Ford, Ram quarrel over heavy-duty pickup towing title - Automotive News
Ford Motor Co. is threatening legal action if Ram keeps claiming that its pickups offer "best-in-class" towing. That is 1,200 pounds -- about the weight of a good-sized horse -- more than the Ram 3500's highest towing capacity of 30,000 pounds in a 4x2 Regular Cab pickup. So Ford claims the "best-in-class" towing crown for heavy-duty pickups. Ram says the F-450 and the Ram 3500 aren't in the same class. It says the F-450 is a larger, Class 4 pickup -- in fact, the only Class 4 pickup offered by any automaker. Ram says the Ram 3500 competes directly with Class 3 pickups -- such as the Ford F-350 and GMC Sierra 3500 -- and outpulls them. Towing capability is among the top reasons buyers purchase heavy-duty pickups, automakers say. And heavy-duty pickups represent 23 percent of total pickup sales in the United States through June, according to TrueCar. In total, there are eight classes, separated by weight, that cover everything from a Class 1 Toyota Tacoma up to Class 8 tractor-trailer rigs. Almost all pickups fall within the first three classes, with what the government calls a "gross vehicle weight rating" -- the base curb weight of the vehicle plus. Source: www.autonews.com
