Can a Trailer Hitch Rated for 500 lbs Tongue Weight Safely Haul a 456 lb 2003 V Strom 1000

Updated 04/09/2024 | Published 01/20/2018

Question:

Hi, I have a Ford Explorer Sport Trac with a Class III hitch 500 lb tongue rating, and I want to haul a 2003 V Strom 1000 with a Heavy-Duty Steel Motorcycle Carrier. The V Strom dry weight is 456 lbs and the wheel base at 60 inches. Can you make a recommendation or should I opt for something else? Thanks,

asked by: Jim C

Expert Reply:

If the owner's manual for your 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac states that you have a 500 lb tongue weight rating then you will easily be able to tow a 456 lb bike, like the 2003 V Strom 1000, on a motorcycle trailer. If you are talking about a motorcycle carrier like the etrailer # e98873 then you will likely be exceeding your tongue weight and I do not recommend going that route.

Tongue Weight (TW) refers to the downward force that the coupler of a trailer (or a bike rack or cargo carrier) puts on the trailer hitch. Typically a trailer hitch has a TW rating that is about 10% of the actual Gross Trailer Weight (GTW) rating of the trailer hitch so that means you could pull up to 5,000 lbs.

Keep in mind that although your trailer hitch may have a TW rating of 500 lbs, your Sport Trac could be rated for a lower TW. In that case you would be limited to the TW rating of your Sport Trac. I looked up an online version of the owner's manual for a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac and found a few different tow weight ratings listed. I recommend checking your owner's manual with the specs for your Sport Trac to determine how much weight you can safely tow.

I have attached a few helpful articles that you may also want to check out. One of them talks about using a TW scale, like part # e99044, to help you determine how much TW you have on your trailer.

expert reply by: Jon G

Randy

4/9/2024

My 2022 Silverado manual says hitch weight is 567 lbs what is the maximum travel trailer weight I can haul?

Jon G.

4/9/2024

@Randy Usually the listed tongue weight rating is 10% the weight of the trailer so I would guess you're looking at up to a 5,670 lb trailer, but that should be listed right next to the tongue (hitch) weight rating you found in your manual so I recommend referring back to your manual for this one.