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Can I Tow This? Calculator

The Can I Tow This? Calculator checks whether a specific truck can safely tow a trailer. It compares trailer weight with 80% of the truck's maximum towing rating, tongue weight with payload, and total combined weight with GCWR, then returns a pass, caution or fail verdict for each check and overall.

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How this tool works

Step 1: select your tow vehicle by year, make, model, trim and engine from the TowingServiceHub towing capacity database. Step 2: enter the loaded trailer weight (up to 50,000 lbs). Step 3: enter the tongue weight, which is typically 10–15% of trailer weight.

The tool then runs up to four checks. Tow capacity: pass at or below 80% of maximum conventional towing, caution between 80% and 100%, fail above the rating. Tongue weight: pass at or below 80% of payload, caution up to 100%, fail above it. GCWR: curb weight plus full rated payload plus trailer weight must not exceed the gross combined weight rating. GVWR (when on file): GVWR minus curb weight minus tongue weight must stay above zero, and less than 20% of payload remaining is a caution. The overall verdict is the worst single result.

Limitations: the GCWR check assumes a fully loaded truck, and it is skipped when the database has no GCWR, curb weight or payload for that truck. Weigh your loaded rig on a public scale for certainty.

Worked examples: can these trucks tow it?

Worked examples: three trucks from the capacity database checked against four trailer weights (tongue weight at 10% of trailer weight)
Tow vehicleMax tow80% limitTrailerTongueVerdictChecks not passed
2025 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L EcoBoost I-47,500 lbs6,000 lbs5,000 lbs500 lbsPassNone
2025 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L EcoBoost I-47,500 lbs6,000 lbs7,500 lbs750 lbsFailTow Capacity (80% Rule): Caution; GCVWR Check: Fail
2025 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L EcoBoost I-47,500 lbs6,000 lbs10,000 lbs1,000 lbsFailTow Capacity (80% Rule): Fail; GCVWR Check: Fail
2025 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L EcoBoost I-47,500 lbs6,000 lbs15,000 lbs1,500 lbsFailTow Capacity (80% Rule): Fail; Payload / Tongue Weight: Caution; GCVWR Check: Fail; GVWR Payload Check: Caution
2025 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0L V811,400 lbs9,120 lbs5,000 lbs500 lbsPassNone
2025 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0L V811,400 lbs9,120 lbs7,500 lbs750 lbsPassNone
2025 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0L V811,400 lbs9,120 lbs10,000 lbs1,000 lbsFailTow Capacity (80% Rule): Caution; GCVWR Check: Fail
2025 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0L V811,400 lbs9,120 lbs15,000 lbs1,500 lbsFailTow Capacity (80% Rule): Fail; GCVWR Check: Fail
2026 RAM 2500 Tradesman 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I619,680 lbs15,744 lbs5,000 lbs500 lbsPassNone
2026 RAM 2500 Tradesman 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I619,680 lbs15,744 lbs7,500 lbs750 lbsPassNone
2026 RAM 2500 Tradesman 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I619,680 lbs15,744 lbs10,000 lbs1,000 lbsPassNone
2026 RAM 2500 Tradesman 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I619,680 lbs15,744 lbs15,000 lbs1,500 lbsPassNone

Vehicle ratings (max tow, payload, GCWR, GVWR, curb weight) come from the TowingServiceHub capacity database; verdicts are produced by the calculator's own checks.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 80% towing rule?

The 80% rule means keeping trailer weight at or below 80% of your vehicle's maximum towing rating to leave a margin for wind, grades and braking. The calculator marks anything above 80% as caution and anything above the full rating as fail. A 10,000-lb rating gives an 8,000-lb comfortable limit.

How much tongue weight should a trailer have?

The calculator's guidance is 10–15% of the loaded trailer weight for a conventional bumper-pull trailer, so a 6,000-lb trailer should put roughly 600–900 lbs on the hitch. That tongue weight counts against your truck's payload, which the tool checks separately.

Can a half-ton pickup tow a 10,000-lb trailer?

Not comfortably in our worked example. The 2025 Ford F-150 XLT with the 5.0L V8 is rated at 11,400 lbs, so 10,000 lbs exceeds its 80% limit of 9,120 lbs and also fails the GCWR check with a full payload. The verdict is not recommended.

What is GCWR and why does it matter for towing?

GCWR (gross combined weight rating) is the maximum allowed weight of the loaded truck plus the loaded trailer. The calculator adds curb weight, full rated payload and trailer weight, and fails the check if the total exceeds GCWR, even when the trailer alone is within the towing rating.

Why did my truck fail when the trailer is under its tow rating?

Towing rating is only one limit. The tool also fails a setup if tongue weight exceeds payload, if curb weight plus payload plus trailer weight exceeds GCWR, or if tongue weight pushes the truck over GVWR. Any single failed check makes the overall verdict fail.

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