camper pulling

THE BIGPUNN · August 26, 2002

this topic is especially for the expierienced camper or heavy tower. i have a 24ft travel camper that weighs unloaded 3394lbs, the dry hitch weight is 460lbs, and carrier capacity is 2934, the gvrw is 5512. i use sway control and weight distrubution. i recently went on a 600k trip and mpg at 65mph was about 14. the truck did ok on the highway only troulble was in cruise control going uphill or up grade. in order to keep at the selected speed the truck revved up to 5000 rpm depending on the grade. i had to manually give more gas.

now, i thursday i should be picking up my new camper. it is 30ft long hitch to bumper. weighs 5,368 lbs, dry hitch is 713 lbs, carrier 2332 lbs and gvrw is 7700lbs. my truck it a new body style '99 gmc sierra 1500 z71 3:73 gears. i have d range tires and stock tow package with gm's hitch. here are my q's.

1. can my truck relisticly handle this camper?

2. can i expect still to have a decent mpg on the highway?

3. can my hitch handle the new camper?

4. how much will my ride be effected?

5. should i get extended mirrors?

6. what should my trucks tire pressure be?

7. any other advice?

any help appreciated, thanks guys.

Stepside Z · August 26, 2002

Without looking up any numbers, I am thinking that your new camper might be a little much for your truck.

jd hauler · August 26, 2002

I think you'll be ok with the following changes, 1st- I would go to a light truck tire, load range E, 2nd- I would make sure you have 750lb bars for your weight distribution, definitely use the sway bar. 3rd- stay out of cruise, use tow haul and keep in 3rd gear, mileage won't be alot worse if any , and you'll not run the rpm's thru the roof, I pull a 30ft sunline and it goes around 6000 empty until the wife throws in the kitchen sink, probably averages at 6500 to 7000. I think you'll find the longer unit will tow better. It will catch more crosswinds, but it will give you more time to react when being passed by trucks. hope this can help. My buddy has the add on ext. mirrors and they jiggle like crazy, I would avoid them, I only use factory ones and I feel fine with that. I do watch my sides constantly though.

Shaners · August 26, 2002

Make sure you have the proper hitch setup with the sway bar and torsion bars. (I think you probably have the stuff already but make sure the "T"-bars are heavy-duty enough. My 1 1/4" Torsion bars are rated for up to 1000lbs of tounge wt. and are 30" long. The lighter bars are 27" long and some of them are rated for 550lb and 800 lbs.

Keep the sway bar tight because cross winds and tractor trailers will push the rig around. If you feel it start to move on you, don't touch the brakes but rather put your foot on the gas and pull the trailer out of the swaying motion.

I never tow with the cruise control on... I prefer to get a little run at the hills, and so what if I'm only doing 60 mph when I crest the top... Heck I'm on vacation and I'm not setting any land speed records!!! This way I can avoid the truck from down shifting to 2nd gear at highway speeds.

I think your factory hitch is rated for 8000 lbs when using proper set-up. So you should be OK.

I run 50-55 psi in my load range "E" tires on my truck.

You may want to "add-a-leaf" to your rear springs if you feel like it is too soft. New overload springs don't really effect the way a truck rides when it is empty... This shouldn't really be too costly and may be a great improvement.

Take several short trips, and adjust the hitch/truck as necessary until you find the "sweet spot".

Enjoy!!!

TonyT · August 26, 2002

The key is to go down to the local scale and find out how the rig compares to the GCWR. Make sure the propane and water tanks are full. You most likely will find that both the truck and trailer weight is greater than 'book'.

FYI. You might want to check out the site

irv2.com

beercap · August 26, 2002

I pull 6000-7000 lbs and have had three different tow trucks with the same rig. I have been involved in trailer many years and I think the 1500 is under truck for your needs. You may feell Ok and deal with the sway and the under braking on the 1500. Don't get me wrong I am not putting down the truck at all, I pulled my rig over with a 97K1500 and a 78 3/4 Burb, and 02 HD. It is like night and day with the newHD. It is much safer and easier tow. You have more weight on the HD giving better balance between the two..a 6000LB truck will control a 6000 lbs trailer better than a 4000lb truck. The braking on the 1500 is another item to consider, brake control on the HD is much more superior. There is many over weighted rigs on the road today and you will be able to tow the bigger rig with little problem, but when I load up my family and hit the road I want to have no problems. Not to mention the stuff like stuff like tires, the tranny will need some extra cooling, shocks may be overloaded and you are going to work the truck(not only motor but frame, suspension everything) real hard.

Also get good tow mirrors, CIPA has nice door mounts mirros that you can add mirrors and gives you a great view. You won't hit what you see.

One other thing..if you get trailer sway don't use that gas pedal thing, the best way to tighten up you rig it to use the manual trailer brake control unit while maintaining current speed. Now don't cram the trailer brake just ease it enough to lock the rig. Speeding up could work maybe if going up hill but if you are rolling down Jelico mountain at 70 speeding up more is the LAST thing you want to do. Also pull at the speed you feel safe at, but if you have to go slower than posted speed limit to feel and be safe than you need to look at getting a bigger truck, smaller rig, or(I will get grief over this statement) take a trailer towing class to increase your skills. The number 1 thing is to be safe, and it is the drivers responsibility to ensure this. One bad thing with an overweighted truck can have lifelong effects.

Good Luck and be safe and if the camp fire is burning and beans are cooking, join me for a cold beer.

THE BIGPUNN · August 26, 2002

thanks for the replies so far. my weight distribution is rated at 750 lbs so im ok there. one thing i see in common so far is not to use cruise. i will try 3rd gear and keep it in tow haul. my factory hitch is rate 12,000lbs and 1500 tongue weight with weight distibtion, i went and checked the label. i think i will check into some better mirrors. i was hoping to find someone out there that has the exact same rig that i will have. i new there was going to be some disagreement on wheather or not the truck could handle it. on thing i forgot to mention is that most of my camping trips are 50 miles are less away. i usually take one long trip a year over 600 miles. any more comments appreciated.

Jpshostr · August 26, 2002

It is possible to use cruise while towing, you just have to find the right places to use it. When going down the interstate on a level or slightly downhill stretch I put it on, but once I get into any hills of any sort, off it goes. As long as the engine is running at a constant RPM you'll be OK, but its best to use your foot to modulate the throttle once its needed, don't let the computer do that for you.

I'm also thinking with this load and this truck you better stay in third the whole time. While I am pulling at interstate speeds I go back and forth between OD and 3 as conditions warrent if I'm not loaded to the gills, but then again, I'm dealing with a larger truck than you. You also have that nifty tow/haul mode, use it!

What do you mean by decent mileage? If you are going to be getting 14 you should be quite pleased, #### anything over 10 I'd consider good with that motor and that load.

SilveradoWV · August 26, 2002

Looking at Max Trailer weight in my 2002 book, A reg cab 4x4 1500 short wheelbase with a 4.8 and 3.73s can tow 7200lbs, the same but with a 5.3 can tow 8200! 4.10s raise it to 9200 so actually the suspension should handle 9200lbs, if the drivetrain feels good to you it should be ok! The short trips should be no problem! I have ran mine at 4700-5000 RPMs for a little while going up a hill and just kept an eye on the temp gauge and it never moved, but then again I only had a little over 3000 lbs, but I still dont think the high RPMs for a short distance will do much harm?

Redapple · August 26, 2002

As far as the mileage is concerned, I agree with Jpshostr. You should be thrilled with that mileage. In August I did an 800 mile trip with an older 24ft trailer wieghing inat about 7k. My trip took me through the extreme heat of the desert, and the big mountains of the California Sierra. I avereaged about 9mpg. As far as cruise control, don't do it unless you are on flat terrain.Keep it in 3rd. I saw no difference with tow/haul on or off. As far as wieght, I think you are at the border of what I would consider ok for that truck. The trip I took was a one time deal that I would not repeat. I felt it took too much effort on my part and the trucks.

Thats my 2 cents

Bill

Shaners · August 27, 2002

I just did a weekend trip with my 32' Jayco which has a 14' slideout. It is a tall and heavy trailer with a GVWR of 9400 lbs. I avg'd 9 mpg's out of my 6.0L in the truck in my signature.

The trailer that you are buying isn't really that heavy @ 5368 lbs. Even with your food and gear and some fresh water (which you probably won't haul unless you are going somewhere without hookups) I don't think you'd be much over 6500 lbs. I can't imagine you carrying over 1/2 ton of goodies and beer.

I figure I carry about 800 lbs of firewood/drinks/clothes/propane/food for 5 etc...

GM has class leading brakes and I think they will stand up fine especially if you have a newer digital brake controller.

I don't know if I would want to do as Beercap suggested by manually easing on the brake controller to correct a sway condition. Yes it would work, but if you have problems with sway you need to keep both hands on the wheel. If you were to panic and put too much trailer brake on and happen to lock the trailer brakes you could make a controllable situation out of control. Have you ever seen a trailer sliding sideways with its' wheels locked? It's not very pretty, and you would be trying to correct this problem with only one hand on the wheel. Just at least keep your speed steady with your foot on the throttle and maybe accelerate slowely and let the trailer fall back in behind you... it works every time. Just don't take your foot off the gas and apply the truck brake peddle.

THE BIGPUNN · August 28, 2002

you guys again havent failed me. great advice. and the camper deal is looking good i should pick her up thurday morning. its an hour drive on the highway so i'll let you know how things go. thx

jd hauler · August 28, 2002

I would like to suggest somthing on the braking issue, with your brake controller set up properly, by this, I mean at highway speeds, you should be able to stay on the gas and just touch your brake pedal enough to activate them. Yes it takes both feet, but this works great when you need it. From my towing experience, as long as you have your sway control set up good, this takes a couple adjustments on it to find the right spot, you will do fine. The big thing to remember is that a bumper pull camper is always going to have some sway no matter what. You just have to watch your mirrors alot and anticipate things, not be caught off guard. Hope this can help.

whitesnake01 · August 29, 2002

You did not provide enough information regarding how you are planning to tow it. If you are doing a lot of hills, you may find that you may be stretching your tranny and engine, especially in terms of cooling. If you do not have it, get a tranny temp gauge .. you may be surprised to find that when the engine temp is normal, the tranny could be very hot. Put synthetic in your tranny. Drop tranny pan each year and refill the 1/3rd or 1/4r that came out. Crack filter open and inspect for shavings. Put synthetic in your rear pumpkin.

As for extended mirrors. Despite the pain of them being hard to setup, it is nice to see the complete sides of your trailer from inside. Factory extended mirrors are better than aftermarket.

As for sway. Many factors contribute. One of them is your wheelbase in proportion to length of trailer. The longer WB you have on your truck, the better off you are. Poor or overloaded truck suspension makes it worse. Proper weight distribution of your trailer makes a big difference. You should have about 12-15% of trailer weight on your truck. This comes from proper leveling of things, but also from avoiding things like putting a bike rack at the back of the trailer or packing heavy things behind your trailer. It pays off to have your combination weighed on a per-wheel basis. That should tell you if your weight distribution is good, especially when you've packed all your things.

Do not tow in cruise. Use OD sparingly. Manually shift down if it unlocks converter in OD while towing.

I tow a 8,300lbs Airstream with a K2500 Suburban and blown 454.

THE BIGPUNN · August 30, 2002

thanks again guys. i picked her up today. the dealer is about 130 miles away in is primarily a highway drive. after getting my ball saddle adjusted higher and putting on cipa extended slip on mirrors i was off. i immediatley used tow/haul mode and 3rd gear, no cruise. it shift more crisp in tow/haul.... i can tell the difference with a heavier camper. the truck handled the camper a lot better than i thought. i honestly couldnt tell any difference in motor strain or tranny work than with the much lighter camper. i did notice that i caught more crosswinds, in fear of that i tightned the sway a little more than i had before and it worked better. all in all, im beginning to wonder the trucks limit.