Silverado 1500 Towing

Thanks for the update. I would continue using tow/haul mode and lock out 6th gear using M5. Enjoy!

Just a quick update.

I have set the bars on the 4th link with 3 hanging loose. The other 7 under tension.

I also had the rig weighed again. This time it was fully loaded even with dw and dog on board.

Truck

Font Axle 3320
Rear Axle 2700
Gross Weight 6020

Truck and Trailer WDH on

Front Axle 3320
Rear Axle 3340
Total 6660 Max is 6800

Trailer Axle 6220
gross combined weight 12880

All the weights looked good. The front axle gained the 120 lbs it lost. Front fender is where it is unloaded and the rear is a bit higher.

Front of trailer is one inch lower than the back.

Tongue weight is still around 640.

I figure I am about 100 pounds away from the ccc weight.

I have towed this about 1000 miles and I am very satisfied with it so far.

Florida to Delaware is a fairly flat stretch of land. Tack was mainly in the 1800 to 2000 range with occasional revs up to 2500. This was in drive with tow haul on. When possible, I used cruise control set at 60. Overall I have been averaging about 10 mpg.

Handling has been excellent. There has been no evidence of sway. Only problem is the suction when an 18 wheeler passes.

Next stretch is up to New Hampshire so the rig should get a different workout hitting some of the higher elevations.

Again, thanks for all of the advice. It has made for a more knowledgeable and safer towing experience.

Thanks for the leave it alone advice. That suggestion was just me asking with a limited amount of knowledge.

I will mention this to the guy that adjusted the hitch for me. He did a nice job and knew what he was doing but the weights should help him out even more.

Just glad to hear that I don't have a more serious problem and I will get this looked at.

Thanks

magicmantx wrote:
I have a ton of expierence towing with practially the same set up. I had a 2010 Chevy crew cab same engine and rear as you. We towed a 2011 27' Stealth toyhauler fully loaded with our rzr and 6kw honda generator and enough camping stuff to last us 2 weeks in both the trailer and some in the bed of the truck. Dry weight of the trailer is 5575. fully loaded the total weight of the trailer excluding water but including 32 gallons of gas in the fuel station was 8790 pounds. we used a reese WD hitch and sway controller. We made 3 trips to Taylor park Colorado.6 trips to the ozarks in Arkansas,4-5 trips to NW Oklahoma,1 trip to West Texas, Several trips around Texas. On the open road under good weather conditions I routinely ran 75 MPH and west Texas and other remote areas 80 was not uncommon. I pulled up and down Monarch Pass in Colorad as well as Cottonwood Pass. Very long Steep curvy climbs. Truck handled this fine. On normal terrain other than mountains no problem. Never had an issue in the mountains but obviously wouldnt want to try it with less truck or more trailer. We have since traded up to Fuzion Fith wheel and Powerstroke diesel. Your combo will work quite well regardless what anyone computes with charts. How you arrange your load will affect how it feels more than anything. I found that loading a couple hundred pounds in the front bathroom made the trailer very stable to offset the 1500 pound rzr in the rear. Also the climbs up the passes included a full 110 gallons of water as well as we filled everything up in Gunnison. Traded the truck off with 50K on the ODO and probably at least 1/2 was towing the TH. Good luck .

All I can say is WOW. We had hoped to do some travelling in Colorado next year. We were thinking of leaving the trailer at a lower level and just using the truck to sightsee. Colorado is one of three states we haven't visited but is on our list to finish soon. Thanks for the practical experience.

I have a ton of expierence towing with practially the same set up. I had a 2010 Chevy crew cab same engine and rear as you. We towed a 2011 27' Stealth toyhauler fully loaded with our rzr and 6kw honda generator and enough camping stuff to last us 2 weeks in both the trailer and some in the bed of the truck. Dry weight of the trailer is 5575. fully loaded the total weight of the trailer excluding water but including 32 gallons of gas in the fuel station was 8790 pounds. we used a reese WD hitch and sway controller. We made 3 trips to Taylor park Colorado.6 trips to the ozarks in Arkansas,4-5 trips to NW Oklahoma,1 trip to West Texas, Several trips around Texas. On the open road under good weather conditions I routinely ran 75 MPH and west Texas and other remote areas 80 was not uncommon. I pulled up and down Monarch Pass in Colorad as well as Cottonwood Pass. Very long Steep curvy climbs. Truck handled this fine. On normal terrain other than mountains no problem. Never had an issue in the mountains but obviously wouldnt want to try it with less truck or more trailer. We have since traded up to Fuzion Fith wheel and Powerstroke diesel. Your combo will work quite well regardless what anyone computes with charts. How you arrange your load will affect how it feels more than anything. I found that loading a couple hundred pounds in the front bathroom made the trailer very stable to offset the 1500 pound rzr in the rear. Also the climbs up the passes included a full 110 gallons of water as well as we filled everything up in Gunnison. Traded the truck off with 50K on the ODO and probably at least 1/2 was towing the TH. Good luck .

Bob is right that Reese recommends 5 links minimum. Many people confuse the links. That means 5 links under tension, not hanging loose.

I would increase the hitch head angle first. Adjusting the number of links under tension will affect the flatness of the trailer. You said it is level already, which is good. Fewer links (under tension) will raise the TT nose more than increasing the head angle. That might mean lowering the head by one set of holes, which also throws off the length of the arms for the cams over the lobs. That leads to even more adjusting.

Etrailer has a great video and installation/adjustment instructions. Obviously, you can skip the installation part, but the adjustment really helped when I changed my tire size on my last truck and really upset the RV towing. I disagree with the equal squat, or 1/2" front squat. Reese and most truck owners manuals recommend returning the front axle weight to the same as unhitched when using a WDH. Like your 3320 front axle weight should be the target.

I ended up with both my previous F150 and current 2500 Burb with full head tilt and 6-7 links under tension for my 1200 pound bars. Once adjusted correctly, I am comfortable towing well above the 65mph rating of the TT tires.

genekiwi wrote:

APT wrote:
I got 740 pounds of TW: (3060+3580) - (3320+2580). That's 10.8% TW.

I recommend applying a little more to the weight transfer to the front axles. Front axle lost 260 pounds, 140 was restored. You have about another 120 to restore. More hitch head angle, fewer links under tension, etc, depending on your WDH design.

Otherwise, everything looks good.

The hitch is a Reese Dual Cam setup. Currently the chain is hooked on the third link. Do think going to the 4th link will make that much difference?

Truck and trailer are level. My biggest thing is that the steering feels light that might be why. However, I only have about 500 miles on it and I may still be thinking of how the 2500 handled.

I just wish I was more mechanically inclined.

You would do well to go back and read the sticky on WD setup and also the Reese instructions instead of trying to tweak it until it "feels right".

Reese states to have 5 links minimum. That is to prevent interference between the truck and the tongue during sharp turns. Round bars, level with the tongue, trunnion bars point downward. Once you set that leave it alone and SET THE WD WITH THE BALL TILT USING THE DIRECTIONS FOUND IN YOUR TRUCK'S MOWNER'S MANUAL, NOT UNTIL IT LOOKS RIGHT OR FEELS GOOD. At the least, adjust it using fender height measured at the front wheel well directly over the axle. Ignore any advice you read here that says to try another link if it doesn't feel right. That's not how it's done.

Also, the truck may not sit level and most likely will not. That's not an issue and not the purpose of the WD hitch. Get the front right and don't worry about the rear. If you want to level the truck with bags, you'll have to readjust the WD.

APT wrote:
I got 740 pounds of TW: (3060+3580) - (3320+2580). That's 10.8% TW.

I recommend applying a little more to the weight transfer to the front axles. Front axle lost 260 pounds, 140 was restored. You have about another 120 to restore. More hitch head angle, fewer links under tension, etc, depending on your WDH design.

Otherwise, everything looks good.

The hitch is a Reese Dual Cam setup. Currently the chain is hooked on the third link. Do think going to the 4th link will make that much difference?

Truck and trailer are level. My biggest thing is that the steering feels light that might be why. However, I only have about 500 miles on it and I may still be thinking of how the 2500 handled.

I just wish I was more mechanically inclined.

I got 740 pounds of TW: (3060+3580) - (3320+2580). That's 10.8% TW.

I recommend applying a little more to the weight transfer to the front axles. Front axle lost 260 pounds, 140 was restored. You have about another 120 to restore. More hitch head angle, fewer links under tension, etc, depending on your WDH design.

Otherwise, everything looks good.

genekiwi wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
The only issue I see is the low percentage tongue weight 640lbs (maybe a bit as some weight is transferred to the TT axles). on a 6900lb TT, less than 10% you need to be around 13% of ready to travel weight.

How did you figure the tongue weight?

I had an rv friend set the hitch up, maybe he could tweak this a little. Might also settle the truck down a bit.

Never mind, I got it.