Year + Engine

2023 F-150 Lightning towing capacity.

Published towing ratings for the 2023 F-150 Lightning run from 5,000 to 10,000 lbs depending on configuration. Start with tow type, then match axle ratio, wheelbase, cab, drivetrain, and package labels.

Find your exact towing row Run the 2023 engine lookup tool → View full comparison chart Full model index →

Retrieved from official Ford 2023 RV & Trailer Guide publications. Citations for F-150 Lightning available below.

2023 Ford F-150 Blueprint
F-150 Lightning RANGE
5,000 - 10,000 LBS
CONVENTIONAL MAX
10,000 LBS
Printed conditions: Available Trailer Tow Package (53D) · Extended range battery · Requires 18" All-Terrain tires or 20" All-Season tires
5TH-WHEEL MAX
N/A LBS
2023 F-150 Lightning
2023 F-150 Lightning
Towing Capacity Chart

Conventional Towing

SuperCrew
9.61 (Fixed)4x4 · 145.4 in 4x4 145.4 in 11,700 lbs 5,000 lbs 500 lbs Tongue · 10% Standard range battery Row evidence · direct source · p.24 p.24
9.61 (Fixed)4x4 · 145.4 in 4x4 145.4 in 15,000 lbs 7,700 lbs 770 lbs Tongue · 10% Extended range battery Row evidence · direct source · p.24 p.24
9.61 (Fixed)4x4 · 145.4 in 4x4 145.4 in 14,400 lbs 7,700 lbs 770 lbs Tongue · 10% Standard range battery + Available Trailer Tow Package Row evidence · direct source · p.24 p.24
9.61 (Fixed)4x4 · 145.4 in 4x4 145.4 in 15,900 lbs 8,500 lbs 850 lbs Tongue · 10% Available Trailer Tow Package + Extended range battery + Platinum model Row evidence · direct source · p.24 p.24
9.61 (Fixed)4x4 · 145.4 in 4x4 145.4 in 16,700 lbs 9,600 lbs 960 lbs Tongue · 10% Available Trailer Tow Package + Extended range battery + 20 in All-Terrain tires Row evidence · direct source · p.24 p.24
9.61 (Fixed)4x4 · 145.4 in 4x4 145.4 in 17,300 lbs 10,000 lbs 1,000 lbs Tongue · 10% Available Trailer Tow Package + Extended range battery + 18 in All-Terrain tires or 20 in All-Season tires Row evidence · direct source · p.24 p.24
PHYSICAL LIMITS MAX HITCH
10,000 LBS
DOCUMENT RULES ALTITUDE
-2% / 1K FT
FORD LIMITS FRONTAL AREA
40-60 SQ FT
SAFETY BASELINE EQUIPMENT
2 RULES
Scoped to this engine
VIEW RULES FOR THIS ENGINE
TECHNICAL GUIDE

Ground rules that apply to the 2023 F-150 Lightning.

Same 2023 document-level rules as the year page, scoped to what applies to the 2023 F-150 Lightning.

FIG. 2023 LOAD Load + Altitude

Base loading guidance from Ford

  • Conventional: 10% tongue weight of total loaded trailer weight.
  • 5th-wheel: 15% king pin weight of total loaded trailer weight.
  • 5th-wheel, not recommended: 5th-wheel towing is not recommended for Raptor or Lightning models. Ford guide, p. 24
  • High altitude: reduce gross vehicle weight (GVW) and gross combination weight (GCW) by 2% per 1,000 ft of elevation.
FIG. 2023 HITCH Hitch Capacities

Receiver and bumper ratings vary by model scope

  • F-150 Pickup Rear Step Bumper F-150 pickup non-Raptor Weight-carrying 5,000 / 500 lbs; no weight-distributing rating published.
  • F-150 Pickup Hitch Receiver F-150 pickup non-Raptor Weight-carrying 5,000 / 500 lbs; weight-distributing 14,000 / 1,400 lbs.
  • F-150 Lightning Hitch Receiver F-150 Lightning Weight-carrying 5,000 / 500 lbs; weight-distributing 10,000 / 1,000 lbs.
  • F-150 Raptor Pickup Hitch Receiver F-150 Raptor Weight-carrying 5,000 / 500 lbs; weight-distributing 8,200 / 820 lbs.
  • F-150 Raptor R Hitch Receiver F-150 Raptor R Weight-carrying 5,000 / 500 lbs; weight-distributing 8,700 / 870 lbs.

Factory-installed hitch receivers

  • F-150 Lightning: factory hitch receiver is standard.
  • F-150 Raptor: factory hitch receiver is standard.
  • F-150 pickup non-Raptor: Included with Trailer Tow Packages – Option Code 53A, 53B includes 2" receiver rated at 11,600 lbs.
  • F-150 pickup non-Raptor: Option Code 53C includes 2" reinforced receiver rated at 14,000 lbs.
FIG. 2023 FRONTAL Frontal Area

Frontal-area allowances are year and setup specific

Conventional towing

  • 40 sq ft
    F-150 Lightning · All eligible trailer weights 40 sq. ft. With standard-range battery and without Trailer Tow Package (53D)
  • 55 sq ft
    F-150 Lightning · All eligible trailer weights 55 sq. ft. With standard-range battery and Trailer Tow Package (53D)
  • 60 sq ft
    F-150 Lightning · All eligible trailer weights 60 sq. ft. With extended-range battery
  • 55 sq ft
    F-150 pickup · 5,001 to 7,700 lbs Any Powertrain with Trailer Towing Package or Payload Package and Trailer Towing Ratings between 5,001 and 7,700 lbs.
  • 60 sq ft
    F-150 pickup · 7,701 lbs and up Any Powertrain with Trailer Towing Package or Payload Package and Trailer Towing Ratings 7,701 lbs. and greater

5th-Wheel / Gooseneck

  • 75 sq ft
    F-150 pickup · All eligible trailer weights All 5th-Wheel and Gooseneck Applications with any Powertrain with Trailer Towing Package or Payload Package
FIG. 2023 SAFETY Required Equipment

Equipment rules that apply to the 2023 F-150 Lightning

  • F-150 Lightning standard-range battery Lightning with the standard-range battery above 5,000 lbs requires Trailer Tow Package (53D).
  • F-150 Lightning extended-range battery Lightning with the extended-range battery above 7,700 lbs requires Trailer Tow Package (53D).
FIG. 2023 EQUIP Printed Guidance

What the guide prints as required or recommended

  • Recommended: A weight-carrying hitch is recommended for all vehicles towing trailers less than 5,000 pounds. Ford guide, p. 17
  • Required: Weight-distributing hitch: required for certain Class III and all Class IV applications. Ford guide, p. 43
  • Required: A conventional, identical full-size spare tire is required for trailer towing (mini, compact and dissimilar full-size spare tires should not be used; always replace the spare tire with a new road tire as soon as possible). Ford guide, p. 49
NOTES: These are the 2023 document-level rules that apply to the 2023 F-150 Lightning. Row-specific requirements still apply on top.
Compare

Compare this engine elsewhere.

Same Year

Other 2023 engines

Highest Capacity
3.5L EcoBoost V6 (3.5L GTDI V6)
Range: 7,700 - 14,000 lbs
Max conventional tow 14,000 LBS Printed conditions (by configuration): Requires Max Trailer Tow Package (53C) · Do not exceed a trailer weight of 7,000 lbs. with only the Class IV hitch (53B), without the Trailer Tow Package (53A) · Requires Heavy-Duty Payload Package (627)
5.0L Ti-VCT V8 (5.0L 4-Valve V8)
Range: 8,000 - 13,000 lbs
Max conventional tow 13,000 LBS Printed conditions (by configuration): Requires Max Trailer Tow Package (53C) · Do not exceed a trailer weight of 7,000 lbs. with only the Class IV hitch (53B), without the Trailer Tow Package (53A) · Requires Heavy-Duty Payload Package (627)
3.5L PowerBoost Hybrid V6 (3.5L Hybrid V6)
Range: 8,300 - 12,700 lbs
Max conventional tow 12,700 LBS Printed conditions: Requires Max Trailer Tow Package (53C) · Do not exceed a trailer weight of 7,000 lbs. with only the Class IV hitch (53B), without the Trailer Tow Package (53A)
2.7L EcoBoost V6 (2.7L GTDI V6)
Range: 7,500 - 10,100 lbs
Max conventional tow 10,100 LBS Printed conditions: Requires 2.7L EcoBoost® Payload Package (622) · Do not exceed a trailer weight of 6,000 lbs. with only the Class IV hitch (53B), without the Trailer Tow Package (53A)
5.2L Supercharged V8
Range: Up to 8,700 lbs
Max conventional tow 8,700 LBS Printed condition: Raptor R only
3.3L Ti-VCT V6 (3.3L PFDI V6)
Range: 5,000 - 8,200 lbs
Max conventional tow 8,200 LBS Printed condition: Do not exceed a trailer weight of 6,000 lbs. with only the Class IV hitch (53B), without the Trailer Tow Package (53A)
3.5L EcoBoost V6 High Output (3.5L GTDI V6 H. O.)
Range: Up to 8,200 lbs
Max conventional tow 8,200 LBS Printed conditions (by configuration): Raptor only · Available Raptor 37 Performance Package (68R)
Cross-Year

This engine in other supported years

2022 F-150 Lightning
Range: 5,000 - 10,000 lbs
Max conventional tow 10,000 LBS Printed conditions: Available Trailer Tow Package (53D) · Extended range battery · Requires 18" All-Terrain tires or 20" All-Season tires
2024 F-150 Lightning
Range: 5,000 - 10,000 lbs
Max conventional tow 10,000 LBS Printed conditions: Requires Max Trailer Tow Package (53D) · Extended range battery
2025 F-150 Lightning
Range: 5,100 - 10,000 lbs
Max conventional tow 10,000 LBS Printed conditions: Requires Max Trailer Tow Package (53D) · Extended range battery
Engine notes

Editorial notes for this engine.

Guide policy

Document-level towing rules

Lightning with the standard-range battery above 5,000 lbs requires Trailer Tow Package (53D). Lightning with the extended-range battery above 7,700 lbs requires Trailer Tow Package (53D).

Tow type

Lightning trailer ratings

This guide lists conventional trailer ratings for the F-150 Lightning. Check the equipment conditions and weight limits beside the rating for your configuration.

Technical Audit

Data sources

These citations show the Ford guide pages used to build the 2023 F-150 Lightning page.

Show source pages for F-150 Lightning
DOC_ID: ford-tow DOCUMENT BASIS

Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide 2023

Audit Scope PAGES: 3, 17, 22-26, 44, 49
PDF Creation Date 2023-02-21
Guide Revision Date 2023-02-17