How to Determine Tongue Weight Capacity for Vehicle to Determine Weight Distribution Recommednation

Question:

I have a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LTZ 6.0L 4WD with HD towing package K5L etc. Passenger + driver weight is approx 850 lbs. The sticker in the door says weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed 1291 lbs. GVWR is 7400 and GCVWR is 14000. Campers I have looked at that dealers say will work have hitch weights from 585 to 800 lbs and would be fine on GCVWR, but I am concerned about how the tongue weight is figured into that 1291 number. Does WD affect this? We tow a popup right now that is GVWR of 3500 with no issues and quite a bit of gear 400 pounds probably.

asked by: Leonard O

Expert Reply:

What you will want to do is check out the label that is on the trailer hitch of your 2009 Chevy Suburban. It will have the tongue weight capacity of the hitch stated there when used with a weight distribution system and without it.

Most likely there will be a second higher rating for if you do use a WD system. You should note that the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle needs to be considered as tongue weight as well.

That being said, the part # C17057 would be a great option as it's tongue weight range is 700 to 1,200 lbs which should be about right based on the dry weights you listed.

expert reply by: Jameson C