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RV Towing Guide

Guide updated

Find your tow rating

Two pickup trucks parked on a lakeshore

Select year, make, model, and trim to find your tow rating.

What should I check before towing?

Three comparisons decide whether a trailer is in range:

  • Trailer GVWR at or under the tow rating
  • Hitch weight inside the payload left after people and cargo
  • Room left for water, propane, and a weekend of gear

What is a tow rating?

The tow rating is the most trailer weight the vehicle is rated to pull, for that exact truck. It is printed on the driver's door sticker and in the owner's manual. Engine, axle ratio, cab, and two-wheel drive versus four-wheel drive all change it. A trim name does not.

The number shown is the Camping World tow rating for that style. When a manufacturer guide covers the same vehicle, that range is listed under the tow rating. Confirm the figure on your own door sticker before you buy.

What is payload?

Payload is how much the truck can carry in the cab and the bed. Passengers, luggage, a bed cap, and the trailer's hitch weight all come out of it. A truck can have a generous tow rating and still run out of payload first. That number is on the same door sticker, usually as the combined weight of occupants and cargo.

What is hitch weight?

Hitch weight is the downward load the trailer puts on the hitch. On a travel trailer it is tongue weight, often about 10–15% of the loaded trailer. On a fifth wheel it is pin weight, often about 15–25%. Either way it counts against payload.

A weight-distribution hitch can move some of that load back onto the trailer axles and the front of the truck. It does not raise the tow rating, and it does not make an overloaded truck legal.

What are dry weight and GVWR?

Dry weight, sometimes listed as UVW, is the trailer empty, the way the brochure prints it. Fresh water, propane, batteries, and gear are extra. A full fresh tank and a normal camping load can add well over a thousand pounds.

GVWR is the most the trailer is allowed to weigh when it is loaded. Compare that number with the tow rating. If the GVWR is under the tow rating, the trailer can be packed to its limit without asking the truck to pull more than it is rated for. Shopping by dry weight hides the load you will actually tow.

What is GCWR?

GCWR is the most the whole combination can weigh: truck, trailer, people, fuel, and cargo together. You can be under the tow rating and still be over GCWR if the truck itself is heavy. If you are close to any of these limits, a scale ticket is worth more than a guess.

How do I use the result?

Finish the year, make, model, and trim, or look the truck up by VIN. The tow rating opens a browse list of travel trailers, fifth wheels, and toy haulers at or under that weight. Listings are filtered on dry weight or GVWR when the seller filled one in. Treat the list as a starting set, then read hitch weight and payload before you message anyone.

Tow ratings are guidance, not a guarantee. Confirm the number in the owner's manual and on the driver's door jamb before you tow. Stay within tongue weight, payload, GVWR, and GCWR too.