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Travel Trailer recommendations...


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I am about to purchase a 2015 Sierra SLT 4x4 3.42 axle. short bed. It has the 5.3 engine and does have the trailer brake option. I'm just waiting to sell my 08 Silverado before pulling the trigger on the new truck. I am also in the market for a travel trailer. I am totally new to towing a travel trailer. I have pulled plenty of open and enclosed trailers, but never a travel trailer. Here are out plans. We plan on taking summer trips around the US., So we will be driving a few thousand miles once, maybe twice per year. Most of the time, we will be using the travel trailer to take it to the beach (about an hour away). How big of a travel trailer can should I buy to safely tow it? I am looking for any recommendations you can provide. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Al

attached is a picture of the truck I'm planning to buy. Iridium Metallic Z71

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It really depends on the trailer at a baseline look at your specifications for towing weight and try not to exceed that. the more tricky problem will be finding one that will live with in your payload limits. for that look at your B pillar door jamb bottom for available payload. Subtract out all of the weight of the people you expect to go camping with you, all of the stuff that will be in the bed of your pick up and about 100lbs for hitch gear. that number will be what you have left over to tow with.

 

When you select a travel trailer be sure you are actually looking at the tongue weight of the actual trailer because the catalogs are often wrong.

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Whatever travel trailer you are looking at, ignore the trailer weights posted by the manufacturer in the literature. Use the gvwr as the guideline when choosing a trailer to suit your truck. The tongue of a travel trailer will weigh about 13 percent of the loaded weight of the trailer. For instance, a trailer with a gvwr of 6500 will have a loaded tongue weight of around 850 lbs. Add 100 lbs for WD hitch, another 500 lbs for passengers and gear in the truck and the truck will be carrying 1,450 lbs cargo on its axles. Most 1/2 ton GM payload ratings are about 1,500. My advice is to stick with a trailer that has a loaded weight less than 6500 for a 1/2 ton.

If you plan on doing any serious towing and extensive travel with a trailer, I strongly recommend that you consider a 3/4 ton. They have better braking capabilities, heavier suspension, E rated tires designed to support tongue weights, etc. Your towing experience will be much more enjoyable and will provide more options for the trailer you want. Most 3/4 ton trucks have around 2500 to 3000 payload ratings. With 1/2 ton trucks, you will run out of payload long before you exceed what the truck is advertised to tow. Tow ratings advertised by truck manufacturers are deceiving.

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Whatever travel trailer you are looking at, ignore the trailer weights posted by the manufacturer in the literature. Use the gvwr as the guideline when choosing a trailer to suit your truck. The tongue of a travel trailer will weigh about 13 percent of the loaded weight of the trailer. For instance, a trailer with a gvwr of 6500 will have a loaded tongue weight of around 850 lbs. Add 100 lbs for WD hitch, another 500 lbs for passengers and gear in the truck and the truck will be carrying 1,450 lbs cargo on its axles. Most 1/2 ton GM payload ratings are about 1,500. My advice is to stick with a trailer that has a loaded weight less than 6500 for a 1/2 ton.

If you plan on doing any serious towing and extensive travel with a trailer, I strongly recommend that you consider a 3/4 ton. They have better braking capabilities, heavier suspension, E rated tires designed to support tongue weights, etc. Your towing experience will be much more enjoyable and will provide more options for the trailer you want. Most 3/4 ton trucks have around 2500 to 3000 payload ratings. With 1/2 ton trucks, you will run out of payload long before you exceed what the truck is advertised to tow. Tow ratings advertised by truck manufacturers are deceiving.

True for 3/4 too lol
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OK. Great advice. Thank you all for your help. I am picking up my truck tomorrow. I'll check it out, and see what I am able to do with it. I am going to stick with a 1500 for now. I'm sure that I can get a decent sized TT that my truck can handle. when I figure out what TT we can, I run it by you guys to see if the setup will work. The wife is excited about traveling the country this summer. Again, thank you for your input and expertise.

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How many in your family? Just you and the wife, or kid(s)? My brother has a 22' with a slide out he travels with his wife and two kids. Pulls it with a 2002 Trailblazer 5.3 V8 just fine. They go from north Florida to Texas, and up to the northeast. When we were kids, our parents had two pop ups and moved up to a 20' TT. We went from Florida to Canada two times and all points in between. I think you will be fine in a 1500, depending on the size TT you wind up with,.

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Having spent quite a few summers in an Airstream I'm partial to those. Our 73 c10 with a 350 towed that 31' pretty well. Grandparents had one for a while too but grandma called it the coffin so they got a holiday rambler that caught the wind like crazy. Plus she wanted slide outs and back then Airstream didn't have them. I think dad got his dually just to tow that HR. I'm sure a lot has changed with materials and builds in the last 10-15 years since I went camping with my family though.

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How many in your family? Just you and the wife, or kid(s)? My brother has a 22' with a slide out he travels with his wife and two kids. Pulls it with a 2002 Trailblazer 5.3 V8 just fine. They go from north Florida to Texas, and up to the northeast. When we were kids, our parents had two pop ups and moved up to a 20' TT. We went from Florida to Canada two times and all points in between. I think you will be fine in a 1500, depending on the size TT you wind up with,.

 

It's currently only 3 of us, but we would like to buy a big enough TT so that we can invite my brother in law and his family ( 2 adults , 2 young kids) when we take the TT to the beach. So a 6-8 person TT would be ideal. From what I have seen, I am looking at a 24'-30' TT. I'll be sure to share whatever we end up with. I found a RV towing calculator that has cleared up some of my weight concerns. If you have anymore tips, please share. I'm new to this, so any help is greatly appreciated.

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I'm still looking for a popup for my wife and daughter. My wife is very adept at tent camping, and I was in scouts for 23 years. But, I'm 42 now..and really don't enjoy sleeping on the ground too much anymore. Took the wife to her first RV show a few months back and sold her at least in a popup, maybe a hybrid.

 

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

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Al,

 

As mentioned, the biggest hurdle you will have is running out of payload with the 1500 if you look for a trailer that will sleep 4 adults, and 3 kids.

 

Are you looking for a tt with a slide (or two)? While they can open the floor up a lot, it is added weight.

 

PLUS, how much do you plan to load in the bed of the truck when you head out? Spray in bed liner, cab high topper, or any other accessories must be figured into the payload to know what is left for your tongue weight (tw).

 

The brochure tongue weight is without a battery or propane tanks on the tongue of the trailer (last I knew). So that can easily add 150lbs to the "dry" tw even before you load any food, clothes, or other camp items.

 

As for brands, one thing I have read on RV.Net is with the Thor products it can be tough to get warranty work approved when/ if you have an issue.

 

Lots of nice trailers out there! Try to hit some rv shows, and spend time window shopping before you buy.

 

Good luck!

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Payload is the problem with 1500 series. Just depends if you want to be out of payload while pulling a trailer . Might be a liability issue if something happens when pulling. I upgraded to 2500HD from my 1500. The liability of payload was a concern to me as people love to sue nowadays. Enjoy the vehicle.

 

Thank you

 

Ken

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