Reference · Using it
People, cargo, and a trailer at once
Every occupant, cargo, added hitch hardware and tongue or pin load counts against your truck's door-label payload.
Tow-rating test assumptions and door-label payload are different things. Every occupant, including the driver, counts against the door-label allowance, along with cargo, added hitch hardware, and tongue or pin load.
If the combination would exceed GCWR, the trailer has to get lighter or the cargo has to come out. You do not get the brochure trailer weight plus a full family plus a loaded bed.
The payload calculator uses your truck's door-label allowance and counts every occupant. Its adjustable defaults are 12.5 percent tongue weight or 20 percent pin weight; a measured load overrides the estimate. Cargo and added hitch hardware count too. If your sticker limit is unknown, the remaining payload stays unknown.