Tow Chart

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.

The share manufacturers assume

Ford's towing guide states that its maximum trailer weights assume a tongue load of 10% for a conventional trailer or a king pin weight of 15% for a fifth-wheel trailer. Check your own manufacturer's guide or manual for the range it recommends.

That weight sits on the tow vehicle, so it counts against payload and against the rear axle's rating, as well as the hitch's own limit.

The hitch has its own limit

A receiver carries a label with its weight-carrying and weight-distributing capacities. The lowest limit in the chain is the one that applies: the vehicle's rating, the receiver's, the ball mount's and the ball's.

Some manufacturers print a maximum tongue weight beside the trailer rating. Where they do, it is in the notes on the row.

This explains the terms. The limits for your own vehicle are on its door-jamb label and in its owner's manual.

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