[HudsonValleyTitan]

Originally Posted by loufish

It gets a little complicated at times to figure out what you can tow without going over any of the several weight limits...

For instance, the Titans tow rating of 9500 lbs ONLY applies if you have 1/2 tank of fuel and a single driver weighing 150 lbs. That same truck has a GVWR of 6400 lbs, and if the truck is in fact loaded to 6400 lbs, the tow rating drops to 8200 lbs...

The "correct" way to determine what weight trailer you can really tow is to figure out what your truck will weigh loaded up for a trip, less the tongue weight....

Lets say with wife, kids and you, your truck weighs 5900 lbs, that leaves about 500 lbs of capacity for tongue weight. Now since the tongue weight should be between 10-12 %, multiply the tongue weight by about 8...
500 x 8 = 4000 lbs...if you go with 10% tongue weight, you can tow about 5000 lbs...

So with 5000 lbs towing, you will NOT go over the trucks GVWR of 6400 lbs , and you will not exceed the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (GCVW=max weight of truck and trailer) of 14,600 lbs...

If you want to tow a 6000 lb trailer, you need to figure in the tongue weight first, then see how much truck cargo capacity you have left.
It doesn't sound right at first, after all you have all this trailer rating, but since 1/2 ton trucks lack truck capacity, the actual tow rating drops fast.

This is why I recommend loading everything you can into the trailer, it leaves more capacity for the truck.

Does this help?

Needlessly complicating. No idea who sold you on the 1/2 tank of gas and 150 LB driver thing but....lol....ok. Load that baby up! These trucks are made to take a lot more than their weight limits reveal. Those are guidelines at best....there to cover the manufacturers butt. I've been towing an 8500 LB TT (at least), wife and 3 kids with a bed loaded with gear for years now. Never a problem.