Automotive
Towing capacity & tongue weight calculator
Towing numbers are safety data, so this calculator keeps them honest. Enter your make, model, and year — the most-towed vehicles in America, from the F-150 and Silverado 1500 to the Tacoma, Explorer, and Grand Cherokee, return a towing capacity verified against the manufacturer's own towing guide, stated for the common configuration with the real range spelled out. Unlisted vehicles take your capacity from the door jamb or owner's manual. Add your loaded trailer weight and the calculator brackets the tongue weight at the safe 10–15% band for a conventional ball hitch — 700 to 1,050 lb on a 7,000 lb trailer — and flags it plainly if the trailer exceeds the rating. Fifth-wheel owners: pin weight runs 15–25% of trailer weight and counts against payload, and the door-jamb labels always win over any table.
Live calculator
Enter your details
Your estimate
Results
From the verified table or your own rating — the door jamb always wins.
Partner pick
Tongue weight scaleCapacity known — verify the tongue weight actually sits at 10–15%.Check current price ↗As an Amazon Associate, CalcForged earns from qualifying purchases.The math, plainly
How it works
- 01
A curated table of the most-towed U.S. vehicles returns the common configuration's verified maximum; anything else uses the rating you enter from the door jamb or owner's manual.
- 02
Conventional towing puts 10–15% of the loaded trailer weight on the hitch — the calculator brackets your trailer's tongue weight at exactly those bounds.
- 03
The warning carries the fine print: ratings swing by engine, axle, and package, fifth-wheel pin weight runs 15–25% and rides on payload, and the manufacturer's labels always beat any table.
Try a real scenario
2019 F-150, 7,000 lb trailer
InputsFord F-150, 7,000 lb loaded trailer
ResultAbout 12,800 lb from the table — tongue weight should land between 700 and 1,050 lb.
Gear for the job
Tools & materials people actually buy
Tongue weight scale
You know the 10–15% range — this is the tool that tells you where you actually sit.
Weight-distribution hitch
Moves tongue weight to the front axle and levels the ride on heavier trailers.
Brake controller
Required on most trailers over 3,000 lb — proportional units stop smoothest.
Ball mount kit
The right drop and ball size keep the trailer level before anything else matters.
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