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SYSTEM WEIGHT RATING vs. COMPONENT WEIGHT RATING
A towing system includes each vehicle and component involved in towing. Each item in your towing system has a capacity
or weight rating. You trailer has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, or GVWR. Your truck has a tow capacity, payload
capacity, and possibly more. In addition, your fth wheel hitch has a weight rating. This weight rating must be at, or
above, the GVWR of your trailer for you to tow safely. In addition, if your truck can tow larger loads (has a larger capacity)
than the rating of your hitch, your system is only safe to tow loads at the lower rating, that of the hitch.
Your mounting kit also has a weight rating, just like your fth wheel hitch. Many times, these rating are designed to match.
But, this is not always the case. Your mounting kit may be higher rated then your fth wheel hitch, but it also could be
lower depending on the components involved. The lowest rating of any one component in the system becomes the
rating of the entire system. If your mounting kit is rated to 18,000 lbs., and your hitch is rated at 24,000 lbs., the weight
rating of the entire system will not be above 18,000 lbs. Other components in the system could lower the actual system
rating further.
It is the end users responsibility to ensure a safe towing experience. To this end, it is your responsibility to ensure that
the truck, trailer, hitching components, and all other items involved are rated or have a capacity sufcient for the loads
involved.
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