Forum Discussion

ApexAZ's avatar
ApexAZ
Explorer
Sep 10, 2021

ProPride and lifted 3500

Hi all,

We just applied for financing on a 2021 Fuel F-287.

Assuming the loan gets approved, we should be picking the unit up on the 18th. I have a 2020 Denali 3500 SRW that I put a 4" suspension lift and larger 35" tires on, which put us just a wee bit too high to fit a 5th wheel, so we opted for a bumper pull.

A couple questions I have are:

My truck is rated at 20k conventional hitch weight with 2k tongue weight, and a CGVW of 29700. The trailer has a GVWR of 12,800 and I'm guessing the truck probably weighs in around 8500 curb weight (I plan to try and weigh it soon if I can find a place), which will put me at around 22.5k max combined weight when factoring in passengers and added cargo. Obviously the lift and bigger tires reduce capacity, but does anyone know just how much? I'll still be about 7k under the stock CGVW and conventional hitch figure.

Does anyone have a similar truck who have upgraded their brakes? Is this an option to improve stopping power?

I'm looking at the ProPride 3P hitch. Trailer sway makes me nervous and the lift compounds that. I'm hoping this will make towing safer. Anyone have experience with these and are they worth the $? If they work as advertised, it seems like money well spent for added safety. Any cons? It seems to add a few feet to overall length. Should I assume I'll need some air bags too?

I have seen several comments on various forums that people replace the stock hitch receiver with a class 5. In looking at some of those, the ratings are all very similar to that 2k/20k capacity, so I'm wondering if that's something I should worry about, or is the stock one already a class 5 and sufficient? I can't seem to find any info on the GMC pages.

Thanks so much!

Brian
  • n0arp's avatar
    n0arp
    Explorer
    Sep 10, 2021
    Check your wheel ratings. Method makes a nice wheel called the NV305HD that has a 4500lb capacity per wheel, if your current ones aren't sufficient. A lot of aftermarket wheels have poor capacities. Also check your tire capacity - though most 35" tires should be higher in capacity than the factory tires, I've seen quite a few American Standard sizes where that isn't the case. Most metric sizes have higher load indexes. YMMV.

    Be aware of your rear axle capacity, and confirm where you are loaded with the trailer, at the scales.

    I wouldn't bother upgrading brakes on the truck. Upgrading the trailer to EoH disc, on the other hand, is one of the best safety investments you'll ever make.

    I had the ProPride 3P many years ago, and it worked as advertised. Worth the money in my opinion. The biggest con is the somewhat reduced ground clearance because they hang low. There is also a slight learning curve to hooking up, but it's mostly mitigated with a backup camera.

    I would not use air bags. They have a cult following on here, but are not all they're cracked up to be. A proper spring pack is the real answer, or helper springs like SuperSprings. I'm pretty sure the air bags they sell for the GM 3500s are all inboard of the frame, which will exacerbate sway, regardless of marketing or claims otherwise.

    Your stock receiver should be fine, but double check the ratings. I think on my Chevrolet 2500 the stock receiver was rated for something like 14 or 15K.

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