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Tow Guides

Tow Rating Guide

  • Understanding your vehicle’s tow rating capacity is critical to choosing the right RV for you and your family.

  • Towing your next RV safely down the road will depend on having the right tow vehicle and RV combination.



Find My Vehicle's Towing Capacity
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Attention: Your vehicle's max towing capacity includes passenger weight, added accessories, any current liquids in tanks, and any cargo you've added such as food, clothes, chairs, grills, games, tools, etc.. For purposes of Find an RV I can Tow, we've allowed 1000 lbs for RVs over 8000 lbs, 750 lbs for RVs under 8000 lbs, and 500 lbs for RVs under 5000 lbs for average Cargo Weight. Always confirm your specific tow vehicles towing capacity directly from your vehicle's manufacturer before purchasing or towing an RV. You are responsible for the decision to operate your vehicle and any RV you may tow. If your specific vehicle is not listed, please contact us for assistance.

Terms & Definitions

  • Dry Weight/Shipped Weight - The weight of the RV as shipped from the manufacturer without any passengers, cargo, liquids, or additional accessories or dealer installed options.
  • Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) - The current combined weight of the RV (dry weight) plus passengers, cargo, and liquids.
  • Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) - The maximum allowed weight of an Vehicle/RV, including passengers, cargo, fluids, etc..
  • Cargo Weight - The total weight of all passengers, food, clothing, liquids, accessories, etc.. that you might put into your RV.
  • Tongue/Hitch Weight - The weight/pressure applied from the trailer tongue/coupler to the conventional/bumper hitch on your vehicle.
  • Pin Weight - This is often referred to as the weight/pressure applied from fifth wheel king pin to the hitch in the bed of your truck.
  • Payload Capacity - For Trucks the amount of weight you can safely add to the bed of the truck. Your Fifth Wheels Hitch Weight or Pin Weight plus the actual weight of hitch plus any other accessories you have in the bed of the truck must not exceed the Payload Capacity amount. Confirm Payload Capacity with your vehicle’s manufacturer.
  • Max Towing Capacity - The maximum weight limit that can safely be towed by your specific vehicle. This weight is calculated by adding the RV’s GVW with weight of all passengers, cargo, and liquids in your tow vehicle.



Understanding towing – The Acronyms of Towing.

AXLE WEIGHT (AW)
Axle weight is that portion of the weight of the trailer that is carried by the axle(s). This weight can be derived by subtracting the hitch weight from the UVW.

GCCC (GROSS CARGO CARRYING CAPACITY)
GCCC means the maximum cargo carrying capacity. GCCC is equal to GVWR minus UVW. The GCCC will be reduced by the weight of fresh water or other tanks, LP-gas, occupants, personal items, or dealer installed accessories.

GCWR (GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT RATING)
GCWR means the value specified by the motorhome manufacturer as the maximum allowable loaded weight of the motorhome with its towed trailer or towed vehicle.

GVWR (GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING)
GVWR means the maximum permissible weight of the trailer, including the UVW plus all cargo, fluids, options, and dealer installed accessories. The GVWR is equal to or greater than the sum of the UVW and the GCCC.

HITCH WEIGHT (HW)
Hitch Weight is that portion of the weight of the trailer that is carried on the hitch. This information is important in matching the tow mechanism on your tow vehicle with the trailer to be towed.

UVW (UNLOADED VEHICLE WEIGHT)
Sometimes referred to as Dry Weight, UVW means the weight of this trailer as built at the factory. The UVW, as used in product literature and other promotional materials, does not include cargo, fresh water, LP gas, options or dealer-installed accessories.