Free RV Towing Calculator: Find Your Actual Safe Towing Capacity
Most towing calculators give you a yes or no. Ours shows you the full picture — your vehicle, your RV, your passengers, your gear, and whether you're actually safe to tow.
If you've ever searched for your truck's towing capacity, you probably found a range — sometimes a 4,000+ pound difference between trim levels. And even that number doesn't account for the weight you're actually bringing: passengers, coolers, camping gear, water, propane, and everything else that adds up fast.
That's why we built the MintRV Towing Calculator — to help you see the complete picture before you hit the road.
What Makes This Towing Calculator Different
We're not a dealership. We're not trying to sell you anything. The purpose of MintRV is to help you match your vehicle to your RV — and make sure you're not overweight before you find out the hard way.
Here's what you can do with the calculator:
- Add your exact vehicle configuration (year, make, model, trim)
- Add your RV or enter custom trailer specs
- Factor in passengers and gear weight
- See your safety margin with color-coded zones
- Save multiple builds to compare setups
- View estimated MPG while towing
Step 1: Add Your Vehicle
You can add a vehicle two ways:
- Use the dropdown on the towing calculator to select your year, make, model, and trim
- Search all vehicles on our vehicle search page to filter by fuel type, towing capacity, payload, and more
Once you find your vehicle, save it to your garage. This lets you quickly access it anytime you want to run calculations or compare setups.
Why does your exact trim matter? Because there can be a 4,000+ pound difference in towing capacity between configurations of the same truck. A dealer can't just look at your F-150 and tell you "it'll haul it" — not without knowing your specific setup.
Step 2: Add Your RV or Trailer
If you already own an RV, select it from our database of 70,000+ RV specifications. You can search by:
- Class type (travel trailer, fifth wheel, Class A, B, C)
- GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating)
- Length and sleeping capacity
- Slide outs
- Estimated MPG while towing
Use our RV search page to browse options filtered by what your vehicle can safely tow.
Don't have an RV? No problem. You can manually enter your trailer's weight specs — perfect for flatbed trailers, boat trailers, or equipment haulers.
The MPG Feature Nobody Else Has
One thing that sets MintRV apart: estimated miles per gallon while towing. When you're comparing RVs, you can see exactly how each one impacts your fuel efficiency.
The difference between 8 MPG and 12 MPG on a 3,000-mile trip? That's $500+ in fuel costs. This feature helps you factor that into your buying decision.
Step 3: Add Your Gear and Passengers
This is where most towing calculators fall short — and where people get in trouble.
Your "towing capacity" assumes an empty truck and empty trailer. But when you're actually on the road, you've got:
- Passengers (150-200 lbs each)
- Coolers full of food and drinks
- Camping chairs and outdoor gear
- Fresh water tank (8.3 lbs per gallon)
- Propane tanks
- Bikes, kayaks, ATVs
- Kitchen supplies and bedding
Our calculator lets you add all of this to see your actual weight — not the theoretical maximum from a Google search.
Create Multiple Gear Profiles
Here's a feature RVers love: you can save different gear setups for different trips.
For example:
- Family vacation: 4 passengers, full water tank, all the gear
- Hunting trip: 2 adults, minimal gear, lighter load
- Solo weekend: Just you and the essentials
Same truck. Same RV. Completely different safety margins. That's why one number from Google doesn't work.
Step 4: See Your Results
Once you've added your vehicle, RV, and gear, the calculator shows you:
- Total combined weight — everything together
- Percentage of max capacity used — are you under 80%?
- Color-coded safety zone — green (safe), yellow (caution), red (overweight)
- Estimated MPG — what to expect at the pump
The 80% rule matters. When you're at max capacity, you're dealing with reduced braking distance, increased sway, worse fuel economy, and accelerated wear on your vehicle. Staying under 80% keeps you in the safe zone.
Step 5: Save Your Build and Compare
Create a free account to save your builds and access them anytime.
This is especially useful if you're shopping for an RV or a new tow vehicle. Instead of keeping notes in a spreadsheet, you can:
- Save multiple vehicle + RV combinations
- Compare towing capacity across setups
- See how different RVs impact your MPG
- Share your build with others
View all your saved configurations on your builds page.
Why We Built This
After 15+ years in the RV industry, I've watched too many people get told "you'll be fine" by dealers — only to end up overweight, burning through fuel, and struggling to control their rig on the highway.
The problem? There was no tool that showed the complete picture. Towing capacity charts don't include your gear. Dealer advice doesn't account for your specific trim. Google gives you a range with no context.
MintRV fixes that. It's free, it's fast, and it might save you from an expensive (and dangerous) mistake.
Try the Calculator
Use the free towing calculator here →
No signup required to run calculations. Create an account to save your builds.
Have a feature request or feedback? Drop a comment below or reach out — we're building this tool for RVers, and your input helps make it better.
