About PayloadScale.com: Door-Sticker Payload & SAE J2807 Towing Reference
Publisher note: PayloadScale is an independent calculator, not an automotive engineering or towing-safety service. The publisher has no professional automotive qualification, and no qualified engineer has reviewed or certified these results. Verify the vehicle door label, manuals, scale weights, and hitch limits before towing.
PayloadScale.com is an independent towing calculation reference built to address the most common planning error in North American recreational and utility towing: confusing an advertised brochure Max Tow Rating with a vehicle's actual FMVSS No. 110 B-pillar door-jamb payload capacity and Rear GAWR.
Highway Safety & Mass-Balance Purpose
Every season across North American interstates and mountain grades from I-70 at the Eisenhower Tunnel to the 6% climbs of the Appalachians and Sierra Nevada, half-ton pickups, three-quarter-ton diesel trucks, and three-row family SUVs tow travel trailers and fifth-wheel campers. Drivers frequently pull trailers well below the truck's advertised maximum tow rating while unknowingly exceeding the payload, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) printed on the driver's door-jamb label. The governing federal ratings are defined in NHTSA FMVSS No. 110 tire and loading information and FHWA axle weight guidelines.
Dealership brochures highlight the highest trailer weight achieved by a base-trim two-wheel-drive or lightly optioned pickup carrying zero aftermarket accessories and two 150 lb front-seat occupants under SAE J2807 test conditions (SAE International J2807 Standard). When an owner configures a four-wheel-drive crew cab with a panoramic moonroof, hybrid battery pack, skid plates, power running boards, spray-in bedliner, and extended-range fuel tank, factory options add 450 to 750 lbs of permanent curb weight. Every pound of added curb weight subtracts directly from legal payload before passengers or trailer tongue load are added.
PayloadScale.com starts from the yellow and white Tire and Loading Information placard (49 CFR 571.110) on the B-pillar door jamb. Our interactive weigh-scale calculator, live side-profile truck-and-trailer axle-vector SVG schematics, dedicated tongue weight, fifth-wheel pin weight, and 3-pass CAT Scale ticket tools, and 19 scenario audits evaluate Door Payload, Truck GVWR, Rear GAWR, SAE GCWR, and Max Tow simultaneously.
Primary OEM Towing & Body Builder Sources
Reference vehicle presets are compiled from public Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) towing guides and body builder layout publications:
- Ford Motor Company RV & Trailer Towing Guides and eSourceBook Body Builder Layout Books: Wheelbase-specific and axle-ratio-specific Gross Combined Weight Ratings (GCWR), Base Curb Weights, GVWR package codes (including Class 2b 10,000 lb Super Duty packages), and frontal area limits for F-150, F-250, F-350, Ranger, and Expedition models.
- General Motors (Chevrolet & GMC) Trailering Guides and Body Upfitter Manuals: RPO axle ratio codes (GU6 3.42, GT4 3.73, NHT Max Trailering), Rear GAWR ceilings, and Duramax vs EcoTec3 curb weight differentials across Silverado 1500/2500HD/3500HD, Sierra, Tahoe, and Colorado platforms.
- Stellantis / Ram Body Builder Guides and Jeep Towing Charts: Multi-link rear coil vs air suspension payload ratings, eTorque curb weight adjustments, and Class 2b 10,000 lb GVWR Cummins turbo-diesel payload limits on Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Grand Cherokee, and Gladiator trims.
- Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru & Kia Towing Specifications: TNGA-F ladder-frame payload ratings (Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, 4Runner) and unibody crossover dead-weight receiver tongue limits.
Why Brochure Dry Trailer Weights (UVW) Understate Real Hitch Loads
RV manufacturers advertise Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW) and Dry Hitch Weight measured without potable water, LP gas in twin propane cylinders, A-frame deep-cycle batteries, or camping cargo. Once loaded for travel, two 30 lb propane tanks (+110 lbs filled), dual batteries (+115 lbs) on the front A-frame, fresh water (+334 lbs for 40 gallons), and 600 to 1,000 lbs of gear raise gross trailer weight by 1,100 to 1,800 lbs and shift bumper-pull tongue weight to 12%–15% (and fifth-wheel pin weight to 18%–22%):
| Trailer Class & Example | Brochure Dry UVW | Brochure Dry Hitch | Real Loaded GVWR | Real Loaded Coupling (13% / 18%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Axle 20 ft Bunkhouse Camper | 3,450 lbs | 380 lbs | 4,500 lbs | 585 lbs (13% Tongue) |
| Half-Ton 28 ft Couples Travel Trailer | 5,820 lbs | 610 lbs | 7,200 lbs | 936 lbs (13% Tongue) |
| Large 32 ft Family Bunkhouse Trailer | 6,750 lbs | 720 lbs | 8,400 lbs | 1,092 lbs (13% Tongue) |
| Mid-Profile 35 ft Fifth-Wheel RV | 10,980 lbs | 1,920 lbs | 13,800 lbs | 2,484 lbs (18% Kingpin) |
| Full-Profile 41 ft Triple-Axle Toy Hauler | 14,600 lbs | 2,750 lbs | 19,000 lbs | 3,420 lbs (18% Kingpin) |
How the Calculators & Rig Schematics Are Verified
All calculators and dynamic side-profile rig axle-vector SVG diagrams on PayloadScale.com share a single pure TypeScript engine documented in our SAE J2807 & FMVSS No. 110 calculation methodology and verified by automated unit and build-consistency tests on every release. PayloadScale.com is maintained by a single independent publisher, with no engineering staff or editorial board; your physical door-jamb label and certified CAT Scale ticket always govern.
Safety classifications (OPTIMAL below 85% utilization, NEAR LIMIT from 85% to 99%, and OVERLOAD whenever any single parameter exceeds Door Payload, Truck GVWR, Rear GAWR, GCWR, or Max Tow Rating) are deterministic. Statutory registration details for Ulysan are published on our Legal Notice, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy pages, and feedback or door-sticker submissions can be sent via our Contact page.