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Half-Ton Truck Comparison · Great Falls, MT
2026 Ford F-150® vs. Silverado 1500 vs. Tundra in Great Falls, MT
Shopping full-size pickups in Great Falls, MT? This side-by-side guide compares the 2026 Ford F-150 with the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2026 Toyota Tundra using manufacturer-published numbers, so drivers from Black Eagle, Malmstrom AFB, Belt, Fort Benton and Conrad can choose the right half-ton for Montana work and weather.
2026 F-150: up to 13,500 lbs max towing¹The Short Version
Three Great Trucks. One Fits Montana Your Way.
Every half-ton pickup sold in America today is capable. The real question for a Great Falls truck buyer is which one fits the way you actually use a truck: pulling a camper to the Rocky Mountain Front, hauling a bale-loaded flatbed out of Cascade County, running parts across a jobsite in Black Eagle, or commuting to Malmstrom AFB on a January morning when the wind is pushing snow across 10th Avenue South.
Below, we compare the 2026 Ford F-150 with its two most-shopped rivals on the specs that matter most out here: engine choices, maximum towing, payload, four-wheel-drive hardware, onboard power and towing technology. We've stuck to figures published by each manufacturer, and we've noted where 2027 models are already changing the picture. Our goal is simple: give you an honest starting point, then invite you to drive the F-150 on Great Falls roads and decide for yourself.
13,500 lbs2026 F-150 max conventional towing, properly equipped¹
2,440 lbs2026 F-150 max payload, properly equipped¹
6 powertrainsFrom the 2.7L EcoBoost® to the 720-hp Raptor R™²
7.2 kWAvailable Pro Power Onboard® with PowerBoost™ hybrid³
Built for Big Sky Work
Why Great Falls Truck Buyers Keep Choosing the F-150
Comparison charts only tell part of the story. Here is what Montana drivers tell us matters most once the truck is in the driveway.
Choice of Powertrain
The 2026 F-150 lineup gives you the 2.7L EcoBoost, the 3.5L EcoBoost, the 5.0L V8, the 3.5L PowerBoost full hybrid, and the high-output 3.5L in Raptor®, plus the supercharged 5.2L V8 in Raptor R. That range lets a Belt rancher, a Great Falls contractor and a weekend elk hunter each pick an engine built around their real workload instead of compromising.
Towing Tech That Saves Time
Pro Trailer Backup Assist™ and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist are standard on Lariat and above. When you're backing a stock trailer into a tight chute, or hitching a camper alone at a Holter Lake campsite, technology that steers the trailer for you is worth more than a few horsepower on a spec sheet.
Power Where There's No Outlet
Available Pro Power Onboard turns the F-150 into a mobile generator. The 7.2 kW system with the PowerBoost hybrid can run tools at a fence line, a heater in an ice-fishing shack, or lights at a hunting camp miles from the nearest grid. For north-central Montana, that's a real working advantage.
Engines & Output
F-150 Engine Choices vs. Silverado and Tundra
Ford publishes the 2026 F-150's 2.7L EcoBoost at 325 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, the 3.5L EcoBoost at 400 hp and 500 lb-ft, the 5.0L V8 at 400 hp and 410 lb-ft, and the 3.5L PowerBoost full hybrid at a combined 430 hp and 570 lb-ft. The Raptor's high-output 3.5L makes 450 hp, and the Raptor R's supercharged 5.2L V8 makes 720 hp.²
For context, Chevrolet lists the 2026 Silverado 1500's TurboMax at 310 hp and 430 lb-ft, its 5.3L V8 at 355 hp and 383 lb-ft, its 6.2L V8 at 420 hp and 460 lb-ft, and its 3.0L Duramax diesel at 305 hp and 495 lb-ft. Toyota rates the 2026 Tundra's i-FORCE 3.4L twin-turbo V6 at 389 hp and 479 lb-ft, and the i-FORCE MAX hybrid at 437 hp and 583 lb-ft.⁴
What does that mean on the road to Fort Benton or the climb up Highway 89 toward Neihart? All three brands offer strong torque, so the better question is how you'll use it. If you tow heavy and often, the F-150's 3.5L EcoBoost pairs big torque with the highest tow rating in the lineup. If you want hybrid efficiency plus a generator in the bed, PowerBoost is the F-150 to drive. If you love the sound and simplicity of a naturally aspirated V8, the 5.0L is still here.
Towing & Payload
How Much Can Each Half-Ton Tow Around Great Falls?
Properly equipped, the 2026 F-150 is rated to tow up to 13,500 lbs. That rating applies to a 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCrew® 4x4 with the Max Trailer Tow Package and Max Tow axle. Other F-150 ratings: the 5.0L V8 is rated up to 12,800 lbs, the PowerBoost hybrid up to 12,400 lbs (4x2) or 11,600 lbs (4x4), and the 2.7L EcoBoost up to 8,400 lbs. Max payload is rated at 2,440 lbs on a properly equipped 3.5L EcoBoost 4x2.¹
Chevrolet lists the 2026 Silverado 1500 at up to 13,300 lbs of towing and up to 2,260 lbs of payload, and Toyota lists the 2026 Tundra at up to 12,000 lbs of towing.⁴
Remember that max ratings apply to one specific configuration. The number that matters is the tow and payload rating on the door-jamb sticker and window sticker of the exact truck you buy. Our team can walk you through gross combined weight, tongue weight and hitch class for your horse trailer, camper or equipment trailer before you sign anything. If horse hauling is your priority, read our guide to towing capacity for horse trailers in Montana.
Trading in a Silverado, Tundra or Older Ford?
Get a real number for your current truck in minutes, then see what your F-150 payment could look like. Every brand of trade is welcome at Bison Ford.
Side-by-Side
2026 F-150 vs. Silverado 1500 vs. Tundra: The Specs That Matter
Here are manufacturer-published 2026 figures in one place. We've left out anything we couldn't confirm from an official source, and we suggest checking each brand's site for the latest numbers.
| Spec (2026 model year) | Ford F-150 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | Toyota Tundra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max conventional towing | 13,500 lbs¹ | 13,300 lbs⁴ | 12,000 lbs⁴ |
| Max payload | 2,440 lbs¹ | 2,260 lbs⁴ | See toyota.com |
| Engine choices | 2.7L EcoBoost V6, 3.5L EcoBoost V6, 5.0L V8, 3.5L PowerBoost hybrid, Raptor 3.5L HO, Raptor R 5.2L supercharged V8 | TurboMax, 5.3L V8, 6.2L V8, 3.0L Duramax diesel | i-FORCE 3.4L twin-turbo V6, i-FORCE MAX hybrid |
| Hybrid option | Yes: PowerBoost, 430 hp / 570 lb-ft | No hybrid listed | Yes: i-FORCE MAX, 437 hp / 583 lb-ft |
| Diesel option | No (diesel available in Super Duty®) | Yes: 3.0L Duramax | No diesel listed |
| Onboard generator | Available Pro Power Onboard: 2.0 kW (3.5L EcoBoost) or 7.2 kW (PowerBoost)³ | See chevrolet.com | See toyota.com |
| Trailer reverse/hitch tech | Pro Trailer Backup Assist and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist standard on Lariat and up³ | See chevrolet.com | See toyota.com |
| Hands-free highway driving | Available BlueCruise (standard on Lariat and up with trial plan)⁵ | See chevrolet.com | See toyota.com |
| Bed lengths | 5.5 ft, 6.5 ft, 8 ft | See chevrolet.com | See toyota.com |
Figures are for 2026 models as published by each manufacturer when this page was written. Ratings vary by configuration. 2027 models are arriving now and some ratings change: Ford lists the 2027 F-150 with a new 3.0L EcoBoost replacing the 2.7L while keeping 13,500 lbs max towing, and Chevrolet's redesigned 2027 Silverado 1500 lists new V8 engines and a 13,700-lb max tow rating. Always confirm ratings on the specific vehicle.
How to Choose: A Great Falls Buyer's Checklist
Competitor comparison pages usually stop at the spec table. Here is the part they skip: how to match a truck to the jobs you'll actually do in Cascade County and beyond.
- Start with your heaviest trailer, not your average one. Weigh a loaded horse trailer or camper (or use the GVWR on its sticker) and add a 15-20% cushion. That number points you to the right engine and axle ratio, and it's the single best way to avoid buying too little truck.
- Count your passengers and your gear. Payload covers people, tools, firewood, a cargo-box full of hunting gear and the trailer's tongue weight. A family of five plus a 1,000-lb tongue weight eats payload quickly.
- Pick the right 4x4 system for winter. On the 2026 F-150, XL, STX and XLT use electronic shift-on-the-fly 4x4, while Lariat, King Ranch® and Platinum add Torque On Demand two-speed automatic 4WD. Tremor® and Raptor get an even more capable two-speed system with mechanical-locking 4WD. If you drive packed snow and dry pavement on the same trip to Choteau, automatic 4WD is worth a close look.
- Think about power in the field. If you run tools, a stock-tank heater or a camp, Pro Power Onboard can replace a portable generator.
- Plan for cold starts. A factory engine block heater is an available option on many 2026 F-150 trims, and remote start is standard on Lariat. On a -20°F morning near Malmstrom, both are worth asking about.
- Drive them back to back. Ride, seat comfort, cab noise at 80 mph on I-15 and visibility in a crowded parking lot are things only a test drive can answer.
Technology & Trims
F-150 Trims and Technology for Every Kind of Montana Driver
The 2026 F-150 is offered in XL, STX, XLT, Lariat®, Tremor, King Ranch, Platinum, Raptor and Raptor R. That's a wide ladder, from a no-nonsense fleet truck for a Great Falls contractor to a leather-lined King Ranch for long highway runs to Billings, to a desert-bred Raptor that's just as happy on a two-track in the Highwood Mountains.
Technology climbs with the trim. BlueCruise hands-free highway driving is optional on XLT and standard on Lariat and up with a trial plan. It's built for long, open, prequalified stretches of divided highway, so it's useful on I-15 toward Helena or Shelby.⁵ Pro Trailer Backup Assist and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist arrive as standard on Lariat and are available in select XLT packages.
Want to dig deeper into the luxury end of the lineup? See our breakdown of the F-150 Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum, or check out the off-road-ready F-150 Tremor 4x4.
Life in North-Central Montana
Which Half-Ton Fits Great Falls Life?
Great Falls trucks don't live easy lives. They cross the Missouri River every morning, climb out of the river valley toward Belt and Stockett, and spend long stretches on I-15, US-87 and US-89 where the next town might be 50 miles away. They see dry 70-degree days in October, a chinook that melts the snow in an afternoon, and then a cold snap that drops the mercury below zero overnight.
That variety is why we encourage shoppers to think beyond the brochure. A rancher outside Ulm may care most about payload and an 8-ft bed. A Malmstrom AFB family might want a SuperCrew with room for car seats and a 5.5-ft bed that still fits in base housing driveways. A Fort Benton farmer hauling to the elevator wants a truck that's simple to maintain and easy to get serviced close to home. A weekend angler bound for the Missouri below Holter Dam wants comfort, quiet and enough tow rating for a drift boat and a camper.
The F-150 covers all of those buyers with one nameplate. And because Bison Ford is right here in Great Falls, you get local service for the life of the truck instead of a long drive for every oil change, recall or warranty visit. Active-duty and veteran buyers can also see our Ford Military Appreciation page.
Your Next Step
Shop, Finance and Service Your Truck at Bison Ford
Everything you need to compare, buy and maintain an F-150 in Great Falls is one click away.
Shop New Fords New F-150 Inventory Shop Pre-Owned Shop Certified Pre-Owned Used Truck Deals Value Your Trade Apply for Financing F-150 Lease & Finance Offers New Vehicle Specials Ford Custom Garage Ford Accessories Electric: Reserve the Ford Fathom Schedule Service Service Center Service & Parts Offers Need More? F-250 Super Duty
Why Bison Ford
Your Great Falls, MT Ford Truck Headquarters
Bison Ford has served Great Falls truck owners for years, and we know what this region asks of a pickup. Our sales team can line up an F-150 configured for your trailer, your family and your commute, and our certified Ford technicians keep it running long after you drive off the lot. Comparing an F-150 against a Silverado or Tundra? Bring the window sticker or a quote. We'll walk through the details honestly and let the truck make its own case.
If the exact configuration you want isn't on the lot, ask us about your options. Our about page tells more of our story. Need directions or hours? Visit our contact page.
Proudly serving truck buyers from:
- Great Falls
- Black Eagle
- Malmstrom AFB
- Belt
- Cascade
- Vaughn
- Ulm
- Sun River
- Fort Benton
- Choteau
- Conrad
- Shelby
- Cut Bank
- Havre
- Lewistown
- Stanford
- Helena
Questions
F-150 vs. Silverado vs. Tundra FAQ
How much can the 2026 Ford F-150 tow?
Properly equipped, the 2026 Ford F-150 is rated to tow up to 13,500 lbs. That rating applies to a 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCrew 4x4 with the Max Trailer Tow Package and Max Tow axle. Other engines carry lower ratings, so check the specific truck's tow rating with the Bison Ford team in Great Falls.
How does F-150 towing compare to the 2026 Silverado 1500 and Tundra?
Using manufacturer-published 2026 figures, the F-150 is rated up to 13,500 lbs, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 up to 13,300 lbs, and the Toyota Tundra up to 12,000 lbs. Ratings depend on configuration, and 2027 models may differ, so always compare the exact trucks you are considering.
Does the 2026 F-150 offer a hybrid?
Yes. The 2026 F-150 offers the 3.5L PowerBoost full hybrid, rated at a combined 430 horsepower and 570 lb-ft of torque. It is also the engine required for the available 7.2 kW Pro Power Onboard generator.
What is the best F-150 four-wheel-drive setup for Montana winters?
XL, STX and XLT use electronic shift-on-the-fly 4x4. Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum add Torque On Demand two-speed automatic 4WD, which can manage traction automatically on mixed snow and dry pavement. Tremor and Raptor use a two-speed automatic system with mechanical-locking 4WD. Many Great Falls drivers prefer the automatic systems for changing winter roads.
Is the Ford F-150 Lightning still available new?
Ford has announced that production of the current-generation F-150 Lightning has concluded, and Ford says the next generation will be an extended-range electric truck. Ask Bison Ford about pre-owned Lightning availability or the upcoming Ford Fathom electric truck.
Can I get an engine block heater and remote start on a new F-150?
A factory engine block heater is an available option on many 2026 F-150 trims, and remote start is standard on Lariat and available in select XLT packages. Our Great Falls sales team can help you find a truck equipped for cold Montana mornings.
Will Bison Ford take my Chevy or Toyota truck in trade?
Yes. Bison Ford accepts trade-ins of every make. Use the Value Your Trade tool on bisonford.com for a quick estimate, then bring the truck to our Great Falls dealership for a final appraisal.
Drive the 2026 F-150 in Great Falls Before You Decide
Specs start the conversation. A test drive on Great Falls roads finishes it. Tell us which configuration you want to compare, and we'll have it ready when you arrive.
Disclaimers
* Pricing: Any MSRP referenced is as published by Ford Motor Company and excludes destination/delivery, taxes, title, license, registration, dealer documentary fees and options. Dealer sets final price. Pricing, incentives and availability are subject to change; see Bison Ford for details. Vehicles shown may include optional equipment.
- Max towing and payload when properly equipped, per Ford's published 2026 F-150 specifications. 13,500-lb max towing requires a 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCrew 4x4 with the Max Trailer Tow Package and Max Tow axle; 2,440-lb max payload applies to a properly equipped 3.5L EcoBoost 4x2. Ratings vary by cab, bed, axle, engine and equipment. Do not exceed the ratings on your vehicle's labels. A weight-distributing hitch may be required. See your Owner's Manual.
- Horsepower and torque ratings as published by Ford. PowerBoost ratings are combined engine and electric motor output. Raptor R availability may be limited.
- Pro Power Onboard, Pro Trailer Backup Assist and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist availability varies by trim, engine and package. Pro Power Onboard: do not exceed the system's rated output; see your Owner's Manual for safety information. Driver-assist features are supplemental and do not replace the driver's attention, judgment or need to control the vehicle.
- Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Toyota Tundra figures are as published by General Motors and Toyota for the 2026 model year at the time of writing and are provided for comparison only. Ratings vary by configuration and may change. Chevrolet and Silverado are trademarks of General Motors. Toyota and Tundra are trademarks of Toyota Motor Corporation. Bison Ford is not affiliated with General Motors or Toyota.
- BlueCruise is hands-free highway driving on prequalified sections of divided highways. Driver must remain attentive to the road and ready to take control. A paid plan is required after any trial period. See ford.com for details.