Questions about towing: am I right in this?

I have a 2017 Limited double cab 5.7 4x4 with the TRD 4x4 off road package, 275/65/r18 wheels, and it cane with the tow package to include a hitch. Ive been reading up on towing (never done it before) and want to make sure my payload and towing capacity calculations are correct. At the bottom of the post I have a few questions:

Numbers:
GVWR (per sticker)=7100 lbs
(With 275/65/r18)
Max passenger/cargo per sticker=1305 lbs (Differs than calculated max payload)

Curb Wt (per edmunds) =5520 lbs with full tank and no driver/passengers or cargo

Payload (for passengers/cargo)=
7100 - 5520=1580 (full tank/no occupants)

True payload =
1580 - people/cargo (without towing)

Towing payload=
1580 - ppl/cargo - tounge wt*
(*tounge wt=15-20% of trailer??)

Tow Capcity (per edmunds)=9100 lbs

True weight when towing
=7100(gvwr) - 5520(curb wt) + ppl/cargo in truck + trailer + cargo in trailer=X

X must be less than or equal to towing capacity of 9100 lbs.

1) is this right?
2) do you include the weight of the hitch receiver?
3) is the towing capacity, curb wt, and payload per edmunds correct?
4) why does the sticker reflect a 1305 max passenger/payload but the GVWR-Curb Wt reflect 1580 max
5) I added a tri-fold hard tonneau cover from line-x, should I subtract that weight
6) would the class rating of the tow hitch that came from the factory be stamped somewhere on it to know what the factory hitch is rated for?
7) should I use 15 or 20% (or something else) when factoring tounge weight
8)anything else I missed?

Bonus question: if Im running to close can I sacrifice gas (i.e. fill tank up less (1 gallon= approx 6 pounds)

Thanks

 

Hi, there are many many threads on this.

The short version is, while on paper tundras can pull a large amount, the payload will cause problems long before you get there. Unless you figure out how to tow w/o passengers, cargo, and no tongue weight!

Anything added to the truck post factory adjusts payload. Including tri-fold and tow hitch. And you, passengers, cargo, or anything else. Large tires do as well.

I think in general tongue is supposed to be 10% of trailer weight?

 

If your towing something so heavy, that you need to know your capacities down the pound....you need a bigger truck.

 

The marketing of Tundras does nothing to help this misconception.

 

Well IMHO regardless of what kinda truck you have you should know your capacity just in case...

 

Ok, but are the calculations I posted the correct was of calculating the payload and towing capacity?

 

The sticker inside your door is your first number.

From there you subtract all weight added to the vehicle since then, whatever it may be, including people. It's not quite some simple with oversized tires, but they do add to it. (I don't know how.)

What's left, assuming it's positive, is what you can legally and likely safely put on the tongue.

Now, others have rightfully said a WDH will help, and Toyota adds quite a safety margin to it, so you can probably exceed that calculated "safe to put on tongue" value. For a short bit. At the expense of your drive train and engine.

However if you are in an accident, or cause an accident, and someone runs the numbers and sees you exceeded your numbers.... things will likely go from bad to worse.

 

Close, but not correct. You need to separate payload from towing capacity. More than likely you will exceed payload before reaching max towing capacity. In very simple terms, the only trailer factor that goes into your payload calculation, is tongue weight.

 

Ok so this might be a dumb question but if you are maxed out on payload does that mean you cannot tow, or you can tow as long as the payload max includes your tounge wt

 

Normally, with tundras, you will hit you payload max before you will hit your towing max.

See my other reply.

 

Right. Your tongue weight should be included in your payload. I'd still not max it out though, give yourself some room to spare. You never know when you might need to load something on your way back that would put you over max.

 

Here are my numbers for reference, with a 4,000 lbs trailer. This is with absolutely no cargo, just myself at 200 lbs. Throw in a 400 lbs motorcycle, 200 lbs friend, gas can & spare tire and I've essentially maxed out my payload, but I still have another ~7,000 lbs of towing capacity left.

 

Thats why Im trying to nail down the calculations now. I dont think I will end up towing alot but 1)you never know and 2) I do plan to end up towing a project car home eventually, and if I score one with a motor or spare parts and like to know ahead of time, plus when i finish it Id like to tow it to meets and whatnot and you never know if you have to pick up some swag or something on the way there or back.

I think Im clear now.....

 

I stick to the 80 percent rule. Don't tow over 80 percent of your max tow rating.

 

My advice is to get your truck set up just how you like it (all the toys and gear you will be hauling) and drive to a truck scale (fill up the gas tank just before you scale). Get a measurement of weight on both axles plus the total weight.

Subtract the total weight from the GVWR. That’s # is the maximum pin weight of your trailer that can be loaded to the truck.

It is much easier to exceed the GVWR than the axle limits, but you can check those too.

Subtracting the total weight from the GCWR tells you how heavy your trailer can be.

The whole pin weight % discussion is important too. For a balanced bumper tow, the general rule of thumb I think is the pin weight should be 10-12% of the trailer weight. In reality, how you load your trailer and if you use a WDS is what’s important. So again, you need to scale your truck and trailer to see how it all shakes out.

 

You're in the clear. Also slightly overthinking. You won't die if you overload your towing or payload by a small amount in the off situation.

I agree with the 80% rule of thumb. Anything else, you'll know you'd want a 3/4 ton.

I had a 14 Tacoma with max towing of 6400 (IIRC). I pulled at 3200lbs camper behind it and I knew it was there. It was not fun and no way would I have wanted to do that a lot. Can it do it? Yes. Should it? Sure. Did I want to? No. Just too little of truck for the weight.

As far as sacrificing gas. Never do that. 6lbs for a gallon of gas is not worth it. No need to nickel and dime your lbs as if you're going to visit your cardiologist. Not to mention that gas is the absolute 1 thing you need to pull a trailer.

As @CTundraForMe said, there's a ton of threads over these exact questions. It would be wise to read through them and get yourself comfortable with what you're doing.

 

This may seem obvious, but since it’s new to you: If you have cargo in the bed of the truck and that plus your tongue weight puts you at the max cargo capacity, put the stuff in the bed in the trailer.

 

Tongue weight typically runs around 10% of total trailer weight not 15 to 20%. It depends on the trailer type and axle location and number. The only way to know for sure what your tongue weight is to weigh it with a typical load. A level trailer tows best. A little higher is preferred over lower. I suspect that boats typically have a lower tongue weight as a percentage then TTs. My boat has a lot of weight in the back.