2014 Silverado Towing

[CKNSLS]

Tongue weight on a camping trailer is 10% to 15%. I used the middle figure of 12%.

[Blue2500CC]

Tire size is 18 (P265-65-18).

That is the size I had on our 1500. When I stepped up to the LT's, I went with the Cooper A/T3's, 275/65/18 LT C's. Never noticed any difference in performance at all. Only difference is I no longer had the P rated tire "wiggle".

 

LT's in the factory 265 size were considerably more money, and the tire size was very close.

[bigimac]

OP - rv.net is a great web site that discusses all this stuff in great detail. Best wishes for happy camping.

[CKNSLS]

Yep-RV.Net will be all over you towing with a half-ton and the payload figure. They will tell you over there you need a Duramax to tow a pop-up tent trauler. LOL!

[peejaykay]

I plan on towing a 9200GVWR, 7300 dry/8500-9000lb loaded camper trailer with a '15 5.3/max tow about 7500miles over the next 12 months including the Rockies, Montana, Idaho, Washington... so if you wait long enough I can tell you about my experiences. Dry hitch weight is 730 (yellow sticker weight) and about 1000-1100 loaded.

 

The 15's have a 7600GVWR with max tow, 3.73 will help on the hills and about 11k max trailer capacity. Sure 6.2 would make the hills easier and less taxing, but the 5.3 max tow will get the job done.

[06_GMC]

Hey there and congrats on the new truck! I live up in Eagle County and used to have a camper. The trailer was 5800# Dry Weight and I believe a 7500# GVWR. I had a '06 GMC 2500HD to get me around with it and with the curves and hills we have up here it was worth having more truck than I needed. Not really for power or towing capacity but more for stability. I made a trip to Moab and going down I70 with the strong winds we get here on the western slope I could see in my mirror down the drivers side of the trailer from the crosswind. I have a feeling if I had a 1/2 ton truck in that situation I would have been pulled over out of fear of getting to squirly. I would always go on the side of being lighter than pushing the limits. Having towed on all the roads you speak of don't get close to your max towing capacity because you may regret it. Good luck finding a camper that suits your needs. Also I drive an F550 for work and tow between 8-14K regularly on these roads and sometimes a truck that big can get hairy, usually when some out of stater drives like a moron and cuts you off or impedes traffic. Anymore questions let me know.

[Jon A]

The 15's have a 7600GVWR with max tow,

 

Yup. For 2015 they increased it by 400 lbs (+25% or so depending upon config--a pretty huge change!) without any mechanical changes at all. Got a new spec to meet...cross out the old number, write in the new one. It really puts the arbitrary nature of it in perspective.

 

And it really makes comments by people such as CKNSLS screaming that people are being "unsafe" if they exceed it by a few lbs look really silly.

 

It's good news for prospective buyers though, especially those who want to tow a 5th wheel, as it will help to keep the sticker police, like CKNSLS and his lawyers at bay even if it doesn't add any real capability or safety.

[14GFXSilverado]

Hey guys. I have been an RV tech for a few years and I hear this debate all the time. There are ways to calculate everything out so you what you need to be legal and safe. But I could write a couple pages of things to check but main thing is to find out your lowest haul rating and go off of that. When you know that then find a trailer suited to those ratings and never go off of dry weight on the trailer. I always tell ppl to always go with the GVWR of the trailer and with 15% tongue weight then passengers/ cargo etc. Last thing and I dont know if anyone mentioned it as I didnt read all posts just kind of skimmed through but make sure you have a good weight distribution hitch and at least one sway bar. Half tons dont have the same suspension as 2500 or 3500 trucks and the longer the trailer the more you will be counteracting the trailer sways especially in side wind conditions.