Towing Calc Spreadsheet

I did a quick perusal of the towing forum and found a few links to online spreadsheets. I tried a few, and ultimately wasn't happy with the detail, format, quality, smell, whatever, and so started to make my own.

Below is a quick draft of what I'm working on at the moment. Orange is data entry. Blue is calculated. I don't know if there's a method of posting files in a reserved area (perhaps a garage... I need to look). I'd be willing to post up a working sheet if others thought there might be value. I'm also willing to edit/add what others think might be of value.

For this one, I haven't fleshed out the final logic yet, but it should be able to work from either 'scale weights' or itemized weights once I'm done. In the end, it should be a protected sheet (blank password) so that you can't 'mess it up easily'.

For the itemized option, there are separate sheets and you simply add your objects and weights in columns. The front page will find and add them up for you.

Open to comments/suggestions.

 

That’s a complicated spreadsheet to work out a few really simple solutions.

 

Perhaps... sometimes I find that having a spot to put data reminds you of things you would forget. For example.... A part of me laments adding 210lbs of sliders, thus eating up 20% of my cargo capacity.

I tend to overbuild things. Spreadsheets included.

 

Your best bet is to go to a scale and weigh the truck with your normal daily load of stuff and a full tank of gas. Subtract that from the GVWR and you’ll know exactly how much you can add to the truck in cargo and tongue weight and be within the GVWR limits. You’re almost always going to be over the stickered GVWR so it’s just a matter of deciding how comfortable you are with that and how much you want to exceed it.

 

Yep. That 'available weight' disappears fast once you drop 400-600 lbs of hitch on there. I'm trying to figure out why my cargo capacity is only 1000lbs on the door sticker. Toyota specs for my build (2018 DCSB OR 4x4) are 1175. I can see 25-50 lbs here and there, but a full 175lbs off the default spec build?

 

Real payload is 1175lbs but the door jam sticker holds 175lbs in reserve for the driver. Also, I recommend you put all your cargo in the trailer so you save on available truck payload.

 

Post it. Looks like a nicely refined version of what I did. Great job.

 

Is that for reals? The door jamb sticker allows for weight in addition to driver?

 

I’ll use my truck as an example. Curb weight is 4325lbs and GVWR is 5600lbs. That means that available payload 1275lbs but the door jam sticker allows only 1100lbs for cargo and passengers. It is reserving 175lbs for a driver.

 

This is the source we use when assisting a customer with towing ability.
https://www.trailerlife.com/towing-guide/

 

Payload rating does not reserve any weight for the driver. It is the allowable load of all occupants and cargo carried in the vehicle. The 4325lb curb weight Toyota publishes is for the base model trucks, all added options add to that weight which is why the payload stickers vary between trucks.

 

So what's the deal here if I put 1000lbs in the bed of my truck how much tow do I lose? I'm about to tow my truck full and a 12 foot trailer full of stuff about 1700kilometers in the winter .
Back of truck has deep freezer with about 50 lbs of meat . Lawn mower 2 truck batteries a chop saw and two totes and two 25 lb dumbbells

Trailer has washer dryer 2 couches and two beds among some other heavy things

I'm trying to find the time to install my p3 controller before I go but trailer is loaded already so not sure how accurate my tuning of it will be. Def got some squat to her though I hope it makes it

 

Check the capacity charts online. GCWR is somewhere around 11,250 depending on trim, and towing capacity is around 6400 also depending on trim. Payload is ~1000, trim dependent. The problem in your scenario is you’ve left no payload capacity to manage tongue weight. I’d move as much stuff from the truck bed to the trailer as possible.