Whether you’re pulling a boat, some horses, yard equipment, or a race car, selecting the best receiver hitch for your car, truck, or SUV means considering a handful of factors—but perhaps the most important is receiver hitch class.

The good news is, it’s usually a pretty straightforward decision.

While there is a small bit of nuance, particularly with the top class, most commercially available trailer hitches can be broken down into five distinct classes, based on how much weight you’re planning on towing.

Understanding Tow Ratings & Trailer Weight

Before we get ahead of ourselves, the first thing you need to know is how much weight your vehicle can safely tow.

In other words, having a Class 3, Class 4, or Class 5 hitch for serious towing is pretty meaningless if the vehicle isn’t equipped to handle it in the first place. (Determining how much weight your vehicle can safely tow is as easy as a trip to the automaker’s website, your owner’s manual, or a quick internet search.)

Now that you know how much weight your vehicle can handle, it’s time to determine how heavy your loaded trailer is. In a perfect world, you can use vehicle scales for a precise number, but often it comes down to adding the trailer weight given by the manufacturer with the weight of your cargo. (Obviously this is a calculation you’ll want to be extra conservative with.) The end result is a number called your Gross Trailer Weight.

Once you’re sure that your vehicle can safely tow the combined weight of your trailer and cargo, then it’s time to determine tongue weight.

subaru outback pulling a tree on a trailer
Thanks to the Outback’s 2,700 pound tow rating and a Class 3 Curt Receiver Hitch, this Subaru is easily able to tow a roughly 300 pound utility trailer with a few hundred pounds of additional cargo. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

What is Trailer Tongue Weight?

Tongue Weight is the downward weight on the trailer ball itself (typically, 10 to 15 percent of the total trailer weight).

OnAllCylinders contributor Wayne Scraba wrote a more in-depth article on how to calculate tongue weight, and you can read it here: How to Hook Up Painlessly. He uses a handy Weigh Safe Trailer Hitch Ball Mount with a built-in scale to determine his tongue weight, but he offers an a few alternative methods too.

It’s worth pointing out that how you load your cargo can affect tongue weight. As a general rule, it’s best to load gear evenly throughout the trailer. When loading an empty trailer, achieving the correct tongue weight will help prevent trailer sway or an overloaded rear axle on your tow vehicle.

A Guide to Trailer Hitch Classes

OK, so you’ve got your Gross Trailer Weight and your tongue weight, now you can pick the best Class receiver hitch for your vehicle/trailer combo. Note the hitch size column in the table below too—a small, lightweight trailer may only require a receiver hitch with a 1-1/4 inch receptacle, while most common trailer hitches use a two inch receptacle. (Heavy duty and commercial Class Five hitches use even larger receiver receptacles.)

Guide to Receiver Hitch Class Ratings

Hitch ClassHitch Receiver
Tube Size
Max. Gross Trailer Weight
(GTW)
Max. Tongue Weight
(TW)
Class 11-1/4″ 2,000 lbs.200 lbs.
Class 21-1/4″ 3,500 lbs.350 lbs.
Class 32″ 8,000 lbs.800 lbs.
Class 42″10,000 lbs. 1,000 lbs.
Class 5*2-1/2″ to 3″18,500 to 21,000 lbs. 2,400 to 2,700 lbs.
* Please check with your Class 5 hitch manufacturer for exact specifications.

Other Helpful Links on Trailering and Towing

Safe trailering and towing require a serious attention to detail, so we’ve put together a handful of other good resources for you—to ensure both you and your cargo arrive safely. Click the links below to learn more.

Keywords
Share this Article