Max towing?

[CMOrr]

I have recently negotiated what I believe to be a great deal on a tractor, fel, bh, cutter, bb and 20' equipment trailer. The trailer is a 20' tandem with a GVW rating of 10,500 lbs. and has electric brakes on both axles. The dealer is in OK and I'm in TX. It is about a 300 mile drive.

After making the deal I began to think about my ability to trailer all this
equipment back with my truck. I drive an 08 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 5.3 ltr V8 rated at 8,500 lbs towing. A quick tally of the weight of the equipment and trailer comes to somewhere in the neighborhood of 9,500 lbs.

So, I thought I would get some input if this is something the truck would pull ok for one trip or should I plan on making two trips?

Thanks for the input!

 

[MikeInEburg]

Two trips! You're endangering your own life plus the lives of other motorists.

Mike

 

[firefighter jim]

Two trips! You're endangering your own life plus the lives of other motorists.

Mike

Ditto.............

 

[ModMech]

First off I would congratulate you one being smart enough to understand there *might* be a problem with the proposed load and not just saying "well the bumper will hold it".

The TRAILER stops itself and the LOAD, if the brakes are working correctly.

If you were overloaded by 20% or more I would say two trips, but you are just baarely over the towing rating by 10% or so with brakes on BOTH trailer axles and under the trailer rating. If it were me and my family making the trip, it would be a single, but cautious trip.

 

[Diamondpilot]

The lawyers will say 2 trips but if its flat and your truck is in good shape this time of year with mild temps in your area I would do it with one trip. Make sure you use a WD hitch.

Chris

 

[aczlan]

Can they load the stuff up and weigh them so that you have an exact number?

Depending of the weight of the various pieces, it might be advantageous (weightwise) to load some of them into the bed of the truck so as to decrease trailer weight some.

Full specs including max GCWR are available at http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=&id=1768

Aaron Z

 

[Diamondpilot]

Can they load the stuff up and weigh them so that you have an exact number?

Depending of the weight of the various pieces, it might be advantageous (weightwise) to load some of them into the bed of the truck so as to decrease trailer weight some.

Full specs including max GCWR are available at http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=&id=1768

Aaron Z

While this is a good idea I do not think it will work and probably make things worse since he is using a 1500 series GM. They are know to have soft suspensions. Maybe if he was driving a 1 ton truck it would be a different story. His best bet is just loading the trailer smartly keeping his tongue weight in check and having a WD hitch. The trailer being long and having brakes on both axles will help. Take it slow and do it on a day with cool temps and no precip and you should be fine.

I used to tow a 10,000# boat with a F-150 4x4 5.4L 3.73 gears. It sucked the gas at 5 mpg but would do it until I was able to get a Powerstroke. Only had 1 issue where it would not make it up about a 15% grade in August on a 103 deg day. Had to use 4 low to get the gearing in my favor for about 3 miles.

Chris

 

[CMOrr]

I appreciate the replys. I had to google WD hitch. I read about them and how they work. My next question is for DiamondPilot. Can you suggest a brand and a model you think would be best? I checked into what exactly I have on the truck and I do have the 3.73 gears, the heavy duty trailering package and the high performace suspension package. So, I'm encouraged if I get the WD hitch of making the trip.

 

[jwstewar]

I'm not DP, but if I were you, this is what I would (and did for my 36' Jayco Travel Trailer behind my Silverado).

High Performance Trunnion Weight Distribution System 1,200 lbs TW / 12,000 lbs GTW Reese Weight Distribution 66022 This is a Reese 12,000 lb system. There are other brands, but Reese is by far the best known. I've been starting to hear good things about the Curt brand.

 

[FlaDon]

I'm not DP, but if I were you, this is what I would (and did for my 36' Jayco Travel Trailer behind my Silverado).

High Performance Trunnion Weight Distribution System 1,200 lbs TW / 12,000 lbs GTW Reese Weight Distribution 66022 This is a Reese 12,000 lb system. There are other brands, but Reese is by far the best known. I've been starting to hear good things about the Curt brand.

Same unit as I have in your link.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I appreciate the replys. I had to google WD hitch. I read about them and how they work. My next question is for DiamondPilot. Can you suggest a brand and a model you think would be best? I checked into what exactly I have on the truck and I do have the 3.73 gears, the heavy duty trailering package and the high performace suspension package. So, I'm encouraged if I get the WD hitch of making the trip.

Listen to JWSTEWAR. I have 3 truck, one of which is a F-350 diesel, and I can pull everything I need, up to 25,000#, without a WD hitch so I have never owned one. They do not work for boats which is what I mainly tow other than my 7K car hauler which my 1/2 tons or even our old V8 Mountaineer would handle without one.

Chris

 

[CMOrr]

I'm not DP, but if I were you, this is what I would (and did for my 36' Jayco Travel Trailer behind my Silverado).

How much are you pulling with the Jayco??

 

[Samandothers]

Keep in mind with the WD hitch there is some installation on the tongue of the trailer. Just plan on that when you get to the trailer.

 

[radioman]

Keep in mind with the WD hitch there is some installation on the tongue of the trailer. Just plan on that when you get to the trailer.

Not sure whats the problem, but it only takes 5 mins .

 

[Big Bri]

Not sure whats the problem, but it only takes 5 mins .

i think what he means is bring a drill. I had to bolt the chain binders or what ever there called to my trailer. i knew that before i went and picked mine up. even though it didn't take long had i not planed (and brought the drill) i wouldn't have been able to use the hitch.

 

[herd]

Not sure whats the problem, but it only takes 5 mins .

Not true if he buys the Reese dual-cam anti-sway w/trunnion, which in that price range, is the best hitch out there. That installation takes about a full day. To get one better, you have to go to Hensley/Arrow, at about $2500.

I bought a 28' used travel trailer last jan, it weight over 9000#. I have a Silverado 5.3 and 3.43 gears. Didn't know much about towing but after I got that thing home, with ''white knuckles'' and all, I prayed.

That's a lot of weight on the 1500, and risky. The 1/2 ton truck with its trans and brakes and suspension, is not built for that kind of load. I guess if you do do it, you probably will not make a habit of it.

In my situation, I wound up buying the Sierra 2500HD with the 8.1L and Alli trans. The beauty of the 3/4 ton truck is not just the HD engine, but all of the HD peripheral components, esp brakes. Also, peace of mind and being legal towing adds confidence to the equation.

 

[jwstewar]

How much are you pulling with the Jayco??

Unfortunately, too much. It is almost 8k dry. GVW of the trailer is something like 9800. I'm over my tow rating by something like 2100 lbs - if I'm maxed. I have the 5.3 w/ 3.73s. For the most part it does OK. We went to Lake Cumberland last summer with that setup. I wasn't winning any races, but did OK. I was able to run 55 most of the way. Kept it in 3rd and any hills put my foot down and dropped it to second gear right away. Typically never dropped below 45. There is one hill on 32 in Southern Ohio that I hit that gives me a little bit of grief. It is a fairly long hill but not super steep - but steep enough, first time I hit it, I tried to keep my speed up by running the RPMs pretty high the whole time. By the time I got to the top my temp was pretty high. Made it a little hard to keep the RPM up on the way down to assist with breaking. The next time I hit it, I hit the bottom of it doing about 60 and just gradually let my speed drop to about 40 and my temp did just fine. I also removed the little inserts in the front of the bumper to get a little more air into the radiator.

One of these days, I'll have a DMAX.

 

[jwstewar]

Keep in mind with the WD hitch there is some installation on the tongue of the trailer. Just plan on that when you get to the trailer.

Not true. With the Dual Cam Sway control yes there is. But with a pure WD setup, there are no holes to drill or anything. The brakets just set down over the frame and you tighten down with a crescent wrench. Takes all of 5 minutes for both sides. When we bought the Jayco I took my old hitch with me. We installed it in about 5 minutes. Since my old bars were only 750s, I didn't like how much flex they had. I ended up buying the new 12,000 on the spot. We then swapped it out in 10 minutes - had to remove the old one and install the new one. Took them longer to find the new WD setup then it did to install - including changing the shank on my drawbar.

 

[tractorboy5500]

Have you looked into mybe renting a 3/4 ton or a 1 ton, that would save you the extra trip.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Not true if he buys the Reese dual-cam anti-sway w/trunnion, which in that price range, is the best hitch out there. That installation takes about a full day. To get one better, you have to go to Hensley/Arrow, at about $2500.

I bought a 28' used travel trailer last jan, it weight over 9000#. I have a Silverado 5.3 and 3.43 gears. Didn't know much about towing but after I got that thing home, with ''white knuckles'' and all, I prayed.

That's a lot of weight on the 1500, and risky. The 1/2 ton truck with its trans and brakes and suspension, is not built for that kind of load. I guess if you do do it, you probably will not make a habit of it.

In my situation, I wound up buying the Sierra 2500HD with the 8.1L and Alli trans. The beauty of the 3/4 ton truck is not just the HD engine, but all of the HD peripheral components, esp brakes. Also, peace of mind and being legal towing adds confidence to the equation.

Biggest issue was the 3.42 gear. GM loves them so they can brag on MPG. Your truck probably had less than a 7K tow rating or right around that. Also the 1500 series GM trucks have the weakest brakes of any 1/2 ton on the market.

You did right by upgrading but a properly equipped 1/2 ton would handle that load for the occasional user like yourself. Now if towing it everyday for work that would be another issue.

Chris