Need Some Towing Advice

[trolltuner]

So after looking at more trailers and trailer posts than I care to for a year I still need some experienced advice. At the end of my rope here.

 

Truck GMC 09 Crew 1500, Z71 4x4 with 5.3 Alu/flex, 6-speed and 3.42 locking diff. Power pack (HD cooling locker, 17s etc.) Has 5K miles and one oil change and it is black if that matters.

 

Truck Tow rating in the manual is 9,500

 

Towing a 3160lb car. Mostly in the midwest. 12hr one way max. estimating 500 lbs max extra trailer junk inside.

Looking at an enclosed trailer 20ft 102" wide and 8'7" overall height. Trailer empty is 3790# So 7450# on the hitch)

Has 5K axles / 8ply tires so I was thinking it should be decently stable at this weight. The aero load from the box going to kill me? We get 14 or so average towing now.

The car is 15ft so we should be able to hit the tongue weight to keep the truck level. Is this a bad idea? Any comments, suggestions etc?

 

Will be adding prodigy controller.

Do I need the Reese cam weight distributing?

 

 

This is what we have now, bit too short and most of the weight ends up on the truck. (60% of that 3200 is front) Towed level. 0 room to shift the car on the trailer. That was a 5k axle and heavy duty tires but no trailer brakes. http://genuinesaab.com/gallery/albums/KCIR..._6015.sized.jpg

 

Thanks guys. Certainly appreciate the input. And no a 2500 was not possible could not park it at home.

[pwall]

My opinion of-course.......

That trailer needs brakes. period.

 

Adding a weight distribution hitch is a good idea.....it'll help a lot.

[importkiller76]

Another thing to think about is adding a set of air bags or adding a leaf to your truck will help with the weight also. And pwall I would guess that the trailer his is getting for the car will have trailer brakes or buying a controller would not make sense....but yea man it should be do-able just make sure you prepare correctly and you'll be just fine.

[SavageNFS]

My opinion of-course.......

That trailer needs brakes. period.

 

Adding a weight distribution hitch is a good idea.....it'll help a lot.

 

+1 and make sure you have some decent mirrors.

[trolltuner]

Another thing to think about is adding a set of air bags or adding a leaf to your truck will help with the weight also. And pwall I would guess that the trailer his is getting for the car will have trailer brakes or buying a controller would not make sense....but yea man it should be do-able just make sure you prepare correctly and you'll be just fine.

 

 

Yeah any trailer I get will have double brakes. ;) The grade braking and cautious driving covered my tail so far but not on a trip this long with the heavy car/cargo.

Thanks

 

My opinion of-course.......

That trailer needs brakes. period.

 

Adding a weight distribution hitch is a good idea.....it'll help a lot.

 

+1 and make sure you have some decent mirrors.

 

Mirrors, for the fact that it will be HP limited with the Wind load or can't see around the trailer with the stock mirrors?

 

 

 

In short: , Buy the enclosed trailer drag it around, might be underpowered, eat gas but ok. OR "idiot buy a lighter open trailer or a 2500 you are going to regret it."

Appreciate the info so far.

[tunseeker1]

http://www.timbren.com/Timbren

 

Ok I lost my post but got the link

[MYZ-71]

truck will haul it fine, the brakes are a must and would definitely recommend the weight distribution and mirrors. I haul a 32ft travel trailer with double slide outs that weighs 7500lbs dry and empty, probably about 9500lbs on the road with my 01 with 5.3l, 3.73`s and 35`s on it, have aftermarket trans cooler and gauge of course and truck definitely works but has survived so far, the 6-speed would make a huge difference. Just take it easy and don`t drive it like a race car.

[oldmann]

It will work, just make sure to have no more than 1000 on the tongue. 10% is a good rule of thumb. Remember, its a 1/2 ton. Mirrors are also a must. Cheap clip ons work great!

[[email protected]]

I don't have much experience - but now at least a couple years, first using a 1500 with a flat bed, then a 1500 with a 20' enclosed car hauler, and now using a 2500 with a 20' enclosed car hauler. 6K to 6.5K total trailer loaded weight.

 

 

Your axle ratio is pretty high and will work against you towing that trailer.

 

Expect no more than 10 mpg - and maybe a little less

 

Yes - you'll need a weight distributing and anti-sway hitch - most definitely. Trailer weight doesn't contribute much to stability. The huge surface areas on an enclosed trailer are greatly effected by cross winds and turbulence.. they can blow all over the road at 50 mph+.

 

Buy and use a Sherline Tongue Weight Scale. Then set your trailer up with a full load to get the proper tongue weight. VERY IMPORTANT to handling on the road..

http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm

 

Make sure you air the tires on the truck UP for that load & yes a set of air bags is a good idea

 

 

Re-consider your trailer... Yes the wind load of the trailer sticking up above the bed of the truck will kill your mileage and put additional stress on the engine/transmission.

 

As far as my own experience goes - the only reason I wanted an enclosed trailer, was so that when it was parked at hotels/motels over night - I could feel at least a little more secure. I did however pay a real penalty in gas mileage. Plus an enclosed trailer is much harder to see around/behind...

 

Is the car pictured - the car you are buying the enclosed trailer for? If so - buy the lowest trailer height you can find.. I have no idea how much this trailer would cost... but all aluminum, easy to load/unload and tie down the car. There are many other options.. but I would get a much lower trailer the next time.

http://www.montrosetrailers.com/gallery/au...KENMUTH2009_008

 

You do not need 5K axles for a 10,000lb capacity - two 3.5K axles will be fine. A 7000 lb trailer will weight less to begin with. You can find 20' enclosed trailers what weight closer to 3400lbs; add your 3400 lb car and take 200 lbs of extra junk {put the rest in the bed of the truck ahead of the rear axle if you really need to carry that much}

 

Quite frankly - Not knowing what I was doing when I first started, I was trying to save money on the trailer because of infrequent use... but I wound up spending a lot more on a truck capable of pulling it with ease and less stress on me than the 1500 was. The longer wheel base, stiffer suspension and extra weight make driving the 2500 CC a lot less stressful with a trailer behind. The trade off is it rides like a truck and its big for daily use.

[07VMax]

are the 6 speed trucks really rated to pull that much??? i have an 07 max that is rated at 9500 with 4.10's and the 6.0

[trolltuner]

Carl B. That info helps quite a bit. Thats the ugly racecar with the coilovers raised. Needs 10degree load angle or less to load most of my cars. All this started when the trailer I had picked out, (made certain it worked) blew away in a tornado and the manufacturer closed. Yeah hauling lots of demo parts for marketing. The set of tires, floor jack, helmet etc will fit in the trunk! The old days. Coming from 30-35mpg highway and 14 was on the track, the truck is an eye opener.

 

This is the ironman tilt trailer. Quality was nice and price was good. http://ironmancustoms.com/ Just not making any more trailers. Going to call again and See if they can locate one at a dealer. Anyone know of a trailer like this. The key is the lack of dovetail. There are some out there tilt with dovetail that make the loading angle worse.

 

are the 6 speed trucks really rated to pull that much??? i have an 07 max that is rated at 9500 with 4.10's and the 6.0

 

Yep I got out the window sticker, double checked the codes in the glovebox and triple checked the manual. Only the 6-speed w cooling and the baby 5.3 The car makes more power/torque just not for 12hrs. ;)

 

 

Time to call it a day and start fresh in the AM

[cyoung1253]

WD hitch, towing mirrors and swap out the OEM "P" rated tires for a set of "LT" rated tires.

[music]

are the 6 speed trucks really rated to pull that much??? i have an 07 max that is rated at 9500 with 4.10's and the 6.0

 

Yes, they're rated pretty high w/ the 6-spd/3.42 combo. GM added auxiliary engine oil cooling w/ the 6-spd, and bumped up the tow ratings like all the others have. Otherwise, it's the same truck... so stability/payload hasn't changed.

[wurgs]

If you have the factory hitch you will need the weight dist. hitch as its not rated to carry that much tongue weight. My travel trailer has a 26' box thats 8' wide and almost 11' tall and don't have too much problem with sway till winds get above 15 mph so you might not need sway control with that size trailer. Just take it easy and you shouldn't have any problems

[[email protected]]

Quick Load in Sherrman, Texas makes some

http://www.kwikload.com/

 

 

 

 

RollBackTrailers handles them

http://www.rollbacktrailers.com/18%27_car_hauler.htm