Overwhelmed and worried about safety

Welcome and hope you find the answers to your questions

Here are some metrics & advice. Also suggest you read the previous posts from any advisor to get a sense of their stuff and if that stuff matches your values

First, decide if you believe in the manufacturers (OEM) ratings...and...the ratings systems that all OEMs must provide. Which is their contract to the owner....meaning that the performance is based on the maximum they list on their ratings info...plus modifiers listed in fine print.

If not, then do whatever or take the advice that best suits your values or what you want to hear...but, not to worry, as if you do believe in the ratings systems...gather these bits of information and learn how that system works. Boils down to doing a few things that seemingly the majority does not do...

Load up your planned TV as if ready to go RV'ing and weigh it axle by axle. That will provide a baseline basis for the simple math that this generic formula will show were you would be

GCWR >= TV + Trailer + WD Hitch + stuff loaded on/in both TV & trailer

All actual weights. If you do not have the trailer, use it's GVWR as the basis for this. There will/are many who boohoo using the trailer GVWR, but that is the maximum the trailer is rated for that you would use to do the simple math. If under, then more safety margin

All things designed/engineered is NOT for the good days out there when a riding lawn mower 'can' tow it...but for the bad day out there when Mr Murphy crosses your path.

Either you have the proper sized everything...set it up properly...spot on...or not. If not, there will be no time to go back to the store for proper sized whatever...or re-setup

This is performance is to the ratings maximum limit and is to manhandle the situation. Braking, accelerating, maneuvering, etc

Here are the acronyms and what they mean. You should search them yourself to check the validity

• GVWR...Gross Vehicle Weight Rating...what the OEM rates as it's maximum weight down to the pavement. Goes for both the TV and Trailer
• GCWR...Gross Combined Weight Rating. Is what both the TV, Trailer and everything loaded in and on them. Weight down to the pavement
• FGAWR...Front Gross Axle Weight Rating...what the front axle of your TV is rated to carry down to the pavement...sizing of the suspension, brakes, etc are based on this number by the engineers...plus some corporate allowed safety margin
• RGAWR...Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating...same as the FGAWR, just for the rear axle. This is the biggie, as most of the weight carried by the TV while towing is on this axle. As the drivers rear door edge is normally in the middle of the TV's wheelbase (distance between front and rear axles)
• MTWR...Maximum Tow Weight Rating. Not a good one to use, but most all OEMs advertise this number...which is derived form a stripper model, that many times is NOT sold. Understand that is the only way of it, the OEMs can only guess what their customers will have as options, aftermarket stuff, and the big one...what they will load up in/on their TV

Once you have weighed your TV fully loaded ready to go RV'ing plug that into the generic formula and go shopping. Look at the trailer's GVWR and plug that into the generic formula. Most are surprised at the result because they wanted to tow larger

The frontal area of the trailer a huge component on top of the weight info above. Think of flying a kit...say a 4'x8' sheet of plywood with a rope tied to the tail of the TV. It would lift a normal weight person into the air. Or if you have ever held a full sheet of plywood on a windy day...it will/can knock a person down

A TV must pull that in dead air and if a head wind...many times more effort (HP) will be required.

Good luck and ask lots of questions