When the engineers at Ram (formerly Dodge Truck) revealed their 2013 Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 Heavy Duty pickup trucks last fall (see our review here), they had yet to determine several of the truck’s key working metrics, including the truck’s towing and payload capacities. Today some of those numbers are in, and it looks like Ram has hit at least a few of its best-in-class capability targets.

The 2013 Ram 3500 HD will carry a 30,000-pound max (fifth wheel) tow rating, a number far above its nearest competitor. The 3500 HD’s Gross Combined Vehicle Rating (GCVW) of 37,600 pounds also tops the competition.

(For comparison purposes, the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD has a 23,100-pound max tow rating; the Ford F-350 Super Duty has a 22,800-pound maximum tow rating; and Ford’s F-450 Super Duty is rated to tow up to 24,700 pounds.)

The 2013 Ram 3500 HD achieved its high numbers due to several significant mechanical upgrades for the model year, starting with a new, high-strength steel frame that carries revised suspension components (including a new radius-arm front suspension) and an optional factory-integrated fifth-wheel and gooseneck hitch mount.

The driveline has been beefed up, too, with a new Aisin six-speed transmission available behind the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine when it’s ordered in its top state of tune (which sends 385 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque through that tranny).

Ram is claiming best-in-class tow numbers for its three-quarter-ton models as well. The 2013 Ram 2500 HD has a maximum tow rating of 18,350 pounds, compared to the Silverado 2500 HD’s 17,500-pound number and the F-250 Super Duty’s 16,800 pounds.

The Ram folks are still a little short on some of the 2013 Ram HD’s capacity details. Payload numbers have not been released, nor have the tow ratings for trucks with single rear wheels or conventional trailer hitches. We expect, though, that when all the numbers have been crunched, Ram will make good on its best-in-class promises. That is, until GM’s new HD models show up next year. Then we may find ourselves in an old-fashioned power war. Should be fun.

Photos Courtesy of Chrysler LLC