New to towing

[mystiknight]

Hello All...Well, we went and bought a 28' Dutchman Lite weighing 5220 lbs. My TV is a stock '99 Silverado with a 4.8L V8. It's rated to tow 6000 lbs. Now the trailer's UVW is 5152 lbs. I know it will take very little to push it over 6000. So my question is...What should I do to my 1/2 ton silverado (Other than trading it in for a 3/4 because it's was my Father in law's and the wife won't let me trade it in) to be comfortable enough to tow this thing up to some cooler weather.

[NLOVNIT]

I don't think there is anything you can do, other than trading it in. The GVWR of Dutchmen Lite TT's are 7600 lbs plus, way over the tow capacity of your truck. Plus, that 6000 lb tow rating is probably for a base model of your truck with only 1 150 lb passenger in it.

I'm afraid you're going to need a bigger truck to tow (& stop) that TT safely. Safety trumps sentimentality every time. Sorry.

Lori-

[JohnKoz]

Virtually anything can tow anything, but it’s up to 3 things as to how practical it will be: mechanics, safety and legality – they are interdependent in some aspects but not necessarily dependent on one another. It will depend on your tolerance for each as to where you focus your energies.
I prefer to comment on the mechanics and leave the safety and legalities up to the weekend lawyers.

With respect to “mechanics”, you want to be able to hold your weight, pull it and stop it.
The most important aspect to holding your weight is your trucks rear axle rating, which is largely going to be a function of the weight rating of your tires. Keep in mind if this is a travel trailer the axle will get the ball weight plus an additional amount of weight which is transferred to the rear wheels from the front wheel. Example: an 800# tough weight might actually place 1,200# of weight on the rear axle. Check the axle rating and tire ratings to see if you’re exceeding that. If your within the axle rating you could use air bags or hitch load levelers to lift the rear back up.

When I towed a similar trailer with my Durango, I used a load-leveling hitch and made a number of power improvements to the drivetrain:
· Changed out the gears to a 3.92 ratio.
· Replaced the clutch fan with an electric fan (big difference).
· Added a Fastman throttle body
· K&N cool air intake
· Chip programmer
· Trans and engine oil gauges.

It was a tractor when I was done. Did it exceed the GVWR and or RAWR, probably, I didn’t check – didn’t know to check. Never got in an accident (or even close) so safety wasn’t a concern, didn’t get stopped for anything so was not affected by legalities. I towed for 5 years that way until I upgraded trucks.

You might consider getting by for now if you can make it work, let the family see how difficult it is to tow the trailer and that will give you the ammunition you need to get a new truck in a couple of years.

Personally I think the 4.8 is going to be your weakest link – even my Durango was a 5.9L. This will affect only your “pulling”, which will be obvious starting out and climbing inclines; watch your engine temperature and install a trans temp gauge so you know when to pull over.

-John

[CD]

Originally Posted by mystiknight

Hello All...Well, we went and bought a 28' Dutchman Lite weighing 5220 lbs. My TV is a stock '99 Silverado with a 4.8L V8. It's rated to tow 6000 lbs. Now the trailer's UVW is 5152 lbs. I know it will take very little to push it over 6000. So my question is...What should I do to my 1/2 ton silverado (Other than trading it in for a 3/4 because it's was my Father in law's and the wife won't let me trade it in) to be comfortable enough to tow this thing up to some cooler weather.

If you are stuck with your present TV, my suggestion is to not throw a lot of money at your TV as it will only be a bandaid. You need a good WD hitch & sway bar (it will be used on another TV). Other than that, just keep your speed down (perhaps 45/50) travel when traffic is light, use 4 ways if you going too much slower then rest of traffic (like going up hills in a low gear). Maybe when DW gets tired of these measures things will look up.

[mystiknight]

I've already bought an equalizer hitch. I am looking at "E" rated tires, and a heavy duty tranny cooler. I have considered a chip and a cold air intake. Even thought about after market rotors and brake pads for better stopping. It's been suggested I go with helper springs or even trade out my stock for 3/4 ton springs. Also looking at air bags/shocks. I just don't know which route to take.

[dsbike]

This is a motto I like to refer to. " Any fool can make a car or truck go faster, but a smart one will make it stop first". I think checking into the aftermarket rotors 7 brakes would be the 1st thing I would do.

[JohnKoz]

Are we over emphasizing the braking aspect, doesn’t the trailer have brakes of its own? The truck should only have to stop everything if the brakes fail, and even then I think any of us would be in pretty bad shape if that happened at the wrong time – at that point truck brakes may not even matter.

-John

[TXiceman]

I am afraid that you have literally bit off more than you can chew. The 6000# tow rating is based on a base model truck, no cargo, no passenger, no options or accessories and not even a hitch. For every pound you add over the theoretical base weight, you lower the tow rating accordingly. You need to load up the truck and head down to the scales and get it's Laden Vehicle Weight.

GVWR - LVW = Max loaded trailer hitch weight.

GCWR - LVW = max loaded trailer weight.

The actual weight you are rated to tow is probably closer to 4800 to 5000# once the truck is loaded.

You can add HD shocks, helper springs, transmission cooler, air box, low restriction exhaust, tuning chip and you are still rated for the same tow rating.

The one thing that can help your towing ability is a new axle ratio. Go up to a 4.10 axle if you can.

The best bet is a new truck with a higher tow rating.

Ken

[campclan]

In my opinion Brakes and weight distribution hitch w/ sway control and a good brake controller are essential.. Then Trans cooler would be necessary for your transmission to survive. Servicing the cooling system would be essential as well. As far as the rear end gearing higher gear would help. Make sure your tongue weight is set right as well. The chip and cold air intake and larger springs as all helpful but as stated prior the brakes/ brake controller/ hitch set up are your most important things to start with. You will be at the limits of your vehicle so slow and steady should be the order of the day.

[dsbike]

Originally Posted by JohnKoz

Are we over emphasizing the braking aspect, doesn’t the trailer have brakes of its own? The truck should only have to stop everything if the brakes fail, and even then I think any of us would be in pretty bad shape if that happened at the wrong time – at that point truck brakes may not even matter.

-John

Everyone has an opinion, which is what the OP asked for. Depending on terrain & destinations his powertrain may be plenty or it may not. Reading from your previous post
"Virtually anything can tow anything, but it’s up to 3 things as to how practical it will be: mechanics, safety and legality – they are interdependent in some aspects but not necessarily dependent on one another. It will depend on your tolerance for each as to where you focus your energies.
I prefer to comment on the mechanics and leave the safety and legalities up to the weekend lawyers.

With respect to “mechanics”, you want to be able to hold your weight, pull it and stop it."

Brakes are important here & in any towing situation. Just my $.02

[WA4SLC]

My first travel trailer was a 30 Ft Mallard with a dry weight of 4780 lbs. At the time I bought it I had a 95 Dodge Ram 1500 with a 5.2 L. engine and 3:55 gears. The truck did fairly well puling on level roads, but did not do very good on inclines. The worse thing was the P rated tires that came on the truck. I changed to E rated tires very quickly because it was very uncomfortable with the sway from the week side walls in the tires. Another thing I would advise you to do is read the information that came with your hitch. Then go to a level parking lot and measure and adjust everything the hitch instructions tell you to. After I got the tires and set the hitch up right it was much more comfortable to tow. The only thing I did to the suspension on the truck was put Rancho 5000 shocks on it. The best thing I did though was trade the 95 for a used 2001 2500 with the Cummins diesel.

[Randy the sly old fox]

If you had the 5.3L engine or some taller rear end gears - 3.73 will net you 1000 more towing capacity. CGWR is determined largely by the powertrain. I think that your hitch wt will be OK but it is the overall trailer wt that is the problem. If the truck is 2wd the rear end gear swap is a cheap alternative. That along with performance enhancers should get you by until you can get a bigger truck. While you might not want to think about it - you can cut your losses and buy a smaller TT whose GVWR is in the 5000lb area.

[mystiknight]

Talked to the wife and forwarded some of your replies and we are currently in the market for an additional truck that can pull the TT. I thank you all for your opinions and advice. I knew there would be a wealth of knowledge to glean from here. I should have joined before we bought our TT but.. should of, could of, would of, right? Thanks Again,

Matt

[KTM Guy]

Originally Posted by mystiknight

Talked to the wife and forwarded some of your replies and we are currently in the market for an additional truck that can pull the TT. I thank you all for your opinions and advice. I knew there would be a wealth of knowledge to glean from here. I should have joined before we bought our TT but.. should of, could of, would of, right? Thanks Again,

Matt

Whew! I think we all feel better. Here's wishing you safe and fun travels!