Trying to figure out what trailers I can tow

toedtoes wrote:

GrandpaKip wrote:
654 + 400 + 300 = 1354 leaving you with about 100 pounds
Depending on the WD hitch, that may be gone.
You may be able to keep stuff to about 500 lbs, but most on here will say closer to 1000 lbs.
We’ve got about 800 in the trailer and for a 2 week trip another 300 in the truck.
Can you do it? Sure, lots of people overload their trucks. See it all the time in campgrounds.
I drove at max for years and probably was over for quite a bit of that time.
I now have about a 300 lb cushion.

If the 300lbs is IN the trailer as the OP states, then your calculation would be wrong.

OP.

Payload (1447) = weight of driver, passengers, stuff in or on tow vehicle and hitch weight (260 + 200 + 654 = 1114lbs total).

Towing capacity (6280) = gvwr of trailer (estimate) OR weight of loaded trailer (actual). The 300lbs of "stuff" you expect to put IN the trailer is already assumed if you use the gvwr of the trailer.


These numbers leave you a "cushion" of about 333lbs of payload (less if you add a WD system) and 280lbs of towing capacity.

Now you need to consider where and how you will be driving. If you will be traveling in the mountains and/or driving long distances, you may be cutting it tight. For most, it is preferred to stay about 20 percent under capacity - it reduces the strain on the truck's engine AND it is less stressful for the driver (especially if you are not an experienced tower).

That would mean staying at or under a trailer gvwr of 5,000lbs for a truck with a 6,280lb towing capacity OR at or above a truck towing capacity of 7,500lbs for a trailer gvwr of 6,000lbs.

If you will be driving flat terrain only and/or short (1-3 hour) trips, then you may not need or want that extra cushion.