Please any help on towing capacity

[DMac67]

i currently have a Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Custom: 5.3LV8 auto 6 speed with 3.42 rear and the basic towing package (NOT the heavy duty). According to what I find the curb weight is 5000lbs; max payload is 2000lbs; max GVWR is 7000lbs; the GCWR is 15000lbs; and the chart says it can tow 9500lbs. I have been looking here and on websites I can find and to be honest I still can not figure out the max trailer I can tow as either a travel trailer or 5th wheel. I don't want to max out the truck or take it to the edge. Could anyone PLEASE tell me the max weight travel trailer I can tow AND the max weight 5th wheel I can tow?
THANK YOU for any advice in advance.

[belias2177]

Originally Posted by DMac67

i currently have a Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Custom: 5.3LV8 auto 6 speed with 3.42 rear and the basic towing package (NOT the heavy duty). According to what I find the curb weight is 5000lbs; max payload is 2000lbs; max GVWR is 7000lbs; the GCWR is 15000lbs; and the chart says it can tow 9500lbs. I have been looking here and on websites I can find and to be honest I still can not figure out the max trailer I can tow as either a travel trailer or 5th wheel. I don't want to max out the truck or take it to the edge. Could anyone PLEASE tell me the max weight travel trailer I can tow AND the max weight 5th wheel I can tow?
THANK YOU for any advice in advance.

Ok, I’ll bite...
In my opinion, no half ton truck should be towing a 5th wheel. Period.
As for a bumper tow TT, if your weights are all correct your limiting factor is going to be payload. Keep in mind, payload means everything in the truck (people, cargo, etc...) plus the tongue/hitch weight of your TT. If it were my truck, I’d probably try to stay under 7500# GVW on the trailer and less than 30’ in length.
You’ll get a lot of opinions in this thread and ultimately it will come down to whatever you feel comfortable pulling (safely.)

[DMac67]

THANKS so much for the thoughts. I was really looking for a number like you put out there at 7500---that is a great help and kind of what i was thinking. That said, I was looking at some smaller lightweight 5th wheels....such as a Scamp, Escape, Allen Idle-Time, Winnebago Micro Minnie, KZ Sportsmen or Palimino Puma---these are all 7000lbs or less and 29ft or less with a pin weight of 1150lbs or less. Any reason I couldn't tow one of these specific 5th wheels? The weight is comparable to the 7500 TT. I would rather have the 5th wheel as i believe there are easier/more stable to tow. Thanks

[IvoryHemi]

Realistic pin weight on a 5th wheel is going to be 20% vs 12-13% on a TT. So even if they are both 7,500 lbs, the 5th wheel is going eat up significantly more payload.

Does the yellow sticker on your driver side door jam say 2,000 lbs payload? Or is that just what you found on the internet?

[Kenny Loney]

First confirm your truck weights. The figures that you have given, are they from a brochure or web site for a similar truck. Or they from the door sticker on YOUR vehicle.
The limiting factor is most likely your PAYLOAD. The best way to determine this is have your vehicle weighed. Subtract that from the GVWR on your door stick, that determines how much more (payload) can be added to your truck. That will include passenger, toys firewood etc. It will also include tongue weight or FW pin weight, plus weight of weight distribution hitch or FW hitch in the bed.
For a 7000lb trailer. That's the GVWR for the trailer, NOT the mythical dry weight.
TT hitch weight approx 12%. 840 lbs
FW pin weight approx 22%. 1540lbs plus ~200lb hitch

If the TT or FW fits in with your payload capacity, a good chance that it will fit in the GCVWR.

[BajaFog]

What @IvoryHemi said. My 1/2 ton could tow a TT, but a fifth wheel ate 1500kbs out of my payload. The 1/2 ton allowed 1600lbs, subtract 1500lbs I'm left with 100lbs. I had to ditch my wife and dog and go solo ��


Kidding - traded up to a 3/4 ton.


If you can find a 1/2 ton 5'r in the 27' range that doesn't overload your payload, then go for it. I'd go for it even if it maxed my payload!

[Skip426]

2X, on Kenny_Loney's post; you need your weights to start , load up the truck with wife and kids ( pets ? ), fill it with fuel and get to the scales ; you need actual weights to compare to your trucks ratings, FAWR, RAWR and GVWR.
You need all three weight from the scale.
Remember trailers and 5ers load most of the weight of hitch , pin or tongue ; onto the rear axle BUT that's not where all the weight carrying capacity is available on your truck .
You can be 400 lbs under FAWR and 400 lbs over on the RAWR , and meet the GVWR , but you're still overloaded on the rear axle and probably the tires.

[bneukam]

Tow ratings on 1/2 ton trucks are a complete joke.

The tow rating on mine is 10,200 lbs and our trailer is at 5,700 GVWR, at 23’ overall length.
Towing is stress free, and enjoyable ride. It is camping after all.

25 to 26’ at 6,500 lbs would be at my maximum comfort level for your truck.

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by bneukam

25 to 26’ at 6,500 lbs would be at my maximum comfort level for your truck.

ditto,


Dave

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by Kenny Loney

First confirm your truck weights. The figures that you have given, are they from a brochure or web site for a similar truck. Or they from the door sticker on YOUR vehicle.
The limiting factor is most likely your PAYLOAD. The best way to determine this is have your vehicle weighed. Subtract that from the GVWR on your door stick, that determines how much more (payload) can be added to your truck. That will include passenger, toys firewood etc. It will also include tongue weight or FW pin weight, plus weight of weight distribution hitch or FW hitch in the bed.
For a 7000lb trailer. That's the GVWR for the trailer, NOT the mythical dry weight.
TT hitch weight approx 12%. 840 lbs
FW pin weight approx 22%. 1540lbs plus ~200lb hitch

If the TT or FW fits in with your payload capacity, a good chance that it will fit in the GCVWR.

great post

Dave

[TXiceman]

Originally Posted by BajaFog

Kidding - traded up to a 3/4 ton.

Go ahead and get a 1 ton SRW (single rear wheel) rather than a 3/4 ton. You will not be so limited on 5th wheels.

Ken

[KD4UPL]

Originally Posted by bneukam

Tow ratings on 1/2 ton trucks are a complete joke.

The tow rating on mine is 10,200 lbs and our trailer is at 5,700 GVWR, at 23’ overall length.
Towing is stress free, and enjoyable ride. It is camping after all.

25 to 26’ at 6,500 lbs would be at my maximum comfort level for your truck.

The tow ratings are not a joke at all. The problem is people just assume than any old trailer tows just like any other and the tow ratings must apply equally to them all.
There are many types of trailers: flat bed, cargo, dump, horse, boat, RV, etc. I would say that by far the most difficult to tow is a hard sided RV. Their high percentage of tongue weight, large frontal area, inability to move weight around, and their large side "sail" area to catch wind all combine to make them very challenging to tow.

A truck rated for 10,000 pounds could probably pull a 10,000 pound boat, dump trailer full of gravel, or flatbed load of bricks just fine. It would probably struggle with a 8,000 pound travel trailer. That's what people don't get.
To the OP, no one can give you a number. It depends on how your specific truck is equipped (thus how much it weighs). It depends on how much weight you will have in the truck with people, pets, cargo, etc. It depends on what percentage of tongue weight the particular trailer in question has.

But, as has been said, what it all comes down to is the truck's payload, or what it's RAWR is. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about the GVWR but I wouldn't go over your rear axle rating or your tire ratings.
By the way, if your truck still has the P tires on it that it came with you should upgrade to LT tires before trying to pull a heavy trailer.

[tuffr2]

A 6,500lb travel trailer would be a stretch with your truck. Also 28' total length travel trailer I think would be the max I would try to tow and control.

You will find at slower speeds you will do better. 45 mph will be ok but 72 mph might be white knuckle.

So if you are going on the highway and mixing in which the semi trucks I would keep the trailer weight to 6,000lbs.

If traveling on back roads to local state parks where your max speed will be 50 mph you can tow more weight - say 7,000lbs.

Agree there are many types of trailers from flatbed trailers that don't catch as much wind to boats that split the wind that are easier to tow. Also agree that a travel trailer with a big frontal area and big flat sides plus a big flat back are tough to tow.

My case - my Honda Ridgeline could tow my boat easier than my travel trailer.

Oh - just an fyi Boats don't need sway control and most of the weight is off the truck unlike a travel trailer.

[OldStyle]

This video does a pretty good job of explaining things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIhR...l=BigRockMedia