Knowing the payload and towing capacity numbers for your truck van or SUV is the initial step in figuring out the capability you can pull safely, securely, and with the utmost confidence. First, we need to determine the weight ratings of your vehicle and trailer. If you don’t know how much your vehicle can tow, there’s an easy formula to figure it out. Next, you will subtract the curb weight from the GCVWR to find the vehicle’s towing capacity. For safety reasons, it’s best to never come within 10% of that total.

The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or GVWR is the maximum allowable weight of a fully-loaded vehicle, including passengers and payload. This is the total amount of curb weight, cargo weight, and passenger weight combined. Your tow vehicle and the trailer you are using to tow will each have their own Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). It’s possible to overload each one separately. Understand that your tow vehicle’s GVWR and towing capacity are different numbers. This is because the total weight the vehicle’s frame can support when pushed down on it, and the total weight it can withstand when pulled horizontally on the frame through the tow hitch, are different.

The Gross Trailer Weight Rating (GTW) is the total weight capacity of the trailer, including the maximum allowable cargo. If you were to place the fully loaded trailer on a scale, the resulting measurement would be the Gross Trailer Weight (GTW). If your GTW exceeds your vehicle’s towing capacity, you will not be able to move it safely.

The tongue weight, sometimes referred to as TW, is the force pushing down on the trailer hitch by the load being hauled. Tongue weight can change based on how the load gets distributed within the trailer. It should be roughly 10% of the total load of the trailer when towing a conventional trailer and about 15% of the entire load when hauling a fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailer. Too little tongue weight leads to trailer sway, and too much tongue weight can negatively affect the towing dynamics of the vehicle. Therefore, it’s essential to adjust the tongue weight accordingly to ensure your load is correctly distributed.

The Gross Combined Weight Rating, also called GCWR, is the maximum allowable weight of the towing vehicle and the loaded trailer. This number includes all cargo and passengers that the vehicle is designed to safely and securely tow.

Payload capacity is the maximum amount of weight a tow vehicle can carry in its cabin and bed. Payload capacity is the weight limit for a truck’s bed and cabin. Whereas towing capacity is the weight limit for any trailer, it can pull. The combined payload and tongue weight must not exceed the payload capacity.