Last month, we shared a line from Tesla’s official Cybertruck Owner’s manual that says the Cybertruck tow hitch is rated to carry the same vertical load as the Model Y hitch—160 lb or two bicycles. Here is exactly what the Cybertruck owner manual said: “The hitch assembly is designed to support vertical loads up to 160 lb (72 kg). Exceeding this maximum weight can cause damage.” Naturally, current and potential Cybertruck owners who intend to use their Cybertrucks as trucks were unhappy about the small tow hitch ratings. Although the issue was widely reported, Tesla has chosen to ignore it until now, leading some Cybertruck buyers to cancel their orders. However, a few hours ago, Tesla’s lead Cybertruck engineer, Wes Morrill, unexpectedly addressed the controversy and explained more about the 160 lbs vertical rating. Tesla has also updated the Cybertruck manual to explain the issue better. Before we show you Tesla’s response, it’s important to explain the difference between the tow rating and vertical load ratings. This is important since the lead Cybertruck engineer uses the tow rating to explain the vertical load rating. Normally, the vertical load rating for the tow hitch is capped at 10% of the total tow rating. The Cybertruck has a tow rating of 11,000 lb (5,000 kgs), which means the tow hitch can carry a maximum vertical load of 1,100 lb (500 kgs). However, as we pointed out earlier, the Cybertruck Owners manual states, “The hitch assembly is designed to support vertical loads up to 160 lb (72 kg). Exceeding this maximum weight can cause damage.” A 160 lb vertical load rating will limit the Cybertruck tow rating to 10 times that, which is 1,600 lb. However, we know that the Cybertruck has an 11,000 lb tow rating, and this is the discrepancy Wes and Tesla finally try to clear up. Wes writes… “Wanted to answer tow-hitch accessory questions with a few examples. There are many different accessories, but the relationship is clear. To simplify it, when you increase the distance away from the hitch the load capability goes down. The 11,000lb tow rating isn't absolute. You can think of it as holding a heavy weight against your chest; it's much harder to hold that same weight with your arms outstretched. This is now updated in the owner's manual online and in-vehicle to make it easy to find and clearly explains with more text and diagrams.” Wanted to answer tow hitch accessory questions with a few examples. There are many different accessories, but the relationship is clear. To simplify it, when you increase the distance away from the hitch the load capability goes down. The 11,000lb tow rating isn't absolute.