Hard Labor

More Powerful Power Stroke, 10-speed Auto, And 7.3l Gas V-8

- Brett T. Evans

Three model years in, Ford will revise its hard-working F-Series Super Duty for 2020, giving it an updated Power Stroke 6.7L turbodiesel V-8, an all-new 7.3L gasoline V-8, and a stout new 10-speed automatic gearbox available on all engines. These changes will give the 2020 Super Duty its highest-ever payload and conventional, gooseneck, and fifth-wheel towing ratings ever, according to Ford.

Unfortunately, the company wouldn’t cop to official powertrain or capability numbers, but the outgoing Super Duty can haul up to 7,640 pounds of stuff in the bed, and it’s rated to bumper-pull a trailer weighing up to 21,000 pounds. A fifth-wheel hitch boosts that to 27,500 pounds, while a properly equipped 2019 F-450 Super Duty can haul up to 35,000 pounds. With Ford promising wholesale improvements across the board, don’t be surprised to see the 2020 Super Duty take back its max-haul crown from the all-new 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD (currently rated at 35,500 pounds).

Engine Room

Furthermore, Ford thinks the updated 6.7L Power Stroke V-8 available in the 2020 Super Duty will also improve significantly on its predecessor. Thanks to a new 36,000-psi fuel-injection system and a revised variable-geometry turbocharger, as well as stouter and lower-friction engine internals, we predict the new Power Stroke to produce about 475 hp and at least 975 lb-ft (possibly even eclipsing the new Ram 3500’s available 1,000–lb-ft diesel). Whatever the case may be, expect Ford to offer the Power Stroke in every F-Series Super Duty variant, a contrast to Ram’s high-output Cummins that’s only available in the 3500 with the Aisin transmission.