TowingMath

Hitch Class Selector

Enter your trailer weight and tongue weight to see the lowest hitch class that covers both.

Your numbers

Gross trailer weight, as it travels.
Roughly 10-15% of loaded weight for a conventional trailer.
Minimum hitch class —

Enter your numbers above.

Verify before you tow. These figures are a planning aid, not professional or engineering advice. Your real limits are the ones printed on your vehicle's door-jamb placard, your trailer's VIN plate, and your owner's manual - and those override anything calculated here. When numbers are close, weigh the rig and go with the more conservative answer.

Hitch class chart

Typical published ratings. These are industry conventions rather than a federal standard and they vary between manufacturers - the label on your own receiver governs.

ClassReceiver Weight carrying
GTW / tongue		 Weight distributing
GTW / tongue		 Typical use
Class I 1-1/4" 2,000 / 200 lb not rated for WD Small utility trailers, bike racks, light cargo carriers
Class II 1-1/4" 3,500 / 300 lb not rated for WD Small boats, pop-up campers, single-axle utility trailers
Class III 2" 6,000 / 600 lb 10,000 / 1,000 lb Travel trailers, mid-size boats, car haulers
Class IV 2" 10,000 / 1,000 lb 14,000 / 1,400 lb Large travel trailers, equipment trailers
Class V 2-1/2" 12,000 / 1,200 lb 17,000 / 1,700 lb Heavy equipment, large livestock and toy haulers

The hitch is never the only limit. Fitting a Class V receiver does not change your vehicle's GCWR, payload or axle ratings. Check what the vehicle can tow and what payload is left before choosing hardware.

Common questions

What hitch class do I need?

Pick the class whose rating covers both your loaded trailer weight and your tongue weight, using the weight-carrying column unless you are actually running a weight distribution hitch.

Both numbers have to fit. A 5,000 lb trailer with 750 lb of tongue weight exceeds a Class III weight-carrying tongue rating of 600 lb even though the trailer weight is inside the 6,000 lb limit.

What is the difference between weight carrying and weight distributing ratings?

The same receiver usually carries two ratings. Weight carrying (WC) applies when the trailer hangs directly off the ball. Weight distributing (WD) applies only when a weight distribution hitch with spring bars is fitted and properly adjusted.

The WD rating is substantially higher - a Class III is commonly 6,000 lb WC and 10,000 lb WD. You only get the higher number if the WD hardware is actually installed and tensioned.

Does a bigger hitch class raise my towing capacity?

No. The hitch is one link in the chain, and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Your vehicle's GCWR, GVWR, payload and axle ratings are unchanged by fitting a heavier hitch.

A Class V hitch on a half-ton truck does not let it tow like a three-quarter-ton. It just means the hitch is no longer the limiting component.

Are hitch class ratings standardised?

Only loosely. The classes are industry convention rather than federal regulation, and published figures differ between manufacturers.

The rating that governs is the one on the label of your specific hitch, together with your vehicle's tow rating. Where they disagree, the lower number wins. Treat the table on this page as orientation, not specification.

Related tools

Sources