I am wondering what weight of trailer I can tow with my 2003 Toyota 4Runner V8. If my towing capacity is 5000 lbs., does that mean that the GVWR of the trailer must be 5000 lbs. maximum, or is it the dry weight, or what?

Does it mean on level roads or up and down mountains? Can somebody help me out here and explain towing capacity to me?

Hi Carol,

Generally that means it's the maximum you can tow. So it would be the trailer with everything you load into it.

A couple of caveats:

1) Sometimes there is also a maximum tongue weight, which can limit you regardless of the max trailer weight.

2) With some vehicles, the vehicle's occupants and luggage have to be subtracted from the total allowable weight.

3) Some vehicles also have two different weight limits: With trailer brakes and without trailer brakes.

This should all be in your owner's manual. That's the best place to find the info for your specific model (sometimes even a given car model can vary depending on options, year, etc. so don't just go by someone else with your same type of vehicle).

Raya