Time To Tow: How to Find Your Vehicle's Towing Capacity and Tow Safely

Jul. 8 2021 Maintenance By Pete's RV Center

Thinking about purchasing a travel trailer, or just not sure if you’re using yours correctly? The time is now to think about towing capacity and whether your vehicle can handle your camping dreams. Here’s some important information about how to determine what your car or truck can tow, and what it means if you’re towing something you shouldn’t be. 

The first thing you should know is what towing capacity means. It’s the gross pulling weight a vehicle is capable of safely towing behind it. Knowing your vehicle’s towing capacity will tell you how much you’re able to pull along with it, without causing problems like broken suspension, ripping off the frame, or watching your travel trailer roll down a canyon behind you. 

To calculate towing capacity, take both vehicle’s GCVWR (gross combined vehicle weight rating) and subtract the vehicle doing the towing’s curb weight. The result is the maximum towing capacity, meaning you can tow something lighter than the towing capacity you calculated, but definitely not heavier. 

If you’re confused on what the difference is between GCVWR and curb weight, you’re not alone. Curb weight is the weight of your vehicle without any passengers or cargo, while GCVWR is made up of the gross vehicle weight rating of both the vehicle doing the towing and the vehicle being towed. The gross vehicle weight rating of each of those vehicles is the maximum they can safely weigh without harming the structure of the vehicle. Each gross vehicle weight rating can be found in the manual or manufacturer’s website, usually right alongside the towing capacity.

Another term heard frequently with towing is payload capacity, which is the gross load weight a truck is capable of safely sustaining and operating within. This is calculated by taking the truck’s GVWR and subtracting its curb weight. The GVWR differs from the GCVWR in that GVWR is only the gross vehicle weight rating of the vehicle doing the towing, not both vehicles combined (as indicated by the ‘C’ in GCVWR). 

The higher a vehicle’s payload capacity is, meaning the more gear and people inside of it, the lower that vehicle’s towing capacity becomes, as the weight fills the truck instead of the trailer. 

No matter how strong your vehicle might look, you should never skip over finding its towing capacity before proceeding to tow something. Doing so can destroy the vehicle’s suspension, rip off parts while driving, and even dangerously reduce your steering and braking abilities. When towing, keep in mind how what you put in the truck affects the towing capacity, set your mirrors correctly to see behind the trailer you’re towing, beware of swaying with sudden movements, and check that the trailer’s hitch, security chains, and brake and indicator light plug are set correctly. 

For more information about towing your travel trailer, check out our YouTube channel for informational videos on towing, reversing, fixing and more for your RV.