Towing guides
Each guide answers one question with a worked example, then hands you the free calculator to run your own numbers.
What is payload capacity?
Payload capacity is GVWR minus curb weight — what your truck can carry, tongue weight included. How to find yours and why it runs out before towing capacity.
How much tongue weight should a trailer have?
Tongue weight should be 10–15% of loaded trailer weight (15–25% pin weight for a fifth wheel). How to measure it, and what too little or too much does.
Can my truck tow a travel trailer?
A half-ton, a 7,000 lb travel trailer, four people and a dog, worked step by step. Why the answer is usually payload, not the brochure’s tow rating.
How to read your truck’s door jamb sticker
Your door jamb labels hold every truck-side number a payload check needs: GVWR, GAWR, and the occupants-and-cargo figure that is your payload. Where each is.
Is my truck overloaded?
Rear squat, sway, braking and light steering are the signs. The check is arithmetic: everything in the truck plus tongue weight against your payload capacity.