How Much Can I Actually Tow? Find Out Before You Buy an RV.
Your truck has a max tow rating, but that number on the sticker isn’t the whole story. Once you load up your family, gear, bikes, and everything else you’re bringing along, your real towing capacity drops. Sometimes by a lot.
That’s the mistake most first-time RV buyers make. They see a 7,500 lb tow rating and assume they can pull a 7,000 lb travel trailer. They can’t. At least not safely.
Use the estimator below to see what your truck can realistically handle once you factor in everything that’s coming with you.
Tow It Safe
Real-World Capacity Calculator
Why Is My Real Tow Capacity Lower Than What's on the Sticker?
The tow rating on your door jamb is the maximum your truck can pull under ideal conditions. Just the truck, one driver, and nothing else. The moment you add passengers, coolers, camping gear, or toys like ATVs and bikes, that number shrinks.
Your truck doesn’t care what’s in the trailer versus what’s in the bed or cab. It all counts. A family of four with a weekend’s worth of gear can easily eat up 800 to 1,000 lbs before you’ve even hitched anything up.
The estimator above applies a 20% safety margin on top of that. Towing at your absolute max isn’t just hard on your truck. It’s harder to stop, harder to control in wind, and harder to manage on mountain passes. If you’re towing anywhere around Boise, you know the grades on 21 heading to Idaho City or pulling up to McCall on Highway 55. That margin matters here. For more on what safe towing looks like in Idaho, check out our guide to towing your RV safely.
What Size Travel Trailer Can My Truck Pull?
It depends on what else you’re hauling. That’s really the whole point. A half-ton truck rated at 7,500 lbs might safely handle a 4,500 lb trailer for a couple on a weekend trip, but drop to 3,000 lbs or less once you add kids, a side-by-side, and all the gear that comes with it.
The best approach is to figure out your payload first, meaning everything and everyone that rides with the truck, then see what’s left for the trailer. That’s what the calculator above does. If you’re curious which models tend to work well for the kind of camping people do around here, take a look at our top 5 best RVs for Idaho.
Do I Need a Bigger Truck or a Smaller Trailer?
Usually the answer is a smaller trailer. Upgrading trucks is expensive, and most people overestimate how much space they actually need in an RV. A well-designed travel trailer in the 3,500 to 5,000 lb range can comfortably sleep a family and still leave room in your tow budget for the stuff you actually want to bring.
The dealers listed on this site can help you find something that fits your truck’s real capacity, not just what looks good on the lot. When you’re ready, hit the “Inquire with Dealer” button on the calculator and your results go right to them.
Can I Tow a Fifth Wheel With a Half-Ton Truck?
Some newer half-tons are rated for lighter fifth wheels, but it’s tight. You’ll want to pay close attention to payload capacity (not just tow rating) because fifth wheels put more pin weight on your truck bed than a bumper-pull trailer puts on your hitch. If you’re in that territory, talk to a dealer and get specific about your truck’s configuration. Engine, axle ratio, and packages all matter.
What If I'm Also Hauling ATVs, a Side-by-Side, or Bikes?
This is where a lot of people get into trouble. A side-by-side on a utility trailer adds roughly 1,800 lbs before you count the trailer itself. A sport ATV is around 600 lbs. Even a couple of e-bikes on a hitch rack add 150 lbs that comes straight off your tow capacity.
If you’re the type who brings the toys, you need to account for all of it before picking a travel trailer. Run the numbers above with everything checked that you’d typically bring on a trip. The result might surprise you.
Where Can I Find the Tow Rating for My Specific Truck?
Three places to check, starting with the most accurate: the sticker on your driver’s side door jamb (it’s specific to your exact build), your owner’s manual, or the manufacturer’s towing guide for your model year. Don’t rely on what someone told you or what you saw online for a similar truck. Trim levels, engines, axle ratios, and packages all change the number.
If you’re not sure, any of the Boise-area RV dealers on this site can help you figure it out. And once you know what you can tow, our RV financing calculator can help you see what it’ll cost.