how much does this weigh?

[gave20]

I'm looking to buy a 04 sierra 1500 but I'm not sure if it will be big enough to haul a travel trailer that has a unladen weight of 4350lbs. and a GVWR of 7000lbs.  The tow rating on the truck is 7800, I'm worried about maxing the trucks GVWR.  I was wondering how much weight the dishes, clothes, food and other goodies, excluding water, would add to the unladen weight.  I know I'll never put enough stuff in the camper to get to the GVWR but just curious what you guys have in weight with the nessecities?

[Shaners]

I would say that with passengers, food, firewood, beer, and all the trimmings etc... I haul at least an extra 1500 lbs for a weekend getaway.

[Stepside Z]

I would say that with passengers, food, firewood, beer, and all the trimmings etc... I haul at least an extra 1500 lbs for a weekend getaway.

It is a sad day in Mudville. Shane listed beer after passengers, food, and firewood. Oh the humanity of it all.  

gave02, how far and how often do you plan to tow. Do plan on towing over any mountain ranges? Those are all factors to consider befor you buy.

[gave20]

how far and how often do you plan to tow. Do plan on towing over any mountain ranges?

stepside- I plan on towing from coast to coast so I'm kinda worried about the tranny holding up on the 1500.  So I'm trying to decide between the 1500 and the 2500 LD.  I know I won't be overweight on anypart of the rig but I will be coming pretty close the the GVWR on the truck.  So I'm worried about the long term durability of the 1500 tranny with that load.  With the 2500 LD I double the payload (1400 - 3000) and I get the heavy duty tranny.  But I can only get 1000 lbs. more in GCVWR 13000 to 14000.  So I'm not sure if I should get the 2500LD cause I'll hardly use its potential but...the safety cushion is pretty soft.  So  ???

[BlackSilver]

I plan on towing from coast to coast so I'm kinda worried about the tranny holding up on the 1500.  So I'm trying to decide between the 1500 and the 2500 LD.  I know I won't be overweight on anypart of the rig but I will be coming pretty close the the GVWR on the truck.  So I'm worried about the long term durability of the 1500 tranny with that load.  With the 2500 LD I double the payload (1400 - 3000) and I get the heavy duty tranny.  But I can only get 1000 lbs. more in GCVWR 13000 to 14000.  So I'm not sure if I should get the 2500LD cause I'll hardly use its potential but...the safety cushion is pretty soft.  So  ???

I've towed that amount of weight with a 1500 5.3L with towing package.

 

After you leave a calm day on the flatland of Kansas it gets ugly in a hurry, regardless of the ratings.   Almost gave up the RV after a few white knuckle trips on windy days in grades.  Bought myself a 2500HD and life is wonderful again.

 

Get at least the 2500 if you're serious about towing.  Stiffer frame, better brakes, better tranny, more "overhead power" for grades.  It's the difference between day and night!

[siskiyou]

My suggestion is to buy the 2500 LD. The place that you are going to have a problem is with the GVW of the truck. Lets say the truck weighs 5000lbs. The trailer tongue weight will be about 12% of the trailer wieght. Lets just call it 600lbs. Now add yourself, lets say 200 lbs. and your passenger 150lbs.. We are now up to 5950 lbs. Since you are going to be traveling I am guessing that you have a canopy 150 lbs. now you are up to 6100 lbs.. Your truck is only rated at 6400 lbs. so that leaves you with 300 lbs. for cargo. This truck with its Toyota like 2 leaves in the rear springs is not up to hauling this load all the time. It has plenty of power but a wimpy suspension that is set up more as a passenger car than a truck. Don't make the same mistake I made by buying the 1/2 ton. Keep in mind that the 3/4 ton LD has a heavier transmission, transmission temperature guage, heavier differentials, heavier frame, larger engine, bigger brakes etc..

[BlackSilver]

I'm looking to buy a 04 sierra 1500 but I'm not sure if it will be big enough to haul a travel trailer that has a unladen weight of 4350lbs. and a GVWR of 7000lbs.  

Here is a message I composed right after I'd switched from a 1500 to a 2500HD tow vehicle.  I realize the HD is another step higher than what you'd been considering, but I offer this just to highlight my problems with the 1500.

 

-----------------------------

 

 

A couple of years ago I bought my "dream truck" to tow my walleye boat. It was a 2001 Chev Silverado extended cab LT 1500, 5.3L gas, 3.73 rear end, rated to tow 8400#. Great truck for the intended purpose, but when I retired we bought a 5th wheel RV, 2002 Cougar, dry weight 6140#. Of course the RV sales guys assured us "no problem -- the Cougar was designed for towing with a truck like yours!" None-the-less, it became clear my "dream truck" was just barely adequate, crowding both the towing weight and the GCVWR ratings. On flat Minnesota sojourns the truck did OK, but was clearly out of it's comfort zone in any grades when we took it SW into Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.

 

To make a long story short, we reluctantly decided to trade our pretty Silverado for a "proper" tow truck. Our new truck is a 2003 Silverado 2500HD LT extended cab with the Duramax turbo deisel and the Allison 5-speed automatic. After 5,000 miles we couldn't be more pleased. The Duramax is a horse of an engine, effortlessly pulling our Cougar over long steep (6-8%)grades at freeway speeds, mostly without dropping down out of 5th gear. The Allison tranny is pure magic, smoothly dropping/adding gears without a fuss, and always having just the right gear available for the situation. Downhills are no longer white-knuckle-city, as the Allison is a "smart" transmission and automagically downshifts to hold your speed on downhill runs. Occassionally still need to tap the brakes on 7% or greater slopes, but the tranny also senses that and downshifts more if appropriate.

 

Mileage is amazing -- we used to get 7-8MPG towing on flat land, and much less (4-6MPG) in hills with the 2001 5.3L. The Duramax averages 13MPG towing the RV in flat terrain, and has never dropped below 10MPG for a tank in sustained hilliest terrain we've run (Phoenix to Flagstaff). Running empty, the Duramax averages about 22MPG on the road, 15MPG city.

 

Creature comfort in the LT is great -- heated leather seats, Bose stereo system, XM Satelite radio, individual left/right climate control, and so much room it seams like your passenger is in a different ZIP code. While the engine has some "rattle" at cold idle, at road speeds it is no noisier than the old gas was.

 

Bottom line -- the perfect tow vehicle for our needs, with significantroom to upgrade to a larger 5th wheel if the situation comes up.

[wisecupg]

1

[wisecupg]

2

[wisecupg]

3

[wisecupg]

4

[wisecupg]

5

[solarjustin]

I think alot will depend on how often you are going to do this type of towing. GM places a weight ratting on the truck for a reason, if it could not handel that weight they would not give it that ratting. I think it reall comes down to what you want want/ want to spend. If you are only going to do this long trip once a 1500 may be fine, but if you are going to be towing alot noting will beat a diesel, not to metion the mpg it will be getting, the all the power you will have on tap. I use to have to pull a 24' fully loaded race trailer with a F-350 crew cab dually with a V-10 and it did the job, but the mpg sucked and took for ever to get to speeds on the ramps, my boss then upgraded us to a F-350 with the 6.0L Diesel. Then we had all the power we could ever want, the on ramps we could hit 70mph before the freeway and the mgp went from 4-6mpg witht he v-10 to 15-17mpg witht he diesel. I guess I got a bit long, but I think either truck will do the trip, it just comes down to how often you are going to be ding this and what you want, but if it was me I would go 2500 with a diesel (not to metion diesel has been about $0.20 a gallon cheapper here