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Total Weight on the Vehicle’s
Tires
Be sure the vehicle’s tires are
inflated to the upper limit for cold
tires. These numbers can be found
on the Certification/Tire Label
located on the B-pillar below the
door latch or see Loading the
Vehicle on page 4-35. Make sure
not to go over the GVW limit for the
vehicle, or the GAWR, including
the weight of the trailer tongue. If
using a weight distributing hitch,
make sure not to go over the rear
axle limit before applying the weight
distribution spring bars.
Hitches
It is important to have the correct
hitch equipment. Crosswinds,
large trucks going by and rough
roads are a few reasons why
the right hitch is needed.
Weight-Distributing Hitches and
Weight Carrying Hitches
When using a weight-distributing
hitch, the hitch must be adjusted so
that the distance (A) remains the
same both before and after coupling
the trailer to the tow vehicle.
Trailering may also be limited by the
vehicle’s ability to carry tongue
weight. Tongue weight cannot cause
the vehicle to exceed the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) or
the RGAWR (Rear Gross Axle
Weight Rating). The effect of
additional weight can reduce the
trailering capacity more than
the total of the additional weight.
Consider the following example:
A vehicle model base weight
is 5,500 lbs (2 495 kg); 2,800 lbs
(1 270 kg) at the front axle and
2,700 lbs (1 225 kg) at the rear axle.
It has a GVWR of 7,200 lbs
(3 266 kg), a RGAWR of 4,000 lbs
(1 814 kg) and a GCWR (Gross
Combination Weight Rating)
of 14,000 lbs (6 350 kg). The trailer
rating should be:
Expect tongue weight to be at least
10 percent of trailer weight
(850 lbs (386 kg)) and because the
weight is applied well behind the
(A) Body-to-Ground Distance (B)
Front of Vehicle
4-46 Driving Your Vehicle