2010 Silverado Towing Advice

plumber802 · June 20, 2011

Hi guys.I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on this Camper.

http://petesrv.com/2006_Denali_29RK_Travel...hmen/13917.html

I think I might be near the limit of my truck's tow rating (non-NHT w/ 3.42? gears.)

Am I biting off more than my truck can chew?

Camper is 7300# dry weight.

Thanks,Andy.

rgv · June 20, 2011

Hi guys.I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on this Camper.
http://petesrv.com/2006_Denali_29RK_Travel...hmen/13917.html

I think I might be near the limit of my truck's tow rating (non-NHT w/ 3.42? gears.)

Am I biting off more than my truck can chew?

Camper is 7300# dry weight.

Thanks,Andy.

if your towing is local-ish and generally flat country, and the sight of your tach reading north of 4000 rpm doesn't make your heart rate go up, then you will be fine.

otherwise ...........

plumber802 · June 20, 2011

Hi guys.I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on this Camper.
http://petesrv.com/2006_Denali_29RK_Travel...hmen/13917.html

I think I might be near the limit of my truck's tow rating (non-NHT w/ 3.42? gears.)

Am I biting off more than my truck can chew?

Camper is 7300# dry weight.

Thanks,Andy.

if your towing is local-ish and generally flat country, and the sight of your tach reading north of 4000 rpm doesn't make your heart rate go up, then you will be fine.

otherwise ...........

Thanks.Ya,I won't be towing often but I will have some New Hampshire mountain grades though.Last camper I had,I'd tow with my 2004 5.3L and would often have some 4500rpm stretches.As long as I don't tear the guts out of my tranny...

Fobroader · June 20, 2011

I wouldnt tow a trailer with a dry weight of over 7000Lbs with a 1/2 ton. Especially through hills, your tranny and rear end will hate you, the engine, well it will have slight dislike of you. I wouldnt do it man, thats a big trailer.

plumber802 · June 21, 2011

I wouldnt tow a trailer with a dry weight of over 7000Lbs with a 1/2 ton. Especially through hills, your tranny and rear end will hate you, the engine, well it will have slight dislike of you. I wouldnt do it man, thats a big trailer.

Ya...No deal on that one.I'll keep looking though.

Thanks,Andy.

Spurshot · June 21, 2011

wow! a 30 ft long bumper pull...I wouldn't wish that on anyone. If you want a 30 ft trailer, I'd go with a 5th wheel and a min 3/4 ton or better yet a 1 ton, with a Duramax. the 7000lb + weight isn't the only issue, it's the huge moment of such a long trailer. A 5th wheel prevents a lot/nearly all of the trailer sway steering effect.

Fobroader · June 22, 2011

With my 3/4 ton, I was lazy and didnt put in the anti sway bars that were absolutely neccesary with the 1/2 ton, the trailer did not budge, sway or felt any different. Shes a 32 footer at about 6000lbs

Stevens03 · June 22, 2011

With my 3/4 ton, I was lazy and didnt put in the anti sway bars that were absolutely necessary with the 1/2 ton, the trailer did not budge, sway or felt any different. Shes a 32 footer at about 6000lbs

Tires play a big roll in towing. More so than given credit too. The tires you have on your 2500 aren't anything like what comes on the 1500's. If they were the same, I'd bet you'd have similar results.

Fobroader · June 22, 2011

Actually I had 8 ply e load rated tires on the 1/2 ton. The tires on the 3/4 ton are shittier.

Stevens03 · June 22, 2011

Actually I had 8 ply e load rated tires on the 1/2 ton. The tires on the 3/4 ton are shittier.

And what size were they? And it's really not a fair comparison if your referring to your 93 1/2-ton to your 06 3/4-ton regardless of tires. My 03 1500 towed a 30' travel trailer with/without sway control similar to what you originally stated. The stock Firestone 265's that came on it sucked for towing stability and the BFG's added later were a huge improvement.

Fobroader · June 22, 2011

The 1/2 ton had 265/75-16, the 3/4 ton has 245/75-16. I dont know man, we have mountains and hills around here, I wouldnt feel safe hitching a 7000Lb+ trailer to a 1/2 ton, maybe a 1500HD, with a 5.3, 6.2 or a T-56 Allison, its still too small of a truck for the job. Brakes, frame, steering and axles arent meant for real hauling.

Stevens03 · June 22, 2011

The 1/2 ton had 265/75-16, the 3/4 ton has 245/75-16. I dont know man, we have mountains and hills around here, I wouldnt feel safe hitching a 7000Lb+ trailer to a 1/2 ton, maybe a 1500HD, with a 5.3, 6.2 or a T-56 Allison, its still too small of a truck for the job. Brakes, frame, steering and axles arent meant for real hauling.

Really... GM says it is... GM says I can tow safely 10,400 lbs

Don't get me wrong, I'm being more of a smarty pants than anything.... but as for the tires, truth be told, less side wall means less sway... and a harder tire as in a d or e rated tire won't roll as much and thats why the 2500's run them. And trailers have brakes, it's not all on the truck. If I was towing anything close to the max tow rating of the 1500 on a regular basis, You'd be Dang sure I'd be switching to a 2500. But, a 1500 is just as capable of towing decent loads if properly equipped and you don't exceed the ratings.

NickS · June 23, 2011

You should be ok (at least I hope since I'm doing the same thing Saturday). I'm getting a 30 ft (total length) camper on Saturday with a dry weight of 6400lbs. 2 buddies of mine just bought 30ft bumper pulls a couple of weeks ago. One pulls it with a 2010 cc z71 4x4, and the other pulls it with his wifes ford expedition. Both trailer weigh 6800-7000 lbs each. Both vehicles handle them fine (at least they say). Both also have weight distribution hitches on them and one has a sway bar (the chevy). I'll be having one also, so I wish us both luck. Should be fine though. Just watch the temps.

plumber802 · June 26, 2011

You should be ok (at least I hope since I'm doing the same thing Saturday). I'm getting a 30 ft (total length) camper on Saturday with a dry weight of 6400lbs. 2 buddies of mine just bought 30ft bumper pulls a couple of weeks ago. One pulls it with a 2010 cc z71 4x4, and the other pulls it with his wifes ford expedition. Both trailer weigh 6800-7000 lbs each. Both vehicles handle them fine (at least they say). Both also have weight distribution hitches on them and one has a sway bar (the chevy). I'll be having one also, so I wish us both luck. Should be fine though. Just watch the temps.

Reply back when you get your camper.I'm curious to know how well it tows.Some pics would be great too.

NickS · June 29, 2011

Got it back Saturday (about 65 miles) pulling it back. Truck handled it fine except some of the hills, and most of that was me trying to take it easy on the truck. It also didn't sway at all (which mine only has the weight distribution hitch, no sway bar). One thing about the pictures:

The weight distribution hitch is the original one that came on the camper. The sales manager at the dealership told me that he personally knew the guy that traded it in and saw him take the hitch off and put in the back of his truck to sell on CL. He said he would call him and see if he was interested in selling it to me if I bought the camper. The guy agreed and sold it for $200 to me. When I went to pick up the camper, they pulled my truck to the side where they get all new buyers hooked up and give them the walk-around. He told me that he didn't need to adjust the hitch, and it fit perfect on my truck (which is bull shit). You are supposed to take measurements etc... He just put it on and didn't want to get his tools out. Also, you can see how the camper is nosed down. The ball need to be raised up at least 2 notches on the hitch. My truck should not squat that bad even with the leveling kit, so I will have to go back and adjust that. My buddy's truck (stock 2010 Z71 CC 4x4 also with the 5.3) sits almost perfectly level with his 6800lb camper. That is why I don't think mine is hooked up right. The 2nd picture makes it look worse than it really is, that is just the angle I was at when I took it.

All in all, the truck did fine. I just kept an eye on the temps. The transmission temp got up to around 220 and the engine temp also went up some. Once I let off of the gas some and coasted down some bigger hills, it all went back down. The fact that I was on all open terrain with 15-25mph wind and up and down hills, plus being about 100 degrees here in texas didn't help either.

I also just realized you have the 6.2. By the way mine handled the 6400lbs, and my buddies 5.3 handles the 6800lbs, I wouldn't be scared with your truck. As long as you have at least the weight distribution hitch and possibly the sway bar. Like I said, this camper is 30ft and didn't sway at all going down the road, but they can be added for like $50.