Hauling Heavy Loads: 10 Strongest Pickup Trucks On The Market

Jun 08, 2023

These hauling trucks are not only practical, but they also offer a perfect blend of comfort, luxury, and durability.

In the early 1900s, tradesmen and innovative farmers bought cab and chassis vehicles and fitted them with customized beds. These changes made the vehicles more practical than horse carriages, allowing people to haul produce and goods.

Nowadays, pickup trucks offer more than just practicality. They offer a perfect blend of comfort, luxury, durability, and feature multiple technology improvements. While most people don't use their pickup trucks as workhorses anymore, we should still check out the most capable hauling trucks on the market.

The Rivian R1T was the first vehicle from the manufacturer. It's an all-electric pickup truck that conveniently sits between a mid-size truck and the conventional full-size pickup truck. Rivian only offers the R1T with a 4.5-foot bed and a four-door crew cab. The result is a highly capable off-road pickup truck with an impressive tow rating of up to 11,000 pounds. Thanks to the electric setup and impressive suspension, the R1T offers a smooth and comfortable ride.

The R1T has multiple motor setups, including a dual motor and a quad motor. The base dual motor setup produces 600 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. Rivian offers a more powerful dual-motor variant with 700 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque. At the top of the lineup sits a quad motor R1T with 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque. The quad-motor beast rockets from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds.

Toyota redesigned the Tundra in 2022, giving the all-new variant many updates. Among the most notable changes were the introduction of a hybrid engine, a revised suspension system, and upgraded infotainment. Toyota also made notable changes in the interior, helping match the Tundra to its competitors. While the new Tundra is the only full-size pickup truck without a V8 engine, it uses a potent twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 engine with varying power output figures depending on the trim.

The engine pairs with a 10-speed automatic transmission. In the base trim, the V6 churns out 358 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. In most trims, it produces 389 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. Adding the hybrid system through an electric motor helps increase the performance to 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque. However, ditching the hybrid for the twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 helps get the maximum towing capacity of 12,000 pounds.

Related: 10 Most Popular Toyota Tundra Upgrades

The Ram 1500 is an impressive pickup truck, capable of doing all the tasks with ease. Ram offers multiple iterations of the 1500, including utilitarian options that can tow up to 12,750 pounds while hauling up to 2,300 pounds. The 1500 distinguishes itself from rivals like the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ford F-150 with a coil spring rear suspension that helps improve the ride quality even when the bed is empty.

The Ram 1500 has multiple engine options, including V6 and V8 gasoline options and an efficient and capable diesel. The base pickup truck uses a 3.6-liter V6 engine with 305 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque. Next is a 5.7-liter V8 engine with 395 ponies and 410 lb-ft of torque. The V8 delivers better performance, making the Ram 1500 impressively capable and responsive. The diesel variant is a 3.0-liter V6 with 260 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. The truck boasts a maximum payload of 2,300 pounds and a maximum tow rating of 12,750 pounds.

The GMC Sierra 1500 is a full-size pickup truck with many luxurious options, including the Denali and Denali Ultimate. These trims feature improved interior materials, including leather coverings and open-pore wood. GMC offers a wide selection of engines, including a diesel that's both efficient and a capable hauler. The Sierra also gets plenty of standard safety features, including the Super Cruise hands-free driver assist technology in the luxurious trims.

For the 2023 model year, the GMC Sierra 1500 has four engines, rear or four-wheel drive, and two transmission options. The base Sierra 1500 uses a turbocharged 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine with 310 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. GMC also offers two V8 options, including a 355 hp 5.3-liter unit and a 420 hp 6.2-liter unit. The diesel unit offers the best torque output at 460 lb-ft and a maximum tow rating of 13,200 pounds. While the base engine pairs with an 8-speed automatic, the other three options use a 10-speed automatic.

Related: These Upgrades Made The 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X Become Even More Powerful

The Chevrolet Silverado is a versatile full-size pickup truck with an affordable price tag, off-road capable trims, and luxury trims. Chevrolet offers multiple engine options, cab styles, and bed sizes, making it easier to find the ideal Silverado. The Silverado offers owners an intuitive infotainment system, with some top trims featuring advanced driver assist features.

For the 2023 lineup, Chevrolet offers four engine options, a turbocharged 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine with 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque, two V8 options, and a Duramax 3.0 liter inline-6 diesel engine. The V8 engines offer the most power, the best being a 6.2-liter V8 with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. The Duramax diesel has reasonable performance, with 305 hp ad 495 lb-ft of torque. The 6.2-liter V8 and 3.0-liter Duramax engines can tow up to 13,300 pounds.

Ford's F-150 has been the best-selling pickup truck for multiple years. This full-size pickup truck is available in multiple configurations and has a decent selection of features. It also boasts high payload and towing ratings, making it an impressive option for most buyers. Ford also offers multiple engine options, rear-wheel or four-wheel drive, three-cab sizes, and three-bed sizes.

Despite the unlimited customization options, the F-150 offers impressive performance. As standard, the F-150 uses a 3.3-liter V6 engine with 290 hp. Ford also offers multiple engine options, including a 3.0-liter diesel V6 with 250 hp, a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 with 325 hp, a 5.0-liter V8 with 400 hp and a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 with 400 hp and an impressive maximum tow rating of 14,000 pounds. All engine options have decent performance and pair with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Related: 10 Times Ford Pickup Trucks Made History

The Silverado 3500HD is the go-to truck for ultimate towing and hauling strength. This heavy-duty truck is the strongest in Chevrolet's lineup, offering class-leading towing technology. The Silverado 3500HD also boasts a massive cabin that's comfortable and quiet for long trips. For the 2024 model year, the truck offers enthusiasts a styling refresh and a superb infotainment system.

For the first time, the lineup gets a 10-speed automatic transmission as standard. Chevrolet also offers two engine options, including a 6.6-liter V8 engine and a Duramax turbo diesel. The 10-speed automatic replaces the previous 6-speed automatic, offering the lineup with smaller steps between the gears. This enables the engines to hold closer to their peak power for longer periods. The improvements also help offer an impressive maximum tow rating of 36,000 pounds.

The GMC Sierra 3500HD is the ideal truck for hauling most heavy loads. With an impressive maximum tow rating of 36,000 pounds and a maximum payload of 7,442 pounds, there's nothing this truck can't pull or carry. The Sierra 3500HD competes with the Ford F-350 Super Duty, Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD, and Ram 3500HD.

Luckily, GMC makes everything simple by offering only two engine options for the Sierra, a 401 hp 6.6-liter V8 gasoline engine with 464 lb-ft of torque and a 445 hp turbocharged 6.6-liter V8 diesel engine with 910 lb-ft of torque. The gasoline V8 pairs with a 6-speed automatic transmission, managing to tow 17,200 pounds. The Duramax diesel pairs with a 10-speed Allison automatic transmission, upping the towing capabilities to 36,000 pounds.

Related: What Makes The 2024 GMC Sierra HD AT4X An Unstoppable Tow Truck

The F-350 Super Duty is one of the best heavy-duty trucks from Ford. It's a massively capable and comfortable choice, offering buyers over-the-top strength. The F-350 Super Duty is an excellent option for buyers looking for top-tier towing and payload abilities. It also offers Ford's safety technology, adding peace of mind.

The Super Duty lineup has four engine options, a 6.8-liter gasoline V8 with 405 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque, a 7.3-liter gasoline V8 with 430 hp and 485 lb-ft of torque, a 6.7-liter diesel with 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft of torque and a 6.7-liter high output diesel with 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. These engine options help give the F-350 Super Duty an impressive maximum gooseneck tow rating of 37,000 pounds and a conventional rating of 24,200 pounds.

The Ram 3500HD is a capable heavy-duty truck with more impressive towing capabilities than its rivals. It has a classic exterior design and a spacious interior with quality materials. The 3500HD also offers a surprisingly smooth ride, making it a great work truck. Unlike its competitors, the Ram 3500HD boasts luxurious accommodations, combining the best qualities of the Ford F-350 and the Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD.

For the 2023 model year, the Ram 3500HD receives a decent selection of upgrades, including a new digital rearview mirror with side camera integration, a 12-inch frameless digital gauge cluster, and trail reverse steering control. The lineup also gets three engine options, a 410 hp 6.4-liter V8, a 370 hp 6.7-liter turbo diesel with 850 lb-ft of torque, and a 420 hp 6.7-liter turbo diesel with an impressive 1,075 lb-ft of torque. This results in an astounding maximum tow rating of 37,090 pounds.

Brian is a husband, father and freelance writer. He's also a tech and automotive junkie passionate about cars and motorcycles. Brian is also an F1 fan - team Mercedes (LH). When he's not writing, Brian goes for impromptu drives and walks.