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Trailer Tongue Weight Calculator

Check that your trailer's tongue weight sits in the safe 10–15% range.

How it is calculated

Tongue weight is the downward load a trailer puts on the tow hitch. The tool divides it by the total loaded trailer weight, tongue % = tongue ÷ trailer × 100, with both weights in kilograms. Next to that it works out the 10% to 15% band for your trailer: trailer × 0.10 and trailer × 0.15, rounded to whole kilograms. It does not say whether you pass or fail; you compare the percentage, or your measured tongue weight, with that band yourself. The trailer weight must be above zero, and the tongue weight cannot be negative or heavier than the trailer. The 10% to 15% range is a general guideline for conventional trailers, so check the limits in your trailer and vehicle manuals too.

Worked example

A loaded trailer of 1,500 kg with a measured tongue weight of 180 kg. Percentage: 180 ÷ 1500 × 100 = 12%. The band is 1500 × 0.10 = 150 kg to 1500 × 0.15 = 225 kg. Result: 12.00%, and 180 kg lies between the 150 kg and 225 kg limits, so it is inside the usual range. At 100 kg the figure would be 6.67%, below the minimum of 150 kg.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Using the empty trailer weight. The percentage is of the loaded trailer, with cargo, water and gear aboard, so an empty weight gives a misleadingly high figure.
  • Mixing pounds and kilograms. Both fields must use the same unit, and the recommended band is printed in kilograms.
  • Entering the weight on the trailer's jack or wheel instead of the weight on the coupler. Tongue weight is measured at the coupler with the trailer level.
  • Checking the result once and then loading differently. Moving cargo forward or back changes the tongue weight, so measure again after any change.
  • Reading a low percentage as safe because it is a small number. Under 10% is the side where sway becomes a risk, not the safer side.

About this calculator

Tongue weight is the downward force the trailer's coupler exerts on the tow vehicle's hitch, and it should sit within about 10–15% of the loaded trailer's total weight: tongue weight % = tongue weight ÷ total loaded trailer weight × 100. Too little tongue weight (below roughly 10%) allows the trailer to sway dangerously at highway speed, while too much (above roughly 15%) overloads the tow vehicle's rear axle and hitch, causing poor steering and braking control.

Trailer owners and RV towers check this before every trip because load placement inside the trailer — not just total weight — determines tongue weight, and cargo shifted too far back is one of the most common causes of dangerous trailer sway, a problem that is often blamed on wind or vehicle mismatch when the real cause is simply an out-of-range tongue weight percentage.

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