kb1234
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Re: Payload Rating vs Tongue Weight
Thanks RoyJ. That 975 was with one rear passenger and a very small amount of cargo, but I'm not expecting any more when towing. The vehicle does have a unibody frame and the hitch has 8 attachment points, 4 to weld nuts in the frame rails and 4 carriage bolts. On a side note, back when I first posed the question I looked through some other vehicle manuals I found online and I did see a several of them listing tongue weights at exactly 10% as well, so there seemed to be a pattern, which in part is what prompted my question.649Views0likes0CommentsRe: Payload Rating vs Tongue Weight
RoyJ wrote: OP - what's the vehicle in question? Relatively rare for OEMs to specify tongue limits for hitches they didn't supply. With an aftermarket hitch, tongue weight is just (badly placed) payload. As long as you don't go over rear GAWR, then I don't see why you're limited. It is a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD. All models come equipped with a towing package which includes tran cooler and wiring to bumper, but no hitch. Only after after market hitches are available, and the CURT one specific for the vehicle (bolts to factory frame holes and hitch aligns through cutout in bumper) is weighted for 900lbs tongue. If I recall correctly the door sticker states it has around 1300lbs payload. I did do a CAT scale measurement with vehicle loaded and it came in 975lbs under GAWR.643Views0likes0CommentsRe: Payload Rating vs Tongue Weight
otrfun wrote: kb1234 wrote: Thanks everyone for answering. I guess I still don't have a clear answer to may real question. Is there some reason that manufactures very often specify a tongue weight capacity of 10% the max towing capacity regardless of GVWR, GAWRFR, or GAWRR? I was even looking a a hitch component manufacturer the other day and on their website and they said to determine the tongue weight by calculating 10% GTWR. This conflicts with a 10-15% ideal weight on the hitch, and is basically forces the towing capacity to be lower than specified. In addition in the forums I keep seeing allowed tongue weight determined by taking GAWRR and subtracting the rear axle weight from a CAT scale. When people ask questions about tongue weight the answer seems to often neglect any reference to the tongue weight capacity specified by the manufacturer. Ideal/specific tongue weight will vary by application; however, generally speaking tongue weight should be 10-15% of the total weight of the trailer (bumper-pull). If your vehicle has a 5,000 tow capacity rating and 500 lb. tongue weight rating, you may find yourself unable to safely tow some 5,000 lb. trailers *if* they end up requiring 15% tongue weight (750 lbs.) to handle well. Every towing situation is unique. If your manufacturer recommends no more than 500 lbs. of tongue weight, then there are probably mechanical limitations (frame, suspension, driveline, receiver, etc.) that trump any axle capacity you may have based on the RAWR (rear axle weight rating). For instance, a Ram 3500 dually may have 6,000 lbs. of rear axle capacity (RAWR minus empty rear axle weight); however, the Ram OEM CAT V receiver is only rated for 1,700 lbs. so the maximum tongue weight this truck can support is 1,700 lbs. Thanks643Views0likes0CommentsRe: Payload Rating vs Tongue Weight
Ejraste wrote: from what I understand, it seems that the 500lbs rating is if you just put a ball on the bumper and pull that way. If you have a hitch installed then you would go by that rating. My f150 had the same thing and stated a 500lb tongue weigh rating, but it was for a bumper pull. Thanks643Views0likes0CommentsRe: Payload Rating vs Tongue Weight
Thanks everyone for answering. I guess I still don't have a clear answer to may real question. Is there some reason that manufactures very often specify a tongue weight capacity of 10% the max towing capacity regardless of GVWR, GAWRFR, or GAWRR? I was even looking a a hitch component manufacturer the other day and on their website and they said to determine the tongue weight by calculating 10% GTWR. This conflicts with a 10-15% ideal weight on the hitch, and is basically forces the towing capacity to be lower than specified. In addition in the forums I keep seeing allowed tongue weight determined by taking GAWRR and subtracting the rear axle weight from a CAT scale. When people ask questions about tongue weight the answer seems to often neglect any reference to the tongue weight capacity specified by the manufacturer.643Views0likes0CommentsPayload Rating vs Tongue Weight
I have a vehicle with a 5000lbs tow rating, 1296lbs payload capacity, and 500lbs tongue weight rating. When I see people calculating the towing capacity I don't see them considering the tongue weight rating, they usually take the payload and subtract weight in the vehicle and say that is what remains for the tongue weight. So for example if I had 400lbs of people and gear I would go 1296-400=896, so I need to keep the tongue weight under that. Is the 500lbs listed in the manual just some standard 10% of the tow rating (I noticed tongue weight is often listed as exactly 10% of the tow capacity). Is this just a common practice since there are people out there not paying attention to their vehicle payload capacity? I know the hitch has its own capacities, I'm asking specifically about the vehicle. Thanks5.4KViews0likes20Comments
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