Towing capacity by VIN — what a VIN can and can't tell you
The honest version: a VIN identifies your truck. It does not, by itself, contain its tow rating.
A VIN decodes to year, make, model, engine, cab, and drivetrain — the identity of the truck. It does not encode axle ratio, factory tow package, or cooling equipment, and the national VIN database (NHTSA vPIC) contains no towing-capacity field at all. So no honest tool can read a VIN and print an exact rating. What it can do — and what the decoder below does — is decode the VIN, identify the configuration, and look that configuration up in the manufacturer's published ratings, then tell you plainly when an option your VIN can't show is what decides between two numbers.
Decode your VIN
Why the last step matters
On many trucks the difference between the base rating and the maximum is a factory tow package or an axle ratio — equipment the VIN doesn't reliably record. When the decoder finds configurations on both sides of an equipment condition, it shows you the range and names the deciding option, instead of quietly printing the biggest number. Check for that equipment on your window sticker, build sheet, or door-jamb label.
Decoder data: NHTSA vPIC (public, no key). Ratings: manufacturer towing guides, cited on each model-year page. This pilot covers the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger, 2020–2026.