The last ATV I was on weighed more than 600 pounds. The last personal watercraft I towed actually carried three people, more than some boats, but a lot less than a permit-wide express cruiser or triple-engine speedboat. And travel trailers keep getting larger, with some fifth wheels measuring up to 42 feet long, weighing 17,000 pounds empty and 12 tons fully loaded. If you're going to tow properly, you'll need to know more than just your vehicle's maximum-rated towing capacity.
Weight ratings are among the most misunderstood aspects of towing and a leading contributor to truck and trailer failure. Since the most favorable numbers work best in advertising, the only sure way to know what your rig weighs--in part or whole--is to weigh it yourself at a commercial scale. This might set you back five or 10 bucks for a noncertified figure, but it'll open your eyes.
To discuss loading, you can fill in the blanks with the measurements from your own tow vehicle, but, in this case, we'll use a Ford. Our example is an '04 single-rear wheel (SRW) 4WD F-350 Crew Cab shortbed and is a 49-state version. According to the data, this truck has a base payload of 6264 pounds, a maximum payload of 3560, and a gross vehicle weight of 9900 pounds. Notice this leaves 76 pounds unaccounted for, on the safe side of error.
The Prodigy brake controller...
The Prodigy brake controller from Tekonsha (800/786-7968; tekonsha.com) is aninertia-type unit that works in reverse and doesn't require manual level adjustment.
The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) posted on the door is the total amount of weight a truck can carry, including the truck, people, cargo, and weight on the hitch. If you had this truck, you could carry two average-size adults (154 pounds each) and 3334 pounds of cargo. With that load, you couldn't legally tow a trailer, because the weight of the optional hitch alone would put you over GVWR.
Most recreational pullers don't use bone-stock low-end models, and amenities and heavy-duty parts add weight. To make math simple, let's say this truck has 336 pounds in options and weighs 6600 pounds with a full tank of fuel. You could easily go over that, but it's still a plausible figure to work with. This number is only the truck's weight and does not include the equally important gross combined weight rating (GCWR), a number that isn't always included on the door sticker. GCWR is everything your truck will handle: truck, fluids, people, cargo, and trailer. This number is a weight level that's unsafe to exceed. This number relates to the brakes, cooling, driveline, frame, and nearly every aspect of the truck.