Can my Chevy pull 4500lbs?

[mrpep]

I have a 2001 Chevy express g1500 v8 5.7L that can pull 6600 lbs . The camper is a 1998 forest river wildwood 24fb and weighs 4500lbs. I'm being told I can tow but feel like I'm pushing it. What do you all think ?

[Skip426]

Welcome to iRV2.

If your Chev, owners manual states 6,600 lb. trailer tow capacity, it will probably also state that that weight is tow-able, ONLY with the vehicle empty except for the driver, so all weight in the truck has to be deducted from the 6,600 lb.
The 4,500 lb. of the trailer; is that a dry weight from a manual ?
If the 4,500 is a dry weight, then all the weight of the gear you put into the trailer has to be considered too.
JMHO: I think that you will be at, or over, the limits of your Chevy, by the time you're loaded for travel.

Much more info in the first post in this forum; " Tow Vehicle Sizing " worth taking the time to read through the posts there.

[mrpep]

Yes, this is all dry weight . I love my van and this camper and don't want to get rid of either but might have to if I must. Let me know what more info anyone needs and I all try to locate.

[Loraura]

What is the Payload (Cargo Capacity) listed on the driver's door sticker? Payload will have to accomodate all people and stuff in the van, the hitch, and the tongue weight of the TT. Safe tongue weight is 12% of the wet and loaded TT weight.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by mrpep

I have a 2001 Chevy express g1500 v8 5.7L that can pull 6600 lbs .

That's the "tow rating", which is the max trailer weight you can tow with an empty tow vehicle with nothing in it but a skinny driver. Add a passenger or so, some tools, and a weight-distributing hitch and the tow rating is reduced by the weight of those things.

The camper is a 1998 forest river wildwood 24fb and weighs 4500lbs.

That's the dry weight of the trailer. A wet and loaded Wildwood 24FB is going to weigh closer to 6,000 pounds.

So you probably have enough van to pull that trailer when the trailer is very lightly loaded. But that's not your problem. Your problem is the tiny payload capacity of that half-ton van. The lightly-loaded van, plus the weight of the WD hitch, plus the tongue weight of the trailer, will probably exceed the GVWR of the van.

Unused payload capacity available for tongue weight is the GVWR of the van minus the weight of the wet and loaded van. So if you know the weight of the wet and loaded van with passenger(s), hitch head, and full tank of gas, then you know enough to compute the unused payload capacity available for tongue weight. If not, you need to load the van with everybody and everything that will be in it when towing (including the head of the WD hitch), drive to a truck stop that has a CAT scale, fill up with gas, then weigh the wet and loaded van.

I'm being told I can tow but feel like I'm pushing it. What do you all think ?

Tongue weight averages around 13% of gross trailer weight. So if you load the trailer to only 6,000 pounds, that's about 780 of tongue weight. If you don't have at least 780 pounds of unused payload capacity available for tongue weight, then you'll be overloaded.

Lots of ignorant RVers tow with an overloaded tow vehicle, so you won't be the Lone Ranger. But it's not safe, so you're risking the well being of yourself and any loved ones in the van with you if you tow overloaded.

[mrpep]

The van sticker states 7100lbs. GVWR

[mrpep]

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating capacity = 7100 lbs
Dead Weight Hitch-max trailer weight : 4000 lbs
dead weight hitch-max tongue: 400 lbs.
wt distribution hitch- max trailer wt. : 4000 lbs.
dead weight hitch- max tongue wt.: 1000 lbs.
gross axle wt rating - front : 3600 lbs.
gross axle wt rating - rear : 3968 lbs.
curb weight-front : 2459 lbs.
curb weight - rear: 2180 lbs.
gross combined weight rating combined : 1200, 1000 lbs.
sae net horse power @ rpm : 255 @ 4600
sae net torque @ rpm: 330 @ 2800
NET TORQUE: 330 @ 2800
Horsepower 255.0 @ 4600

[mrpep]

These are the specs according to my vin number .

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by mrpep

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating capacity = 7100 lbs

Same as my F-150. I'm overloaded by 100 pounds over that GVWR when towng my TT that grosses 4,870 pounds including 650 pounds hitch weight. My fancy tow vehicle has heavy options of Lariat luxury package, cab steps, bed steps. tailgate step, Leer bed topper, spray-in bedliner and a Ford bed rug, plus a toolbox full of tools. A plain-Jane van would probably weight less than my pickup, and thus have more unused payload capacity for hitch weight.

wt distribution hitch- max trailer wt. : 4000 lbs.

But if your max trailer weight is 4,000 pounds, then that van is a non-starter for that trailer, irregardless of payload capacity. With max trailer weight of 4,000 pounds, then it's obvious that your truck is not intended to drag a trailer with dry weight of 4,500 pounds and that will probably exceed 6,000 pounds when wet and loaded on the road.

Sorry. Charlie, but you need more truck to tow that trailer without overloading the tow vehicle.

[caissiel]

No way anyone can find the room to put 1500 pounds of stuff on a modern 24ft trailer. Unless the tanks are loaded. I only could load 800 lbs with a washing machine full timing in a 34ft fifth wheel with basement storage.
Happy motoring and enjoy.

[fvstringpicker]

Per site recommendations the minimum rig need to tow anything beyond a popup. Be sure and check the sticker in the door.

[lynnmor]

Originally Posted by fvstringpicker

Per site recommendations the minimum rig need to tow anything beyond a popup. Be sure and check the sticker in the door.

That single rear axle and short wheelbase will severely limit you, but the mirrors are OK.

[SmokeyWren]

Well, I see the fans of towing with an overloaded tow vehicle are out and about this morning.

Your van has two important weight ratings, GVWR and GCWR. The tow rating is based on the GCWR. GCWR is based on the power and torque of your engine, combined with the gearing in the transmission and differential (axle ratio), and assumes standard factory cooling capacity for the engine coolant, engine oil, and differential lube..

GCWR is the maximum combined gross weight of the trailer and tow vehicle you can tow without overheating anything in the drivetrain and without being the slowpoke holding up traffic on grades. Your tow rating of 4,000 pounds is GCWR minus the weight of the empty van. The tow rating indicates what the engineers determined to be the maximum weight of any trailer you can tow without overheating anything in the drivetrain (engine, transmission, rear differential) when climbing normal grades up to about 6% on highways. The van will pull more weight if you stay away from hills and mountains, don't drive into any stiff headwinds, and for a non-turbo gas engine, don't tow at any altitude higher than about 4,000 feet. And the tow rating assumes your hitch is rated for enough tongue weight to handle your trailer without exceeding the weight rating of your hitch.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by caissiel

No way anyone can find the room to put 1500 pounds of stuff on a modern 24ft trailer.

Doesn't matter. With a tow rating of 4,000 and a dry trailer weight of 4,500, he'll be overloaded with no weight at all in the trailer.