RV travel / loading worksheet

Account for people, cargo, tongue weight, axles, and trailer ratings.

Build a measured RV loading worksheet that keeps tow-vehicle payload, axle, hitch, trailer, tow, and combined ratings separate.

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Your plan

01 / INPUTS

Tow vehicle GVWRlbGross vehicle weight rating from the tow vehicle certification label or manual.Tow vehicle scale weight before triplbMeasured tow vehicle weight in its ready-to-travel condition before adding the trip occupants, cargo, and trailer tongue weight.Trip occupants and cargolbPeople, luggage, tools, hitch accessories, and other additions carried by the tow vehicle.Measured trailer tongue weightlbActual measured tongue weight. It counts against the tow vehicle payload and hitch tongue rating, and is subtracted once when combining two loaded totals that both include it.Loaded front axle scale weightlbLoaded front axle weight from a scale, including the trip setup.Loaded rear axle scale weightlbLoaded rear axle weight from a scale, including the trip setup and tongue load.Front axle ratinglbFront GAWR from the vehicle label or manual.Rear axle ratinglbRear GAWR from the vehicle label or manual.Tow ratinglbTow rating for this vehicle configuration, including any stated configuration conditions.Hitch trailer ratinglbMaximum trailer rating of the installed hitch and its configuration.Hitch tongue ratinglbMaximum tongue rating for the installed hitch setup.Loaded trailer weightlbTrailer weight as loaded for the trip, including cargo and tongue load. Keep it whole for trailer, tow, and hitch checks; the combined check removes the tongue once.Trailer GVWRlbTrailer gross vehicle weight rating from its certification label.Combined ratinglbGCWR or another documented combined rating for this exact configuration.

Illustrative example

Keep a copy of your inputsNo automatic saving. Files and photos are not stored.

TowLedger RV Load Check

Calculated from user-entered inputs. Review assumptions and limitations.

Plan summary

02 / RESULTS

Live comparison

Tow vehicle weight and rating

Tow vehicle loaded weight6,600 lb

Tow vehicle GVWR7,000 lb

Shared scale: 0 to 7,000 lb. Values may overlap; bars are comparisons, not parts of a total. Review the details below.

Tow vehicle loaded weight6,600

Tow vehicle payload remaining400

Front axle remaining900

Rear axle remaining1,000

Combined loaded weight14,400

Review statusWithin entered ratings

Entered loads and rating checks
Check	Entered load	Rating	Remaining	Status
Tow vehicle GVWR	6600	7000	400	Within
Front axle	3100	4000	900	Within
Rear axle	3500	4500	1000	Within
Trailer GVWR	8500	9000	500	Within
Tow rating	8500	10000	1500	Within
Hitch trailer rating	8500	10000	1500	Within
Hitch tongue rating	700	1000	300	Within
Combined rating	14400	16000	1600	Within

Tow vehicle loaded weight includes the 700 lb measured tongue weight in addition to the scale weight and occupants/cargo.
Trailer loaded weight is kept whole when checking trailer, tow, and hitch ratings. For combined accounting, subtract the same measured tongue weight once because it is present in both loaded totals; do not edit trailer weight to make a rating pass.
Axle loads should come from loaded scale measurements when possible. Their sum is compared with calculated tow vehicle loaded weight using a 198 lb tolerance. Axle ratings, payload, tow ratings, and hitch ratings are separate limits.

Know the boundaries

This is a loading worksheet, not a towing approval, route assessment, engineering analysis, or safety certification.
Use measured axle and tongue weights and the exact ratings for the vehicle, hitch, trailer, tires, and configuration.
Manufacturer ratings can have conditions for passengers, weight distribution, braking, and equipment that this calculator does not model.

Examples are illustrative. Results depend on the assumptions and measurements you enter.

Method, not guesswork

TowLedger keeps the ratings that are often conflated on a single worksheet. The key accounting choice is to add measured tongue weight to the tow vehicle payload while keeping the trailer loaded weight whole for trailer, tow, hitch, and combined checks.

Read the methodology and worked examples

From inputs to a useful decision

All guides

Practical guide

Calculate tow-vehicle loaded weight and payload

Use scale weight, occupants, cargo, and tongue weight to review tow-vehicle GVWR and remaining payload.

Read guide Practical guide

Keep trailer, hitch, tow, and combined ratings separate

Read the loaded trailer and tongue inputs without subtracting tongue weight twice in the combined check.

Read guide

Common questions

What is included in tow-vehicle loaded weight?

The engine adds scale weight, occupants and cargo, and measured tongue weight.

Should tongue weight be subtracted from trailer weight?

No for trailer, tow, and hitch checks. It is subtracted once only when combining the loaded tow vehicle and loaded trailer totals.

Are axle ratings the same as GVWR?

No. Front and rear axle readings are compared with their own ratings, separately from vehicle GVWR and the other entered limits.