Trailer Tongue Weight Calculator

10–15% target range from loaded trailer weight — compare a measured reading or estimate from cargo placement

General towing guidance — not a substitute for your hitch, ball, and tow-vehicle weight ratings. Tongue weight that is too low is a real trailer-sway / loss-of-control risk at highway speed. Tongue weight that is too high can overload the hitch and the tow vehicle’s rear axle / payload. Always confirm hitch class, ball rating, rear GAWR, and payload capacity for your combination. This tool uses the common bumper-pull 10–15% band; it does not certify a setup as safe.
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Tongue Weight & Towing Safety Gear

The calculator tells you the 10–15% target range and whether a measured reading is too light (sway risk) or too heavy (rear-axle / hitch overload). A dedicated tongue scale replaces bathroom-scale guessing on heavier trailers; wheel chocks keep the trailer from rolling while you measure; a rated extinguisher belongs in any tow kit.

Trailer tongue weight scale

Sherline LM 2000 Trailer Tongue Weight Scale (2,000 lb)

Hydraulic tongue scale with a direct pounds gauge. Measure the loaded coupler on level ground, then compare the reading to the calculator’s 10–15% target band for your gross trailer weight.

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Solid rubber wheel chocks

MaxxHaul 70472 Solid Rubber Wheel Chocks (2-Pack)

Chock the trailer wheels before you drop the coupler onto a scale or jack a tongue for cargo moves. A rolling trailer ruins the reading and is a crush hazard.

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Automotive fire extinguisher

Kidde Basic 110 Fire Extinguisher FA110G

Towing multiplies fire risk (brakes, bearings, electrical). Keep a rated extinguisher reachable in the tow vehicle — not buried behind cargo in the trailer.

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Trailer tongue weight calculator

Run the Tongue Weight Numbers

Target 10–15% band from loaded trailer weight. Compare a scale reading, or estimate from cargo placement ahead/behind the axle.

Open Tongue Weight Calculator →
Braking stopping distance calculator

Stopping Distance While Towing

Trailer sway and wrong tongue weight both stretch stopping distance. Physics estimate from speed, reaction time, and surface mu.

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Trip fuel cost calculator

Price the Tow Miles

Loaded towing kills mpg. Gallons, total cost, and cost per mile from distance, mpg, and pump price.

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How to Use This Trailer Tongue Weight Calculator

Enter the trailer’s total loaded weight. Choose measured mode if you already have a scale reading, or estimate mode if you are planning where cargo should sit. The results panel shows the 10–15% target range for that weight and flags whether your number is too low (sway risk), in band, or too high (rear overload risk).

Target TW = 10%–15% of loaded trailer weight
Estimate: TW ≈ empty TW + (Wfwd × dfwd − Waft × daft) / L

Measurement walkthrough: guide. On-road symptoms: troubleshooting. WD hitch thresholds: comparison. Related towing-safety physics: stopping distance calculator. Custom wheels on the tow vehicle: offset & backspacing calculator, offset guide, fitment troubleshooting, and spacers vs different-offset wheels.

Related Automotive Calculators & Guides

Cargo Securement Tiedown CalculatorTongue weight is where the load sits. Tiedowns are what keeps it there. Trailer Tongue Weight Calculator10–15% target range from loaded trailer weight. Compare a measured reading or estimate from cargo placement. Payload Capacity CalculatorGVWR minus curb, passengers, cargo, and tongue weight — available remaining with over-limit warning. How to Calculate Available PayloadGVWR, curb, tongue weight, worked example, and CAT-scale process. Payload Capacity vs Towing CapacityGVWR vs GCWR — both limits apply; one green light does not clear the other. How to Measure Trailer Tongue WeightWhy the percentage matters, bathroom-scale lever method, and how cargo placement moves the reading. Incorrect Tongue Weight While TowingSway / fishtail vs rear squat and light steering — how to fix by redistributing cargo. Weight Distribution vs Standard HitchWhen tongue weight and trailer weight push you past a plain ball mount into a WD hitch. Braking / Stopping Distance CalculatorTowing-safety cousin: reaction + braking distance from speed and surface friction. Towing Capacity CalculatorGCWR headroom method: leftover trailer budget after curb, passengers, and cargo. Compare to the advertised tow rating. Wheel Offset & Backspacing CalculatorConvert ET (mm) to backspacing (in) and back. Hub-to-inner-edge plus a fender vs frame flag. Wheel Offset & Backspacing GuideWhat ET and backspacing are, how to tape a used wheel, and how to pick a target before ordering. Wheel Offset TroubleshootingFender-lip rub vs strut/caliper rub — how to tell which envelope you ran out of. Wheel Spacers vs Different Offset WheelsCost, bearing load, stud engagement, hub-centric vs lug-centric — when each is the right call. Coolant Mix Ratio CalculatorConcentrate and distilled water for a target freeze/boil point — fresh fill or top-off. Coolant Mix Ratio GuideGlycol chemistry, refractometer vs hydrometer, and climate-driven ratios. Automotive Calculators HubTire size, gear RPM, horsepower & torque, stopping distance, trip fuel cost, tongue weight.

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