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How Much Can I Tow/haul With A 1500 Silverado?


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First let me say I know what a 1500 Silverado is rated to do. I have a buddy with a 2001 2500hd with the 6 speed and 8.1L and he was trying to tell me he hauled probably close to 16,000lbs worth of wet hay on a gooseneck trailer with no problems which is a lot more than that truck is rated. So am just wondering how far can I push a 1500? The most I would ever want to tow would be close to 10,000lbs and that would be very rarely. Can I do that on a 1500? Can I buy anything like some extra leafs to make a 1500 more capable of towing that kind of weight? How much can it haul in the bed if I wanted to push it? I am looking to buy a used 2wd 1500 sliverado extended cab but I want to make sure it will do what I want. I would like a 2500 but I can't live with getting 13MPG. Thirteen MPGs is one thing if you are towing 10,000lbs but I cant afford something like that for a daily driver.

 

Thanks

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These trucks will tow and haul much more than they are rated for. I'm sure your friends 2500 will happily pull that weight all day without complaint. But what about stopping and descending a steep grade??? What about the family in the small car in front of that truck going down this grade?

 

The problem is, the weight limits imposed by the factory are safety standards. In other words if the truck has a GCVR of 13,000 pounds, that is the total weight the manufacturer says can be moved and stopped safely. These numbers are enforced by the many state D's OT. Some overloading fines are substantial. In PA I believe it is $150 plus $150 for each 500 pounds over the GCVR. Those fines will add up fast.

 

Bottom line is overloading is expensive and it's not safe.

 

Be smart. Define your requirements then find something that fills those requirements and nothing less.

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Like Bowler said, as far as pushing a truck past its towing/hauling ratings, remember it's not just as simple as the engine's ability to pull a large load that comes into play or the suspension's ability to keep the rear end level, but also everything else. The ability of the brakes to slow the combo, the suspension's ability to control it all, the need for the engine/transmission cooling systems to keep up, the frame's ability to handle the stresses, the rating of the tires to handle the weight, etc. So just upgrading the rear suspension isn't going to cover all your bases, and if you start upgrading everything in order to try to exceed the 1500's towing or payload limits you might as well just get a 2500HD.

 

With all of that said, I have no doubt the 1500 can manage to tow a trailer that's a couple thousand pounds heavier than it's rated for. And I was with a friend when he hauled 3,100 lbs in the bed of a 1500 (2x the rated payload capacity); the rear end was obviously sagging horribly, he accelerated like a white-haired old lady, and he didn't dare come close to the speed limit for fear of having to try to stop suddenly or make any sudden changes in direction. But, I don't think any of those are safe options, and they've got the potential to cause some problems on the truck even if done rarely and for short durations (premature failure of certain mechanical components, unseen damage and weakening of structural components).

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I'm with the guys above. Towing over rated loads is foolish and endangers not only the occupants, but others in your path, whether motorists or others. I don't know how many big rig overload accident stories I read in the paper, but they're out there. Break an axle on a little 1500 and the non-floating design will allow the axle/wheel assembly to come out and collapse that corner, if it's a drumbrake.

 

 

I see the local independent landscapers/masons doing such things often around here. I'll see a 1500 with a bed load of sand, gravel, cinderblock or bags of cement, very often. The suspension is completely bottomed and three or even four guys are riding in a standard cab going somewhere to do some work. All you can do is get out of their way and hope that they make it without killing someone. Most of these guys have little education and may have no idea that the load they have is illegal and dangerous.

 

I know everyone has financial limitations and may not be able to afford the ideal vehicle for everything. So make two trips for the load instead of one.

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I agree with all the above information. I have owned an 08 1500 5.3 373 4sp 4x4 and now have an 09 2500HD 6.0 373 6sp 4x4. The mpg on the new 2500HD is much better than previous 2500 models. I am getting about 2mpg less than the 1500 with the 2500HD for general non-towing driving. I am averaging 17 mpg on the highway with non-towing small loads.

 

The list of differences between the 1500 and the 2500HD, in my opinion are significant. Do a little more research on this forum before you rule out the 2500HD for your towing and hauling needs.

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One more thought to ponder. The 2009 Sierra w/ the 6L80/3.42 gained about 2k lb of "tow capacity" over the 2008 w/ a 4L60/3.73. That means that it's not the frame, axle, brakes, etc. that set the rating, but the pulling "performance". That said, I wouldn't worry much about an occasional "short" tow at 2k lbs above the rating (like cattle to the market kind of thing), but I wouldn't do it as part of a routine. More importantly, getting the right balance of weight on the truck so that you don't overload tires, axles, etc. and also making sure that the trailer has good brakes (and a good controller on the truck) to handle stopping. I wouldn't tow that kind of weight with a 1500 without trailer brakes, except situations like "from one field to another at 30 mph".

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I have a 1500 rated at 7000 lbs. I regularly pull a Camper that is 26 ft long, and will weigh about 6300 to 6500 lbs fully loaded. It does so just fine.

 

HOWEVER, I would not pull a trailer any longer or that weighed any more, as I would not be within the limits of my vehicle. I also cringe when I see things like 1500 trucks pulling a big tractor on a trailer down the road, knowing that their could be a car loaded with kids at the stop light that the truck will not be able to stop at.

 

One other thing that has not been mentioned here. In a lot of states, if you kill someone while overloaded, you could be in for manslaughter charges....and if they show you KNEW you were overloaded, you could even be facing some form of murder charges.

 

And that is not even talking about what the civil suit would do to your life.

 

 

Buy a truck that matches the maximum load capacity you will pull.

 

C

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I am just going to say yes. I have hauled about 44 full size new railroad ties with mine, and it handled them ok, probably would have helped to have electric brake controller :D IT pulled them easily I am just going to guess a weight of 220 a piece on those ties which makes the entire load about 9680lbs. make sure you are not pulling the entire load with an empty bed or whatever you are pulling will be steering your load for you! (I am not going to say this is leagal, but can be done) If you pull something like that though, be smart about it have electric brakes, and a brake controller....and give yourself plenty of stopping time.

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I have a 1500 rated at 7000 lbs. I regularly pull a Camper that is 26 ft long, and will weigh about 6300 to 6500 lbs fully loaded. It does so just fine.

 

HOWEVER, I would not pull a trailer any longer or that weighed any more, as I would not be within the limits of my vehicle. I also cringe when I see things like 1500 trucks pulling a big tractor on a trailer down the road, knowing that their could be a car loaded with kids at the stop light that the truck will not be able to stop at.

 

One other thing that has not been mentioned here. In a lot of states, if you kill someone while overloaded, you could be in for manslaughter charges....and if they show you KNEW you were overloaded, you could even be facing some form of murder charges.

 

And that is not even talking about what the civil suit would do to your life.

 

 

Buy a truck that matches the maximum load capacity you will pull.

 

C

 

 

ouch

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these trucks will take loads you would never think the would move. Using the power of your truck to do yard/farm work is one thing. go ahead push it until it wont take anymore, but once you talk about going on a public road you better be in compliance with the load limits of your truck not just for others safty but your own.

 

As for what these trucks can do when your not worried about going down the road... I have been preping property for a house for the last 9 months, pulling stumps, cutting trees down then using the truck and a chain to pull 4 and 5 trees out of the woods at the same time. we were using a 3 axle 28' flat bed trailer for a while and loading what our best guess of 12-15 face cords of freash cut wood. it was hard to tell because we would saw them in 3' logs and load the trailer with a tractor. i am not sure the weight of the wood and the trailer but we bent all 3 axles on the trailer and blew the tires out on the first axle. This was when we stoped cutting the trees up in the woods and started draging them out whole then cutting them near the fire pit. just to pull this trailer loaded i was using 4 wheel low in 1st gear, there were times where i didnt think it was going to make it out of the woods but the trailer gave way before the truck!

 

So if you are not worried about pushing the truck until it breaks then go ahead and try. you said you were looking at a 2 wheel drive? i wouldnt even bother with it, but thats just me.

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Chris brings up another good point. If you do break something (tranmission parts especially) it'll cost a lot to fix. Maybe even start making a 2500/3500 look attractive. If you hurt someone or damage other peoples property, you will regret the choice of overloading for a long time.

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2006Z71,

4WD just requires more maintenence, and costs more to fix when you break it. It takes a better driver to make a 2wd truck do 4wd jobs...jm2c I am not saying a 2wd can do everything a 4wd can do, but they can come damn close with the right person behind the wheel.

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by no means am i downing a 2wd truck. i wont own one! for what i have used my truck for and where i live (MI) i dont have any use for a 2wd truck. Our work truck is a 2wd chevy and its great except when we get heavy snow. more then 3" on the ground and we park it inside and use our personal trucks that are 4wd. Also i will add that our company truck does not have limted slip so that is a big downfall

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