Towing terms explained
What the columns in a towing table mean, taken from the manufacturers' own guides.
What GCWR means, and why it can lower what you tow
GCWR, the gross combined weight rating, is the most the loaded vehicle and the loaded trailer may weigh together. If the truck is carrying a lot, the trailer has to be lighter to stay under it.
Payload and towing capacity are different limits
Payload is the weight the vehicle itself can carry: people, cargo and the downward weight of the trailer on the hitch. Towing capacity is the weight of the trailer it can pull. Both apply at the same time, and payload often runs out first.
Tongue weight: how much of the trailer rests on the hitch
Tongue weight is the downward force the trailer puts on the hitch. Ford's ratings assume about 10% of the loaded trailer's weight for a conventional trailer and 15% for a fifth-wheel, where it is called king pin weight.
Conventional, weight-distributing, fifth-wheel and gooseneck hitches
A conventional hitch couples the trailer to a ball at the rear of the vehicle. A fifth-wheel or gooseneck hitch sits in a pickup's bed over the rear axle. Manufacturers rate them separately, which is why one truck can have two different maximums.