RV Hitch Weight Rating

If the hitch receiver on your RV Tow vehicle says 10,000 pounds on it, that is NOT how much your vehicle can tow. That is how much the receiver is rated for. It has nothing to do with the tow rating for the vehicle.

You can have a vehicle with a tow rating of 5,000 pounds and a receiver rated for 10,000 pounds, but the tow rating is still only 5,000 pounds. The opposite also applies, you can have a vehicle with a tow rating of 14,000 pounds, but if the receiver is only rated for 5,000 pounds, then 5,000 pounds is the most you can tow with that receiver.

Any rating given to a vehicle is based on the weakest link in the chain and that rating cannot be exceeded.

This tip contributed by Mark Polk at RV Education 101