys the manual and they don’t need it. So, if you select a 2014 F-350 with the 6.7 Power Stroke, your only option is the TorqShift 6R140. That being said, all of the configurations offer the same amount of horsepower and torque. For the 2015 model year, Ford challenged the all mighty RAM taking both the the torque and horsepower crown.

That is ok, because RAM still owns the “Best In Class” towing title… or do they? Ford, also, claims the “Best In Class” towing title…

Cutaway of an Aisin transmission

How can this be, well, the RAM 3500 is a class 3 truck that is capable of towing 30,000lbs. The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration classifies a class 3 truck as the vehicle’s GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) being 14,000lbs or lower.

Ford says their F series owns the title of “Best In Class” towing due to the extreme capability of the F-450. It has a tow rating of 31,200lbs. So, that is simple, 31,200lbs is greater than 30,000lbs. The issue is that the F-450 may or may not be a class 3 truck.

Traditionally, the nomenclatures of trucks have been that the first number represented the class of the truck. 250 or 2500 meant class 2, 350 or 3500 meant class 3, 450 or 4500 meant class 4 and up to class 8. But when no one was paying attention, Ford pulled a fast one and dropped the GVWR of the F-450 to 14,000lbs.

RAM argues that Ford didn’t rate their vehicle properly and the F-450 is a class 4. RAM follows the SAE J2807 rating system. But they are the only manufacturer that does that. Both GM and Ford use their own system. Ford, lightens the base vehicle up (like removing the spare tires and other non-critical items) to calculate the payload of the vehicle.

This is where the fast one comes into play. The curb weight of the base vehicle is 8,611lbs and the max payload (stripped down) is 5,450lbs. So, traditionally, the GVWR is the base vehicle’s weight plus its maximum cargo i.e 8,611+5,450=14,061lbs. 14,061lbs is greater than 14,000lbs making the F-450 a class 4 truck. But Ford says their GVWR is 14,000lbs because their max payload isn’t what the base vehicle is able to carry. The base vehicle can only carry 5,389lbs.

With towing being an extremely important marketing aspect of selling trucks, this is sure to heat up and cause some sort of legal battle before all is said and done. But what do you think? Is Ford’s F-450 with a GVWR of 14,000lbs the Best In Class towing machine or are they a wolf in sheep’s clothes that just got caught?

Who is going to ride off in the sunset with the title?

About the author

Chad Westfall

With diesel running through his veins from childhood, Chad has more than a decade of experience in the automotive industry. From editorial work to wrenching, there isn’t much he hasn't conquered head-on. When he’s not writing and shooting trucks and tech, you’ll find him in the shop working on turning the ideas floating around in his head into reality.
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