Small Camping Trailers

In regards vehicle trailering, what is the difference between WC(weight carrying) and GVW (gross vehicle weigh

The class 1 hitch I'm looking at lists a 1000 lb GVW capacity and 2500 WC. I'm mounting it to a Subaru Forester so will not be pulling much weight anyway. Possibly a small fishing boat, utility trailer, or very small pop up camper or Scamp type lightweight camper.

Public Comments

1. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is how much your vehicle is allowed/rated to weigh, fully loaded. This means with passengers, gear, fuel, trailer tongue weight, etc....it can't weigh over whatever your manual states. Weight Carrying is a type of hitch. It refers to how much weight that particular hitch can haul. It probably won't have anything to do with how much weight your manual says your car can safely tow. Be aware that most maximum trailer tow capacities require a load-equalizing hitch to attain...you can't tow the max with a standard weight-carrying hitch. Many manuals have it divided into how much you can tow either way.
2. Class 1 (Class I) hitch Trailer hitch with capacity of up to 2,000 lbs gross trailer weight and 200 lbs tongue weight. Class 2 (Class II) hitch Trailer hitch with weight-carrying rating of up to 3,500 lbs gross trailer weight and 300/350 lbs tongue weight. Class 3 (Class III) hitch Trailer hitch with weight carrying rating of up to 5,000 lbs gross trailer weight and 500 lbs tongue weight. Also sometimes used to refer to a hitch with any 2" receiver, regardless of rating. Class 4 (Class IV) hitch Trailer hitch with weight carrying rating of up to 10,000 lbs gross trailer weight and 1,000 - 1,200 lbs tongue weight. Although many times any hitch with a capacity greater than 5,000 lbs gross weight is referred to as a Class 4. Curb weight The empty weight of a vehicle full of fuel and all fluids. Curb weight does not include passengers or payload. Gross combined vehicle weight (GCVW) Total combined weight of the two coupled vehicles, including all passengers and payload. Gross trailer weight (GTW) The total weight of a trailer including all of its contents. Gross vehicle weight (GVW) The total weight of a vehicle including all of its contents and passengers. Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) The weight specified by a manufacturer as the recommended maximum weight of a vehicle when fully loaded. Payload The transported load. Freight, excluding the weight of the trailer or tow vehicle. Tongue weight The downward weight applied by the towable equipment on the hitch ball. Generally tongue weight should not be more than 10% of the gross trailer weight. Weight carrying hitch Any hitch used without a weight-distributing system. Some hitches are designed and clearly marked "weight carrying only". Some hitches are weight carrying with weight distributing ability and will have a dual rating – "weight carrying (WC) 5000 / weight distributing (WD) 10,000", for example.