Simple Tongue/Pin Weight Estimator

A lot of times, during the research and evaluation process of fifth wheels is trying to figure out if your truck can or cannot tow the camper of your dreams. Most trucks run out of payload long before hitting any of their other ratings. This payload has to carry everything in/on the truck and most importantly, it has to carry the weight of the tongue or pin pushing down on the rear of the vehicle. Use this calculator to figure out the weight of the pin/tongue weight of prospective units. Once you own your camper, the form below should become worthless. You should get scaled and get accurate weights (click for instructions on how to weigh a fifth wheel or travel trailer).

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Estimated weight (or GVWR)

The advertised dry weight of a camper doesn't include any options for that camper; the first checkbox that is marked on the camper's order sheet increases the actual weight of the camper. On top of that, it is said that the average RVer loads 1,000 - 2,000 pounds of "stuff" into their camper - everything from pots and pans to grills to water in your tanks (fresh and gray/black) and water heater) to clothes to heavier mattresses to... well, you get the picture. You are going to know if you're in a smaller camper and pack lighter to a bigger camper and are of the "pack everything" mindset (which, to be honest is where we fall).

Some philosophies are to use the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the camper for your calculations from the specs. This is a decent idea as it protects you against a worst case scenario.

Tongue/pin weight percentage

Estimated Pin/Tongue Weight

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(enter numbers above)

Your truck should have this much "Cargo Carrying Capacity" in order to stay within all of your ratings. If you go to a scale and get weighed, this "Cargo Carrying Capacity" is the difference between your truck's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and it's actual weight. If you're doing this before buying, make sure you estimate the things that you normally would carry for a camping trip (don't forget the hitch!).