The Best 3/4-Ton Trucks in 2022: Towing, Payload, Power, and More (2023)

For better or worse, those looking to buy a 3/4-ton truck will find that the four major players list nearly identical maximum tow ratings. The biggest variations will be found between gasoline and diesel engine options and cab configurations. Currently, Ford has the highest 3/4-ton tow rating of 22,800 pounds with its regular cab two-wheel-drive F-250 Super Duty equipped with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8. Ram tops out at 20,000 pounds with its Cummins I-6-powered regular cab. GM brings up the rear at a max of 18,510 pounds. However, it's able to do this with a crew-cab pickup.

Payload is an interesting number, as it's directly related to curb weight and the gross vehicle weight rating. Because of this, gasoline-powered pickups tend to have the highest payload capacity, due to a lower curb weight. Ford currently offers the highest available payload for a 3/4-ton truck with its F-250 Super Duty in a regular cab, two-wheel-drive, longbed configuration. This truck can haul up to 4,260 pounds of payload. Ram's 6.4-liter Hemi V-8-equipped regular cab, longbed, two-wheel-drive pickup is second, with a maximum of 4,010 pounds of payload. Next is GM with its Silverado and Sierra 2500 pickups offering a maximum of 3,979 pound of payload with a regular cab, long bed, two-wheel-drive configuration powered by the company's 6.6-liter gasoline V-8 engine. Interestingly, payload capacities for all configurations of Ford and GM 3/4-ton trucks are over 3,000 pounds.

When it comes to 3/4-ton pickup horsepower, Ford holds the title for both gasoline and diesel. Ford's optional 7.3-liter gasoline V-8 produces 430 hp, while its 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel churns out 475 hp. GM's 6.6-liter gasoline V-8 produces 401 hp, and its 6.6-liter Duramax diesel puts out 445 hp. Ram comes midpack with a 410 hp 6.4-liter gasoline V-8 but trails with only 370 hp being produced by its Cummins I-6 diesel. Ram doesn't offer the high-output Cummins in its 2500 pickups.

Torque is what really gets the work done, and Ford offers the most of it. The F-250 Super Duty packs a punch with its 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8 pumping out 1,050 lb-ft of torque. Next up is GM's 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V-8 with 910 lb-ft of torque, which can be optioned in the Silverado and Sierra 2500HD. Ram trails the pack with just 850 lb-ft from its 6.7-liter Cummins I-6 diesel engine. Ram would be at the top, but the company doesn't offer the 1,075-lb-ft high-output Cummins in its Ram 2500.

No matter which brand you choose, rest assured that it will come with a decent warranty. All offer a standard three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty on gasoline engines, and five-year/100,000-mile warranty on diesel powertrains. All offer body corrosion warranties and some form of roadside assistance. Because they're so similar, we'd recommend digging deeper into the fine print before making a purchase decision.

This is where things get interesting. Ford offers the least expensive 3/4-ton truck, with the most basic F-250 Super Duty starting at just $37,495. Chevrolet follows Ford, with its most basic 3/4-ton pickup checking in at just $38,695. Ram pulls up the rear, with the simplest Ram 2500 starting at $39,160. All brands are relatively close in price, with just $1,665 separating the pack.

On the high end, the Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD is the best bargain of the group. With all of the boxes checked, a crew cab, four-wheel-drive, longbed High Country comes in right at $86,000. Ram's 2500HD is the next most expensive, with a fully kitted-out Limited model cresting $87,000. For those looking to really spend some money, Ford's Limited-trimmed F-250 Super Duty can be optioned to a whopping $92,095.

The short answer is yes, a 3/4-ton truck can in fact pull a fifth-wheel trailer. All current manufacturers even offer weight specifications for just this purpose. The biggest holdback to towing a fifth-wheel trailer isn't the classification of pickup but rather the length of the bed. Pickups fitted with a standard-length 8-foot bed are best suited for fifth-wheel trailers, while shortbed trucks will require specialized hitch assemblies to prevent trailer-to-cab contact.

Yes! A 3/4-ton truck can most certainly carry a truck-bed camper. When it comes to carrying a truck-bed-mounted camper, what matters most is payload capacity and bed length. Buyers will need to ensure that the camper they choose weighs less than the maximum payload of the pickup, leaving room for passengers and cargo as well, and that the camper will fit properly in the pickup's bed. While a dual-rear-wheel 1-ton truck is ideal, 3/4-ton pickups can easily carry a properly sized camper.

From a purely historical perspective, pickups used to be classified by how much payload they could haul. Naturally, the 3/4-ton class was for trucks that could haul up to 1,500 pounds of payload. As pickup technology has progressed over the years, however, this unit of measure has become obsolete. Today, the term "3/4-ton" is used purely as a marketing tool, as these trucks can typically haul in excess of 3,000 pounds. From a governmental perspective, the current 3/4-ton class of pickups are those with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) from 8,501 to 10,000 pounds.

Simply put, no, a Ford F-150 is not a 3/4-ton truck. Ford's F-150, along with the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Ram 1500, Nissan Titan, and Toyota Tundra are all 1/2-ton pickups. These trucks land in the 6,001 to 8,500-pound GVWR class and generally have lower towing, payload, horsepower, and torque numbers than the larger 3/4-ton trucks.