Community Forums

BlessedOne · 06-14-2022, 06:00 PM

Just bought a 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Gasoline Engine, with only 30,000 miles; with the sole purpose of delivering bumper pull RVs for a storage facility. I’ve pulled 3; but the first was just a tiny tester. The last two were much bigger, heavier, and double axles. Coachmen Catalina Legacy Editions; well, today the truck started making an odd noise, felt like it was hitting bumps in the road, but it wasn’t bumpy and then begin to decelerate. I pulled over; killed it for a few minutes while I checked oil and stuff; everything looked perfect. ONLY thing I did different was once I started it back up, I turned off A/C and I’ve been driving without it since; and kept my speed set on 60, instead of 68; out of caution. It’s had absolutely ZERO issues since.

1) Is the A/C and/or going 68 MPH too much on a 2500HD while hauling a Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition?

2) Can the 2500HD safely pull a Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition?

3) How frequently, far, and fast can I safely pull a Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition?

I truly appreciate all your advice and help. All this weight confuses me. Payload, bumper, GSWR weights, etc. I just don’t understand what it all means and don’t want to damage anything!

Thank you all so much! 😁

wrvond · 06-14-2022, 06:07 PM

My friend, you really shouldn't be pulling any RVs commercially until you know what you are doing.
Weights are the bread and butter of camper pulling. It doesn't matter what the manufacturer or model of a TT is. What matters is the tongue weight first and foremost. After that you'll want to know if the camper is under it's GVWR. How old are the tires, etc.
It's just not as simple as hooking up and driving off. You are exposing yourself to a whole s***storm of liability.

What kind of driver's license do you have? Obviously not a CDL. How about insurance? Your personal insurance will not pay out when it's discovered you were being paid to move somebody else's camper. How much bond do you have? RV repairs are expensive. How do you plan to pay for any damage that occurs while you are hooked up?
What equipment do you have? You are required to carry a fire extinguisher, hazard markers and other equipment depending on your location.
You're also required to keep and Hours of Service log and pull into all weigh stations for weighing and inspection. Failure of an inspection gets expensive very quickly.

BlessedOne · 06-14-2022, 06:50 PM

I was a Haz CDL driver for Sunoco for over a decade. But it was a long time ago, I’m 70 now and was retired. I had to do something to help a family member out of a bind. I used to understand weights, but have forgotten it all. I covered myself in a million dollar commercial policy and cargo. The RVs are brand new and my truck has nearly new tires. They are what I call mud tires. Not sure if that’s the actual term.

kdauto · 06-14-2022, 07:50 PM

Pretty hard to help without knowing exactly what sounds or feelings it's giving out. We don't know the weights and length of the towed trailers. We don't know if you're using a WDH.

I am towing a 13k lb 5th wheel with a 3500HD sporting the same engine and trans your truck has. I can easily tow 60-68MPH except up 6-7% or greater grades. My truck is in top shape though. I tow with A/C on ALL the time, even in 100F weather. I have made 16 000km trips with it in such heat.

Mud or A/T tires suck for towing. The smoother the tire, the better the ride (on asphalt or concrete of course) and the better fuel economy, along with less wear and tear on the truck.

FWIW, a 1 million $ policy is nothing, especially in the USA. I have a 2 million $ policy on my personal stuff. On my shop policy, it is 5 million. You could lose everything in a heartbeat with a small policy like that. It's typically less than 5% more to double the liability.

tuffr2 · 06-14-2022, 08:36 PM

The Catalina Legacy trailers have a GVWR of around 10,000lbs and over 10,000lbs for the bigger trailers. The lengths are 32 to 36 feet. I would consider towing them with my 2017 Ford F-250 but think they would be near the max I would want to tow. That being said a 2015 2500 truck with the 6.0 litre gas engine would be near it's max too. I forget the year but I think in 2020 that truck was redesigned to be bigger and better. No more 6.0 litre but a new more powerful 6.6 litre gas engine.

I would think taking them to storage they have some stuff in them, and maybe a lot of stuff.

I am thinking you are maxing out that truck as those trailers are big and heavy.

tuffr2 · 06-15-2022, 08:58 AM

Pass on taking any Jayco Eagle 330 series trailers to storage. Those are 36' long and are higher than the Catalina Legacy trailers. They are long and tall. I think the Jayco Eagle trailers have a 11,000lb GVWR. One look at those trailers and the 1st thing I think of is I need a dually to tow one of those.

Crazy how big and heavy some bumper pull trailers are.

Good luck.

runamuck · 06-16-2022, 01:33 PM

trailer loading and setup aside, it could be something related to motor mounts or a/c compressor. or shocks/tie rods/etc. maybe a/c had nothing to do with it but slowing down did. try to isolate by changing one thing at a time.

Grit dog · 06-29-2022, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlessedOne

Just bought a 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Gasoline Engine, with only 30,000 miles;
I truly appreciate all your advice and help. All this weight confuses me. Payload, bumper, GSWR weights, etc. I just don’t understand what it all means and don’t want to damage anything!

Thank you all so much! 😁

Sir, there pretty much isn't a bumper pull Travel Trailer that will max out or hurt the truck you have. Period, end of story.
Don't know what the "bumps" are you were feeling and 99% certain turning the air conditioning off didn't "fix" it. Keep the AC on, and keep on truckin.
If you're getting into big tongue weight trailers like large BP toy haulers, you may want bags or something to help if towing long distances, but, again, a 10klb TT if that's what it weighs is not an issue!

Keeper rubber side down and under 100!!

CamperLifer · 07-02-2022, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grit dog

Sir, there pretty much isn't a bumper pull Travel Trailer that will max out or hurt the truck you have. Period, end of story.
Don't know what the "bumps" are you were feeling and 99% certain turning the air conditioning off didn't "fix" it. Keep the AC on, and keep on truckin.
If you're getting into big tongue weight trailers like large BP toy haulers, you may want bags or something to help if towing long distances, but, again, a 10klb TT if that's what it weighs is not an issue!

Keeper rubber side down and under 100!!

That depends on his CCC and the loaded tongue weight of the TT and all the cargo weight in the truck.

tuffr2 · 07-12-2022, 02:29 PM

Every truck has it's limits as to what travel trailers it can tow. An older (prior to the new redesign) GM 2500 6.0 litre has it's lower limits. GM made the truck a lot bigger and with way more capacity than the truck it replaced. If you could swing the redesigned truck it would be better than the truck you have. GM went to a 6.6 litre gas engine which is better than the old 6.0 gas engine.