Towing Capacity

[craigsz71]

hello everyone i have a 2010 z71 and am looking at getting a camper the weight of 5020lbs empty can my truck pull this safely? i believe i have 3.08 gears to by time i add stuff for camping im prob looking at 6000lbs thanks

[pm26]

Are you sure about that 3.08 gear ratio? Most Z71 4X4 trucks with the 5.3 engine and 6 speed automatic transmission come with 3.42 gears. Or is this a 2WD truck? Anyway, you should be fine if you have a factory tow package with an external transmission cooler. I recommend you check the official tow rating for your vehicle though.

[APT]

It will be okay. Maybe a bit better than older 4-spd trucks with 4-spds and 3.73. Use Tow/haul mode, lock out 5th and 6th gears.

[craigsz71]

thanks for the quick response guys the window sticker say 3.08s yes its 4x4....... the z71 has the towing package right... it came with frame mounted reciver hitch

[redvett]

Z82 is the towing package and KNP is the aux trans cooler. Z71 is just skids,shocks and decals.

 

thanks for the quick response guys the window sticker say 3.08s yes its 4x4....... the z71 has the towing package right... it came with frame mounted reciver hitch

[RyanbabZ71]

moving to the correct forum (towing section)

[craigsz71]

sorry about that being in wrong fourm.... was kinda in a hurry needed to know if it was to big or not. because going to look at it soon... so what do you think ryan

[Stevens03]

Right off the GM website, 7000 lbs

 

"Max Conventional Trailering, 3.08 Rear Axle"

[wavery]

You will be really pushing the envelope. The issue really isn't the tow rating. You need to check ALL of the ratings. The most important is your GCWR. You also want to check your payload rating, axle ratings and tongue weight rating.

 

My guess is, you may not have the tow package on that truck if you have 3.08s (that would be really weird). I think that the tow pkg comes with 3.42 or 3.73 (I may be wrong). If you don't have the tow package, you will need to install a good trans cooler. I would recommend a stacked plate cooler with a pusher fan (especially with 3.08s).

 

Your biggest challenge may be the trailer tongue weight. You will definitely have to have a WDH.... The trailer tongue weight must be over 10% (between 10-15%) of the loaded trailer weight to avoid swaying. That would put you over 600#. Add that 600# to the passenger and cargo weight in the truck and you may be close to or exceeding your payload and/or rear axle rating. Also check the weight rating on your tires.

 

Here is a good place to check out your #s:

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml

[craigsz71]

Right off the GM website, 7000 lbs

 

"Max Conventional Trailering, 3.08 Rear Axle"

 

 

so than im golden

 

the camper is a 2000 dutchman 30' for 3k obo i looked them up and they sell for around 8k

[wavery]

Tow ratings, on there own, mean very little. Basically, they tell you the MAXIMUM amount of weight that the vehicle can tow EMPTY. That means zero passengers, zero add-on accessories (like a shell or bed cover) and zero cargo. I don't know about you but that's not the way that we go camping.

 

It's important to read your "Owner's Manual". It explains all that stuff in there. Taking one comment off a website (that was not intended to tell you that you are "Golden") to justify towing a rig that size with a 1/2-ton PU may be just looking for trouble.

[craigsz71]

Tow ratings, on there own, mean very little. Basically, they tell you the MAXIMUM amount of weight that the vehicle can tow EMPTY. That means zero passengers, zero add-on accessories (like a shell or bed cover) and zero cargo. I don't know about you but that's not the way that we go camping.

 

It's important to read your "Owner's Manual". It explains all that stuff in there. Taking one comment off a website (that was not intended to tell you that you are "Golden") to justify towing a rig that size with a 1/2-ton PU may be just looking for trouble.

 

 

no need to be smart about it im new to all this and was looking for help from ppl with experince........ and i did read the book but dont make since to me so sorry i dont understand all the weight factors and again was looking for help from ppl that have been there done that

[craigsz71]

also how do i find out if mine has towing package?? is there some type of sticker or marking to look for thanks again for your time guys

[wavery]

Sorry if I seemed to be getting, "Smart about it". That wasn't my intention. I left a pretty informative post for you and I was just a little shocked at your post about being "Golden". I don't think that was the intent of the person that gave you that info on the 7K# tow rating. Trust me, you are far from "Golden" with a 6K#+ trailer on a 1/2-ton pick-up. You'd be very wise to check-out the website that I posted.

 

I'm not saying that you shouldn't tow that trailer. I'm just saying that you shouldn't think fr one minute that you are "Golden". I think if you do your due diligence, you may find that you are either pushing the limits or exceeding the limits of that truck. Just having that knowledge is very important because it may effect that way that you drive with that trailer. Just having that knowledge could save your life and others.

 

Evidently, you have the window sticker from that truck. If it has a tow package, it will state it.

 

You can also look at the RPO listings in your glove box. If it has "Z82" listed, it has the tow package. If it does not have Z82 listed, It doesn't have the tow pkg.

[Stevens03]

If you look in the glove box at the tag, it lists all the RPO codes for your vehicle. It will tell you everything you need to know.

 

Also, by entering your VIN number here, you can get all the details as well.

http://www.compnine.com/vid.php

 

I believe your within your trucks towing range and it should do just fine. But.. you'll be at the top end of it. With that said, make sure you have a good e-brake controller like prodogy along with proper weight distribution hitch and sway control.