What hitch class do I need?
Work backwards from the trailer: the receiver has to clear your loaded trailer weight and its tongue weight, both at the class's bare ratings. Enter the weight and get the smallest class that does — measured tongue weight optional but better.
Enter a loaded trailer weight to get a class.
The five classes at a glance
Receiver classes are an industry convention published by the hitch makers (CURT, Draw-Tite, Reese and others; receivers themselves are tested to the SAE J684 standard). Each class caps the gross trailer weight (GTW) and tongue weight the hardware carries — the deep dive on each is one click away.
| Class | Receiver | Max trailer | Max tongue | With WDH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | 1-1/4" | 2,000 lb | 200 lb | — |
| Class 2 | 1-1/4" | 3,500 lb | 350 lb | — |
| Class 3 | 2" | 8,000 lb | 800 lb | 12,000 / 1,200 lb |
| Class 4 | 2" | 10,000 lb | 1,000 lb | 14,000 / 1,400 lb |
| Class 5 | 2" or 2-1/2" | 20,000 lb | 2,700 lb | — |
Weight-carrying ratings; Class III–IV receivers publish the second, higher pair for use with a weight-distribution hitch. Full background: hitch classes I–V explained.
Receiver opening sizes
The square opening is a hint, not a rating — the class on the receiver's label is what counts, and two receivers with the same opening can sit two classes apart:
- 1-1/4" opening — Class 1 and Class 2 (1–3,500 lb GTW between them)
- 2" opening — Class 3 and Class 4 (3,501–10,000 lb GTW between them)
- 2" or 2-1/2" opening — Class 5 (10,001–20,000 lb GTW between them)
Adapter sleeves let a 1-1/4" accessory ride in a 2" receiver, but an adapter never raises a rating — the smallest number in the chain still wins.
The class is one limit of four
A receiver class caps what the hardware tolerates. Whether your vehicle can pull that trailer is a separate question with three more limits — its tow rating, GCWR, and payload — and the smallest of the four wins. Once you know your class, run the whole rig through the tow-match calculator; if the selector recommends a weight-distribution hitch, size it with the WDH calculator.