How to use these
If you are standing in a dealership being told a truck tows nine thousand pounds, read the tow rating article first. If you already own the truck and want to know what you can hitch to it, go and photograph the door jamb sticker, then read the sticker guide.
If a number has come out over, the order to work through is: is it payload, an axle, or the combination? Each has a different fix, and only two of them cost money. The payload calculator checks all of them at once and names the tightest one.
And when it matters — before a long trip, a mountain route, or a purchase — weigh it. Every figure on this site is arithmetic. A scale ticket is a fact.
What these guides are not
They are general explanations of how light-truck weight ratings work. They are not engineering, mechanical or legal advice, and they cannot tell you what your specific vehicle is rated for — the certification label inside your door and your manufacturer’s towing guide do that, and where they disagree with anything here, they win.