Factory 4500kg tow-rated Ford Ranger coming in 2026

We are light on details on the 2026 Ford Ranger Super Duty however, going by its headline specs it will shake up the towing and heavy-hauling market.

In 2026, a new Ford Ranger will be available with an 8000kg GCM, 4500kg GVM, and a maximum braked tow capacity of 4500kg, which are unheard-of figures in the Ranger's fiercely competitive ute market.

According to Ford’s press release on the Ranger Super Duty, it is “born from direct collaboration with fleet customers [and] is a new mid-size truck that can do things no other mid-size truck can do.

“It has been engineered and designed to deliver the higher levels of gross vehicle mass (GVM), gross combined mass (GCM), towing and enhanced offroad capability required by those who need it, including emergency service operators, farmers, utilities and forestry workers, miners, infrastructure technicians, and many more.”

But it is the spec Ford has released that has those that tow interested.

The 4500kg maximum braked tow capacity is on par with the F-150 and other US trucks and is 1000kg more than any other Ranger we know of, and the same again over its common competitors like the Toyota HiLux, Nissan Navara and Isuzu D-MAX as well as the heavyweight tow-kings like the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and in-coming Nissan Patrol Y63.

For more information, read our in-depth ute buyers guide here.

The Ranger Super Duty’s 8000kg GCM also dwarfs everything in its class and vehicles in classes above it, including the F-150. You’ll have to jump into a proper light truck to have the same capacity.

Importantly, its GVM of 4500kg is high enough to likely allow for a massive payload or the ability to tow at its max capacity while still carrying a heap of gear in and on the ute.

The US-spec F-250 Super Duty is a lot larger than we expect the Ranger Super Duty to be

We do not know the kerb weight of the Ranger Super Duty but we’d expect it to be, at worst, only a few hundred kilos more than a Ranger Sport (see below).

Comparing the Ranger Super Duty to its siblings, the LC79 and LC300 VX from Toyota and Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD gives you a clear insight into how impressive the Ranger Super Duty numbers are or could be:

* We are guessing these figures, conservatively

** NB2 classified and registered

You’ll see that yes, the Silverado 2500HD trumps the coming Ranger Super Duty in a couple of specs, but only if classified and registered NB2. Without NB2 classification, the 2500HD’s GVM drops to 4495kg and its hefty kerb weight reduces its payload to only 733kg. And do not forget the Silverado 2500HD is more than 6.5m (21ft 3in) long compared to a Ranger XLT at 5.37m (17ft 6in).

For a recap on GVM, GCM, payload and more, head here

With the Ranger Super Duty’s 4500kg GVM, it will likely carry a NB1 classification much like the INEOS Grenadier and LC79 can. There are positives to this, namely being able to work around some tight and tightening emissions and safety rules but without the need to have a truck licence like NB2 classified vehicles do. NB1 classification with its 4500kg GVM limit is the sweet spot for most drivers on our roads.

The Ranger Super Duty’s 4500kg GVM and max braked tow capacity are less than the GCM, a common theme in utes and SUVs. This means you will not be able to tow at its tow-limit and its vehicle limit because you would exceed the 8000kg GCM by 1000kg. Should the Ranger Super Duty’s kerb weight come in at a conservative 2600kg (Ranger Sport V6 is 2346kg), this will still allow for a ~900kg payload along with a full 4500kg trailer in tow; an unheard-of capacity in its category. We expect that with a 3500kg van in tow, you would be able to fully utilise the Ranger Super Duty’s monstrous payload.

Ford Australia says the Ranger Super Duty will be built in Thailand alongside other Ranger models and classifies it as a ‘mid-sized’ truck, as the brand does with the rest of the Ranger range. Therefore, the Ranger Super Duty is likely to carry over most of the dimensions of the current range — we suspect it is likely not a new platform but one that will resemble the current Ranger in size and looks.

We expect the Ranger Super Duty to be similar in size to the Ranger Sport V6

What will power the Ranger Super Duty is unknown at this stage. It would be safe to assume the driveline is at least as capable as the best of the current Ranger line-up with uprated cooling capacity to handle bigger loads for longer.

We’d expect the Ranger Super Duty to use Ford’s built-in brake controller and for it to feature Trailer Sway Control and Pro Trailer Backup Assist like most in the Ranger range, so it should be a safe and comfortable tow.

So, who will buy the Ranger Super Duty and why?

From only three specs and the prediction that the Ranger Super Duty will be externally similar in size to the rest of the Ranger range, people with the aspirations to tow a 3500–4500kg trailer while carrying a hefty load have to be high on the target buyer list. In the wording of the press release, “emergency service operators, farmers, utilities and forestry workers, miners, infrastructure technicians” are suggested as the audience for it too, and it’s hard to see why not with those headline specs.

For more information about the tyres and wheels the Ford Ranger Super Duty will run on, check out this article: Is the Ford Ranger Super Duty coming in 2026 a mini F-250? Maybe

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