That’s a great question and one that I’m sure is at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds when it comes to choosing the right truck. While models like the Ford F-150 work well for plenty of people, the Super Duty series is there for folks who need more power and capability from their trucks. You still have a number of options available to you in this series, however, and picking the right one can be tricky if you’re not sure what they each have to offer; this is made even more complicated when you start trying to compare the different trim levels that you can find on an F-250 or Ford F-350 for sale. The simple answer, however, is if you need greater towing or payload capacities than the F-250 can support, then it’s probably time to step up to the F-350. Let’s take a closer look at these specs, and you’ll see what I mean.
A Brief Overview of the Ford F-250 and F-350
Before we dig into the differences between these two trucks, we should first go over the general features that they primarily have in common. Both of these trucks have the same engines; looking at the 2025 models, you can choose from a 6.8L V8 engine, a 7.3L V8, or from two versions of a 6.7L Power Stroke turbo diesel. All of these powertrains offer significant performance and massive power; the High Output version of the turbo-diesel, for example, delivers 500 hp and a massive 1,200 lb-ft of torque. This is true no matter which of these two trucks you look at.
In addition to this, you’ll find the same trim levels and options inside and out for these two trucks—with one major exception that we’ll get to in a moment. Both models start with an XL trim before moving up to an XLT, then a Lariat model, a King Ranch, and finally, the Platinum trim with the finest features in them. XL models come with the 6.8L V8 gas engine, 17-inch wheels, and two-wheel drive with four-wheel drive available. By comparison, the Platinum models come with massive 20-inch wheels, a 14-speaker sound system, a head-up display inside, and much more. So far, so good.
The big difference between the F-250 and F-350, which leads to other major differences, is that you can get a dual rear-wheel (DRW) setup for the F-350. Even though they’re both Super Duty models, the F-250 is only offered with a single rear-wheel (SRW) configuration—one wheel on each end of the rear axle. The F-350 has a similar SRW setup standard, but a DRW configuration with a pair of wheels on each end of the rear axle is available. This creates a fundamental difference in capability between these two trucks if you go with an F-350 model with the DRW setup. In particular, having a DRW truck (also called a dually) provides far greater payload and gooseneck/fifth wheel towing potential since the design allows for more weight to be supported by the rear wheels. Let’s see exactly what I mean…
Towing and Payload of the F-250
To start, let’s look at the kind of capabilities the F-250 delivers—we’ll look at the specs for the 2025 models of these two trucks just to keep things simple. An F-250 with its standard 6.8L gas engine can handle up to 17,300 lbs of maximum conventional towing; that’s with a rear hitch. Going with the available diesel engine, that can be boosted up to 22,000 lbs of maximum towing, which is the best this truck can do. If you’re interested in fifth-wheel towing that uses a hitch in the bed of the truck, then the F-250 tops out at 22,300 lbs of towing capacity, which is slightly higher than conventional towing but not by much. Gooseneck towing, which is similar to fifth-wheel, pushes that up slightly more to 22,900 lbs.
Maximum payload for the F-250 also changes based on what engine you look at, in large part due to the fact that different engines add different amounts of weight to a truck. The standard 6.8L gas engine lets the F-250 handle up to 4,240 lbs of payload capacity, while the diesel engines bring that down to a maximum of about 4,000 lbs. Overall, these numbers are great and surpass what the F-150 is capable of, earning the F-250 its place in the Super Duty lineup. But this is the entry-level Super Duty truck; even though it’s quite powerful and impressive, the F-350 is designed to handle a lot more, particularly if you go with a DRW setup.
Taking Capability Further With the Ford F-350
Looking at the F-350, we should start with its capabilities with a SRW configuration, which is the same standard setup you’ll find on the F-250. A SRW F-350 model with its starting engine can handle up to 18,100 lbs of maximum conventional towing; the diesel engine pushes that up to 24,000 lbs of maximum towing with the right options. Fifth-wheel towing with a SRW F-350 tops out at 24,000 lbs and gooseneck towing can go up to 24,600 lbs. Payload capacity with this truck can reach up to 5,137 lbs with the right configuration, including the 6.8L gas engine and the available all-terrain tires.
Looking at these numbers, across the board, the F-350 gets superior capabilities compared to the F-250, but not necessarily by massive amounts. Maximum conventional towing is 2,000 lbs greater with about the same improvement in fifth-wheel and gooseneck towing; payload with the F-350 is almost 1,000 lbs more. So just on this basis, the F-350 is a worthy upgrade if you want this improved capability; but it can do even better.
If you choose a DRW F-350 model, then you can get up to 28,000 lbs of maximum conventional towing capability with the right options—that’s 6,000 lbs more than the F-250. Fifth wheel towing with a DRW F-350 tops out at 35,000 lbs while gooseneck towing can go up to 38,000 lbs with the right setup. Now, you’re looking at an increase of more than 13,000 lbs compared to the F-250, which is absolutely massive.
The payload rating for a DRW F-350 can get up to 8,000 lbs when properly equipped, which is almost double what the F-250 can handle. Starting to see the full potential of this truck? A Ford F-350 with a SRW setup is more capable than the F-250, but the increases are fairly moderate. Moving up to a DRW F-350 is a monumental shift in gooseneck/fifth wheel towing as well as payload capacity, giving you a truck that can handle a lot more work in a wide range of situations.
Which Heavy-Duty Truck Best Fits Your Needs?
Now that we get to it, the answer to this question comes down to what you need from your truck and which one of these Super Duty models can deliver. If you do towing that doesn’t go much beyond 20,000 lbs and you only need 3-4,000 lbs of payload capacity, then either the F-250 or F-350 can work well for you. The F-350 might be a better choice if you tend to push the upper limits of these numbers, but otherwise, the F-250 should be plenty of pickup.
On the other hand, if you need something that can haul 25,000 lbs or so behind it with a conventional hitch or more than 35,000 lbs using a fifth wheel/gooseneck hitch, then the F-350 with a DRW setup is the way to go. Honestly, this is entirely what it comes down to. If you need more capability than the F-250 can manage, or you’re just pushing the limits of what an F-250 can do, then it’s time to check out the F-350 (or even the F-450, which is only available as a dually), and find the right truck to help you get your job done.
