Whole-Rig Towing Check
How to use Rig Check
- Pick your truck. Choose year, make, model and setup, or decode your VIN. If your truck isn't listed, enter its payload and tow rating from the door label and owner's manual under Vehicle & trailer ratings.
- Choose the trailer type. Pick Travel trailer for a bumper pull or Fifth wheel for a fifth-wheel or gooseneck. Rig Check uses a different tow rating and hitch limit for each.
- Enter the loaded trailer weight. Use a scale weight or a realistic loaded estimate, not the dry weight.
- Fill in the trip details. Enter tongue or pin weight (or a percentage), people and cargo in the truck, and hitch equipment weight.
- Add more ratings for a fuller check. Under Vehicle & trailer ratings, add GVWR, GCWR, axle ratings, the receiver or pin-hitch rating and trailer GVWR. If you have scale tickets, add your truck-alone and hitched axle weights.
- Read the closest limit, not just the color. Rig Check names the closest checked limit, the percentage used and the pounds left. That limit is the one to work on.
Example: a mid-size truck and a 6,000 lb travel trailer
Example numbersThese are made-up numbers for a hypothetical truck. They are not ratings for any real make or model.
You're looking at a 6,000 lb loaded travel trailer for a mid-size truck with a 7,800 lb conventional tow rating. That's 77% of the tow rating, so it looks like a clear pass.
Then Rig Check adds up what the truck carries: 720 lb of tongue weight, 450 lb of people and cargo, and a 75 lb hitch. That's 1,245 lb against a 1,500 lb payload, or 83%. You're still under the limit, but past the 80% line where Rig Check flags a limit as Close. One more passenger, a full cooler or a heavier tongue would use most of the 255 lb left.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Trailer type | Travel trailer (bumper pull) |
| Loaded trailer weight | 6,000 lb |
| Tongue weight | 12% (720 lb) |
| People + cargo in truck | 450 lb |
| Hitch equipment | 75 lb |
| Payload rating | 1,500 lb |
| Conventional tow rating | 7,800 lb |
| Trailer GVWR | 7,600 lb |
▶ Try these numbers: open this example in Rig Check
Rig Check mistakes that lead to a wrong answer
Trusting the tow rating alone.
The tow rating only checks the trailer's total weight. Payload, axle, hitch and combined-weight limits are separate, and any of them can run out first, as the example shows.
Using the "max tow" number from an ad.
Ads quote the highest tow rating for the whole model line, usually one cab, bed, engine and axle ratio combination. Your truck's rating depends on its exact configuration. Pick your exact setup, or use the numbers from your door label and owner's manual.
Entering dry trailer weight.
Dry weight leaves out water, propane, batteries, food and gear, which often add hundreds of pounds on a family trip. Every limit in Rig Check scales with trailer weight, so a dry number makes every bar look better than it is. Use a loaded estimate or a scale weight.
Skipping GCWR.
GCWR is the most the loaded truck and loaded trailer may weigh together. A heavy truck can pass on payload and tow rating and still go over GCWR. Rig Check needs your loaded truck-alone weight from a scale to check it, so add that when you have it.
Reading a green bar as "safe."
A green result means the numbers you entered are under the limits you entered. It's planning support, not a safety certification. Check your labels and weigh the loaded rig before a long trip.
Rig Check FAQ
What limits does Rig Check compare?
Seven kinds of limits. Payload is what the truck can carry. The tow rating is the heaviest trailer allowed. Trailer GVWR is the most the loaded trailer may weigh. The receiver or pin-hitch rating covers downward hitch load. Truck GVWR is the loaded truck's maximum. GCWR is truck and trailer together. Axle ratings, front and rear, are the most each axle may carry.
What does "Close" mean in Rig Check?
Close means a limit is between 80% and 100% used. You're still under it, but the margin is small enough that normal changes, like a full fresh-water tank or an extra passenger, could put you over. Anything above 100% shows as over. The same 80% line applies to every limit Rig Check checks.
Why does Rig Check give a different answer than my dealer?
Dealers usually quote the tow rating and stop there, and sometimes they quote the best number for the model line instead of your configuration. Rig Check looks at every limit it has a number for and reports the one you're closest to. If the answers differ, ask the dealer which rating they used and compare it with your door label.
Where do the truck ratings in Rig Check come from?
When you pick a truck from the list, the ratings come from manufacturer documents, like towing guides and spec sheets, for that configuration, and the result shows the source. Numbers you type in or scan from a door label are shown as user-entered, not verified. If anything disagrees with your truck's own labels, the labels win.
What if my truck isn't in the list?
You can still run Rig Check. Choose "I can't find my vehicle" in My Garage, or enter the ratings yourself from your door label and owner's manual. Results from entered ratings show as a planning-level check until you confirm them from the label or add scale weights.
Does my hitch class decide how much I can tow?
Only partly. A hitch class is a general range. What counts is the weight rating printed on your actual receiver or fifth-wheel hitch and your truck's own receiver rating in the owner's manual. Enter the lower of those as the hitch rating. Rig Check compares your tongue or pin weight with it, along with every other limit.
Why does one limit decide the whole result?
Because each rating is a separate limit, and going over any one of them puts you over. A rig at 60% of its tow rating and 105% of payload is overloaded. Rig Check puts the closest limit at the top so you know exactly what to change, whether that's a lighter load, a different hitch or a bigger truck.
Ratings come from manufacturer documents, and the label on your door always wins. How we check our numbers