Maverick Tow Capacity, how do you figure that out?

[SafetyGuy]

My 2025 Maverick Tow Capacity....lots right?

It depends...so hear me out.

I will try to keep this understandable, and use my Maverick as the example of how to do your own calculations.

Shipped 1707kg/3763 lbs

2025 Maverick Lariat AWD Hybrid
4000 LB tow pkg

GVWR 5320 LBS
GCWR 8315 LB

Truck 3763 lbs
Driver 200 lbs
Safety gear 50 lbs
Hitch weight 20 lbs
Tongue lbs 400 lbs

Truck Total 4433 lbs

GCWR 8315 lbs
Truck weight 4433 lbs

Actual legal tow capacity within the GCWR is..............3882 lbs!

But wait, you say! 400 lbs of trailer weight is on the tongue right?

So 3882+400=4000 lbs.
.remember, tow max capacity is stil only 4000lbs.

You can top up your truck box load if you want to max load it for GCWR, ONLY 118lbs more in the box.

A truck more realistically loaded to go camping.......

Truck 3763 lbs
Driver 200
Passenger 125
Safety gear 50
Packs in cab 100
All gear in box 500
Hitch weight 20
Tongue weight 400

Total 5158 lbs

GVWR 5320 lbs

Extra truck load capacity AVAILABLE IS....... 162 lbs or, 1 child and their stuff.

Allowable trailer weight to stay within legal limits

GCWR 8315 LBS
TRUCK LOADED 5158 LBS

Trlr weight MAX 3157 LBS on its axle(s),,,or is it...?

(Actually, trailer weight allowed is 400 LBS MORE, if you have done your trailer set up to THE MAX 400 lbs tongue weight). That weight on the tongue is carried by the truck hitch/truck.

NEW actual trailer weight if all parameters are met as above is....3157+400=3557 lbs.

At this max load, you might want to:

1 slow down,

2 drive conservatively

3 leave lots of room between you and what is in front of you.

4 Adjust your trailer brake gain a bit more aggressively to help get you stopped in an emergency.

Just a thought.

I hope this makes sense, and did I get anything wrong?

Have I towed badly/unknowingly? Yes, but I survived due to pure dumb luck. And here we are...don't be me!

Have a look at your numbers, maybe weigh your stuff.

Will anyone take the time to do their actual trailer calculations and post them here? That would be great!

Knowledge rather than..."that'll should be good, I hope".

Andy

If you're reading this far you may be interested in accumulating more towing knowledge, so have a look at my thread

"So you want to tow a trailer, eh!" thread down in the "off topic" area.

Sponsored

 

[Ron Neal]

A little common sense goes a long way when towing. I know some people I will not put a wrench in their hands, I will not ride with them and others should not be towing anything.

 

[SafetyGuy]

A little common sense goes a long way when towing. I know some people I will not put a wrench in their hands, I will not ride with them and others should not be towing anything.

I completely agree, and I also added in my other towing thread that "common sense" needs a good general knowledge or base, to work properly.

If only knowledge base is hearing someone say "stick a hitch on, and you should be good...", ot may end up like the photo at the top...it may be legal but I wouldn't do it.

Cheers, and thanks for your contribution!

Andy

 

[The Real Maverick]

I HAVE TO SAY - PEOPLE MAKE THIS COMPLICATED NEEDLESSLY.

There is no "Magic Number".
There is no "correct number".

And for the private citizen / non-commercial driver there is no legal number.

Numbers on a sticker or published in a pamphlet are ALWAYS "ballpark" numbers. Consumers need to know something. They need a reference point.

So I call those the "no compromise" numbers.

If you tow more, you can. If you keep it slow. That is one compromise.

If you add additional equipment to your vehicle, you can tow more. That is another compomise.

If you accept and are willing to wear out your truck faster, you can tow more. Compromise.

And there is also warranty speak.
All the math is relative to warrantied work. But unless you show up to a dealer with your 5,000 lb trailer attached they will never know. So it the honor system and up to you to disclose or not.

Look. Plain and simply. Vehicles with half the ability of the Maverick have been towing more than 4,000 lbs for 100 years.

If you like doing math, have fun.
But if you are realistic, it's not really necessary.

I have towed things 80,000 miles.
Towed through 30 states and 3 western providences. Always in consumer vehicles. Nothing commercial.

Never been ticketed.
Never been weighed.
Never broke anything.
Never caused an accident or been in one.
Usually 25% to 50% more weight than the door sticker recommends.
I am experienced, and know what I'm doing yes. The novice should not tow extra weight until they have some few thousand miles under their belt. That much is true.

 

[Joe Strummer]

Tongue Weight does not impact GCWR, it only impacts Payload you can carry in the Truck (which includes passengers). The equation is GCWR = Kerb Weight + Payload (Truck) + Trailer + Payload (Trailer). Think of a stationary empty Truck and empty Trailer. Then GCW = Kerb Weight + Trailer. The Trailer exerts a downward force on the Truck which is like adding Payload, but does not impact the total combined weight.

When vehicle manufactures publish tow ratings they are using the J2807 Standard. This is a rigorous set of criteria that a vehicle towing a trailer is subject to (such as climbing a steep gradient in 40 C weather as well as emergency braking).

Here is a summary of J2807:

SAE J2807 - Wikipedia

I always say just use common sense; but now I realise only a quarter of the population has any. In other words, 3/4 of drivers are idiots.

 

[The Real Maverick]

People are mislead (maybe intentionally) by the door jam sticker into thinking it is a legality thing. It is for commercial drivers. But ONLY for commercial drivers. And then, usually only at 10,001 pounds and up.

if concerned, I invite you to look up the laws in your area. You may be surprised by what isn't there.

 

[SafetyGuy]

I HAVE TO SAY - PEOPLE MAKE THIS COMPLICATED NEEDLESSLY.

There is no "Magic Number".
There is no "correct number".

And for the private citizen / non-commercial driver there is no legal number.

Numbers on a sticker or published in a pamphlet are ALWAYS "ballpark" numbers. Consumers need to know something. They need a reference point.

So I call those the "no compromise" numbers.

If you tow more, you can. If you keep it slow. That is one compromise.

If you add additional equipment to your vehicle, you can tow more. That is another compomise.

If you accept and are willing to wear out your truck faster, you can tow more. Compromise.

And there is also warranty speak.
All the math is relative to warrantied work. But unless you show up to a dealer with your 5,000 lb trailer attached they will never know. So it the honor system and up to you to disclose or not.

Look. Plain and simply. Vehicles with half the ability of the Maverick have been towing more than 4,000 lbs for 100 years.

If you like doing math, have fun.
But if you are realistic, it's not really necessary.

I have towed things 80,000 miles.
Towed through 30 states and 3 western providences. Always in consumer vehicles. Nothing commercial.

Never been ticketed.
Never been weighed.
Never broke anything.
Never caused an accident or been in one.
Usually 25% to 50% more weight than the door sticker recommends.
I am experienced, and know what I'm doing yes. The novice should not tow extra weight until they have some few thousand miles under their belt. That much is true.

All good points as to your thoughts.

I am of the mind that many people don't have any towing experience to draw upon (I can't say I have as much as you as well).

But, in my towing threads, they might get a good idea of things they need to look into or be aware of BEFORE they get into a bad accident, or cause one.

This is not a "you have to do this my way" thread, that is not the way I do things

This is an example of how to think things through as related to towing safely.

You have lots of towing experiences, @The Real Maverick, so how about popping in to my longer thread "So you want to tow a trailer, eh?" and share some of the hard-won knowledge you have gained over those many miles, and put them into a post there so others may learn?

I know I have tried, there are so many. But, If only one person reads them and learns, I will be happy. Any more is a bonus. And i will be continuing to add to the other thread...more content to reference is good!

Regards, and I hope to see you there in the other thread...you are more then welcome to contribute your experiences.

Andy

 

[Cherokee]

Wow, 15 years in class five tractor trailers and I’ve never had to get that deep on towing loads even up to my max cargo of 51,000 pounds.

 

[SafetyGuy]

Wow, 15 years in class five tractor trailers and I’ve never had to get that deep on towing loads even up to my max cargo of 51,000 pounds.

With that kind of experience, you might be able to appreciate the example, for others that don't know where to start trying to figure towing out...and thank goodness you weren't towing with a Maverick (even the Ecoboost!).

The example given is for towing close to max, with a truck not designed for constant use for this type of work.

The drivers using Mavericks for the most part are not professional drivers.

I would ask you, as I did earlier of another contributor, maybe you could add below or maybe in my other tow thread "So you want to tow a trailer, eh?" some tow thoughts or things to be aware of. I have added some myself, but other perspectives are welcome.

I think it is safe for me to conjecture that many here are first time truck/tow vehicle owners.

It is my thought that those who "know how to tow" as well as those who are asking for the first time, could use a little fresh information that may help, you never know.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Cherokee]

At this max load, you might want to:

1 slow down,
2 drive conservatively
3 leave lots of room between you and what is in front of you.
4 Adjust your trailer brake gain a bit more aggressively to help get you stopped in an emergency.

Most guys without the 4K tow package will hang a small utility trailer on their Mav. Or something larger like a 5’x10’ or the U-Haul single axle enclosed trailer.
Their trailers empty :

Specific Examples:
4x7 Utility Trailer: 630 lbs
5x8 Cargo Trailer: 900 lbs
5x9 Utility Trailer with Ramp: 1,240 lbs
6x12 Utility Trailer: 1,730 lbs
6x12 Utility Trailer with Ramp: 2,290 lbs

I’d not pull the 6x12’s without the 4K tow package very far or In hot weather myself.
So without doing all the math I’d go with a Tongue/hitch weight that is generally recommended to be 10-15% of the total loaded trailer weight. U-Haul also advises a 60/40 weight distribution, with 60% of the weight in the front half of the trailer.

KISS, ‘Keep It Simple Stupid‘ is my jelly roll.
Once loaded make sure the truck squats a few inches and you’ll be fine.

Adding to Safetyguys four points I’d say

5: you can slow things down by looking farther into the future. Don’t drive over the hood.
Look farther down the road.

6; Never ever coast. Be on the gas or on the brakes at all times. Coasting is out of control.
Coasting is against the law in a Tractor trailer combination.
Use Tow Haul mode with or without 4K tow at all times, even with a small empty trailer.

For the 4K tow guys.
That don’t mean shit !
A little extra radiator and a slightly lower final drive. Smoke and mirrors,

Additional tranny cooling would be wise if your towing often especially in hot weather but no more than 11-12,000 BTU’s. Getting your fluid check more often would be smart. It can burn, turn dark, that’s bad. The intercooler should prevent that.
You better cover that tranny radiator in cold weather, say below 32F.

Your concern is brakes. They are the same in both.
I’d limit my non 4K Mav to a total towed weight of 3,000 pounds.
I’d limit my 4K tow Mav to 5,000 max
On both anything over 2,500 should have trailer brakes.
Some of U-haul’s smaller to mid sized trailers have a hitch surge brake. Google it they work great with no equipment needed, nothing added to your Mav.

7: Tires, check your psi. An extra 3 to 5 psi would be wise. Check the Trailer tires yourself.
Trust no one. Most don’t have a good digital gage. Get one.
I have a Topeak:
https://www.topeak.com/us/en/product/351-SMARTGAUGE-D2
Amazon $32

 

[SafetyGuy]

Most guys without the 4K tow package will hang a small utility trailer on their Mav. Or something larger like a 5’x10’ or the U-Haul single axle enclosed trailer.
Their trailers empty :

Specific Examples:
4x7 Utility Trailer: 630 lbs
5x8 Cargo Trailer: 900 lbs
5x9 Utility Trailer with Ramp: 1,240 lbs
6x12 Utility Trailer: 1,730 lbs
6x12 Utility Trailer with Ramp: 2,290 lbs

I’d not pull the 6x12’s without the 4K tow package very far or In hit weather myself.
So without doing all the math,

Tongue/hitch weight is generally recommended to be 10-15% of the total loaded trailer weight. U-Haul also advises a 60/40 weight distribution, with 60% of the weight in the front half of the trailer.

KISS Keep It Simple Stupid is my jelly roll.
Once loaded make sure the truck squats a few inches and you’ll be fine.

Adding to Safetyguys four points I’d say

5: you can slow things down by looking farther into the future. Don’t drive over the hood.
Look farther down the road.

6; Never ever coast. Be on the gas or on the brakes at all times. Coasting is out of control.
Coasting is against the law in a Tractor trailer combination.
Use Tow Haul mode with or without 4K tow at all times, even with a small empty trailer.

For the 4K tow guys.
That don’t mean shit !
A little extra radiator and a slightly lower final drive. Smoke and mirrors,

Additional tranny cooling would be wise if your towing often especially in hot weather but no more than 11-12,000 BTU’s. Getting your fluid check more often would be smart. It can burn, turn dark, that’s bad. The intercooler should prevent that.
You better cover that tranny radiator in cold weather, say below 32F.

Your concern is brakes. They are the same in both.
I’d limit my non 4K Mav to a total towed weight of 3,000 pounds.
I’d limit my 4K tow Mav to 5,000 max
On both anything over 2,500 should have trailer brakes.
Some of U-haul’s smaller to mid sized trailers have a hitch surge brake. Google it they work great with no equipment needed, nothing added to your Mav.

7: Tires, check your psi. An extra 3 to 5 psi would be wise. Check the Trailer tires yourself.
Trust no one. Most don’t have a good digital gage. Get one.
I have a Topeak:
https://www.topeak.com/us/en/product/351-SMARTGAUGE-D2
Amazon $32

A most excellent addition to this thread, and I appreciate it @Chrokee!

Excellent thought to pass on about the "looking ahead, way ahead", so you aren't surprised when the brake lights come-on right in front of you because of an accident or slow down...you are way ahead of the 8-ball.

In another thread about Maverick tow mirrors, I posted on how I use ALL my mirrors for situational awareness.

I hope other experienced tow-ers read this all over, and contribute as well.

I have plenty more thoughts, but prefer the sound of an orchestra, not a solo piece.

Cheers and have a great day,

Andy

 

[SafetyGuy]

One more quick, obvious point, these thoughts on my towing threads are applicable to all conventional tow vehicles and operators....not just newbies.

After our road trips this summer, I plan on starting a new thread from photos I take while rolling down the road.

These might act as a visual learning points versus reading important info....some don't read long posts.

;-)

Andy


Andy

 

[SafetyGuy]

Tongue Weight does not impact GCWR, it only impacts Payload you can carry in your truck including passengers

I realise only a quarter of the population has any. In other words, 3/4 of drivers are idiots.

Thank you for taking the time to review my post, and puting forward a lot of good, thoughtful feedback..

I only have one point that I want to review (I would have replied yesterday, but life got busy at my end).

The tongue weight of the trailer is indeed included in your tow vehicles kerb weight, and thusly is added into the GCWR as part of this number.

It is weight your trailer has on it, but your tow vehicle is carrying for the trailer.

"Borrowing some of the weight from Peter and putting it on Paul".

All tow-ers NEED TO KNOW that to tow more safely, they need to know that a minimum of 10% of their trailer weight on the tongue...better to hit 12% and max 15% is safer.

The "tail-wagging-the-dog" effect is so dangerous...check YouTube etc for videos of this effect in living colour! Don't be like them.

And don't have so much weight on your Hitch that you "Carolina Squat?" Where you and the trailer make a pronounced V shape.

I think that is what I saw and had my wife look up on the inter-web when were down south (Georgia, maybe?)...like a dog doing their business is a good description of the....ahem...modified vehicles' driving position. Very awkward...but I digress...

As to the final quote above, this thread, and all like it, are trying to make the information available to those who are interested in learning.

I have no numbers as to bad drivers, but I did just delete a qhole paragraph I wrote, that was a rant about drivers' abilities.

I decided it wasn't helpful.

Have a good one, eh,

Andy

 

[Britcardriver]

You guys have way too much time on your hands. Go find a hobby.

 

[SafetyGuy]

You guys have way too much time on your hands. Go find a hobby.

Hmmm, thinking about it now, maybe this is a hobby for many.

Is it a bad idea to put some info out for those that might not have a clue or even maybe for someone who already "knows how to tow"?

I don't know if you have towed or will tow in the future, but if you read this thread, you may have learned something.

Anyways, if you ever need towing information, rest assured that you may get an answer here, on MTC.

Have a wonderful day, eh!

Andy

Now, back to watching my cat videos...so cute!

Sponsored