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Towing Payload Calculator

Enter your GVWR, curb weight, trailer weight, and tongue percentage.

How it is calculated

All weights are in pounds (lb). First the trailer's downward load on the hitch: tongue = trailer weight × tongue% / 100. Then available payload = GVWR − curb weight − tongue. The tool also shows used capacity = GVWR − available payload, which is the curb weight plus the tongue weight. If the tongue percentage is left blank it assumes 10%. A negative payload is displayed with a minus sign, for example -520 lb, and means the curb weight plus the tongue weight already exceed the GVWR before any passenger or cargo is added. The tool shows no result if the curb weight is above the GVWR, if the GVWR is zero, or if the tongue percentage is over 100. Available payload is what remains for passengers, cargo and any accessories: the tool does not subtract them, so take your own load off the result. It does not check rear axle or hitch ratings.

Worked example

A truck has a GVWR of 7,000 lb and a curb weight of 5,200 lb, and tows a 6,000 lb loaded trailer with 12% tongue weight. Tongue weight: 6,000 × 0.12 = 720 lb. Available payload: 7,000 − 5,200 − 720 = 1,080 lb. Used capacity: 7,000 − 1,080 = 5,920 lb. If the driver, three passengers and gear weigh 900 lb, 180 lb of payload remains. With a 10% tongue, the same trailer would use 600 lb and leave 1,200 lb.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering the towing capacity instead of the GVWR. GVWR is the maximum loaded weight of the vehicle itself, found on the door-jamb label, not the number the maker quotes for towing.
  • Using the empty weight from a brochure that excludes fuel and fluids. Curb weight must include fuel and fluids, and ideally be measured, or the payload is overstated.
  • Entering the empty trailer weight. Tongue weight depends on the loaded trailer, so use the weight with gear, water and propane.
  • Guessing the tongue percentage. The default is 10%, but a poorly balanced load can put the real figure higher, so weigh the tongue if the result is close to zero.
  • Forgetting that passengers, cargo and a weight-distribution hitch are not subtracted. The result is the payload before they are added.

About this calculator

A tow vehicle’s available payload is what’s left of its Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) after subtracting both its own curb weight and the trailer’s tongue weight — the downward force the trailer’s hitch puts on the tow vehicle, which for a conventional (non-weight-distributing) hitch is typically 10–15% of the loaded trailer’s total weight: Available payload = GVWR − Curb weight − Tongue weight.

Tongue weight counts against the tow vehicle’s payload capacity just like passengers or cargo in the bed or cabin do, which is why a vehicle can be well within its towing capacity rating and still be overloaded on payload once the trailer, passengers, and gear are all accounted for. Truck and SUV owners use this calculation before a trip to confirm they’re not exceeding GVWR or rear axle rating, since doing so affects braking, handling and is often a safety-inspection and liability issue.

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