Ford's 2015 F-450 Super Duty pickup truck will meet the Society of Automotive Engineers' J2807 towing standard with a capability of hauling 31,200 pounds, Ford has announced.

Meeting the towing standard means the truck has successfully passed a series of rigorous performance tests including maintaining speed on a grade, accelleration, and braking.

Ford has changed its position on the truck after saying earlier it would only apply the towing standard to new, redesigned vehicles rather than those getting a mid-cycle refresh. The 2015 F-150 will meet the towing standard when it arrives at the end of the year.

Ford has lowered the maximum payload on the F-450 by 150 pounds to 5,300 pounds, which allows it to remain under the 14,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating set as the ceiling for a Class 3 truck by the federal government.

Ford previously claimed the 2015 F-450 has best-in-class towing capability when compared with the Ram 3500 HD and Silverado 3500 HD. Ram later challlenged the claim, saying the F-450 should be considered a Class 4 medium-duty truck.