What Can I Tow With 5,000 lbs. Capacity? (With 6 Examples)


what-can-i-tow-with-5000-lbs-capacity

Have you ever wondered what you can tow with 5,000 lbs. capacity?

A good towing capacity can make or break your vacation. You do not want to rent a travel trailer only to find out your vehicle cannot tow it and you have to rent a truck as well!

Understanding how much weight your vehicle can tow and what that truly looks like will make everything easier and will protect your vehicle.

With a 5,000-pound towing capacity, you would be surprised how much you can haul. It is enough to take gear and toys on the road. You can also easily transport things between locations if that is more within your needs.

So, what you can tow with 5,000 lbs. capacity? With a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds, you can likely tow:

  • A Rowboat
  • Jet skis
  • A Utility Trailer
  • A Pop-Up Camper
  • A Tow Dolly with a Light Car
  • A Small Travel Trailer
  • An A-Frame Trailer
  • Snowmobiles
  • ATVs
  • A Fishing Boat
  • Motorcycles
  • An Enclosed Utility Trailer
  • A Landscape Trailer

What Can You Tow with 5,000 lbs. Capacity?

Whenever you tow something, it is important to remember that the weight of the item alone is not the only weight you need to consider.

You will also need to be aware of the weight of the trailer holding the item and any gear loaded on top of the item. With a 5,000-pound towing capacity, the total weight of all of those items should not be more than 5,000 pounds.

The following table lists specific examples of items you can safely tow with a 5,000-pound limit and the approximate weight of those items, so you can know how much gear you can add.

TypesAverage Weight (lbs.)
Carry-On Trailer 5X10CGR2,990 lbs.
Stingray 215LR and Trailer4,605 lbs.
Keystone Springdale 1720TH3,575 lbs.
Scout 195 Sportfish and Trailer3,150 lbs.
Aliner Family Trailer and Provisions3,500 lbs.
Mini SE Hardtop and a Tow Dolly3,750 lbs.

Carry-On Trailer 4X6CG

Enclosed utility trailers are incredibly practical. They are popular for people moving because the roof offers added protection from the weather during long trips.

Enclosed trailers come in a variety of sizes, and many can be towed with a 5,000-pound carrying capacity.

If you intend to haul a lot with your enclosed utility trailer, you will want a trailer that does not weigh too much. A trailer that weighs 4,000 pounds does not leave you much weight capacity for your gear/items if you are limited to 5,000 pounds.

The Carry-On Trailer 5X1CGR can easily be towed by a vehicle with a 5,000 lbs. towing capacity. The trailer itself weighs around 930pounds.

“It has a payload capacity of 2,060 pounds. That means if you fill it with as much as it can handle, you are looking at around 2,990 pounds, which is safely under the 5,000-pound towing capacity.”

The Carry-On Trailer 5X10CGR will fit on most 2” hitch receivers, which is common on vehicles with a 5,000-pound towing capacity.

It has Aluminum fenders, an interior dome light, and plywood flooring and walls. If you only have a small apartment or a few rooms to move into, this is a great option for you.

Read also: Trailer Wiring Diagrams:19 Tips Towing Electrical Wiring Installation

Stingray 215LR and Trailer

Boating is an excellent way to relax and enjoy beautiful sunny days. A good motorboat is a great place to commune with friends and family.

You can enjoy a picnic on the water or a quick tour around a lake. Adventurers can swim and then climb back onto the boat to keep the journey going.

“The Stingray 215LR is the perfect example of a great boat for enjoying the summer in that can be towed behind a vehicle with a 5,000-pound hauling capacity.

The Stingray 215LR weighs 3,705 pounds without gas or gear. The average trailer weight for a boat this size is around 900 pounds.”

This means the boat and trailer together weigh 4,605 pounds. This leaves you almost 400 additional pounds you can safely tow. That weight will likely be used with gas, water, food, life jackets, and any other items you leave in the boat while you drive.

The Stingray 215LR has a large cooler for food and drinks, a compartment great for wardrobe changes, and a freshwater sink that makes it great for spending a full day with friends and family on the water.

Read also: Walmart Trailer Hitch Installation // CURT Trailer Hitch Classes

Keystone Springdale 1720TH

Travel trailers and toy haulers are great for taking the comfort of home with you on vacation. Travel trailers are trailers that can attach to a vehicle via the tow hitch. They have sleeping areas, kitchenettes, bathrooms, and more.

They are also great flexible options because you can park the trailer at a campsite and take your tow vehicle on a day trip.

The Keystone Springdale 1720TH is a comfortable, practical trailer that you can easily tow with a vehicle with a 5,000-pound towing capacity. The trailer weighs 3,575 pounds. The extra weight in your towing capacity will then be available for food, drinks, propane, bedding, and more.

The Keystone Springdale 1720TH comes with a 6 cubic foot refrigerator and one propane tank. It comes with a queen bed that can comfortably sleep, two people.

It includes a shower and a toilet. The kitchen of the Keystone Springdale 1720TH includes a microwave, a sink, and a water heater.

Read also: U-Haul Hitch Installation / Trailer Hitches for Towing (UPDATED)

Scout 195 Sportfish

Fishing is a great hobby and occupation for many people. It is a great way to get into nature and try a fun sport. You can enjoy fishing in the sun or rain and it is a great sport to enjoy with friends and loved ones.

When towing a fishing boat with a 5,000-pound capacity, you will also likely be towing gear, tackle, life jackets, lunch, gas, and more. For this reason, you will need a boat and trailer that weigh less than 4,000 pounds in order to have room for supplies for your trip.

The Scout 195 Sportfish is easy to tow with a 5,000-pound towing capacity. The dry weight of the boat (without the engine) is about 2,150 pounds. With the engine, you are looking at a weight closer to 2,350 pounds. If the boat trailer is around 800 pounds, the total weight you are towing is around 3,150 pounds.

This gives you an additional 1,850 pounds for gas, life jackets, tackle, fishing rods, fishing reels, bait, and any other gear you need.

The Scout 195 Sportfish is a great example of a standard fishing boat. It is 19 feet 5 inches long, and it can hold 43 gallons of gas.

It has plenty of room to move around while you reel in fish and it has a swim platform if you want to take a dip.

Read also: Pep Boys Hitch Installation / Trailer Hitches for Towing (UPDATED)

Aliner Family Trailer and Camping Provisions

A-frame trailers have roofs that pop up to provide more space while you camp. The sides pop up to give it its signature A-frame shape.

The walls are more rigid, so you can still have extra protection from the weather and elements.

They offer many of the other benefits of a travel trailer because you can still park the camper and take your tow vehicle out to town. A-frame trailers also fold down while you drive to give you extra space and less wind resistance.

The Aliner Family Trailer is a standard a-frame trailer. It is easy to haul behind a vehicle with a 5,000-pound towing capacity. The trailer is 18 feet long and 7 feet wide. The trailer itself weighs in at just under 2,000 pounds, which is very safe for a vehicle with a 5,000-pound capacity.

When camping with a trailer, you will also need food, propane, bedding, and more. That weight will add up.

If you fill up the trailer to its capacity, you will be looking at around 1,500 pounds of gear. That gives you a total towing weight of 3,500 pounds.

The Aliner Family Trailer includes an 11-gallon freshwater tank, a water heater, a cassette toilet, a furnace, and more. It has everything a small family would need to be comfortable on a camping vacation.

Mini Hardtop SE and a Tow Dolly

It is rare that you will need to tow a vehicle with a vehicle that can only handle 5,000 pounds. That weight capacity does not leave you much room for bringing an extra vehicle for a camping trip or other vacation.

However, sometimes a car will stop running and leave you stuck. In those circumstances, having a tow dolly can save the day!

Mini Hardtop SEs are easy to tow behind a vehicle with a 5,000-pound towing capacity. They only weigh 3,143 pounds. That means if you have gas, blankets, spare tires, or anything else in the car, you still have an extra weight capacity.

With a tow dolly weighing 600 pounds, it would then take 3,750 pounds to tow a Mini Cooper Hardtop SE.

The Mini Hardtop SE can seat four adults. It is a two-door vehicle, and its fuel tank can hold 11.6 gallons of fuel.

Which Vehicles and Trucks Can Tow 5,000 lbs.

Many vehicles can tow 5,000 pounds. It is also quite common for many mid-sized SUVs, SUVs, and trucks to carry more than 5,000 pounds.

The table below shows some common vehicles and trucks which have a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs:

VehicleTowing Capacity (lbs.)
Chevrolet Traverse5,000 pounds
Ford Explorer5,300 to 5,600 pounds
Hyundai Palisade5,000 pounds
Nissan Pathfinder6,000 pounds
Toyota Highlander5,000 pounds

Chevrolet Traverse

The Chevrolet Traverse is an excellent family car. It has enough seats for up to eight people, so you can take the entire family with you.

The new version has touch screens and Bluetooth capacity to keep the whole family connected in the car.

The Chevy Traverse can handle 5,000 pounds when towing, so you can take the family on the road and your boat, camper trailer, or ATVs.

Ford Explorer

The Ford Explorer can seat 6 or 7 people, depending on which model you select, so there is still plenty of room for friends and family. The car is popular among outdoor enthusiasts.

The Ford Explorer can carry 5,300 or 5,600 pounds. There are different models available, some with more seats and a higher towing capacity. Both are still capable of towing at least 5,000 pounds.

Hyundai Palisade

The Hyundai Palisade is another great option if you are looking for a mid-sized SUV that can tow at least 5,000 pounds.

The Hyundai Palisade can set 7 people. With a 5,000-pound towing capacity and room for seven people, you are ready for whatever adventure life throws your way.

Nissan Pathfinder

The Nissan Pathfinder is one of the only Nissans with off-road capabilities. It also has an impressive 6,000-pound towing capacity.

It offers blind-spot assistance and intuitive safety features so you can easily tow your campers, boats, ATVs, motorcycles, and more with added peace of mind.

Toyota Highlander

The Toyota Highlander is similar in design to the Toyota RAV4. The Toyota Highlander has added storage space and an increased towing capacity. Highlanders can tow 5,000 pounds.

The Toyota Highlander has good gas mileage for a car this size. It gets 21 miles per gallon in the city and 29 miles per gallon on the highway.

Read also: How Much Does It Cost To Install A Trailer Hitch On A Toyota Highlander?

Trailer Weight vs Towing Capacity

If you want to know more about the Trailer Weight vs Towing Capacity, just click the link to How to Measure Towing Capacity, GVWR, GCWR, Truck, Trailer

References

https://www.curtmfg.com/trailer-weight

https://www.nissanusa.com/

https://www.toyota.com/highlander/

Mike Gilmour

Hi, I'm Mike, co-founder, and editor of RV and Playa. My passion is traveling (with my RV) and enjoying the day at the beach (Playa)! Well, I originally created this blog as a way to share what I've learned by experimenting with the RV lifestyle, and I want to help others develop in life through new skills and opportunities.

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