10 Pickup Trucks That Struggle With Towing And Payload Capacity (2023)

In current times, pickup trucks get used for many different purposes. Now pickups are for everyday use as well as going for long trips or going off-road. No matter what they're used for now, their main purpose remains the same, a functioning workhorse. A lot of people buy pickups for their abilities as work vehicles. Attributes such as power, carrying capacity, and towing ability are all important features of a work truck. Even if it’s not a work vehicle, these are still good things to know. You can't just hitch up a camper or a small boat to 'any' pickup truck and expect it to work.

While there are plenty of pickup trucks that are built to last on the market, reliability is not the question here. If your truck can't carry or tow the amounts that you need, then all it becomes is a big, pointless machine. Many truck manufacturers boast impressive towing and payload capacity figures, which technically are true, but you find those usually on the higher trim models. The lower trims don't necessarily meet these figures. With that in mind, we have compiled a list of 10 pickup trucks that struggle when it comes to towing and payload capacity.

10 2023 Honda Ridgeline RTL 4dr Crew Cab SB (Tows 5,000 lbs)

It's well-known that Japanese pickup trucks will last you a lifetime and the Honda Ridgeline sits in this category. For a mid-size truck, it offers people a lot of practicality and versatility. Its unibody frame gives it the tough, rugged, and sturdy features that you want in a truck. Unfortunately, however, it doesn't offer a lot in terms of towing and carrying capacity.

A 3.5-liter V6 engine powers the Ridgeline that generates 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. While that may seem like a sufficient amount of power, the Ridgeline is only available in a Crew Cab configuration with a 5-foot truck bed. This means that the pickup can only handle towing up to 5,000 lbs and carry a payload of 1,544 lbs. That sounds like it's enough, but it's only good for a small boat, for example. There is no way you can attach a camper to the Ridgeline, it simply wouldn't be able to pull it.

9 2023 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X 4dr Crew Cab SB (Tows 6,270 lbs)

These days the majority of pickup trucks are good for off-roading adventures. On this front, the Nissan Frontier does very well. In fact, there are lots of things that the new Frontier is good at. Where it falls short is its carrying capacity and pulling power. It might have a bigger engine and more power than the Honda Ridgeline, but its payload is quite a bit lower.

Under the hood is a 3.8-liter V6 engine that produces 310 hp and 281 lb-ft of torque. The power’s managed through a nine-speed automatic transmission. However, in the PRO-4X trim, four-door Crew Cab configuration, with a five-foot bed, the Frontier can only carry a payload of 1,230 lbs and tow up to 6,270 lbs. It might have the ability to tow a bit more than the Ridgeline, but its payload is over 300 lbs less. You can increase the payload and towing amount by having a smaller cab and a bigger truck bed, but it still wouldn't catch up to the Ridgeline's payload.

Related: How The Nissan Frontier Is Refreshed With Visual Upgrades For 2023

8 2023 Toyota Tacoma - SR 4dr Access Cab SB (Tows 3,500 lbs)

For one of the best-selling pickup trucks in America, you would expect big things from the Toyota Tacoma. For the most part, the Tacoma delivers and it delivers well. It does everything that you want a mid-size truck to do, especially at the higher end of the trim range and engine sizes. And being a Toyota, you also know that it comes with a truckload of reliability, so it just works.

There is, however, a chink in the armor. The base model SR trim and Access Cab configuration with a 6-foot bed is not able to pull that much. It's powered by a 2.7-liter, four-cylinder engine that gives 159 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque. The power’s handled through a six-speed automatic transmission enabling the Tacoma to tow just 3,500 lbs and carry 1,685 lbs. As good as the Tacoma is, let's face facts, 3,500 lbs is really not a lot. A 2023 Chevrolet Traverse can tow more than that, 1,500 lbs more. No one is suggesting a Chevrolet Traverse is better than a Toyota Tacoma, but when it comes to towing power, it can pull more than the base-level Tacoma at least.

7 2023 Ford Ranger XL 4dr Crew Cab SB (Tows 7,500 lbs)

While there are plenty of trucks for towing and hauling heavy loads out there, some are more capable than others. Take the Ford Ranger, on paper it looks great, and for the most part, it's a capable truck. Being a mid-size pickup, the Ranger is easier to maneuver than its bigger siblings, great at being a daily driver, and good for getting off the beaten track.

However, it only offers one engine, a 2.3-liter, four-cylinder that produces 270 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. The power’s managed through a ten-speed automatic transmission, and with a four-door Crew Cab configuration, it's got 7,500 lbs of towing capacity and can carry 1,609 lbs. Sounds like enough, but in Kelley Blue Book Towing Capacity Guide they 'recommend you stay below 10% of the maximum towing capacity to account for miscalculations and shifting loads'. When you apply this, it brings the towing power down to 6,750 lbs, which is a considerable difference. Small boats aren't a problem, but a sailboat is out of its league.

Related: Why The 2024 Ford Ranger Will Be The Redesigned Toyota Tacoma's Greatest Rival

6 2023 Ford Maverick XL 4dr SuperCrew SB (Tows 4,000 lbs)

Some of the most reliable American pickup trucks come from Ford, just look at the F-150, and the 2023 Ford Maverick follows in that tradition. For a compact pickup, the Maverick performs remarkably well. It's a rugged and tough machine that's great for getting around places where there are no roads. With good road manners too, the Maverick makes for a good daily driver.

Where it falls short, though, is its towing power. It's powered by a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder hybrid engine. Even though it's slightly bigger than the Ranger engine, this one only produces 162 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque. Way less than the Ranger. Subsequently, with a four-door SuperCrew cab configuration with a standard bed, the Maverick only has 4,000 lbs of towing power and a payload capacity of 1,500 lbs. That's fine for things like canoes and motorbikes, for example, but not for travel trailers or a fifth-wheel camper.

5 2023 Jeep Gladiator Overland 4dr Crew Cab SB (Tows 6,500 lbs)

With the underpinnings of a Wrangler, the Jeep Gladiator makes a great off-road pickup truck. But there is more to a pickup than just being a truck for off-road enthusiasts. The truck needs to be able to be a truck. In other words, a pickup truck has to be able to tow and carry heavy loads. That's what they're meant for in the first place. It's here where the Gladiator struggles in terms of carrying ability.

Where the average hauling capacity for a mid-size pickup truck is over 1,500 lbs, the Jeep Gladiator comes nowhere near that. Yes, it's got a powerful 3.6-liter V6 engine that kicks out 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque and gets paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. All of which enables it to tow some 6,500 lbs. However, in the Overland Crew Cab configuration, it only manages a payload capacity of 1,120 lbs. It's arguably one of the lowest carrying capacity amounts of all mid-size pickup trucks on the market. Even the compact Ford Maverick can carry more than that. A cynical person might say that Jeep place more focus on playing in the dirt than making the Gladiator an actual pickup truck. Others, however, may have a different view.

Related: The 2022 Jeep Gladiator Mohave 4x4 Shines On The Off-Road

4 2023 GMC Canyon AT4X 4dr Crew Cab SB (Tows 6,000 lbs)

The GMC Canyon is another mid-size pickup truck that struggles when it comes to towing and hauling things around. It's unkind to write the Canyon off straight away. It does possess many desirable qualities. It's a reliable pickup truck that's got performance and comfort as well as plenty of space in the cabin which is luxuriously equipped. Not to mention its good off-road prowess.

Under the hood is a relatively powerful 2.7-liter inline-4 engine that generates 310 hp and a mighty 430 lb-ft of torque. However, with the AT4X trim and Crew Cab configuration, the Canyon can only manage to tow some 6,000 lbs and carry up to 1,250 lbs in the bed. Given that most mid-size pickup trucks can tow around 7,000 lbs and carry over 1,500 lbs, the Canyon falls short in these areas.

3 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 4dr Crew Cab SB (Tows 6,000 lbs)

The Chevrolet Colorado is, quite literally, the counterpart to the GMC Canyon. They both share mechanical components and are both good mid-size pickup trucks for extreme terrain and daily commuting. There are some differences, but they are mainly cosmetic. One of the differences, however, is how much the Colorado can tow and haul.

They might share the same 2.7-liter inline-4 engine with the same power output and torques figures, however, the Chevrolet Colorado has a slightly higher payload capacity. Equipped with the ZR2 trim and a Crew Cab configuration, the Colorado has a towing ability of 6,000 lbs and a capacity to carry 1,280 lbs in its bed. That's only 30 lbs more than the Canyon, but still woefully short of the average payload amount for mid-size pickup trucks. Its towing ability is also 500 lbs less than the Canyon. When you consider the usual amount a mid-size pickup truck can tow is around the 7,000 lbs region and carry over 1,500 lbs, the Chevrolet Colorado struggles to meet those amounts.

2 2023 Nissan Titan Platinum Reserve 4dr Crew Cab SB (Tows 9,210 lbs)

The Titan is Nissan's offering to the full-size pickup segment of the market. To say it's a tough and reliable truck is an understatement. Some would argue it's a pickup truck that's virtually indestructible, it certainly is robust enough and long-lasting. As a full-size truck, you would expect the Titan to handle the hard work, and unfortunately, it does struggle in some areas.

A 5.6-liter V8 engine powers the Titan, making 400 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, matted to a nine-speed automatic transmission. This means that with the Platinum Reserve trim and a Crew Cab configuration, the Nissan Titan is only able to have a towing capacity of 9,210 lbs and a payload capacity of 1,360 lbs. Given that most full-size pickups can tow in the 13,000 lbs region, the Titan falls way short. For example, the Ford F-150 can handle 13,000 lbs, and the Chevrolet Silverado, it's 13,200 lbs. Clearly, the Nissan Titan is way behind its competitors when it comes to towing power.

1 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz SE 4dr Crew Cab AWD SB (Tows 3,500 lbs)

When you think of pickup trucks, Hyundai isn't really a name that springs to mind. Nevertheless, they do have an offering in the compact pickup segment called the Santa Cruz. Built from a car-like platform, the truck offers a crew cab much like all other pickups, but with a four-foot bed. Coming from a less conventional platform to truck building, the Santa Cruz benefits from a more comfortable ride than traditional trucks. However, what it doesn't benefit from is how much it can tow and haul.

Its 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine produces 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque and gets paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It's an adequate amount of power for a compact pickup truck. However, in the base model SE trim with a Crew Cab configuration, the Santa Cruz only manages to have a towing capacity of 3,500 lbs and a carrying ability of 1,532 lbs. This might be a quirky-looking truck with its unique styling, but towing a camper or a large travel trailer is going to be a no-no.