As someone who’s been towing boats on trailers for years, I have learned by listening to some smart trailer people and found with experience they are usually right about
“Max towing”. Couple important points:
Trailer balance, tires and tire pressure, axle ratio, the hitch and how it’s mounted can all affect the performance.
The “Max” towing weight is only a limit number that includes the total weight of trailer, cargo and everything that goes on the hitch. This max is for level roads, normal driving and braking.
You never ever want to tow the “Max” as your regular routine. It’s more of a limit. If you’re maxed out then your tires brakes and suspension are at the limit and these components will fail at that limit.
If your route involves significant elevation, speed or distance you should take a percentage off max. Example is if you are going up/down steep grades that percentage should be proportional to the gradient. My 2024 Tahoe 6.2l RWD has something around 8k max, if I was towing in mountains I would never tow over 7k and I would be closer to 6k lbs for peace of mind.
If you’re driving high speed for long distances you should consider braking distance at speed. If max is 10k lbs and you want to go 70+mph you don’t want to tow 10k!
Safety, wear and tear on tow vehicle and ease of mind are the key factors. From my experience, 70% to 80% of max rating is a good recommendation for the “Max” weight you want to work with for safety and health of the tow vehicle. Conservative values are wise choices. Choose wisely!