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Old 09-10-2014, 07:53 PM   #1
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Will half ton pull a TT???

We are thinking of selling our motorhome and getting a truck and travel trailer. Will a half ton truck manage pulling a small travel trailer? We currently have a half ton Chevy Silverado work truck. I'm guessing we will want about a 20-25' travel trailer. We have not done any looking yet, or should we just plan to buy on buying a three quarter ton truck?
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Old 09-10-2014, 07:56 PM   #2
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You'd be better off long term with a 3/4 ton diesel, but sure, a 1/2 ton can pull a TT. Just like getting a bigger setup you need to match your trucks abilities with the size of the trailer you wish to pull.

A 3/4 ton will give you room to grow and will pull any trailer much better than a 1/2 ton.
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Old 09-10-2014, 08:28 PM   #3
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GM say's no problem our 1/2 tons will blah blah blah. Listen to what sknight said and not GM.
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Old 09-10-2014, 08:35 PM   #4
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Calico......You said you are looking at 20-25 ft TT, the half ton will handle that easily if it is a 5.3 engine with a 3.73 rear end.

It will not handle anything heavier..... Tongue weight and total weight will get you on larger units...
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Old 09-10-2014, 08:57 PM   #5
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No one has mentioned weight yet. Where do you plan on going? Truck have a tow package?
Listen to sknight
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Old 09-10-2014, 09:39 PM   #6
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Our Winnie is just short of 27' and weighs 6300 lbs loaded. 5.7 Tundra pulls it very easily with enough power for the mountains. IMHO, too much more than that, get a 3/4 ton truck.
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Old 09-11-2014, 06:44 AM   #7
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For that size a 3/4 ton is not needed, would it be better,,, yes. But I wouldn't go out and buy a new truck. I tow a 27 foot 7600lb TT with a F150 ecoboost and it tows well but I wouldn't go much longer / heavier.
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Old 09-11-2014, 07:51 AM   #8
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Depends on how much the TT weighs. 1/2 tons are highly overrated especially for TT towing. Most wont control the sway/fishtailing and ends up upside down on the side of the road. Your decision, you are legally responsible for having an adequate tow vehicle.
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Old 09-11-2014, 08:46 AM   #9
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With the right truck and the right trailer you will be fine. There are lightweight so called 1/2 Ton. And there are 1/2 Ton with some beef. I have a 2014 Ford 150 XLT. It has the full towing package. V8 5.0 Engine that I feel is better for towing than the V6 Ecoboost. Rear end is 3.73. This truck transmission has six fully automatic and fully manual gears. Tow brake controller is built into the dash and truck is fully wired for seven pin plug. My trailer is a 30' Rockwood Ultra Light around 6700# dry. I have an e2 WDH that does sway control well. It has no chains and backs up as well s goes forward. In Tow-Haul mode this truck tows in fifth or sixth most of the time, running around 1800 RPM to 2200 RPM. Truck has digital and analog tranny temp gauges. Never gets off of normal. Easy to drive, sweet to ride in.
P.S. My previous RV was a 36' diesel pusher.
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Old 09-11-2014, 08:48 AM   #10
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Some half-tons yes, others no - without being overloaded.

Take the 2011-up Ford F-150 4x4 SuperCrew (CrewCab) for example. With the EcoBoost engine, that puppy can pull a mountain, but unless it has a beefed-up suspension only a small hill will overload the suspension and brakes of the stock F-150. Most have 7,200 GVWR and can tow only a small TT without being overloaded over the GVWR. Mine is overloaded with my 19.5' Nomad Joey when the TT is loaded to gross only 4,870 pounds. But Ford has an optional Max Tow Pkg that increases the GVWR by 500 pounds, which would allow me to tow a TT that grosses over 8,000 pounds without being overloaded. And Ford also has another optional package called the Heavy Duty Payload pkg that increases the GVWR another 500 pounds to 8,200. That is a rare option that dealers don't stock so you have to order the truck with that option, but if you find one with that option then you can tow a TT that grosses almost 10,000 pounds without exceeding the GVWR of the F-150.

GM also has options that will increase GVWR enough to allow you to tow a small TT with gross weight up to around 7,000 pounds without being overloaded. But if your "work truck" doesn't have that option, then you'll probably be overloaded with any TT that grosses over about 5,000 pounds.

To get a good idea of whether your truck can handle the hitch weight of a TT without exceeding the GVWR of the pickup, load it with everyone and everything that will be in it when towing, including people, pets, tools, cooler, jacks, campfire wood, whatever you haul when towing. Include the shank and head from your weight-distributing hitch. If you don't have the hitch yet, estimate that weight at 50 pounds. Drive to a truck stop that has a truck scale and fill up with gas. Then weigh the wet and loaded pickup (including driver and passengers). Add the weights on the front and rear axles of the pickup and compare the total to the GVWR of the pickup. Divide that total weight by 0.13 to get the max weight of any tandem-axle TT you can probably tow without exceeding the GVWR of the pickup.

That 0.13 is 13 percent tongue weight, which is about average for a TT. Some TTs have a bit less and others have a bit more percentage of tongue weight, but if you use 13% for your estimate than you'll be close to what the TT will actually add to the gross weight of your pickup.

Use the GVWR of any TT you buy to compare to the max weight of any tandem-axle TT you can tow without being overloaded. Don't fall for the trap of guessing how much weight you will add to the empty TT. That's a sure way to wind up overloaded on your third RV trip. Use the GVWR of the trailer as your estimated gross weight of the wet and loaded trailer ready for camping.
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Old 09-11-2014, 08:48 AM   #11
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Depends on how much the TT weighs. 1/2 tons are highly overrated especially for TT towing. Most wont control the sway/fishtailing and ends up upside down on the side of the road. Your decision, you are legally responsible for having an adequate tow vehicle.
Perhaps a bit of fear mongering eh?
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Old 09-11-2014, 09:24 AM   #12
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Yes, because my 1000 plus miles towed, I've been terrified. 😉 I've towed in rain, wind and gusts to 40mph with zero sway/fishtailing. I do have an E4 WDH. I do drive at 60-65mph.
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Old 09-11-2014, 09:39 AM   #13
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Yes, because my 1000 plus miles towed, I've been terrified. �� I've towed in rain, wind and gusts to 40mph with zero sway/fishtailing. I do have an E4 WDH. I do drive at 60-65mph.
Not sure why you are terrified? Maybe drop 5 mph off speed until you get the "feel" of the thing.
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Old 09-11-2014, 09:43 AM   #14
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Depends on how much the TT weighs. 1/2 tons are highly overrated especially for TT towing. Most wont control the sway/fishtailing and ends up upside down on the side of the road. Your decision, you are legally responsible for having an adequate tow vehicle.

Give us a count of how many 1/2 tons you've seen upside down on the road this year. In all my travels over the last 61 years I can't even count on one had how many trucks, let alone 1/2 tons that were upside down on the side of the road. Maybe the drivers where you live need some lessons in towing trailers.

Maybe the OP should just get a utility trailer and a nice tent. That's what grocery getter 1/2 tons are really rated for, right.
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