GVWR

vanettend · March 9, 2012

How close would you guys tow to your GVWR. I know there are a lot of guys pulling travel trailers with there 1/2 tons. which while they are rated to tow that much, by the time you up the family and gear and hitch wieght there is no doubt most people are pushing the 7000 or 7300 lbs GVWR of there truck. Reason I am asking is that I am torn between the 1/2 ton with the max package or just getting a 3/4 ton. I put on almost 30000 miles a yr for work and play with my truck so I aslo want the best mpg i can get (i understand they are trucks). I have never owned an HD how is the ride and the MPG. thanks for the info

music · March 9, 2012

Fully loaded, with camper attached, we're right at the GVWR of 7000 lbs on the truck axles. Total combined weight is ~13k lbs. I'm sure a 2500HD would handle it better, but I can also say that this setup is more stable on the highway than our last camper that weighed ~2000 lbs less. The worse sway I've ever experienced was in a 2500 with too light a tongue, so "handling" has much more to do with weight distribution than whether it's a 1500 or 2500 on the front end (by my experience).

SouthCo · March 9, 2012

I think your more concerned with GCWR. The total weight rating for the 1500 6.2 with tow package is 10500lbs and the 1500 5.3 with tow package is 9500lbs. So the gmt900 are rated for more than 7000-7300lbs. With that being said, I've never towed anywhere near the 9500lbs my truck is rated for. The most I've towed was about 4000lbs with a trailer that had brakes and my truck has the oem brake controller and it did it with ease (obviously).

How much are you looking to tow? That will give us a better idea if you need a 2500. If you are at all concerned, just get a 2500. They don't cost that much more (for the gas 6.0) but they aren't rated for a whole lot more unless you step up to a diesel.

Morgan1986 · March 10, 2012

Fully loaded, with camper attached, we're right at the GVWR of 7000 lbs on the truck axles. Total combined weight is ~13k lbs. I'm sure a 2500HD would handle it better, but I can also say that this setup is more stable on the highway than our last camper that weighed ~2000 lbs less. The worse sway I've ever experienced was in a 2500 with too light a tongue, so "handling" has much more to do with weight distribution than whether it's a 1500 or 2500 on the front end (by my experience).

what do you mean by to little of tongue ? How do you stop sway , does that mean movment from the weight shifting you left to right ?

[email protected] · March 10, 2012

I think your more concerned with GCWR. The total weight rating for the 1500 6.2 with tow package is 10500lbs and the 1500 5.3 with tow package is 9500lbs. So the gmt900 are rated for more than 7000-7300lbs. With that being said, I've never towed anywhere near the 9500lbs my truck is rated for. The most I've towed was about 4000lbs with a trailer that had brakes and my truck has the oem brake controller and it did it with ease (obviously).

How much are you looking to tow? That will give us a better idea if you need a 2500. If you are at all concerned, just get a 2500. They don't cost that much more (for the gas 6.0) but they aren't rated for a whole lot more unless you step up to a diesel.

Source - 2012 Chevy Trailer Selector Poster

2012 Silverado:

Both Crew Cabs

Both with the larger engine and lower axle ratio

1500 Crew Cab with 6.2L, Max Trailer Pack and 3.73 axle shows GCWR as 16,000 lbs

Looks like the maximum trailer weight is 10.600 lbs {with a weight distribution hitch}

2500HD Crew Cab with 6.0L/6 spd, 4.10 axle shows GCWR as 20,500 lbs

Looks like the maximum trailer weight is 13,000 lbs

I say "looks like the trailer weight is" because I find the chart less than clear in its meaning.

Nonetheless - I'd say that a 25% increase in GCWR and a 30% increase in the maximum trailer weight is a whole lot more! Especially if you are even close to the max ratings of the 1500.

FWIW,

Carl B.

SouthCo · March 10, 2012

I don't consider 2400lbs a whole lot more but it's definitely something. I did say if OP was concerned to get the 2500 6.0 because it doesn't cost much more.

music · March 10, 2012

what do you mean by to little of tongue ? How do you stop sway , does that mean movment from the weight shifting you left to right ?

When towing, it's very important to have a good amount of weight towards the front of the trailer, so that the tongue is "heavy". Ideally, it will be in the range of 12 to 16% of the total trailer weight to keep from having handling issues (swaying at highway speeds). Our camper tows very solid, and is in the range of ~15 to 16%. I've pulled my little 5x12 utility trailer with the tongue "unloaded" by ~ 500 lbs of lumber poorly loaded, and it was much worse than towing the 7k lb camper, but it was a short distance.

Sway control begins by having ample tongue weight. For larger trailers (like campers), you also want a WD hitch system and supplemental dampener (sway control) device. The supplemental sway control devices are designed to dampen sway oscillation, but a lot of folks don't understand this. They seem to believe that the little device *is* their sway control, but proper weight distribution is the real key, with the device acting as a limiter.

[email protected] · March 10, 2012

How close would you guys tow to your GVWR. I know there are a lot of guys pulling travel trailers with there 1/2 tons. which while they are rated to tow that much, by the time you up the family and gear and hitch wieght there is no doubt most people are pushing the 7000 or 7300 lbs GVWR of there truck. Reason I am asking is that I am torn between the 1/2 ton with the max package or just getting a 3/4 ton. I put on almost 30000 miles a yr for work and play with my truck so I aslo want the best mpg i can get (i understand they are trucks). I have never owned an HD how is the ride and the MPG. thanks for the info

From The On-line "Build Your Own" by Chevy:

1500 CC, LTZ trim $39,290.00 - - - - - 2500 CC LTZ $42,395.00

$37,285.00 - - - {on line price}- - -$41,390.00

GVWR 6800 lbs - - - - - - - - - - - - GVWR 9500 lbs

Estimate truck weight:

truck-5200 lbs- - - - - - - - - - - truck-6000 lbs

load 1600 lbs - - - - - - - - - - - -load 3500 lbs

2500 has about 40% greater GVWR... but then it weighs about 800 lbs more to start with...nonetheless it will carry is about 50% greater load.

Mileage - No question the mileage for the 3/4 ton will not be as good in town or on the road empty as the 1/2 ton. If mileage is your main concern - you will not be happy with the 2500HD.

Ride - 3/4 ton is a bit stiffer, but that can be mitigated somewhat by lower tire pressures and Solastic spring shackles. It is also a bigger truck to toss around town and park anywhere.

Load & Towing - they both get about the same mileage +/- 2 mpg towing. If loads & towing are your main concern - the 2500HD is your best bet in my opinion.