Towing the Standard: Ford to Adopt SAE J2807

By Justin Banner - February 12, 2014

While Ford, Toyota, GM, Chrysler, and Nissan said they would adopt the SAE J2807 in 2009, only Toyota would use it on current model trucks. Now, it seems, all manufacturers will adopt the SAE J2807 standard to rate the towing capacity of their light duty pickups for the 2015 model year and on thanks to Ford and the 2015 F-150.

Why the change of heart? Ford announced that with the use of lightweight aluminum bodies, they would also change their towing rating test to conform to J2807 on the new 2015 F-150. So, Ford is not only leading the way with technology, it also will lead following an industry towing rating standard. So, America’s Best Selling Pickup will be able to prove why with a test everyone has to conform to.

What is J2807, though? Simple answer is that it is the testing procedure that the SAE has created for towing capacity. It was created to ensure that every light duty truck is tested exactly the same so that their towing capacity can be rated equally across the board. In previous years, truck manufacturers would use their own methods for towing capacity and none were ever the same.

Now, those who pledge to use J2807 will give customers better information to use when purchasing their new truck. At the time of this writing the SAE hasn’t ironed out J2807 and how exactly it will be done. However, from previous reports the testing involves acceleration and braking tests on “any given trailer weight.”