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tow behind camper?

60K views 33 replies 21 participants last post by  A W Warn 
#1 ·
what size campers are you towing with a 1500. i have a 5.3 w/ 3.73 gears. my tow rating is 7200lb. whats the biggest camper i can tow. I know every camper is differant weights. just woundering whos towing the biggest. Id like a 30fter
 
#4 ·
JC - My brother tows a 31', 7700lb camper with his '08 5.3l (not sure of his gears). Can the truck tow it? Yes, but it is a dog going up a hill. Should the truck tow it? Well, that is up for debate... I think there is a reason the manufacturer is stating 7200lbs.
 
#5 ·
My rule of thumb, if you tow often and long distances or are negotiating high grades, do not tow more than 85% or your tow rating or roughly 6120lbs. Yes your truck will pull it, but it will put additional wear and tear. Plus the stopping is the big point in towing, you do not want to get pushed by your trailer! Just a note when looking for a camper at a dealer, do not get fooled by their "half ton" trailers or "dry weight". Just because it says "half ton" series on the side does not mean your truck should do it, usually it is half ton tow able completely empty. Remember that anything that goes into the trailer or in your truck, this includes passenger, adds to the campers "dry weight". And trust me this adds up very quickly.
 
#6 ·
If you go look in the Towing section of this site it will explain alot. The 7000lb gvwr is the weight of the truck (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) the actual amount yu are able to tow is up from that, look in the towing section of your owners manual, depending on engine, 4x4, reg cab, ext cab or crew, gears. Most new trucks crew cab, 4x4 with 5.3l and 3.42 gears can pull 9500lbs
 
#7 ·
gmctruckguy said:
If you go look in the Towing section of this site it will explain alot. The 7000lb gvwr is the weight of the truck (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) the actual amount yu are able to tow is up from that, look in the towing section of your owners manual, depending on engine, 4x4, reg cab, ext cab or crew, gears. Most new trucks crew cab, 4x4 with 5.3l and 3.42 gears can pull 9500lbs
I know all this. this has nothing to do with the weight of the truck. My truck has a trailer weight rating of 7200lb. if it had the 6 speed it would be higher but i have the 4speed. Im looking for what size trailer i can tow. from the replys 30ft is a little to big 27 is pushing it. I dont think ill be going to far with a trailer.
Im looking at used proably old trailer. there are many around here just sitting because of the price of fuel. there cheap to. iv seen 30fters for $1500. I almost bought a 30ft 5th wheel for $3300 that was gourgus. but i didnt want to buy a 5th wheel. I had a3/4ton truck. I know a 5th wheel will tow better but i want to put my DRZ400S (300lb) in the back. I have a brake controler. will the trailer still push with brakes?
 
#8 ·
Ok most guys were thinking that the GVWR on the truck was what it was capable of towing, which just happened to be 7000lbs. Keep looking, you can find some pretty light trailers now a days, but remember to look for quality too. I tow a 35' trailer but it is heavy (8400lbs) also because it is insulated for the 4 seasons, the exact same trailer witout the insulation was about 6800lbs.
 
#10 ·
gmctruckguy said:
Ok most guys were thinking that the GVWR on the truck was what it was capable of towing, which just happened to be 7000lbs. Keep looking, you can find some pretty light trailers now a days, but remember to look for quality too. I tow a 35' trailer but it is heavy (8400lbs) also because it is insulated for the 4 seasons, the exact same trailer witout the insulation was about 6800lbs.
o i didnt even think about insulation. i need a winter weather one. I dont think ill be buying a trailer then. wish i still had my turbo diesel.
 
#13 ·
Ya 12000lbs sounds like alot for that trailer, looks like about 5000lb.
 
#16 ·
I thought my 1500 would pull it with no problem, I was wrong, well it did pull it up large grade hills I couple of times, that why I think the tranny is going out now, so I traded up to a 2500hd.
 
#18 ·
I have a 2000 GMC Sierra 4x4 1500 with the 5.3, I pull a 1989 30' Fleetwood Prowler at 7700lbs. No real issues pulling it from Phoenix to San Diego. I did upgrade my brakes though for stopping and added a brake controller.
Tow / Carry Ratings from manual.

Weight Carrying - 5000lbs / Tongue Weight 600lbs.

Weight Distributing - 12000lbs / 1500lbs Tongue Weight.

I use a weight distribution hitch with sway control.

http://www.amazon.com/Eaz-Lift-4805...ywords=weight+distribution+hitch+sway+control





 
#19 ·
I just bought a leftover 2013 Dutchmen 265BHS which is about a 28' box and 30' hitch to bumper. I have only pulled it home from the dealer so far and that was straight into a 25mph wind. Truck pulled it fine at 55-60mph. This trailer weighs 6450# as it sits with 2 30# propane tanks battery spare and all other included equipment including dealer add ons. We will likely add another 600-800 lbs at most to it yet to go camping.

On a 1/2 ton like mine, rated for 9500# towing, you will run out of payload capacity on the truck before you hit the 9500# trailer capacity because of tonque weight. Tongue weight on a travel trailer should be 10-15% of total trailer weight. So in my scenario if I am 7250 loaded I should have tongue weight of 725-1085#. I have already had my tongue weighed and it was 900# with propane and battery so I should be around 1000# loaded. A weight distribution hitch with redistibute roughly 20% of tongue weight back to trailer axles so the weight the truck "sees" is 800#. My trucks payload capacity is 1550#. A full tank of gas and a 150# driver was already figured into the manufacturers payload number. As you can see that 800# plus another ~75# for a weight distibution hitch will quickly cut into payload numbers. Depending on how much other stuff I haul in the truck I will be at or slightly over my trucks GVWR.

Now, will you kill your truck being a little over? Absolutely not. Am I recommending it? No, but that is your decision. I have already made mine.

Let's run this scenario. Let's say you find a trailer that is 6000# ready to go without your personal belongings in it and you add another 1000# to the trailer. You are now at 7000#. Still under your tow rating. Let's say that with the tongue weight and all your other gear your truck is right at 7000# your GVWR. You are actually already over your trucks ratings. Again this is just a scenario I am not lecturing you. You also have to look at your trucks overall combined weight rating with truck, trailer, and gear. I am not sure what yours is but I believe that the 7200# tow rating is if the truck is empty with only a 150# driver and full tank of gas nothing else. Any other weight you add to the truck the weight of the trailer is reduced proportionally.

With that being said I am certainly not going to lecture you because I myself will be right at or a little over my trucks GVWR so I have no room to talk. What I am comfortable with towing you may not. I have towed 16,000# with my truck hauling gravity boxes full of corn from the field and down the road to the elevator. My truck didn't break.

I guess all that can really be said is just a few things to look for. If you get a slide out they are about 300# per slide out. I would recommend not traveling with fresh water in the tank as that weight adds up quickly. Make sure you have a good brake controller and a good weight distibution hitch system with anti sway control. As far as camper length that is a hard call because every manufacturer is different as far as the weight to trailer length relation. Some 30' trailers are 5500# and others are 7500#. I don't know what exactly you are looking for but we had a 20' hybrid before this that was 3700# dry and that was a really nice trailer.

I wish you luck with your decision and maybe you would be best to shop for trailers based on floorplan first then look at weights and decide if you are ok with that. Good luck trailer shopping it is a good time of year for it and as always travel safely.
 
#20 ·
Just my 2c.
It is a subjective call. However, if you tow something all rigged up at/close to your max weight rating you will sooner or later end up with failure. Probably, the transmission. I used a '99 350 with tow pkg suburban to tow a 6000 lb travel trailer periodically, in Texas, mostly flat land. First it would drop out of lockup, ultimately, the tranny just totally blew apart, albeit at 139K miles. Total rebuild required. I would also say that I always babied the tranny never towing in OD and even unloaded I kept it out of OD unless I was on the open highway. No hard downshifts. All that time I felt like I was living on the edge despite the fact that the numbers supported it. It never over heated, stopped ok, but these 1/2T trannies are designed for high gas mileage not strength. So when you push them they'll ultimately break.

Recently we bought a 7500 lb TT. This time I jumped over the limits and bought a used 06 Dmx/Allison. The experience is so different. The rig instills confidence when I take off. I could have bought a newer 1/2T with the higher ratings but I felt like I would always be living on the edge expecting a breakdown somewhere like before with the 1/2T suburban. I see words about redesigned rear axles etc but I don't see much verbiage about new heavier duty trannys. The other alternative I considered was a gasser with the Allison but I couldn't find any used ones around here and the Allison is not really designed for the higher rpm of gassers.

best of success however you go
Don
 
#21 ·
You'll probably get more complete answers to this type of question posting somewhere like RV.net in the tow vehicle or towing forums. However, here's the RVer's take on it.

There are several parameters you need to look up for your truck. Most 1500s will run out of payload (stuff you load in the truck - including people - plus trailer tongue weight) before they max out on the towing capacity. My truck is a 2500 Duramax, but I'll use it for an example. Here are the numbers you need to find (cargo means stuff plus people here):

GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating - truck plus all cargo; 10,000# for my truck)
GCWR (gross combined weight rating - truck + trailer and all cargo; 24,500# for my truck)
GAWR FRT (gross axle weight rating, front... not so important here, but 5,200 for my truck)
GAWR RR (gross axle weight rating, rear; 6,200 for my truck)
Tire max load ratings; 6,390 for my SRW load range E rear tires
Manufacturer's conventional hitch max tow rating (13,000 for my truck), and
Manufacturer's conventional hitch max tongue weight (1,500 w/o weight distributing on my Class V hitch)

The next thing is to load the stuff (and people) in your truck that you would normally haul camping (make sure you have a full tank of fuel) and head for the nearest CAT scales. Get separate front and rear axle weights with everyone in the truck. Subtract the total weight of the truck from the GCWR and you have your max towing capacity. Subtract the actual rear axle weight from the GAWR RR and you have the amount you have left over for tongue weight. Make sure nothing exceeds the max load rating for the tires, either. The final numbers for my truck are: actual weight - 7,520; actual rear axle weight - 3,080. That leaves me 3.120 on the rear axle (and 3,310 for the tires), but the hitch is only rated for 1,500 tongue weight. I'll stick with that. Subtracting the actual weight of the truck from the rated GCWR leaves me 16,980 - but, again, the hitch is only rated for 13,000, so I'll stick with that, as well (would have to with a fifth wheel to use the full 16,980).

Going through this process will tell you what the frame, suspension, cooling systems and brakes will safely handle - but it doesn't tell you how much fun the rig will be to drive in the mountains/on steeper grades or with a significant head wind. These are all functions of the engine and transmission combination. The LAST thing you want is to have the tail wag the dog or not be able to stop in an emergency situation or going down a steep grade. Also, depending on the state, you can get an expensive ticket for towing over the manufacturer's rated limits for the truck. However, the horror stories I've read about this on the RV forums seemed to mostly be in the Northeast. Better to err on the side of caution. As my first flying instructor used to say (early 70s), "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots - but there are no old, bold pilots...

Hope this helps.

Rob
 
#22 ·
+1

Great advice above.

I tow a 6006 lb fully loaded 30 foot travel trailer with my 2011 Sierra 1500 with 5.3 Litre and 3.42 gears.

My Payload maximum is 1420 lbs
tongue weight and hitch weight total 850 lbs
Available payload for family and cargo 570 lbs

I am at the limit for payload, but well under the limit for 9500 lbs total (trailer + payload)

The truck handles well with that kind of weight, but it will struggle on grades in 3rd or higher gears. I use 'M' and keep the transmission limited to 5th gear on flat sections. Restrict it to 4th for slightly hilly sections, and I then lower to 3rd or 2nd to help with grades. The engine will not pull well under 3000 rpm, and I often have it running at 4000 to 5000 rpm to climb and maintain 50 mph on grades. If I attempt to lower engine speed, it will maintain the travel speed, but fuel consumption and transmission temperature go way up.
 
#23 ·
I'm currently pulling a 36ft Keystone with my 2008 Tundra 5.7l V8 double Cab 4x4. It's rated for 10,300 and the camper dry is about 7,400 with a max load rating of 9,100. I have had no problems towing. I'm in the proces of purchasing a 2014 1500 DC 5.3l V8 4x4 with the max tow package. Book says the trailering is 11,200 for the Silverado. Has anyone towed similar with a 2014.
 
#24 ·
As noted above, GVWR has nothing to do with how much you can tow or how much your truck weighs empty. This should help explain:

The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), or gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer[1] including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers and cargo but excluding that of any trailers.[2] The term is used for motor vehicles and trains.

The weight of a vehicle is influenced by passengers, cargo, even fuel level, so a number of terms are used to express the weight of a vehicle in a designated state. Gross combined weight rating refers to the total mass of a vehicle, including all trailers. GVWR and GCWR both describe a vehicle that is in operation and are used to specify weight limitations and restrictions. Curb weight describes a vehicle which is "parked at the curb" and excludes the weight of any occupants or cargo. Dry weight further excludes the weight of all consumables, such as fuel and oils. Gross trailer weight rating specifies the maximum weight of a trailer and the gross axle weight rating specifies the maximum weight on any particular axle.
Check your manual for vehicle max tow rating but factor in the condition of your vehicle as well.

My truck has a 9600lb rating but the heaviest I towed was 7000-7500lbs loaded. It pulled it OK but think a >5,000lb trailer would be much easier on the truck. Depending on the trailer, I strongly suggest using a weight distributing hitch setup.

 
#25 ·
My back ground: I bought a 19 foot lightweight TT. It is listed at about 2700 pounds dry. I had a 2004 Blazer, 4.3L when I bought it. Yes, it pulled it. But after driving it home on the interstate 125 miles and then a camping trip another 100 miles of insterstate and hilly rural roads, I found that even though my towing capacity was double the trailer weight, my 4.3L, 4 speed just wasn't going to cut it. So, I stepped up to my 2013 Silverado 5.3L, 6 speed, 3.42 gears. It still won't stay in 6th gear on the interstate at 65 mph and will even drop to 4th on inclines, but I can keep up with traffic and not feel like a rod is going to come flying through the hood. The one thing about travel trailers is that they are about as aerodynamic as pulling a parachute down the highway.
My advice to you is this: Ensure your trailer is well within your listed towing limits. Even cutting it close is likely to not be a good experience. Then, once you find a trailer you like that fits that criteria, make sure you test it out. Hook up, and pull it at 65-70 mph for a while, then find some hilly terrain and pull it there to see how it works out. If you ask a dealer "will my truck be able to pull this" they are going to say yes and cite the 9500 pound number every time. I watched a dealer hook up a 23' rental TT up to a Honda CRV and send the customer off with his front wheels nearly off the ground while telling him that they had a couple hundred pounds to spare in towing capacity. I doubt they even got home with it, but if they did, and loaded it up with gear, water, food, etc..., I am sure they probably didn't get very far before the CR-V blew up.
If you already own the TT, then don't purchase a truck until you know it will work well with the trailer. If you already own the truck, then make sure the trailer will work with the truck before you make a purchase. Don't just go by the numbers or you will likely be disappointed and wind up having to get rid of one or the other.
 

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#26 ·
DTJ9610 said:
I'm currently pulling a 36ft Keystone with my 2008 Tundra 5.7l V8 double Cab 4x4. It's rated for 10,300 and the camper dry is about 7,400 with a max load rating of 9,100. I have had no problems towing. I'm in the proces of purchasing a 2014 1500 DC 5.3l V8 4x4 with the max tow package. Book says the trailering is 11,200 for the Silverado. Has anyone towed similar with a 2014.
It seems like since the Japanese mfg don't have a 3/4T offering that they beefed up their 1/2T rigs to capture some of that market. Quite often they have a 4.11 rear axle and their engines seem like they like higher rpms. So the USA mfg had to step up. If you configured your silverado with the higher diff and bigger motor then you should be ok. I'd like to hear how it turns out for you.

I just got 33ft Keystone and so I punted on my old suburban and got an '06 DMAX. Between the diesel and allison there is a world of difference. I may end up with more $$$ due to unique diesel repairs in the long run but for now its almost like driving unloaded compared to the suburban. It was designed for towing. BTW, the suburban only pulled a 6K lb 26ft Mallard but I really felt the load every mile I went until the tranny blew apart. It was always downshifting and don't even think about letting it go into OD. I think the trannies are the weak link in the 1/2T chevies.
 
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