2022 Trailer Life Towing Guide

Towing a Trailer Isn't Just About Horsepower

Most people buy a truck, look at the towing number on the door jamb, and call it a day. That is how you get into trouble. I learned this the hard way back in 2019 when I toweled a 28-foot fifth wheel with a half-ton that technically met the manufacturer's rating on paper. We were coming down a 4 percent grade in the mountains near Flagstaff and the brakes were fading. Not dramatically, but enough to make your stomach drop. The truck was struggling to hold speed without dropping into a lower gear, and the trailer was pushing hard. I ended up rolling through a turnout for ten minutes while we let everything cool down. That truck could have handled it on flat ground in summer. Mountains change everything.

The 2022 Trailer Life Towing Guide is their annual compilation of tow vehicle recommendations, weight breakdowns, and practical advice for people who actually live with trailers. It is not some glossy brochure filled with optimistic numbers. They test vehicles with real loads, account for gear and passengers, and flag the ones that barely make the cut. I refer to it every year before making any purchase decisions. You can find it on their website or in the magazine itself. The online version tends to be the most current since they update it between print runs. The guide breaks down into a few main sections. They list tow vehicles by class, from light duty pickups through heavy duty diesels, and assign them ratings based on real-world testing rather than just factory specs. They also include trailer weight tiers and what payload each vehicle can safely handle. The payload piece is where most people mess up. A truck might tow 12,000 pounds fine, but once you add a 200-pound driver, 100 pounds of gear in the cab, and a full tank of fuel, you are suddenly over your payload limit without realizing it. The guide calls this out explicitly. They also cover suspension upgrades, brake controller setup, weight distribution hitches, and tire selection. None of this is groundbreaking if you already know your way around a tow setup, but it is useful if you are new to it. The tire section alone saved me from buying the wrong LT metric replacements last year. I was about to order a set rated for 3,000 pounds each and the guide pointed out that for our combined load, we needed at least 3,500-pound rated tires on the trailer axles. Ended up going with higher rated ones and feeling better about long highway runs.

One thing the guide does not do well is account for regional driving conditions. It tests mostly on standard interstate routes. If you are pulling through the Rockies, the Sierras, or the Appalachians regularly, you need to be more conservative than their ratings suggest. I had a friend who bought a truck recommended for his trailer weight straight out of the guide, only to discover it was borderline underpowered on sustained climbs. He ended up putting a gear reduction setup in the rear and swapping to taller tires just to keep the engine in its power band without lugging it. That was an expensive lesson. Another nuance they touch on but do not stress enough is GCWR, or gross combined weight rating. This is the maximum total weight of the truck plus the trailer combined. People obsess over towing capacity and ignore GCWR. Your truck might be rated to tow 10,000 pounds, but if the GCWR is only 17,000 pounds and your loaded truck weighs 7,500 pounds, you only have 9,500 pounds of trailer to work with. The math is simple but easily overlooked when you are focused on the bigger number on the sticker. The weight distribution section is worth reading carefully. Most people buy the first hitch they find at an auto parts store and slap it on. The guide explains how to properly torque the chains, set the spring bars, and adjust the head height so the trailer sits level. Getting this wrong causes sway, uneven tire wear, and poor braking response. I spent probably an hour and a half getting my setup right the first time. After that, it took about ten minutes each time I reconnect.

If you have an older trailer with drum brakes, the guide recommends upgrading to electric or surge brakes on the trailer axles if you are planning to tow anything over 3,500 pounds. It is not a legal requirement everywhere, but it is a safety consideration that matters. I ignored this for years on my lighter setup and finally bit the bullet last season. The difference in stopping distance was noticeable immediately, especially in wet conditions. Overall the guide is a solid reference. It is not perfect and it does not replace knowing your own specific weights and vehicle capabilities, but it gives you a much better starting point than guessing based on MSRP towing numbers. I keep a copy bookmarked and check it whenever someone asks me for advice on what truck to buy for their trailer. Most of the time the conversation ends with them going back and looking at their actual loaded weights before committing to anything.