Printable kit · 10 worksheets
The Safe Towing Setup Planner
Get your real numbers off the door jamb sticker and the trailer's own certification label, weigh the rig at a CAT scale instead of guessing, set the hitch and brake controller up correctly, and check it all again before every trip: an at-a-glance sheet, a weight check worksheet using the exact CAT scale math, a hitch and weight distribution setup sheet, a buying decision sheet by tier, a brake controller gain log, a pre-trip checklist, a maintenance log, a trip planner, a towing laws checklist and a budget planner.
- 10 fill-in worksheets, 30 print pages
- 2 filled-in examples to copy the format from
- Companion Excel / Google Sheets tracker with the weight, payload and GCWR formulas built in
- Online buyer guide with budget tiers and buy links, by setup tier
Replaces the guessed tongue weight, the brake controller gain nobody wrote down, the torque spec on a sticky note that always goes missing, and the pre-trip check done from memory.
30-day money-back guarantee. Use it all; if it doesn't help, every dollar back.
Look inside
Real pages from the PDF you download, including both filled-in examples. Swipe or scroll.
What's in it
See all 10 worksheet titles
- Tow Vehicle & Trailer At A Glance
- Weight Check Worksheet
- Hitch & Weight Distribution Setup Sheet
- Tow Rig Buying Decision Sheet
- Brake Controller Setup
- Pre-Trip Checklist
- Trip Planner
- Towing Laws Checklist
- Trailer Maintenance Log
- Budget Planner
Also included
- 2 filled-in example worksheets. Weight Check Worksheet and Brake Controller Setup, worked through with hypothetical weights, so you can see a finished page before you start.
- 1 bonus printable. Quick Reference: Bands, Classes & Ratings: The published standards and towing conventions this kit is built from, cut down to glovebox size
- 1 companion spreadsheet. An editable workbook: a weight and payload calculator using this site's own tongue weight, payload and GCWR formulas, a one-time setup budget with a running total, and a reusable maintenance log. Tabs: Weight & payload calculator, Setup budget, Maintenance log.
- 1 start-here page. The four sheets to fill in the first 20 minutes, and which sheet to reach for when.
Plus the online buyer guide
Three complete tow rig setups at three budgets, every item priced and linked, plus every product the kit names, kept current on this site. Your kit links straight to it, so the prices you plan with are today's, not the day the PDF was printed.
Who it's for
- Anyone about to hitch up who wants their real GVWR, GCWR, payload and tongue weight written down in one place instead of half-remembered
- Anyone who has never weighed a rig at a CAT scale and wants the exact steps
- Anyone setting a brake controller gain for the first time, or resetting it after changing trailers
- Anyone comparing a beginner, intermediate or expert tow setup who wants a real decision process rather than a guess
- Anyone who tows the same rig for years and wants a reusable maintenance log and trip planner
Who made this
Built by the TowingCalc team from the same tongue weight, payload, GCWR, hitch class and brake gain formulas the free site's calculators run on, laid out as a workbook to fill in with your own vehicle's real numbers rather than a page to read.
30-day money-back guarantee
Use the whole kit. If it doesn't help, fill in the refund form within 30 days and you get every dollar back. No questions asked. Refund form.
Questions
Does this tell me if my truck can tow my trailer?
No, and it never will. This kit is the same arithmetic as the free site's calculators, run on YOUR own numbers off your own door jamb sticker and trailer certification label, so you can check it yourself. Nothing here or anywhere on TowingCalc publishes a per-vehicle tow rating.
Does this replace the free site?
No. The free site has the calculators, buying guides and reference charts; the kit is where your own rig's numbers get written down, dated and reused, plus the budget tracker and reusable logs the free pages do not carry.
Does it cover per-state towing laws?
It includes a checklist and a table to fill in per state. It does not publish a state-by-state number, because brake weight thresholds, towing speed limits and mirror rules genuinely vary and change; check your own state DMV or DOT before every trip.
I have never used a CAT scale. Is this still useful?
That is exactly who the Weight Check Worksheet is for: it walks through the four readings you take, in order, and does the tongue weight, payload and GCWR arithmetic for you once you have them.
Does this work for a fifth wheel, not just a bumper pull?
Yes. The weight, payload and brake arithmetic is identical; only the pin weight band changes, to 15 to 25 percent instead of 10 to 15, and the sheets note that wherever it matters.
Printable or fillable on screen?
Both. Print it and write by hand, or open a worksheet PDF in a reader that supports typing and fill it on a tablet or phone.
What if it does not help?
Use the whole kit for 30 days. If it does not help, the refund form on the contact page gets every dollar back, no questions asked. Refund form.
The Safe Towing Setup Planner
10 worksheets · 30 pages · examples, workbook and online buyer guide