How To Check Your GMC Vehicle’s Towing Capacity: Video

GMC vehicles like the GMC Sierra pickup truck are frequently used to tow, and as such, it’s important that customers are well-versed when it comes to towing capacity. To that end, GMC has released the following brief tutorial video covering all the ins and outs on how to check your vehicle’s towing capacity.

The video kicks off by breaking down a few important terms and acronyms that anyone who wants to tow should be familiar with. These include GVWR, or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, which is the maximum weight of the vehicle including accessories, passengers, cargo, and trailer tongue weight. The maximum tongue weight should be within 10 to 15 percent of the loaded trailer weight, or 15 to 25 percent for gooseneck / fifth-wheel trailering.

There’s also GAWR, or Gross Axle Weight Rating, which is the maximum amount of weight that can be placed on each axle (front or rear). GCWR, or Gross Combined Weight Rating, is another important acronym, and represents the maximum combined weight of the loaded vehicle and loaded trailer.

Payload is also important to know, and refers to the amount of weight a vehicle can carry, as is tongue weight, which refers to the downward force of the trailer tongue on top of the hitch. Maximum trailer weight rating is pretty self-explanatory, referring to the heaviest trailer weight that a vehicle can tow, while curb weight is the weight of the vehicle without passengers or cargo.

For those GMC customers that want to learn more about their vehicle’s towing capacity, a trailering information label can be found on the driver’s side door jamb, while related information is also included in the owner’s manual. Alternatively, GMC owners can visit gmc.com/trailering-towing, which offers a downloadable trailering guide with a wealth of important information. There’s also a Load Calculator available through the myGMC Mobile App, which allows users to input relevant trailering information to determine whether or not their vehicle is overloaded.

Check out the full GMC towing capacity tutorial video right here:

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