How much does the average trailered dirtbike weigh? A jet ski? A car? Thankfully, someone crunched the numbers. That someone is Nissan.
The weight your vehicle can tow is determined by a number of factors, including the strength of the chassis. A manufacturer will tell you the capability of your vehicle. You can find it in the owner’s manual, usually accompanied by a laundry list of how-to’s and notes. Even if you think you’re an expert, take the time to read over the instructions in the manual if it’s the first time you’re towing with a vehicle.
Photo courtesy of Nissan North America
Remember, when you’re trying to determine if your vehicle is capable of towing what you want to, you’ll need to take into consideration the weight of the trailer. Also keep in mind that weighing your vehicle down with a full trunk/cargo area/bed and passengers can impact its ability to tow with ease.
Here are the average weights of the items you might tow.
Dirtbike with a trailer
The average dirt bike with a trailer weighs 800 pounds. Some trailers are capable of carrying multiple dirt bikes. You’ll want to add together the individual weight of each dirtbike to the trailer weight to ensure your vehicle is still capable.
Photo courtesy of GMC
Some full-size trucks are able to fit dirtbikes in their bed. The 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 with a Carbon Pro bed has specialized indentations in its bed just for such a task.
Jet ski with a trailer
A jet ski with a trailer weights about 1,100 pounds, on average. Like with dirt bikes, you’ll want to check the weight of the jet skis individually if you intent to pull two on one trailer. Also, consider that at trailer that you can haul two jet skis with may be wider than your vehicle. If it is, be sure to practice basic maneuvering with it before you hit the open road.
Four-wheeler with trailer
Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co. Inc.
A four-wheeler is slightly heavier than a jet ski. Towing one on a trailer is a 1,200-pound task. Some trailers allow you to pull two four-wheelers at a time. You’ll want to consider the weight of the larger trailer plus the weight of each four-wheeler on it, combined, before determining if your vehicle is capable enough to tow the load.
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet
18-foot bass boat with trailer
Photo courtesy of Triton
An 18-foot bass boat is good for a day in the sun with family or an early morning on the open water. A bass boat-trailer combination weights 3,300 pounds, on average.
Pop-up camper
Photo courtesy of Nissan North America
If social distancing is right up your alley but pitching a tent is not, consider towing a pop-up camper to the woods. Nissan has calculated that a typical pop-up camper weighs 3,500 pounds.
In the market for a new pop-up camper? See our list of the best ones here.
Pontoon boat with trailer
If you’re ready to hook up your pontoon boat to a trailer and head to the water to live your best life in Little Big Town style, you’ll want to take into consideration that the average pontoon boat and trailer weigh 3,700 pounds combined.
Car with trailer
The typical car weighs upwards of 2,500 pounds. If you’re looking to tow a vintage model on a trailer, or just pull your daily driver behind your motorhome, plan to be towing at least 5,500 pounds.
24-foot travel trailer
Photo courtesy of Nissan North America
A 24-foot travel trailer may be able to fit your whole family for a night near a lake, but the average two-row SUV isn’t strong enough to pull it. Plan on the travel trailer weighing around 6,000 pounds. Of note, some three-row SUVs that aren’t full-size can handle this weight.
