Towing Capacity & Tongue Weight Check
Check a trailer against your vehicle’s towing capacity, payload, GCWR and hitch ratings: loaded trailer, tongue weight share, payload used, combined weight.
Each check with the value, the rating, the percentage used and pass/fail at the margin you set, the estimated or measured tongue weight against the range you set, and the headroom left.
Example: A 5 000 lb loaded trailer on a 7 000 lb rating uses 71 %; 12 % tongue weight is 600 lb, which with 350 lb of people and 200 lb of cargo uses 1 150 of 1 500 lb payload — but hits a 600 lb hitch limit.
Your ratings,
checked against your load.
Where the ratings come from, what each check tests, and why tongue weight matters.
The ratings
Towing capacity, payload, gross combined weight rating (GCWR), curb weight and the hitch's own weight and tongue ratings all come from the vehicle's door-jamb labels, its owner's manual and the label on the hitch; the page looks nothing up and treats them as given. Loaded trailer = trailer empty + cargo; payload used = tongue weight + people + cargo in the vehicle; combined weight = curb weight + payload used − tongue weight + loaded trailer (the tongue is counted once).
The checks
Each figure is compared with its rating less the safety margin you set: trailer vs towing capacity and hitch rating, tongue vs hitch tongue rating, payload used vs payload rating, combined vs GCWR. Payload is the check that most often fails first — a heavy trailer's tongue weight plus a family and gear can exceed it while the towing capacity still shows room.
Tongue weight
Tongue weight is estimated as your percentage of the loaded trailer until you enter a measured value; the range you set (10–15 % is the common guidance for conventional hitches, higher for fifth wheels) is checked as a share. Too little causes sway, too much unloads the front axle. Weigh the rig on a scale when it matters; no law or manufacturer rule is applied here. Nothing leaves the browser; the same four anonymous usage counts as the rest of the site apply.
SOURCES
- Ratings from the door-jamb labels, owner’s manual and hitch label; tongue = measured or trailer × your %; payload used = tongue + occupants + cargo; combined = curb + payload − tongue + trailer
Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How results are checked: How we verify.