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09-10-2014, 07:53 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 192
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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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Rick and Ann
Central Illinois
2013 Keystone Passport Ultra Lite 23RB
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09-10-2014, 07:56 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Appalachian Campers
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 908
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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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2001 HO Cummins powered Dodge 2500
2014 Sierra 346RETS
Nights camped in 2014-28
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09-10-2014, 08:28 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Surprise AZ
Posts: 800
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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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Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
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09-10-2014, 08:35 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Harlingen,Texas
Posts: 13
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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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2012 Nomad Joey 260
2009 Silverado 1500 Texas Edition
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09-10-2014, 08:57 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Surprise AZ
Posts: 800
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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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Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
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09-10-2014, 09:39 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: North Ridgeville, OH
Posts: 2,455
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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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Retired but busier than ever!
2012 Newmar Bay Star 3302
5 Star Tune, SumoSprings, Roadmaster Steering Stabilizer, Blue Ox Avail
Brake Buddy, 2015 Chevy Malibu
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09-11-2014, 06:44 AM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 50
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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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09-11-2014, 07:51 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: NC
Posts: 578
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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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Wandering1
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09-11-2014, 08:46 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
LA Gulf Coast Campers
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Picayune, MS (New Orleans)
Posts: 424
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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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36' Itasca Meridian DP, now 2005 Newmar Scottsdale 34' Gas
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09-11-2014, 08:48 AM
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#10
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: HillBilly country, Smokey Mtns
Posts: 4,171
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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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Grumpy ole man with over 60 years towing experience. Now my heaviest trailer is a 7'x16' 5,000-pound flatbed utility trailer, my tow vehicle is a 2019 F-150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCab with Max Tow (1,904 pounds payload capacity).
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09-11-2014, 08:48 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
LA Gulf Coast Campers
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Picayune, MS (New Orleans)
Posts: 424
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wandering1
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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Perhaps a bit of fear mongering eh?
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36' Itasca Meridian DP, now 2005 Newmar Scottsdale 34' Gas
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09-11-2014, 09:24 AM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 50
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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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09-11-2014, 09:39 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
LA Gulf Coast Campers
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Picayune, MS (New Orleans)
Posts: 424
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Froman
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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Not sure why you are terrified? Maybe drop 5 mph off speed until you get the "feel" of the thing.
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36' Itasca Meridian DP, now 2005 Newmar Scottsdale 34' Gas
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09-11-2014, 09:43 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,620
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wandering1
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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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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