For generations, the debate over what belongs under a serious tow rig’s hood had one clear answer: diesel. Diesel engines produce torque in abundance, they pull hard at low rpm, and they’ve powered everything from farm equipment to long-haul semis for good reason. Towing over 80,000 pounds is no job for a gas motor — and the trucking industry has never pretended otherwise. But in the half-ton pickup segment, Ford has quietly rewritten the rulebook, and the numbers are hard to argue with.

The 2026 Ford F-150 is rated to tow up to 13,500 lbs with its 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 — 200 lbs more than the Chevrolet Silverado 1500’s 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six Duramax diesel, and substantially more than the comparable Ram 1500. That a twin-turbocharged gasoline V6 can out-pull a purpose-built diesel in the same class is remarkable on its own. How Ford got there is an even better story.

Ford achieved the feat by engineering an entire towing ecosystem around the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 — not just the engine itself. The result is diesel-beating towing capacity and a legitimate question about what the future of half-ton hauling looks like.

13,500 lbs Requires More Than Just The EcoBoost

It’s worth noting that not every F-150 that rolls off the assembly line is rated for 13,500 lbs. In fact, only a select few configurations actually qualify. The truck must be equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which produces 382 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. Beyond the engine, Ford’s Tow/Haul Package (package 53T) is required, as is the Max Tow Axle package — the latter stiffening the rear end with a taller ratio, heavy-duty bearings, and a stronger axle housing.

The Tow/Haul Package itself brings a comprehensive suite of upgrades for heavy hauling. It revamps the truck’s cooling system with a heavy-duty oil cooler and an upgraded radiator, and it reprograms the transmission to hold gears longer and downshift more aggressively — a critical trait when a loaded truck faces a steep grade. The rear bumper and frame are also reinforced to better absorb the stress of heavy loads.

Without these upgrades, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 simply wouldn’t be enough to support that 13,500-lb rating. Skipping the beefed-up cooling, frame, hitch, and transmission calibration would mean running a real risk towing that much weight with a light-duty pickup. But listing the hardware only tells half the story — the real question is why these upgrades allow a gasoline engine to beat a diesel at its own game.

How A Gasoline V6 Beats A Diesel

Building a V6 that outperforms a diesel in the same category of use is no simple task. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 begins its climb to towing prominence with a pair of BorgWarner low-inertia turbochargers using nine-blade turbines, with maximum safe boost reportedly sitting around 16 to 17 psi. The twin turbos push peak power much lower in the rev range and broaden the torque band considerably — both attributes being essential to heavy hauling.

In the old days, turbocharged gasoline engines were dismissed when it came to towing capability. Ford has done a great deal to change that perception.

As for Chevrolet, the 3.0-liter straight-six Duramax diesel is still impressive in its own right; it simply reflects a different philosophy. Ford has committed most of its resources to the twin-turbo gasoline engine for towing purposes, while Chevy still adheres to the traditional approach, relying on a straight-six diesel to give the Silverado 1500 its heavy-hauling credentials.

When it comes to Ram, the brand has had a harder time keeping pace with Ford and Chevrolet. The Ram 1500 doesn’t offer a twin-turbo V6 or a diesel engine for its heaviest-hauling configuration. Instead, the brand leans on the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 — no forced induction, no diesel fuel, just eight cylinders of American torque. With it, the truck can tow up to 12,750 lbs. Hurricane inline-six-equipped Ram 1500s can still tow, but only up to 11,610 lbs.

Despite competing against a diesel and a V8, the Ford F-150’s twin-turbo V6 still comes out on top. What that demonstrates is that Ford worked harder behind the scenes — tweaking chassis strength, cooling systems, and transmission calibration — to achieve that 13,500-lb rating. Engineering specs explain what Ford built; the harder question is whether this represents a genuine shift in the half-ton formula, or just a one-cycle advantage.

Ford Managed To Change The Half-Ton Formula

As much as some may not like it, the automotive world is changing rapidly. The old ways of doing things are no longer sufficient for multiple reasons — tighter emissions standards and shifting consumer expectations chief among them. Ford, despite being a member of the Old Guard, chose not to be left behind, and invested in creating a truck capable of competing in the modern landscape.

Historically, pickup trucks relied almost exclusively on large gasoline V8 engines. The engines found in mid-20th-century trucks weren’t particularly powerful, but they were durable and tolerant of abuse. Inline-six engines were also common — the Ford 300 CID (4.9L) six being a prime example. In the early 1980s, diesel engines entered the pickup segment, enabling drivers to tow more than ever before and displacing the big-block V8 from its heavy-hauling throne. Now, it appears the game has changed again.

This refers to the unique way the current F-150 achieves its best-in-class tow rating. Chevrolet, while still a formidable brand overall, appears content to offer the Silverado 1500 as much towing capacity as its diesel can deliver. The 3.0-liter Duramax produces less power and less torque than the 3.5-liter EcoBoost, though it does return roughly 24 MPG combined compared to the Ford’s 20 MPG.

However, fuel economy is rarely the priority when heavy hauling is the goal. Ram, of course, remains rooted in tradition with its best-hauling 1500 relying on a naturally aspirated V8. This is not a criticism of V8 or diesel engines, but rather an observation that Ford is leading the segment with engineering sophistication rather than brute force.

Ford’s Bet Is Paying Off

It wasn’t an easy transition. When Ford first began fitting EcoBoost engines into pickup trucks in the early 2010s, a vocal contingent of truck purists pushed back hard. The prevailing view was that nothing could replace a V8 — certainly not a turbocharged V6. Those early EcoBoost engines also had genuine reliability concerns, including timing chain stretch and excessive carbon buildup.

Ford stuck with it anyway, and the results speak for themselves. The F-150 now leads the half-ton segment in towing capacity, besting diesel engines and old-fashioned V8s alike. The 13,500-lb rating probably won’t be called upon by most owners — the majority of those towing a camper or boat rarely exceed 6,000 lbs, leaving a substantial reserve. But it’s reassuring to have that capability when you need it.

Even so, Ford’s ability to engineer a best-in-class towing truck around a turbocharged V6 is impressive in its own right, regardless of whether most owners ever approach the limit. It raises a real possibility: turbocharged gasoline engines could eventually displace diesel engines in the half-ton segment. Consider Chevy’s turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder found in some Silverado 1500s — it produces up to 430 lb-ft of torque and can tow up to 9,500 lbs, fewer than 4,000 lbs behind the 3.0-liter Duramax’s maximum. It probably won’t replace the diesel anytime soon, but the blueprint is there.

It will be a long time before the turbocharged gasoline V6 fully displaces the diesel or V8 in half-ton trucks. However, Ford has consistently demonstrated that, with the right balance of engineering and forced induction, it is possible to out-tow even the most respected diesel- and V8-powered half-ton pickups on the market.

Ford Tops The Towing Capacity Charts In All Segments

With the F-150 rated to tow up to 13,500 pounds, Ford secures the top towing figure in every full-size truck segment. Among half-tons, the F-150 edges out the Ram 1500 (max towing: 11,550 lbs), the GMC Sierra (13,200 lbs), the Chevrolet Silverado (13,300 lbs), and EVs like the Rivian R1T (11,000 lbs) and the GMC Hummer EV Pickup (12,000 lbs). The competition is real, but Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost beats them all.

The same story plays out in heavier segments. The F-250 is available with two different gas V8s or a 6.7L turbo-diesel V8 — the diesel option enables a maximum towing capacity of 23,000 pounds. The closest rival is the GMC Sierra 2500HD and Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, both of which can tow 22,500 pounds when equipped with the 6.6L Duramax V8.

At the top of the range, Ford wins again. The F-350 can tow 38,000 pounds with the 6.7L turbo-diesel V8, while the Silverado 3500HD and Ram 3500 top out at 36,000 and 36,610 pounds, respectively. Even where diesel still reigns supreme, Ford manages to come out ahead.

Source: Ford, Chevrolet, Ram