Weight dist hitch subtracted from TV GVWR or GCVR?

Hmm I can't figure that one out. Don't hitches (such as the Hensley) attach to the trailer? I would imagine that it'd add around 100lbs to the trailer weight (especially the tongue weight) then one would tweak the tongue weight (shifting cargo fore/aft) to compensate for the extra hitch weight. But I guess I am mistaken?

Hi,

The 100 - 150 pound hitch will be totally supported by the tow vehicle, so it comes out of the GVWR of the tow vehicle.

It also comes out of the total GCVWR.

So lets say that the curb weight of a truck is 5,500 pounds and it is a 2014 F-140 with a optional 7,800 GVWR. The GCVWR might be 17,000, so you can tow a 'maximum of 17,000 - 5,500 curb weight - a driver of 154 pounds = 11,346 pounds. You are required to have a hitch, so also subtract that 140 pounds and you end up with only 11,206 pounds total trailer weight capacity.

If you add say 1,600 pounds of passengers, firewood, generator, perhaps a 250 pound shell, you will increase the curb weight, and reduce your cargo rating, and while your GCVWR is the same, the higher the curb weight, the lower the difference between GCVWR and curb weight will be.

So if the curb weight with a cab shell, firewood, and passengers is increased to 7,000 pounds, the hitch weight is 800 pounds, then your truck will be exactly the 7,800 pound GVWR of the truck. You can still tow a 10,000 pound trailer, because you take the GVW of the truck from the 17,000 pound total to come up with the truck's towing ability!

Good luck,

Fred.

Think of the hitch as a suitcase full of rocks in the bed of the truck. It adds to the weight of the truck, but not to the tongue weight of the trailer.

Brian

Correct......

The weight of hitch becomes part of tow vehicles weight (as does passengers/cargo)
and lowers actual available payload which is what is needed to support/carry trailer tongue weight

sch911 wrote:
You don't subtract it at all. You add it to the weight of the tow vehicle. It takes away from your payload. The only thing it does is distribute the weight toward the front of the tow vehicle.

Forgive me, I was using the wrong choice of words. Subtract instead of add.

So if I understand you, I must add the weight of the hitch to the tongue weight, and the curb weight, and the weight of the passengers+cargo in the TV (but not to the weight of the trailer) and then make sure that does not go over the GVWR, correct?

As opposed to adding the hitch weight to the trailer weight.

You don't subtract it at all. You add it to the weight of the tow vehicle. It takes away from your payload. The only thing it does is distribute the weight toward the front of the tow vehicle.

Well no matter what I'd subtract it from the GCVR but I need to know if I also subtract it from the GVWR. We are limited to 7100lbs GVWR and some of us are, how shall we say, a bit fluffy? Therefore we're almost at the GVWR capacity of the TV. If we don't have to include the 100lb hitch in that figure then we have more flexibility as to how much travel trailer, cargo, etc.