Ford has adopted the towing-capacity measurement standard for their F-450 crew cab 4x4 pickup and maintained its insane 31,200 pound rating. They really want to end this "" dispute with Ram, but Chrysler still won't concede that silly title.

As you may know, Ford, Ram, and GM all agreed to rate the towing capacities of their pickup trucks to a standard outlined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) called "J2807," the details of which are outlined above.

Drive free or die.

The original covenant had the Big Three applying the standard to their light duty (half-ton) trucks. GM , resulting in about a 400 pound capacity reduction.

J2807 is an independent standard for truck towing capacity developed by the Society of Automotive…

A couple weeks later , which basically didn't result in any chances. The 30,000 pound max on their single-cab rear-wheel-drive dually remained.

Ford, Ram, and GM have promised to post half-ton truck tow ratings to the Society of Automotive…

Ford says achieving J2807 compliance required the truck tow 400 pounds more than what they'd done in internal testing, hauling up with two passengers instead of one with a truck that's configured to "base" curb weight.

Now that the specs on the 2015 Ford F-150's new 2.7 and 3.5 liter engines have been officially…

That ups the 2015 Ford F-450 pickup's gross combined weight rating (the most it can carry in the vehicle and on a trailer) from 40,000 to 40,400 pounds. Just don't get caught at a highway weigh station with that kind of loadout if you don't have a commercial driver's license.

The "base" curb weight is opposed to "minimum," at which the F-450 was presumably previously tested. Ford and Chevy offer "delete options" where customers can shed bumpers, consoles, and other non-essentials to get the starting weight below what would be considered "base" (no extra options ordered) thereby increasing payload.

As a result of ditching that practice, the F-450 pickup's payload capacity (what it can carry in-bed) drops from 5,450 to 5,300 pounds

Ford says yes, obviously; "the 2015 F-450 pickup is a beefed-up F-350 with a GVWR (max the rig can weigh, not including a trailer) of under 14,000 pounds making it a Class III truck in every way."

Yet Ram is hanging on to the title with their 30,000 pound rear-drive dually, maintaining the F-450 pickup should live in Class IV.

Probably not but . J2807-compliance or no, automakers can change the capacity ratings of their vehicles arbitrarily and put them in any weight class they want.

"Best In Class" has been a favorite phrase for car commercials and billboards forever, particularly

What we know is true in the case of the 2015 F-450 pickup is that the frame is indeed different from an F-450 chassis cab, and it does have the highest towing capacity of any four-wheel-drive crew-cab pickup by some 2,000 pounds.

Also, it looks pretty sweet playing in this giant sandbox:

Images: Ford