What's the towing capacity of my car?

You can find your truck's towing capacity in the owner's manual or calculate it on your own. To find your truck's towing capacity, subtract your truck's curb weight from its Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR). The GCVWR is the maximum weight of your loaded truck and the weight of its attached trailer.

How do I find out my cars towing capacity?

Can the VIN number tell me the towing capacity?

While the VIN doesn't specifically give the weight a vehicle can tow, you can find the GCWR (gross combined weight rating). Once you have the GCWR, you can calculate the towing capacity. Pro Tip: Here are the best crossover SUVs for towing.

What does GVWR mean for towing?

What is the gross weight of a vehicle? The GVWR is the maximum total weight of your vehicle. If you're purchasing a commercial vehicle for hauling supplies and tools throughout Caseyville, you're likely looking at specs like interior dimensions, cargo volume, towing capacity, and payload capacity.

How does GVWR relate to towing capacity?

GVWR vs Towing Capacity

GVWR is the maximum weight capacity of a vehicle without a trailer attached. Towing capacity, on the other hand, is the maximum weight capacity of the vehicle, specifically in terms of how heavy of a trailer it can tow.

How Much Can I Tow? - Towing

Can my car pull a caravan?

If the mass of the caravan is 85% or less of the car's kerbweight, the car will tow it with ease. If it's between 85% and 100%, be careful – only experienced caravanners should use that car to tow such a heavy van.

How do I calculate trailer tongue weight?

Position a pipe vertically under the trailer tongue, and lower the trailer jack until the coupler is fully resting on the pipe. Read the scale and multiple by 3. Take an initial reading from the scale bathroom scale, and multiple it by 3. This is the tongue weight.

What happens if you go over tow capacity?

Max towing capacity should not be taken lightly. Exceeding what your vehicle is designed to tow can strain your engine and transmission, accelerate brake wear, damage your tires and even warp your chassis. This could in turn trigger catastrophic failure while driving and could lead to property damage or serious injury.

Is there a way to increase towing capacity?

Because vehicles are specially made with set towing capacities, you can't alter the rating without re-engineering the vehicle. Also, some vehicles might not be rated for towing at all. In that case, you certainly couldn't augment their hauling power.

Does towing shorten the life of a vehicle?

Now that you have a good idea of what makes up your vehicle's towing capacity, don't push your luck and exceed it. Doing so will only shorten your vehicle's life span and put you and those around you on the road in danger.

Can I tow a trailer heavier than my car?

The total weight of your trailer must not weigh more than the car's maximum towing capacity (MTC). Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to take the trailer's maximum authorised mass (MAM) into consideration – unless you passed your test after 1 January 1997 (more on this later).

What happens if you have too much tongue weight?

Too much tongue weight could overload the rear tires of the towing vehicle, pushing the rear end of the vehicle around. When this happens, the vehicle is difficult to control; corners or curves may become more difficult to maneuver and your vehicle may not be as responsive when you try to brake.

What is the recommended tongue weight on the hitch of the towing vehicle?

Your tongue weight should come in between 10 and 15 percent of the total weight of your loaded trailer, also known as your Gross Trailer Weight (GTW). So if you are hauling a 2,000 pound trailer that's loaded up with 2,000 pounds worth of cargo, your tongue weight should be between 400 and 600 pounds.

Is hitch weight the same as tongue weight?

The terms “tongue weight” and “hitch weight” are interchangeable, as both refer to the force a trailer exerts on a hitch.

Will a 1.6 petrol pull a caravan?

The 1.6-litre petrol Astra produces 114 lb ft of torque and the maximum towing weight is 1,250kg. It will cope with your caravan but will be working hard.

Can a 1.5 diesel pull a caravan?

The simple answer is, of course, yes it can. A 1.5 Nissan Qashqai can tow a braked caravan with the maximum towable weight of 1360 kg, and an unbraked caravan with a maximum towable weight of 692 kg.

What is my car's KERB weight?

Kerbweight is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all standard equipment. It does not include the weight of any passengers, cargo, or optional equipment. Kerbweight is considered the closest weight to the actual weight of the vehicle.

How much can a 2 inch hitch tow?

Class 2 Hitch

Most class 2 hitches are able to tow up to 3,500 lbs. gross trailer weight. Class 2 hitches are typically found on full-size sedans, minivans and crossovers but can also be found on small SUVs and even pickup trucks.

Does a hitch extender reduce towing capacity?

It doesn't reduce the gross trailer weight capacity, only the tongue weight. Some extenders also have the additional restriction of flat towing only (towing a vehicle with all 4 wheels down) and cannot be used with trailers.

How do I know if my trailer is too heavy?

Due to a bumper-tow or tag-along-style trailer's nature, you'll know when you're attempting to haul too much weight. The rear of the truck will appear hunkered down and the front end will feel light.

How close to max towing capacity is safe?

Generally, most people who choose to tow something try to keep the total weight at around 80 percent of their vehicle's maximum towing capacity. This is the best way to make sure you don't cause damage to your vehicle, or increase the potential for accidents or difficulty hauling the trailer.

Does a hitch adapter reduce tongue weight?

The use of any adapter does decrease the hitch tongue weight capacity by 50%.

How much towing capacity do I need for a camper?

When matching a trailer to a tow vehicle, a good rule-of-thumb is to keep the trailer's GVWR at less than 75 percent of the tow vehicle's trailer towing capacity. So, if the tow vehicle is rated for a maximum of 6,000 pounds, the chosen trailer should have a GVWR of 4,500 pounds or less.

Can I tow a 3500 kg trailer?

If you passed your car driving test from 1 January 1997, you're now allowed to tow trailers up to 3,500kg MAM . Check your car's handbook to find out its gross train weight (GTW). This is the total allowable weight of the car plus the trailer plus the load.