Last updated: September 26, 2026
Chuck Price has 35+ years of RV camping experience and owns a 2018 Hymer Aktiv Class B.
Safe trailer towing comes down to four checks. Keep conventional tongue weight at 10% to 15% of loaded trailer weight, per Chevrolet and three hitch makers. Stay under every rating on your door label and towing guide. Set weight distribution per your truck maker. Meet each state’s brake law.
Check your vehicle’s towing guide, your hitch manual and the current law in every state you tow through. This guide covers conventional travel trailers and fifth wheels pulled by a pickup or SUV. For flat towing a car behind a motorhome, see our guide to flat towing a car behind a motorhome.
- Must-Know: Tongue weight counts against your truck’s GVWR and payload, per Chevrolet.
- Trip Killers: Tongue weight under 10% can let the trailer sway, per CURT. Another is a breakaway cable attached where the kit maker says not to, such as the chains or ball on a CURT kit.
- Best For: Owners of conventional travel trailers and fifth wheels who tow with a pickup or SUV.
- Confirm Before You Go: Weigh the fully loaded truck and trailer, as Ford and Chevrolet both advise, and check brake laws in every state on your route.
Know the weight ratings before you hitch
Tongue weight counts against your truck’s GVWR and payload, per Chevrolet. Chevrolet’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) includes “the as-equipped weight of the vehicle plus the cargo, passengers and trailer tongue weight”. Ratings differ from one truck to the next, so read them from your own label and towing guide. Federal rule 49 CFR 567.4 puts the certification label on “the hinge pillar, door-latch post, or the door edge that meets the door-latch post, next to the driver’s seating position” (eCFR).
That label shows the GVWR and the gross axle weight rating (GAWR) for each axle, front to rear.
| Rating | What it limits | Where to find it | When you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) | The “maximum allowable weight of the fully-loaded vehicle” (Ford), which includes trailer tongue weight (Chevrolet) | Door certification label (49 CFR 567.4) | Checking the truck’s weight with the trailer hitched |
| Gross axle weight rating (GAWR) | The “maximum weight to be carried by a single axle (front or rear)” (Ford) | Door certification label, front and rear axle (49 CFR 567.4) | Checking each axle reading on a scale ticket |
| Gross combined weight rating (GCWR) | The “maximum allowable weight of the towing vehicle and the loaded trailer” (Ford) | Your vehicle maker’s towing guide | Checking the whole rig’s gross weight |
| Payload | The “combined maximum allowable weight of cargo and passengers” (Ford), with tongue weight counted in (Chevrolet) | Your vehicle maker’s towing guide | Deciding how much you can carry in the truck |
Chevrolet’s guide states, “The only way to be sure to not exceed any of these ratings is to weigh the tow vehicle and trailer combination, fully loaded for the trip, getting individual weights for each of these items” (Chevrolet). Ford also tells owners to have the fully loaded vehicle, passengers included, and trailer weighed. If you are shopping for a rig, read our notes on matching a trailer to your tow vehicle when buying. Electric pickups raise their own questions, covered in our piece on towing a trailer with an EV.
Tongue weight: the 10 to 15 percent range and how to measure it
Conventional trailer tongue weight should be 10% to 15% of loaded trailer weight, per Chevrolet, CURT, Equal-i-zer and Blue Ox. Ford states 10% of loaded trailer weight for conventional trailers over 2,000 lb. For trailers up to 2,000 lb, Ford caps tongue load at 200 lb. Fifth-wheel and gooseneck trailers use higher figures, shown in the table below. As an example, a 6,000 lb loaded trailer puts 600 lb on the hitch at 10% and 900 lb at 15%.
| Source | Conventional trailer | Fifth wheel or gooseneck | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford 2026 RV and Trailer Towing Guide | 10% of loaded trailer weight over 2,000 lb, 200 lb maximum up to 2,000 lb | 15% of loaded trailer weight (king pin) | Ford tow vehicles |
| 2026 Chevrolet Trailering Guide | 10% to 15% of loaded trailer weight, with a 10% maximum when towing the maximum trailer weight | 15% to 25%, with a 15% maximum when towing the maximum trailer weight | Chevrolet tow vehicles |
| CURT | About 10% to 15% of gross trailer weight | Not given on the page cited | General coupler and hitch guidance |
| Equal-i-zer | 10% to 15% of gross trailer weight | Not given on the page cited | Equal-i-zer hitch owners |
| Blue Ox | 10% to 15% of total trailer weight | Not given on the page cited | General tongue weight guidance |
Where your tow vehicle’s own guide gives a different figure, follow that guide.
Why the range matters
Below 10%, “the trailer may tend to sway back and forth,” per CURT. Above 15%, “your vehicle may become less responsive, especially when turning and braking,” CURT says. Equal-i-zer’s owner’s manual puts it more directly: “Towing with a tongue weight more than 15% or less than 10% of gross trailer weight greatly increases the likelihood for loss of vehicle control” (Equal-i-zer).
Three ways to measure tongue weight
- Ford method: disconnect the trailer and place only the tongue on a scale at hitch ball height (Ford).
- Blue Ox tongue scale method: with the trailer fully loaded on level ground, set the scale under the tongue jack, lower the jack onto it, then unhitch the trailer and read the scale (Blue Ox).
- Blue Ox commercial scale method: weigh the vehicle without the trailer, then weigh it again hitched with the trailer wheels off the scale (Blue Ox). The hitched weight minus the solo weight “equals your trailer tongue weight,” Blue Ox says.
If the reading is over the limit, Ford says to move cargo rearward. If it is under the minimum, move cargo forward.
Loading the trailer
Ford advises placing about 60% of the allowable cargo weight in the front half of the trailer. The other 40% goes in the rear half, per the same 2026 Ford guide.
Setting up a weight-distributing hitch
Ford‘s setup method uses front fender height to set how much weight the load bars return to the front axle. The front axle load restoration (FALR) figures below come from Ford’s 2026 guide and apply to Ford models only. Chevrolet and Equal-i-zer give no restoration percentage in the guides cited here, so other brands should follow their own manuals.
For Super Duty trucks, Ford writes, “If using load bars for weight distribution, Ford recommends 50% front axle load restoration (FALR).”
When Ford requires one
Ford defines Class III as trailers of 3,501 to 5,000 lb and Class IV as trailers over 5,000 lb (Ford). Ford lists a weight-distributing hitch as “Required for certain Class III and all Class IV applications.”
Ford’s fender-height method, step by step
- Load the trailer the way it will be loaded for the trip, with 10% tongue load, and park on level ground (Ford).
- Use the tongue jack to set the trailer level or just slightly nose down, and load the tow vehicle the way you will use it on the trip.
- Set the ball mount height per the hitch maker’s instructions so the ball matches the coupler height with the trailer unhitched.
- Measure from the ground to the top of the front fender lip, above the center of the wheel. Record it as H1.
- Hitch the trailer with no weight-distribution bars attached and the tongue jack fully retracted, then measure again. Record it as H2.
- Subtract H1 from H2, then multiply by your model’s correction factor. The result is the reduction.
- Subtract the reduction from H2 to get the target height.
- Adjust the bars “per manufacturer’s instructions” until the fender lip reaches the target height and the trailer sits level to slightly nose down.
- Finish latching the coupler and connect the wiring, safety chains and breakaway system.
| Ford model | Figure in Ford’s guide | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty pickups, F-350 to F-600 Super Duty Chassis Cab | 50% FALR (Ford) | Recommended when using load bars |
| F-150, F-150 Raptor, Expedition, F-250 and F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty Crew Cab, Super Duty Chassis Cab | 50% correction factor (Ford) | Step 6 of the fender-height method |
| F-450 Super Duty pickup, Regular Cab | 25% correction factor (Ford) | Step 6 of the fender-height method |
| Mustang, Bronco Sport, Escape, Bronco, Explorer, Maverick and Ranger | “Not Required” (Ford) | Ford lists no correction factor |
| Transit | “Use Not Recommended” (Ford) | Entry in Ford’s correction factor table |
What Chevrolet and Equal-i-zer say
If a trailer needs weight distribution, Chevrolet says to “use a frame-mounted, weight-distributing hitch and sway control of the proper size.” Chevrolet’s 2026 guide gives no FALR percentage. The Equal-i-zer installation guide has you measure from the ground to the wheel well above the front axle three times. Take one reading before coupling, one coupled without weight distribution, and one with it engaged. Equal-i-zer gives no fender-height target in the guide cited here.
Equal-i-zer 6K-14K models are rated at 600 lb tongue and 6,000 lb trailer, 1,000 and 10,000 lb, 1,200 and 12,000 lb, and 1,400 and 14,000 lb (Equal-i-zer). The hitch ball must be rated at or above the trailer’s gross vehicle weight, per the Equal-i-zer installation guide.
Weighing your rig at a CAT Scale
A CAT Scale ticket gives axle and gross weights for your truck and trailer (CAT Scale). CAT Scale says its scales “cannot weigh each corner of the vehicle.” CAT Scale lists more than 1,675 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Prices below are as of September 2026.
- Load the truck and trailer the way you will travel, passengers included (Chevrolet).
- Pull on with the steer axle on platform 1, the drive axle on platform 2 and the trailer axles on platform 3 (CAT Scale).
- Compare the steer and drive axle weights with the front and rear GAWR on the door label.
- Compare the gross weight on the ticket with your GCWR.
As of September 2026, the CAT Scale FAQ lists $15.25 for a first weigh and $5.25 for a reweigh. The reweigh price applies to the same vehicle, with the full-price ticket presented, at the same scale, within 24 hours.
Trailer brakes, breakaway systems and safety chains
Your truck maker may require trailer brakes at a lower weight than a state law does. Chevrolet requires trailer brakes above 2,000 lb on Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe, and above 1,500 lb on all other models. That is a vehicle maker requirement, not a law. State brake laws are separate, so follow both your maker and each state’s rule. Ford writes, “Ford Motor Company recommends that a separate functional brake system be used on any towed vehicle.”
Breakaway systems
A breakaway system applies the trailer brakes if the trailer separates from the tow vehicle. CURT’s breakaway kit instructions say to attach the cable “to a suitable location on the frame of the tow vehicle” (CURT). CURT adds, “Do not attach the breakaway switch cable to mounting hooks, trailer safety chains or the trailer ball.” The California DMV handbook (Rev. 11/2011) instead says the cable is “looped around a stationary hitch component on the tow vehicle,” and its coupling checklist says a breakaway switch “must be connected to the first link of the safety chain” (California DMV). The two sources differ, so follow the instructions for your own breakaway kit.
- Check the breakaway battery charge with the Test button before connecting for towing (CURT).
- When preparing to tow, test the system by pulling firmly on the breakaway cable, CURT says.
- CURT’s post-installation test lifts the trailer on a jack and jack stands, with the 7-way connector unplugged, and leaves the pin pulled for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, “The trailer brakes should still be applied and the wheels should not be able to spin,” CURT says. Recharge the breakaway battery before first use after that test, per CURT.
- Disconnect the trailer connector before the test to avoid damaging the brake controller, CURT says.
Safety chains
Ford says to always use safety chains and to cross them under the tongue. Crossed chains keep the tongue from hitting the ground if the trailer separates, per Ford. Leave only enough slack for full turns, and do not let the chains drag. Chevrolet crosses conventional-trailer chains under the tongue so it is “less likely to drop and hit the road” if the trailer separates from the hitch. The California DMV handbook (Rev. 11/2011) requires safety chains on travel trailers but not on fifth wheels, crossed in an “X” below the ball mount (California DMV).
Federal chain and breakaway rules cover commercial vehicles
The federal chain and breakaway rules in 49 CFR Part 393 are commercial-vehicle rules. They apply to “employers, employees, and commercial motor vehicles that transport property or passengers in interstate commerce,” per 49 CFR 390.3 (eCFR, current as of September 24, 2026). The same section exempts “The occasional transportation of personal property by individuals not for compensation and not in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise.” For most private RV towing, look to state law instead.
Trailer brake laws by state: a partial table
Among the seven states checked, brake thresholds run from trailers over 1,000 lb unladen in New York and 1,500 lb in California to 3,000 lb in Minnesota and 4,500 lb in Texas. Minnesota also requires brakes when the trailer outweighs the empty tow vehicle. Michigan, Montana and Pennsylvania use 3,000 lb, each with a condition tied to 40% of the towing vehicle’s gross weight. Each state writes its own rule, and several add conditions such as trailer age or towing-vehicle weight. This is a partial list, checked September 26, 2026.
Check your own state and every state you drive through at that state’s own code or DMV.
| State | Brakes required | Breakaway rule | Source and date | Use case note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Brakes are required on any trailer coach or camp trailer of 1,500 lb gross weight or more. | Breakaway switches are required on trailers of 1,500 lb gross or more made after Dec. 31, 1955. | California DMV Recreational Vehicles and Trailers Handbook DL 648, Rev. 11/2011 (agency handbook, statute text not opened) | Trailer coaches and camp trailers |
| Michigan | New trailers sold in Michigan need brakes on all wheels, except a trailer “of less than 3,000 pounds gross weight need not be equipped with brakes if the gross weight of a trailer … does not exceed 40% of the gross weight of the towing vehicle”. A separate 40% test applies to a semitrailer, “part of the load of which rests upon the towing vehicle”. Trailers of 15,001 lb or more need brakes on all wheels applied from the cab. | No breakaway provision found in the section checked. | MCL 257.705, as amended by 2011 PA 151 | New trailers sold in Michigan |
| Minnesota | Brakes are required on a trailer “with a gross vehicle weight of 3,000 or more pounds, or a gross weight that exceeds the empty weight of the towing vehicle”. | Over 3,000 lb, brakes must stop and hold the trailer “whenever it becomes detached from the towing vehicle.” | Minnesota Statutes 169.67, subd. 3, 2025 Minnesota Statutes | Two triggers, trailer weight or a trailer heavier than the empty tow vehicle. Surge brakes qualify. |
| Montana | Every vehicle needs brakes on all wheels, except trailers “of a gross weight not exceeding 3,000 pounds” whose total weight does not exceed “40% of the gross weight of the towing vehicle when connected” and whose combination meets the stopping standard in 61-9-312. | Trailers over 3,000 lb gross made after Jan. 1, 1966 need brakes on all wheels that apply “automatically and promptly, and remain applied for at least 15 minutes upon breakaway”. | Montana Code Annotated 61-9-304 and 61-9-305, Montana Code Annotated 2025 | 40% condition applies at 3,000 lb or less |
| New York | Brakes are required on trailers “weighing more than one thousand pounds unladen” and on trailers made on or after Jan. 1, 1971 whose registered maximum gross weight, actual gross weight, or unladen weight plus the maker’s recommended carrying capacity is “in excess of three thousand pounds”. | No breakaway provision found in the section checked. | New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 375, most recent revision Aug. 28, 2026 | Two tests, unladen weight and gross weight |
| Pennsylvania | “A trailer shall be equipped with a service brake system,” with brakes acting on all wheels. The listed exceptions include “A trailer of a gross weight not exceeding 3,000 pounds, if the gross weight of the trailer does not exceed 40% of the gross weight of the towing vehicle.” | Trailers equipped with brakes or over 3,000 lb gross need a breakaway system that stops and holds the trailer automatically. | 67 Pa. Code 175.123, PennDOT Publication 45, no revision date shown (agency publication, 75 Pa.C.S. 4502 not opened) | Recreational, semi and utility trailers |
| Texas | Brakes are not required at 4,500 lb gross or less, or over 4,500 lb up to 15,000 lb when drawn at not more than 30 mph. | Not verified at a primary source this review. | Texas Department of Public Safety, “Brakes Required”, page last updated Aug. 19, 2020 (agency page, statute text not opened) | Speed condition applies over 4,500 lb up to 15,000 lb |
Before you drive and at the first stop
Recheck the hitch, lights, lug nuts and engine oil after about 50 miles, per Ford. Your own trailer, hitch and brake controller manuals may add further steps, so work through those as well.
- Weigh the fully loaded vehicle, passengers included, and trailer before the trip (Ford).
- Check the breakaway battery with the Test button before you connect for towing (CURT).
- Attach the breakaway cable to the tow vehicle frame, not the chains, hooks or ball (CURT).
- Cross the safety chains under the tongue, with slack only for full turns and no dragging (Ford).
- After about 50 miles, stop and recheck the hitch attachment, lights, wheel lug nuts and engine oil (Ford).
For the full walk-around, use our pre-trip checklist for travel trailers. For general upkeep, see our RV maintenance and repair guide. Before your next trip, open your truck’s towing guide, your hitch manual and the brake rule for each state on your route, and weigh the loaded rig.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of trailer weight should tongue weight be?
Chevrolet, CURT, Equal-i-zer and Blue Ox say 10% to 15% of loaded trailer weight for conventional trailers. Ford states 10% for conventional trailers over 2,000 lb and a 200 lb maximum for trailers up to 2,000 lb. Chevrolet caps tongue weight at 10% when towing the maximum trailer weight. Where your truck’s towing guide gives its own figure, follow that guide.
How much pin weight does a fifth-wheel trailer put on the truck?
Ford states that king pin weight is 15% of loaded trailer weight for fifth-wheel trailers. Chevrolet gives a range of 15% to 25% for gooseneck and fifth-wheel trailers. The two guides differ, so use the figure in the towing guide for your own truck and count pin weight against payload.
How do I measure tongue weight?
Blue Ox describes two methods. With the trailer fully loaded, set a tongue scale under the jack, lower the jack onto it, then unhitch and read the scale. Or weigh your vehicle alone, then again hitched with the trailer wheels off the scale, and subtract. Ford places only the tongue on a scale at hitch ball height.
How much should a weight-distributing hitch restore to the front axle?
Ford recommends 50% front axle load restoration on its Super Duty pickups and chassis cabs when using load bars. Ford’s fender-height correction factor is 50% for the F-150, Expedition and most Super Duty models, and 25% for the F-450 Super Duty Regular Cab. Chevrolet’s 2026 guide gives no percentage, so for other brands follow your vehicle and hitch manuals.
At what weight does a trailer need brakes?
It depends on the state. Among seven states checked on September 26, 2026, thresholds run from over 1,000 lb unladen in New York to over 4,500 lb in Texas, which adds a speed condition. Chevrolet requires trailer brakes above 1,500 lb or 2,000 lb depending on the model. Check each state on your route before departure.
Where should the breakaway cable attach?
Attach it to a suitable location on the frame of the tow vehicle, per CURT. CURT says not to attach the breakaway switch cable to mounting hooks, trailer safety chains or the trailer ball. CURT also says to check the breakaway battery charge with the Test button before connecting the trailer for towing.
Do FMCSA safety chain and breakaway rules apply to my RV?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules cover commercial motor vehicles that carry property or passengers in interstate commerce, per 49 CFR 390.3 (eCFR). They exempt occasional transport of personal property by individuals not for compensation and not for a commercial enterprise. State law governs most private RV trailers.
How much does a CAT Scale weigh cost?
As of September 2026, the CAT Scale FAQ lists $15.25 for a first weigh. A reweigh costs $5.25 when it is the same vehicle, at the same scale, within 24 hours, with the full-price ticket presented. Confirm current prices at the scale before you weigh.
