Trailer Length Concern

btj_z71 · May 8, 2016

Hi Forum,

I have been looking at getting into the RV market so we can bring our dogs with us when we travel and have been looking at travel trailers but I am not sure what length range I should stick with - the 2014 towing guide had no guidance on this. I have a 2014 Silverado Crew Cab Z71 with the Max Trailer Tow package. I am thinking about getting travel trailer with the below specs. What do you guys think?

Shipping Weight: 7704

Carrying Capacity: 1796

Hitch: 1055

Length: 36' 0"

Height: 11' 4"

j13smiley · May 8, 2016

Does length matter? I thought it was just weight.

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · May 8, 2016

Length isn't really looked at, it's just the weight. The length should only matter for you wanting to be able to maneuver it around while backing up or trying to park it. As long as you get a trailer that weighs less than the towing capacity then it's fine. You do need to think about how heavy it would be with stuff packed in there, not the empty weight. It also helps that you should have the integrated trailer brake which applies trailer brakes if the trailer is heavy enough to need it's own brakes.

O_J_Simpson · May 8, 2016

Check your state regulations.

gmckenzie · May 8, 2016

Mine is 34'4". Make sure you get a good WDH with built in sway control There are a few to choose from. I have an Equal-i-zer 4 point hitch and it works well to control sway. Other than that, I wouldn't fuss too much about the length.

Your trailer max weight is 9,500. That is shipping plus carrying capacity and is worst case (heaviest) you should be. Mine is 8,200 and I come pretty close to that.

Your tongue weight will be more than the 1,055 when loaded. Best guess is you will keep the same ratio of tongue to over all weight so,

1055 / 7704 * 9500 = 1,300 tongue weight. That comes right off your payload so you will be down to ~700 for people, gear etc. Until you run it over a scale, you really won't know what the tongue weight is at it could be more than that. Again, my trailer has a book tongue weight of 530 and I've weighed it at 1,000.

Nathan79 · May 8, 2016

The bigger and longer the trailer the more the trailer controls you in bad conditions (sidewinds, passing trucks, etc).

That's one big trailer. Max tongue weight on your truck is 1200lb. Add in WD equipment, loaded up it would be very easy to go over that.

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · May 9, 2016

The bigger and longer the trailer the more the trailer controls you in bad conditions (sidewinds, passing trucks, etc).

That's one big trailer. Max tongue weight on your truck is 1200lb. Add in WD equipment, loaded up it would be very easy to go over that.

That's of course true, but I think he was wondering if there was a max length that the truck can safely tow which I've never seen that, just max weight.

JasonAVGuy · May 9, 2016

I tow a 24ft with no slides. It's a lot smaller then most of the guys rv's on here. When I'm fully loaded with the dog, decked system with tools in the bed, full water tank(front under the bed), two batteries on the front, lp tanks, and wd hitch I'm pretty much at my gross limit for the rear end of my truck(cat scales at truck stops are great). My truck is a 2015 1500 crew cab long bed LT 5.3l 4x4 z71 3.42. I love how it tows and I have no issues in the mountains or on long trips. Some of it depends on how long of trips you plan to take. With the trailer specs your talking about I would much rather be driving a bigger truck when it comes to highway driving, mountains and wind pushing you into another lane. Not saying it won't work just fine but just know what your getting into first. I have had a 10,000lb boat behind my truck a few times and many other loads it all towed great but a boat or car trailer won't push a truck around like a big flat rv will. Regardless of what you do common sense will get you more then anything. Camping is a great thing and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Debra in Cali · May 9, 2016

Hi Forum,

I have been looking at getting into the RV market so we can bring our dogs with us when we travel and have been looking at travel trailers but I am not sure what length range I should stick with - the 2014 towing guide had no guidance on this. I have a 2014 Silverado Crew Cab Z71 with the Max Trailer Tow package. I am thinking about getting travel trailer with the below specs. What do you guys think?

Shipping Weight: 7704

Carrying Capacity: 1796

Hitch: 1055

Length: 36' 0"

Height: 11' 4"

I have been towing for 23 years. I have towed pop-ups, BSA troop trailers, and our current TT which is 23 feet. I have driven thousands of miles on trips including a cross country trek that was from California to NY and back in 2001 (18 states and 2 Canadian provinces) . Some of my adventures include Tioga Road, Hwy 1 through Big Sur, LA numerous times, the Rockies, pulled a trailer in snow, hail, in pouring rain where we were hydroplaning heading up Hwy 80 over Donner Summit and hit wind shear coming down into the Colombia River gorge on I-84. By and far the scariest situation was the wind shear on I-84. I was going the speed limit and one second I was in my lane, the next second I was in the oncoming traffic lane. It was like a hand just moved me over. There was nothing I could do except slow down. We were very fortunate in that no one was in that lane when I was pushed over there. I was in my 4.3 pulling a popup trailer. So it wasn't even like I was an oversized RV that would have caught the wind.

Is your truck a 5.3 or a 6.2? If it is a 5.3 I wouldn't even try it. A 6.2 would be a much better choice, and a 3500 would be the best bet for something that size. You want something that is going to be strong enough to get you out of trouble if you are having a side wind or other issues. You don't want the tail wagging the dog.

Blue2500CC · May 9, 2016

First, check your drivers door jamb for the Yellow Payload sticker, "All passengers and cargo not to exceed XXXXlbs". That is the max GM states that all the passengers, any cargo (coolers, firewood, etc), the wdh, AND the tt tw (travel trailer tongue weight). Before loading the trailer up for a trip it will have ~1200lb tw as I state below. You may be ok on the payload, but all depends on what you plan to load in the bed, and how much the family weight is.

It was posted your trucks receiver hitch max rating is 1200lbs for the tw, correct? Then based on tw alone that is to much trailer. The manufactures "brochure" dry tongue (hitch) weight doe not include the propane tanks or a battery on the tongue. That alone will add ~120lbs for 2-20lb tanks and a battery, or ~160lbs for 2-30lb tanks and a battery. The tanks and battery alone will put you at ~1200lbs tw, before you load the trailer up at all. And you need at least 12-15% tw for a safe stable tow.

Then as mentioned, you do need to factor in the length of the trailer due to the "leverage" it has in crosswinds. IMO that trailer is to long. We currently tow about the same size trailer (35'8", 8k lb dry, loaded ~9200lbs with ~1400lbs tw) with our '13-2500HD and I would not want to have to tow it with a 1500, especially a crew cab short bed That has an even shorter wheelbase than we do. I feel we are at about the max length for our truck. It does well, but I wouldn't want any longer of a trailer, and I have a Reese Dual Cam wdh system.

There is a suggested trailer length based on the wheelbase of the tv. I will try to find it if I can.

jamin87ss · May 9, 2016

Hi Forum,

I have been looking at getting into the RV market so we can bring our dogs with us when we travel and have been looking at travel trailers but I am not sure what length range I should stick with - the 2014 towing guide had no guidance on this. I have a 2014 Silverado Crew Cab Z71 with the Max Trailer Tow package. I am thinking about getting travel trailer with the below specs. What do you guys think?

Shipping Weight: 7704

Carrying Capacity: 1796

Hitch: 1055

Length: 36' 0"

Height: 11' 4"

This always comes up in this site, and there are alotta tow police on here, your truck will to it fine, but if you are gonna tow regularly you will want to make the 3/4 ton jump, it will be way more comfortable. I tow my boat 9500-11000 Pds depending on fuel and beer, my truck handles it just fine, my trailer is setup perfectly, travel trailers are not as friendly, that's why wdh are so important. Also my boat is like a bullet in the wind, where a travel trailer is really gonna move u around when it's windy or trucks go bye, this is the main reason I would want a 3/4ton, because honestly the 6.2 has more ass then the tired 6.0, but again I feel if your only gonna do a cpl trips a year ID say take your time and keep your truck, but planning on frequent and long trips step up

Jus Cruisin · May 9, 2016

I'm not an RV r but it seems to me a 5th wheel would be much better for the 35+ ft trailers.. Especially with the inability to adjust loads on the RV trailers.(no way to move axles like boat trailers or adjust loads with car trailers). I'd say go over to one of the RV forums. You'll get a lot better user experience on them.

btj_z71 · May 9, 2016

Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like I may need to reconsider the length and the weight of the trailer. We were really wanting one with a King size bed and enough space for us and the dogs to move around in comfortably so we would also like at least one slide.

I will be using this hitch after we find the right trailer: http://www.curtmfg.com/part/17422

It is a Trunnion bar weight distribution hitch with the sway control bar as part of the deal. Also, with these Curt hitches, it is possible to double-up on the sway bars, so I have the option of having two sway bars on the hitch to help with trailer sway.

Some users were asking about the engine - Yes, I have the 5.3 V8 with a cold air intake on it. Considering putting an exhaust or headers on it as well to boost the HP. Anyways, my truck has the Max Trailer Tow package so it has the 3.73 gears and the trailer brake controller built into the dash above the 4wd control knob. It also has the 20" wheels and not the 18" wheels if that makes any difference.

What do you all think would be a safe length to stay around? Under 30 feet? I could not find anything official related to wheelbase to trailer length, but if there is some rule-of-thumb out there, it would be interesting to read about.

jamin87ss · May 9, 2016

I'm towing around 32/34 ft with tong and length of boat, I don't find length to be a issue, I will say this I have a all terrain, so I have the standard mirrors, I do struggle with sharp right turns, never had a issue with that on my 05, guess it's just the mirrors, but if u have max tow I assumebu have the bigger mirrors, guy at end of my street has a max tow I'll look to c how long his camper is, he went from a 3/4 6.0 to a max tow 1500, not sure if he has 6.2 or not, but he appears to do a few trips a year but have a home site,because he has a pontoon as well

ewbldavis · May 9, 2016

Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like I may need to reconsider the length and the weight of the trailer. We were really wanting one with a King size bed and enough space for us and the dogs to move around in comfortably so we would also like at least one slide.

I will be using this hitch after we find the right trailer: http://www.curtmfg.com/part/17422

I would recommend a better hitch. We use the Equal-izer as well for our 34' travel trailer. My old 29' trailer had the same as what you posted. The longer trailer/truck feel much more stable, and I think some of it is the better hitch. http://www.equalizerhitch.com/

Edit: Camping World sells these for $600. I found mine on Craigslist for $275. Make sure you get 1200 or 1400 bars for that tongue weight. Also, I don't think I would ever go over 32-34' if you are "weekend camping". We are seasonal, and tow ours like 2-3 times a year so the 34' is ok, but gas stations suck.