1500 Towing More Than 10k

[oceanoutlaw]

Im looking at buying a 2011 1500, 5.3, 3.42. rated to tow 9,500 lb's. I travel about 80miles per day so i am trying to stay with the 5.3. 3.42 combo for fuel economy. I'm occasionally looking to tow a boat that weighs 10,000 lbs with out fuel and full of fuel my load would be 11,600 lbs. The tow would be about a 25 mile trip about 6 times per year. Do you guys think this is feasible if I install air bags in the rear of the truck. I know the truck will be at its limit and I would have to be very cautious while towing. I think I will be ok with the braking as the the trailer is a triple axle and has disc breaks on all 3 axles.Im open to all opinions

[Stevens03]

You don't have the brakes to handle it. You put yourself at risk as well as others on the road. It's not a matter of moving it, it comes down to stopping it. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's ALL KINDS of issues towing that much weight with a truck not rated for it.

 

The only 1500 I'd consider to move that kind of weight would be a 6.2 with the NHT max trailer package or a Vmax 6.0 with the same NHT

 

And Welcome to the site!

[Zembonez]

Towing 11K with a half ton truck is suicidal. Absolutely not enough truck to handle the job and certainly not recommended.

 

You did ask.

[txab]

Im looking at buying a 2011 1500, 5.3, 3.42. I travel about 80miles per day so i am trying to stay with the 5.3. 3.42 combo for fuel economy. I'm occasionally looking to tow a boat that weighs 10,000 lbs with out fuel and full of fuel my load would be 11,600 lbs. The tow would be about a 25 mile trip about 6 times per year. Do you guys think this is feasible if I install air bags in the rear of the truck. I know the truck will be at its limit and I would have to be very cautious while towing. I think I will be ok with the braking as the the trailer is a triple axle and has disc breaks on all 3 axles.Im open to all opinions

You should be able to stop with that set-up. You will be towing quite a load and at least you know you are towing at or above your limits. That being said I'd look for something a tad larger to tow with

[Stevens03]

Directly off the GMC website, your tow rating is between 6700lbs to 9500lbs depending on cab configuration.

[wurgs]

If towing on flat land you should be ok as long as you take it easy. If there are any hills I would do like everyone else says and find something better to tow with.

[MS3DALE]

You don't have the brakes to handle it. You put yourself at risk as well as others on the road. It's not a matter of moving it, it comes down to stopping it. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's ALL KINDS of issues towing that much weight with a truck not rated for it.

 

The only 1500 I'd consider to move that kind of weight would be a 6.2 with the NHT max trailer package or a Vmax 6.0 with the same NHT

 

^^^What he said^^^

[Ryan00TJ]

If towing on flat land you should be ok as long as you take it easy. If there are any hills I would do like everyone else says and find something better to tow with.

 

 

I agree. With triple axle trailer brakes, air bags, weight distribution hitch and taking it easy I don't see it being a problem in the braking or handling department. Your not going to win any speed races but you don't need or want to with that load. On flat land the power is not going to be that big of a problem but if you have to pull up any grades or hills you are gonna be working that combo very hard.

 

What's the tow route like? What type of boat?

[Zembonez]

WOW. I hope you don't plan to launch and retrieve this 11,000 pound boat with that half ton truck.

[music]

You don't have the brakes to handle it.

 

A 3500HD doesn't have enough brakes to handle it That much load requires trailer brakes and some pretty stiff springs to handle well. I wouldn't personally select a 1500 truck for that job (not on purpose, at least)... definitely into the 2500HD/6.0 realm to get solid payload/stability. That said, the 5.3 will pull/stop it with trailer brakes + controller, but any 1500 will probably be over on some ratings (gvwr, axle, etc).

 

FWIW, a 6.2/NHT only adds ~300 lbs to the GVWR over the 5.3, so the practical implications are relatively small. The 2500HD/6.0 has a payload rating over 3000 lbs, and would handle the OP's load well. Of course, that does mean bad economy and poor ride... but that's the price for being able to tow an 11k lb boat.

[Matt_]

That's over 1700 pounds tongue weight alone. ....

 

6 times a year is a lot to be severely overloading the truck. Not a good idea by any means.

[oldschool327]

Sucidal, retarded, unsafe, no matter how you look at it you should not try this with a 1500 of any combo.

 

You are risking a very expensive boat I assume and your truck also. Lets not start talking about peoples lives to include your families.

 

If you cant afford a new 2500 then why not look at a good used one, there are plenty of great ones available that would better suit your need. It only takes one time for some 16 year old kid texting to cut you off because they were not paying attention to you and your boarderline/overload. Most states you will be at fault because of the wieght you were towing improperly.

[oceanoutlaw]

Thanks for all the reply's ..I had a feeling that would be the general opinion. I'm going to look to see what's out there for a used 2500..Although I do disagree that I would have a hard time stopping with the trailer.. The trailer has six 13" disc brakes and is rated for 18k pounds. So it is a light load for the trailer and does stop it self in a hurry.

[SouthCo]

You could probably do it no problem but not the best setup. A 6.2 tow package ain't going to matter as stated by Robert because it dosen't add much at all over the 5.3 with the max trailering package. A 1500 is a 1500. But what a good reason to get the new duramax. If I had a reason I would have gotten one. I don't tow more than about 5000, but I had a nice one priced for about 49G's. Just couldn't justify the extra money for something I wouldn't use.

[jdubya]

How much gas are you really going to save by staying with a 5.3 1500 vs. a 6.2 or whatever? It will not be much.

 

IF fuel economy is an issue, buy a Prius or a Volt and pay someone to tow the boat 6 times a year....