Towing Capacity
Towing Capacity = Gross Combined Weight Rating – Curb Weight
In essence, towing capacity is how much weight you can safely pull behind your tow vehicle with a trailer. One way to find out your tow vehicle's tow capacity is to check the owner's manual. Another way is to do a quick internet search.
Example: Our 2019 Ram 1500 has a GCWR of 14,340 lbs - Curb Weight of 5,380 lbs = Towing Capacity of 8,960 lbs
In essence, towing capacity is how much weight you can safely pull behind your tow vehicle with a trailer. One way to find out your tow vehicle's tow capacity is to check the owner's manual. Another way is to do a quick internet search.
Example: Our 2019 Ram 1500 has a GCWR of 14,340 lbs - Curb Weight of 5,380 lbs = Towing Capacity of 8,960 lbs
Payload Capacity
Payload Capacity = GVWR - Curb Weight
1 - What is your vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)?
The GVWR is normally listed on the driver doorframe near the door latch or on the driver's side door. This is calculated by the manufacturer and includes the maximum allowable weight including: the vehicle itself, fluids (gasoline/diesel, oil, radiator water, etc), passengers, cargo and tools.
2- What is your vehicle's curb weight?
The curb weight is how much your vehicle weighs on its own, without passengers or cargo. This measurement includes a full tank of gasoline/diesel and other fluids (gasoline/diesel, oil, radiator water, etc).
Example: Our 2019 Ram 1500 has a GVWR of 6,950 lbs - Curb Weight of 5,380 lbs = Payload Capacity of 1,570 lbs
1 - What is your vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)?
The GVWR is normally listed on the driver doorframe near the door latch or on the driver's side door. This is calculated by the manufacturer and includes the maximum allowable weight including: the vehicle itself, fluids (gasoline/diesel, oil, radiator water, etc), passengers, cargo and tools.
2- What is your vehicle's curb weight?
The curb weight is how much your vehicle weighs on its own, without passengers or cargo. This measurement includes a full tank of gasoline/diesel and other fluids (gasoline/diesel, oil, radiator water, etc).
Example: Our 2019 Ram 1500 has a GVWR of 6,950 lbs - Curb Weight of 5,380 lbs = Payload Capacity of 1,570 lbs
What does this all mean?
We will use our 2019 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel & 2021 Airstream Flying Cloud 25' in this example:
Ram 1500:
GVWR: 6,950 lbs
Payload: 1,570 lbs
Max Trailer Weight Rating: 8,960
*Ram uses a passenger weight rating of 300 lbs as specified in SAE J2807 (150 lbs for driver, 150 lbs for passenger, and 100 lbs of optional equipment such as hitch ball, weight distribution bars, etc)
Airstream Flying Cloud 25':
GVWR: 7,300 lbs
Hitch Weight: 835 lbs
Tow Capacity: Our Ram 1500 is rated at 8,960 lbs and the GVWR of our Airstream is only 7,300 lbs, so far so good!
Payload Capacity: Our Ram 1500 is rated at 1,570 lbs and the Hitch Weight of our Airstream is 835 lbs, but that's not all. This next part is overlooked far too often and if not calculated correctly, you can expose yourself to risk:
In this example, we start with our Ram 1500 Payload Capacity of 1,570 lbs.
Subtract the 835 lbs from the Airstream's hitch weight, that leaves us with 735 lbs.
Subtract our 61 lb BakFlip tonneau cover and now we are at 674 lbs.
We normally bring a 3400 watt generator (96 lbs), two electric bicycles (150 lbs), two propane tanks (50 lbs), inflatable kayak (31 lbs) and our dog (62 lbs), which leaves us with 285 lbs.
If we to try and add two more people to our tow vehicle at 150 lbs each (300 lbs total), that would put us 15 lbs over the limit.
As you can see by this example, having an adequate payload capacity is more important than one may think and worth taking into serious consideration when deciding on your tow vehicle.
Stepping up to a 3/4 ton or 1 ton pickup truck can increase your payload capacity but a few things to keep in mind is the ride comfort quality is typically smoother on a 1/2 ton pickup and if the suspension is too stiff this can create extra stress on the trailer itself resulting in more wear on some components and popped rivets.
Ram 1500:
GVWR: 6,950 lbs
Payload: 1,570 lbs
Max Trailer Weight Rating: 8,960
*Ram uses a passenger weight rating of 300 lbs as specified in SAE J2807 (150 lbs for driver, 150 lbs for passenger, and 100 lbs of optional equipment such as hitch ball, weight distribution bars, etc)
Airstream Flying Cloud 25':
GVWR: 7,300 lbs
Hitch Weight: 835 lbs
Tow Capacity: Our Ram 1500 is rated at 8,960 lbs and the GVWR of our Airstream is only 7,300 lbs, so far so good!
Payload Capacity: Our Ram 1500 is rated at 1,570 lbs and the Hitch Weight of our Airstream is 835 lbs, but that's not all. This next part is overlooked far too often and if not calculated correctly, you can expose yourself to risk:
In this example, we start with our Ram 1500 Payload Capacity of 1,570 lbs.
Subtract the 835 lbs from the Airstream's hitch weight, that leaves us with 735 lbs.
Subtract our 61 lb BakFlip tonneau cover and now we are at 674 lbs.
We normally bring a 3400 watt generator (96 lbs), two electric bicycles (150 lbs), two propane tanks (50 lbs), inflatable kayak (31 lbs) and our dog (62 lbs), which leaves us with 285 lbs.
If we to try and add two more people to our tow vehicle at 150 lbs each (300 lbs total), that would put us 15 lbs over the limit.
As you can see by this example, having an adequate payload capacity is more important than one may think and worth taking into serious consideration when deciding on your tow vehicle.
Stepping up to a 3/4 ton or 1 ton pickup truck can increase your payload capacity but a few things to keep in mind is the ride comfort quality is typically smoother on a 1/2 ton pickup and if the suspension is too stiff this can create extra stress on the trailer itself resulting in more wear on some components and popped rivets.