We regularly receive questions about the different weight designations. For information on which trailer is permitted, take a look at the vehicle documents of the towing vehicle, as these may already stipulate some restrictions. The towing capacity is specified here. This stipulates the weight that your vehicle is allowed to tow. This refers to the weight of the trailer plus the corresponding payload.
The trailer as such has a permissible total weight. This specifies the maximum weight of the trailer as a whole, i.e. with its unladen weight plus payload. The unladen weight is therefore the weight of the trailer and its body alone.
The payload is sometimes referred to synonymously as the load capacity and is usually of great interest to the person using the trailer. The payload describes the theoretically possible load that can be transported without exceeding the permissible total weight. In simple terms, this means that the payload is the maximum load allowed for the vehicle.
Generally, this can be calculated as follows:
Permissible total vehicle weight - unladen weight = payload
Please note that your towing vehicle may not be permitted or able to tow the entire payload that is mathematically possible.
