Guide · computed from 1,204 published tongue weights

Travel Trailer Tongue Weight by Size

What travel trailers of each length publish as their tongue weight, how that compares with the 10–15% rule of thumb, and why the loaded figure is different.

Short answer. The median travel trailer here publishes a 736 lb tongue weight (n=1,204), which is 12.4% of its dry weight (median, n=1,114). These are the makers’ published figures: 319 of the 1,204 labelled dry by their makers (the trailer empty); the rest are printed as a plain hitch weight, with no basis stated. Loaded tongue weight is different, and this site publishes no loaded figure.

Published tongue weight by trailer length

Length	Floorplans	Published tongue weight, lb	Share of dry weight
12 to under 16 ft	8	340 (227–480; n=8)	13.9% (12.8%–14.2%; n=5)
16 to under 20 ft	48	344 (220–660; n=48)	12.2% (8.0%–21.4%; n=48)
20 to under 24 ft	224	457 (270–1,010; n=224)	12.1% (8.8%–18.5%; n=208)
24 to under 28 ft	191	600 (415–1,245; n=191)	12.0% (8.8%–18.8%; n=167)
28 to under 32 ft	275	736 (450–1,230; n=275)	12.2% (9.4%–17.5%; n=250)
32 to under 36 ft	212	855 (615–1,570; n=212)	12.2% (9.0%–18.3%; n=194)
36 to under 40 ft	168	1,084 (750–1,855; n=168)	13.0% (9.3%–19.7%; n=164)
40 to under 44 ft	63	1,465 (900–1,990; n=63)	13.1% (10.2%–15.2%; n=63)
44 to under 48 ft	13	1,470 (1,100–1,745; n=13)	11.4% (9.8%–13.0%; n=13)

Median, then range and n. Only floorplans that publish a tongue weight are counted; 2 published figures flagged as physically implausible are left out (conflicts).

The 10–15% rule of thumb

A common rule of thumb puts 10–15% of a travel trailer’s weight on the tongue. It is not a federal or SAE standard, and no primary source this site could fetch states it. NHTSA’s towing guide says: “Manufacturers consider the loaded weight of a trailer when specifying tongue weight” (NHTSA, DOT HS 809 433).

Most of the published figures sit inside that band: of 1,114 travel trailers that publish both weights, 38 show a published tongue weight under 10% of dry weight, 1,004 fall from 10% to 15%, and 72 are above 15%. Where cargo sits changes the tongue weight, so treat the published figure as a starting point and weigh the loaded rig.

The lightest published tongue weights here

Floorplan	Brand	Tongue lb	Dry lb	Length
Jay Flight 130RD	Jayco	220	2,545	16' 1"
Zinger Lite Mini 12FB	CrossRoads	224	2,786	16' 2"
Flagstaff E-Pro E11LE	Forest River	227	1,779	14' 11"
Rockwood Geo Pro G11LE	Forest River	227	1,779	14' 11"
Jay Feather 15TBSL	Jayco	230	2,515	17' 6"
Jay Flight 130RDW	Jayco	230	2,530	16' 1"
Range Lite LW 14LW	Highland Ridge	230	2,515	17' 6"
Jay Flight 130BH	Jayco	240	2,460	16' 1"

Tongue weight counts against your tow vehicle’s payload. Tow match checks published figures against your own vehicle’s numbers; the weight-numbers guide works through a full example.

Common questions

What is the tongue weight of a travel trailer?

Across the 1,204 travel trailers in this catalogue that publish one, the median published tongue weight is 736 lb (lightest 220, heaviest 1,990). That is the maker’s figure: 319 of the 1,204 labelled dry by their makers (the trailer empty); the rest are printed as a plain hitch weight, with no basis stated. Loading the trailer changes it.

What is the tongue weight of a 20 to 24 ft travel trailer?

The median published tongue weight of the 224 travel trailers here from 20 to under 24 ft long is 457 lb (range 270–1,010).

What percentage of trailer weight should be on the tongue?

No federal or SAE figure was found for this (searches recorded in the site’s method notes). 10–15% of the trailer’s weight is a common rule of thumb, not a standard. NHTSA’s towing guide gives no percentage and says manufacturers specify tongue weight from the trailer’s loaded weight (DOT HS 809 433).

What share of dry weight do published tongue weights carry?

Across 1,114 travel trailers that publish both figures, the median published tongue weight is 12.4% of dry weight. 38 are under 10%, 1,004 fall from 10% to 15%, and 72 are above 15%.

Browse

Figures on this page are computed from the site’s own verified-specs dataset (1,628 floorplans; generated 2026-10-21), which is read from the floorplan pages and their named manufacturer and dealer-network sources. Dry, hitch and pin weights are as published, before options, water and cargo. Two published hitch figures that are physically implausible are printed on their pages with a flag and left out of every statistic here (conflicts). How the data is verified. Built 19 Oct 2026.