Weights, hitches and towing capacity

By the end of this topic you can

• You can find your vehicle's towing capacity and the trailer's weight rating.
• You can check that the hitch is rated for the trailer and set up level.
• You can attach safety chains correctly.
• You can load a trailer so the right share of weight rests on the hitch.
• You can say when a trailer needs its own brakes in Ontario and BC.

What you need to know and understand

• The tow vehicle's maker sets its towing capacity; you must stay within it as well as within licence limits.
• Ontario requires the hitch class to match the trailer's gross weight, and the hitch ball to sit level when the trailer is attached.
• Ontario's handbook advises that about 5 to 10 percent of the trailer's total weight should rest on the hitch, within the hitch's marked limit.
• Ontario requires two separate ways of attaching the trailer; safety chains must cross under the tongue and have hooks that cannot come loose by accident.
• In Ontario, a trailer with a gross weight of 1,360 kg or more must have brakes strong enough to stop and hold it.
• In BC, trailers over 1,400 kg generally need brakes, and every braked trailer needs a breakaway device.
• In BC, brakes on a trailer licensed over 2,800 kg must be controllable from the driver's seat, and ICBC says surge brakes are not permitted above 2,800 kg GVWR.
• In Ontario, a trailer wider than 2.05 metres needs front and rear clearance lights or reflectors.

Reading the weight labels

Your setup is only as strong as its weakest part, so use the lowest of these limits.

• GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating): the most the trailer, or the tow vehicle, may weigh fully loaded.
• Towing capacity: the heaviest trailer the vehicle maker says your vehicle can pull, found in the owner's manual.
• Hitch rating: the maximum trailer weight and hitch weight marked on the hitch and ball.
• Hitch (tongue) weight: the downward load the trailer puts on the hitch.

Hooking up, step by step

1. Check the ball size matches the coupler and that the hitch is rated for the loaded trailer.
2. Lower the coupler onto the ball, close the latch and lock it.
3. Cross the safety chains under the tongue and hook them to the vehicle, leaving enough slack to turn.
4. Connect the breakaway cable and the electrical plug.
5. Raise the jack fully, then check that the trailer sits level.
6. Test all trailer lights and the brakes before moving off.

Loading for stability

Put more of the load in front of the trailer axle than behind it, with heavy items low and centred. Too little weight on the hitch is a common cause of sway; too much can overload the rear of the tow vehicle and lighten the front wheels. Strap everything down so nothing can shift or fall off.

If the load blocks your view to the rear, Ontario requires additional mirrors. Extended towing mirrors are often needed anyway when a trailer is wider than your vehicle.

Common mistakes

• Using a hitch or ball rated lower than the loaded trailer.
• Hanging the safety chains straight instead of crossing them under the tongue.
• Loading heavy gear at the back of the trailer, which makes it sway.
• Forgetting to connect the breakaway cable.
• Assuming a small trailer needs no brakes without checking its loaded weight against your province's limit.

Test yourself: Weights, hitches and towing capacity

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.