Help interpreting towing guide for my vehicle
I need help interpreting the info on page 8 of the 2012 chevy towing guide. The link is: https://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Vehicles/Trucks%20and%20Va...
Forum Discussion
All hitches are weight carrying, to a point. Look at your hitch receiver. It will have a decal or stamp, stating it's carrying capacity, with and without weight distribution.
While you are looking at your hitch, also take a look at your tire / loading sticker (located on drivers door jamb). It will have a number for max occupant / cargo weight. This number is also referred to as payload.
Payload is used up by weight of aftermarket accessories, people, pets, cargo, weight distributing hitch, and trailer tongue weight. Normally, you will run out of payload, before you get close to max towing weight rating. That is because, max tow rating was established without accessories, passengers, or cargo, and as these items are loaded into (or on) the vehicle, the max tow rating is going down, pound for pound.
Examples: A 200 lb bed cap, reduces max tow rating by 200 lbs. A weight distributing hitch reduces max tow by about 100 lbs. Five hundred pounds of people, reduces max tow by 500 lbs. That max tow number is more marketing hype, than a useful tool for matching a travel trailer to your tow vehicle.
Add up the weight of people and cargo (include 100 lbs for a WD hitch and the weight of any accessories) that would normally be in your tow vehicle. Subtract that from your available payload. What is left is your capacity to carry trailer tongue weight. Divide this number by .13, it will give you a ballpark figure for real world max tow weight.
While you are looking at your hitch, also take a look at your tire / loading sticker (located on drivers door jamb). It will have a number for max occupant / cargo weight. This number is also referred to as payload.
Payload is used up by weight of aftermarket accessories, people, pets, cargo, weight distributing hitch, and trailer tongue weight. Normally, you will run out of payload, before you get close to max towing weight rating. That is because, max tow rating was established without accessories, passengers, or cargo, and as these items are loaded into (or on) the vehicle, the max tow rating is going down, pound for pound.
Examples: A 200 lb bed cap, reduces max tow rating by 200 lbs. A weight distributing hitch reduces max tow by about 100 lbs. Five hundred pounds of people, reduces max tow by 500 lbs. That max tow number is more marketing hype, than a useful tool for matching a travel trailer to your tow vehicle.
Add up the weight of people and cargo (include 100 lbs for a WD hitch and the weight of any accessories) that would normally be in your tow vehicle. Subtract that from your available payload. What is left is your capacity to carry trailer tongue weight. Divide this number by .13, it will give you a ballpark figure for real world max tow weight.
