So my wife and I are going to be getting a truck and a fifth wheel soon. We’re using it for full time so it’s going to be a bigger guy for sure. But in my months of research, article reading, and trolling YouTube, I cannot understand what capacity tow rating I need versus the weight I’ll be actually carrying in an RV/fifth wheel. I’m trying to understand these numbers and abbreviations. Things like GVWR, GCWR, dry weight, wet weight, and I’m honestly not understanding the actual figures. Every explanation I’ve found just seems to repeat the same words in a different order and it doesn’t help. Sooooo, explain it like I’m five: what is the tow rating I need and the actual capacity of what a fifth wheel should hold? I swear I’m not an idiot, I just don’t understand.
In: Other
Curt has a great explanation of each term: https://www.curtmfg.com/towing-capacity
If you want to boil down to bare numbers, you need the weight of the driver, passengers, and any cargo going in the truck. That’s the payload. Assume the trailer’s GVWR is going to be the weight you are towing. For towing calculation, ignore the dry weight.
Trailer GVWR + truck curb weight + payload must be less than the truck’s gross combined weight rating.
Trailer GVWR must be less than the truck’s 5th wheel tow limit.
Latest Answers