2015 Chevy 1500 TT towing

[jjackrash]

Originally Posted by Boodro

I guess I need to lower my expectation for what we can get for now. Seems the consensus is to stay around 6000 gvwr and a length of 25 or so foot.

The problem with a TT is they are big sails rolling down the road and will push your truck around when its windy or when semis pass you. A 6k lbs. boat or a 6k lbs. flatbed with some bricks on it is a lot easier for a 1/2 ton to handle than a 6k lbs. TT. And speed has a lot to do with it. If you are content at 55-60 mph, you can get away with a 1/2 ton pulling a TT closer to stated tow capacity. If you want to tow a TT anywhere near 70 mph near stated tow capacity get a bigger truck.

[KM Rolling]

Originally Posted by Boodro

Well a few local dealers have pictures of the dry weight stickers in their listings so I do have a legit weight with the options that were ordered from the factory. So with that I do have a good solid starting point. I guess I need to lower my expectation for what we can get for now. Seems the consensus is to stay around 6000 gvwr and a length of 25 or so foot.

It is only a starting point, and I would not trust the sticker from the factory. Usually that weight does not include battery or propane, and who knows what other "reasons" they have for it being off. I've seen more inaccurate stickers than accurate ones.

What jjackrash said about length, and it being a sail is something to consider also.

There are formulas for TV wheelbase to total length of trailer, not sure how much stock I put in them.

However, there is one thing you can do that will allow you to more safely pull a longer trailer with a shorter wheelbase tow vehicle....get a ProPride hitch.

It is expensive, but less expensive than getting a new tow vehicle, and they certainly introduce a much greater stability in towing a travel trailer with a shorter wheelbase TV.

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by jjackrash

The problem with a TT is they are big sails rolling down the road and will push your truck around when its windy or when semis pass you. A 6k lbs. boat or a 6k lbs. flatbed with some bricks on it is a lot easier for a 1/2 ton to handle than a 6k lbs. TT. And speed has a lot to do with it. If you are content at 55-60 mph, you can get away with a 1/2 ton pulling a TT closer to stated tow capacity. If you want to tow a TT anywhere near 70 mph near stated tow capacity get a bigger truck.

I tow at 60mph its plenty fast and just below my trailer tire rating. check your tire speed rating before you think about going 70 mph.
Jay D.

[tuffr2]

I am not a fan of towing 60mph when all the other traffic is moving 70 - 75 mph. Having hundreds of tractor trailers pulling out to pass and buzz by makes towing unpleasant IMHO.

60mph is ok if you travel on the secondary roads but on the highways I travel on I95, I75 and I70 I like to stay somewhat with the flow of traffic.

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I am not a fan of towing 60mph when all the other traffic is moving 70 - 75 mph. Having hundreds of tractor trailers pulling out to pass and buzz by makes towing unpleasant IMHO.

60mph is ok if you travel on the secondary roads but on the highways I travel on I95, I75 and I70 I like to stay somewhat with the flow of traffic.

i'll tow at 60 on west coast freeways if trucks want to pass I may get a little shake but nothing to panic about, if your set up good. your tire speed rating is what's important. if your tires are rated for 60mph and you want to do 75 that's putting a strain on a very important part of your towing package
Jay D.

[mrgrayaz]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I am not a fan of towing 60mph when all the other traffic is moving 70 - 75 mph. Having hundreds of tractor trailers pulling out to pass and buzz by makes towing unpleasant IMHO.

60mph is ok if you travel on the secondary roads but on the highways I travel on I95, I75 and I70 I like to stay somewhat with the flow of traffic.

Agreed. Driving that slow is a rolling road obstruction. I don't think tires have ever been rated at 60 anyway - so your at least good to 65. We run at 75. On either coast as speed limit allows...

[tuffr2]

I see over weight trucks that typically drive slow on the highway. Like a SRW truck towing a triple axle toy hauler 5th wheel.

Driving faster in a truck that is too small for it's load will cause sway and be uncomfortable.

People always ask 'how much can I tow'. Well, that depends where you will be towing. I used an undersized truck that was perfect for camping at local state parks. This truck could tow my travel trailer at 55mph all day. I used this truck for 3 years towing this trailer on back roads. A lot of my trips were at 35 to 45 mph. Again an undersized truck can do this type of towing.

Then I retired and the DW and I wanted to drive 300 miles with 280 being on RT. 70 with a 70MPH speed limit. I knew it would not be easy. Anyway I towed at 62 mph but so many tractor trailers were zooming by me at 72mph and would push me to the right and then as they passed suck me to the left that I had to continually make steering corrections.

I started to increase speed to match the Semi's. So that was 68 - 70 mph. That was somewhat better but the truck was struggling trying to pull the sail at that speed. All in all it was not comforable at all.

Within a few weeks I bought a bigger truck. The same trailer now could be towed at 72mph all day long and with the bigger truck I was able to comfortably tow this trailer 950 miles on the highway as I could easily keep up with other traffic. It was a night and day difference. I could drive with one hand on the steering wheel. My DW and I could go anywhere we wanted. We made trips of 450 miles and back. 575 miles and back and made many 300 mile trips and back.

We could not have done this with the undersized truck.

[1st-tt2018]

Originally Posted by Boodro

Well a few local dealers have pictures of the dry weight stickers in their listings so I do have a legit weight with the options that were ordered from the factory. So with that I do have a good solid starting point. I guess I need to lower my expectation for what we can get for now. Seems the consensus is to stay around 6000 gvwr and a length of 25 or so foot.

This is what i tow with my 2013 gmc sierra 5.3l flex fuel. 9400 tow rating. I would not go any heavier. Our longest trip was this weekend in the mountains of WV. We struggled a bit up the 8% grades, but it was ok. Never a white knuckled drive, but I averaged 8mpg this trip. Most I get 10 to 12. I would never go higher on your truck either.

[Boodro]

Your picture is a great example of what I stated in a post a day or 2 ago. Your GVWR is 7600. You can put max 3254 lbs of cargo in it. That makes the dry weight 4346 lbs. Everyone says GO BY THE TRAILERS GVWR to determine if its towable. In this case its 7600. Well one might think thats borderline for a 1/2 ton truck but look at the allowed cargo capacity that factors into the overall GVWR. I'll NEVER put 3254 lb worth of gear on a weekend trip. So thats makes it an actual maybe 6000 trailer fully loaded which I feel is within my tow range on by 1/2 ton. This is what make it confusing to me. I'm holding back on campers that really fit our need because I go off the GVWR that everyone says to go by but there are campers that match up with your specs, having a low dry weight and hight CCC, that I think should be an exception to using the "GVWR rule". I hope that make sense to the readers because I would like others' input on my thoughts.

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by Boodro

Your picture is a great example of what I stated in a post a day or 2 ago. Your GVWR is 7600. You can put max 3254 lbs of cargo in it. That makes the dry weight 4346 lbs. Everyone says GO BY THE TRAILERS GVWR to determine if its towable. In this case its 7600. Well one might think thats borderline for a 1/2 ton truck but look at the allowed cargo capacity that factors into the overall GVWR. I'll NEVER put 3254 lb worth of gear on a weekend trip. So thats makes it an actual maybe 6000 trailer fully loaded which I feel is within my tow range on by 1/2 ton. This is what make it confusing to me. I'm holding back on campers that really fit our need because I go off the GVWR that everyone says to go by but there are campers that match up with your specs, having a low dry weight and hight CCC, that I think should be an exception to using the "GVWR rule". I hope that make sense to the readers because I would like others' input on my thoughts.

YOUR RIGHT you'll probably never put 3254#in the trailer. its a hassle but see if the dealer will take it to a truck scale and confirm the dry weight or the sale weight of the unit your buying. from there you can calculate hitch, propane, water, battery's this should be a starting weight. now calculate all the stuff you will take with you when you go camping. I had a tablet just inside the door and the bathroom scales at the steps . when I took a basket of goods I stepped on the scales and wrote down what the basket weighed. do this with everything you load, when you done add 200# for things you forgot. this will give you a good basic idea of your traveling weight. when you get it home and start loading be careful how you load don't put a lot of heave stuff at one end or the other spread it out. also now would be a good time to deside if your going to tow with a full water tank. I usually tow with mine full as I never know were i'm going to stop at. if you tow without water that's 200# off your cargo weight.
just an idea we went to Alaska a year ago its just the wife and I and the dog we loaded fairly heavy. we had 450 in hitch, battery's, water and propane, our supply's clothes, food, tools and what ever came to about 800# that's just over 1200# just something to think about.
Jay D.

[jjackrash]

Originally Posted by Jay D.

i'll tow at 60 on west coast freeways if trucks want to pass I may get a little shake but nothing to panic about, if your set up good. your tire speed rating is what's important. if your tires are rated for 60mph and you want to do 75 that's putting a strain on a very important part of your towing package
Jay D.

Most trailer tires are rated for 65 mph. But I always run upgraded tires and make sure both the load and speed range exceed my needs.

[aether_one]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I am not a fan of towing 60mph when all the other traffic is moving 70 - 75 mph. Having hundreds of tractor trailers pulling out to pass and buzz by makes towing unpleasant IMHO.

60mph is ok if you travel on the secondary roads but on the highways I travel on I95, I75 and I70 I like to stay somewhat with the flow of traffic.

Originally Posted by mrgrayaz

Agreed. Driving that slow is a rolling road obstruction. I don't think tires have ever been rated at 60 anyway - so your at least good to 65. We run at 75. On either coast as speed limit allows...

Soooo is it OK to do 63-64 mph? I always towed at that speed and now drive my Class A at that speed. I am passed by some traffic but pass other traffic including trucks. Not to mention many toads are limited to 65 mph while being towed.

Now I like to move along at a good speed as much as anybody; I generally cruise at 80-81 in my car or truck when not towing, but when towing or driving a larger coach I think driving a more moderate speed is the way to go to improve my safety margin with the load.

[tuffr2]

There are now trailer tires that are built better than that old 65mph speed limit. Just for example Goodyear Enduance, Maxxis, Michilen XPS Ribs.

That 65 mph speed rating is old news.

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

There are now trailer tires that are built better than that old 65mph speed limit. Just for example Goodyear Enduance, Maxxis, Michilen XPS Ribs.

That 65 mph speed rating is old news.

the new T/T the O/P is looking at probably won't have the higher rated tires, he should check this.
Jay D.