The library
Towing Guides
58 guides on towing capacity, payload, tongue weight, trailer brake law and setup. Every figure is traced to a manufacturer rating, a scale reading or a statute.
Ratings & Capacity
What GVWR, GCWR, GAWR and payload each control, and how to find your real numbers.
- Truck Payload Capacity: How to Find and Use It10 min read
- GVWR vs GCWR: What Each Rating Controls9 min read
- Towing Capacity by VIN11 min read
- Half-Ton vs 3/4-Ton vs 1-Ton: Which Truck Class Do You Need?15 min read
- What Can I Tow With My Towing Capacity? The 3,500 to 15,000 lb Ladder16 min read
Payload & Tongue Weight
The limit that binds first on most family setups, and how to budget for it.
- 11 min readHow Much Payload Do I Need for a Travel Trailer?Turn a trailer weight into the payload figure to shop for, with a full worked example.
- How Much Payload Do I Need for a 7,000 lb Trailer?A 7,000 lb loaded trailer puts 700-1,050 lb on the hitch. Add your passengers, gear and hitch, then check the total against your own door label.
- How Much Truck Payload Do I Need for a Fifth Wheel?Fifth-wheel pin weight is planned at 15-25% of loaded trailer weight and lands in the bed. The payload math, the hitch weight, and where half-tons run out.
- 13 min readCan You Increase Payload Capacity? Airbags, Springs and the StickerAirbags and helper springs change how a truck sits, not what it may carry. Six manufacturers say so themselves. What sets the rating, and what genuinely helps.
- 7 min readDoes Tongue Weight Count as Payload? Yes — Here Is the MathTongue weight is carried by the truck, so it comes out of payload alongside your passengers and gear. The math, the weight-distribution nuance, and the fifth-wheel case.
- 12 min read"Half-Ton Towable" Is a Payload Claim: Check It in 5 MinutesHalf-ton towable is a marketing phrase about tow rating, not a promise about your truck. Here is the five-minute payload check, run against real trailers and real trucks.
Can I Tow It?
Worked answers for a specific truck or SUV paired with a specific trailer.
Charts & Reference
Lookup tables for towing capacity, payload, tongue weight and trailer weights.
- Towing Capacity Chart by Truck ModelThe highest published tow rating, GCWR and payload for every truck model in the TowCapacityCalc database, ranked by tow rating, and how to find your own.
- Truck Payload Capacity ChartThe highest recorded payload for every truck model in the database, what is left after two adults and gear, and the trailer weight that supports.
- Travel Trailer Tongue Weight ChartTongue weight for loaded trailers from 2,000 to 12,000 lb at 10, 13 and 15 percent, the payload each needs, and how to measure your own accurately.
- Trailer Weight Chart by TypeDry weight, GVWR and tongue weight for 17 real trailers, from teardrops to fifth wheels, each from the maker's own page, plus what loading adds.
Laws & Compliance
Trailer brake, breakaway and safety-chain rules, sourced to each state's statute.
- Trailer Brake Laws by State: Full 50-State Threshold Chart
- Trailer Breakaway Requirements by State
- Trailer Safety Chain Laws by State
- Trailer Brake Controller Guide: Types, Wiring and Which You Need15 min read
- Do I Need Trailer Brakes? State Thresholds, Brake Types and Controllers15 min read
Safety & Setup
Sway, weight distribution, scale weighing and the mechanical side of towing.
- 10 min readHow to Weigh Your Truck and Trailer at a CAT ScaleThe three-pass method for measuring loaded weight, axle loads and true tongue weight.
- 10 min readWeight Distribution Hitch: How It WorksHow spring bars restore front axle load, when you need one, and what it does not change.
- 19 min readTrailer Hitch Guide: Receiver, Ball, Wiring, Controller, WDHReceiver class, ball mount, ball size, wiring, brake controller and weight distribution — in the order you actually decide them, with each maker's own published figures.
- 13 min readTrailer Hitch Classes and Ball Sizes: What the Chart Leaves OutHitch classes are a manufacturer convention, not a standard — two makers publish Class 3 at 10,000 lb and 3,500 lb. What the class does tell you, and ball sizing.
- 12 min readDo I Need a Weight Distribution Hitch? The Four TestsFour checks settle it: the receiver's two ratings, the 50% rule, how the truck sits, and your manufacturer's own threshold. Plus when not to fit one.
Driving & Technique
Hitching, speed and spacing, corners, hills, sway, reversing and parking.
- Tow/Haul Mode: What It Does and Whether It Hurts to Leave It On13 min read
- First-Time Towing a Travel Trailer: The Complete Checklist17 min read
- How to Hitch a Trailer Step by Step: Ball, Chains, Breakaway, Tug Test12 min read
- What Is Trailer Sway? Causes, Recovery and Prevention15 min read
- Can Towing Damage Your Transmission? Heat, Tow/Haul Mode and Maintenance15 min read
