Towing Capacity, Tongue Weight & Setup
How to Read Your Door Jamb Sticker
Two separate labels live in there, and most people read neither. Between them they decide what you can safely tow.
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Short answer
The certification label carries GVWR and a GAWR for each axle. The tire and loading placard carries the payload sentence: the combined weight of occupants and cargo that should never be exceeded. Tongue weight counts against that second figure.
Label one: the certification label
Its content is set by federal regulation. 49 CFR 567.4 requires it to show the manufacturer, the month and year of manufacture, the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating in pounds, and a Gross Axle Weight Rating for each axle identified in order from front to rear.
| Figure | Limits |
|---|---|
| GVWR | Total weight of the loaded vehicle including everyone and everything in it |
| GAWR front | How much weight the front axle may carry |
| GAWR rear | How much weight the rear axle may carry - the one tongue weight loads |
Label two: the tire and loading placard
This is the yellow-and-white one. FMVSS 110 specifies its content, including the vehicle capacity weight expressed as the sentence "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX pounds." It also carries the designated seating capacity and the manufacturer's recommended cold tire inflation pressures for front, rear and spare.
What is not on either label
- Towing capacity. Not on the door jamb. It is in the owner's manual or the maker's towing guide, specific to your configuration.
- GCWR. Also in the manual - the combined vehicle-plus-trailer ceiling.
- Receiver rating. On the receiver itself, not the vehicle.
- Your actual current weight. Only a scale tells you that.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. How these are chosen - and what we do and do not claim to know - is published in full on our research methodology page.
| # | Product | Best for | Our read | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scale The missing measurement | Measuring tongue weight at home | Pairs with the payload figure | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 2 |  Weigh Safe Adjustable Drop Hitch with Built-in Tongue Weight Scale Check as you hitch | Owners who will never visit a scale | Tongue weight against your placard number | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 3 |  CURT Round Bar Weight Distribution Hitch with Sway Control (14K) When the rear axle is the issue | Mid-size travel trailers | Shifts load off the rear axle | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
1. The missing measurement
Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scale
Sherline · Best for measuring tongue weight at home
A dedicated scale you sit under the coupler to read tongue weight directly, with no arithmetic and no trip to a weighbridge. It is the one tool on this site that turns the single most important towing number from a guess into a measurement.
We have not sourced a full specification table for this model from the manufacturer’s own site at a stable address. Rather than repeat figures we cannot cite, the assessment above is limited to what the design and the maker’s published description genuinely establish.
What works
- Direct reading, with no bathroom-scale-and-lever arithmetic
- Repeatable, so you can see what moving the load actually does
- Mechanical gauge with no batteries to be flat when you need it
What does not
- Must be used on level ground with the coupler at towing height
- Single-purpose tool that spends most of its life in a cupboard
Skip it if
Unnecessary if your hitch already has a built-in gauge, or if you have a public scale nearby and are happy to use it.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: Sherline’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
2. Check as you hitch
Weigh Safe Adjustable Drop Hitch with Built-in Tongue Weight Scale
Weigh Safe · Best for owners who will never visit a scale
An adjustable drop hitch with a hydraulic gauge in the shank, so the tongue weight reads out as you lower the trailer onto the ball. It turns the single most-skipped step in towing into something that happens automatically, which is worth more than the hardware itself.
We have not sourced a full specification table for this model from the manufacturer’s own site at a stable address. Rather than repeat figures we cannot cite, the assessment above is limited to what the design and the maker’s published description genuinely establish.
What works
- Reads tongue weight every time you hitch, with no extra step
- Adjustable height and reversible for rise as well as drop
- Makes the 10-15 percent rule checkable instead of theoretical
What does not
- The gauge reads at the ball, so it is sensitive to being parked on a slope
- Heavier and considerably more expensive than a plain mount
Skip it if
Not needed if you already weigh at a public scale - the gauge is convenience, and a certified scale is still the more accurate number.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: Weigh Safe’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
3. When the rear axle is the issue
CURT Round Bar Weight Distribution Hitch with Sway Control (14K)
CURT · Best for mid-size travel trailers
A conventional round-bar system with integrated lubrication and sway control, rated to 14,000 lb gross and 1,400 lb tongue. The built-in lubrication matters more than it sounds: a dry weight distribution head is the usual source of the groaning people mistake for a failing hitch.
Published specifications
What works
- Integrated lubrication at the head, which is where the noise usually comes from
- Round bars sit lower and clear more trailer tongues than trunnion bars
- Limited lifetime warranty
What does not
- Round bars hang lower than trunnion bars and are the first thing to catch on a steep driveway
- Sway control here is a function of the head, not an adjustable four-point system
Skip it if
Skip it if you regularly cross steep transitions - a round bar is the lowest part of the whole rig and will find the pavement before anything else does.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: CURT’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
Using the labels together
Payload tells you how much tongue weight you can carry after people and gear. Rear GAWR tells you whether that tongue weight, concentrated behind the rear axle, is overloading one end of the vehicle even when the total is inside GVWR. Both can be breached independently, and a weighbridge visit checks both at once.
Key takeaways
- Certification label: GVWR and a GAWR per axle, as federally required.
- Tire and loading placard: the payload sentence and cold inflation pressures.
- Tongue weight counts as cargo against the payload figure.
- Tow rating and GCWR are in the manual, not on the jamb.
How we sourced this
Every figure on this page came from one of the following, each fetched while the page was written. Where a manufacturer or regulator does not publish a number, we say so rather than estimate it.
- 49 CFR 567.4 - certification label content, including Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating
- 49 CFR 571.110 (FMVSS 110) - vehicle placard, including the required "combined weight of occupants and cargo" statement
- SAE J2807 - Performance Requirements for Determining Tow-Vehicle Gross Combination Weight Rating and Trailer Weight Rating
Common questions
- What if my sticker is missing or unreadable?
- The manufacturer can supply the figures for your VIN, and a dealer can usually look them up. Do not substitute figures from a similar vehicle - these are specific to your individual build.
- Why are there two labels?
- They are required by different regulations and carry different information. The certification label covers weight ratings; the tire and loading placard covers payload and tire pressures.
- Does adding accessories change my payload?
- It reduces your usable payload, because accessories are cargo. The printed figure does not change - what changes is how much of it is left for you.
More in Towing Capacity, Tongue Weight & Setup
The number in the brochure is not the number that limits you. The one that does is on a sticker inside your driver's door.
Read next
Head to head
Payload vs Towing Capacity
Why the tow rating rarely binds first, how to calculate your real limit from the labels on your vehicle, and what counts against payload.
Guide
How Much Can My Truck Tow?
The four ratings that constrain a tow, where each is published, and the order to work through them.
Guide
What Is Tongue Weight?
A plain explanation of tongue weight, the 10-15 percent band, and what goes wrong above and below it.
Head to head
Towing vs Hauling
The distinction in plain terms, which rating governs each, and why hauling is harder on payload than people expect.
Found something out of date, or a figure you can source better than we did? Corrections get read first. How we research explains how these pages are put together, and contact is one click away.