I inherited a 2WD Chevy 1500 extended cab with a 5.3L and 96K miles. Any advice on how this truck tows? I have an open tandem 14 ft trailer and a combined trailer load is around 4500lbs. Any advice would be appreciated.
just to be clear, I did think I could get away with no brake controller but later thought better of it. I bought a Curt wireless version and I will be happy with now having something. I have towed many miles with different vehicles. I currently have but not at my disposal a 2013 Ram 3500 Cummins dually with exhaust brakes and break controller. Serious towing machine so going back to a 1500 Chevy kind of messed up my thinking. What was I thinking?!
This is what I get for not coming on here every day. Good lord... You guys are going to have me channeling Grit Dog on this one.
A 2013 Silverado 1500 with a 5.3L towing a 4500lb open deck trailer is NO PROBLEM. Any transmission, any gear ratio. The tow rating for that truck should be around 6000lbs, and no lower than 4500lbs so you're not even pushing the factory limits. At 4500lbs your limit is power, not payload. It's just not going to go as fast up the hills.
It would be well within the capabilities of a V6, and I'm not just talking about power. Payload, brakes... everything.
The truck is pre-wired for brakes. All you need is a $50 brake controller, and a few crimp splices. IIRC there is a pigtail under the dash for the trailer brake controller on this version of the truck. You just need to connect the wires. If I'm mistaken on the pigtail, it's even easier. Then you just need the pre-wired adapter harness, and it's plug and play!
Why is everyone making this so complicated?
mkirsch,
NO ONE is arguing the weight issue in and of itself. I've done twice that amount with my 4.3 V6.
OP's initial thought was to pull this "without the trailer brakes working!" Would you pull a 4500 lb trailer with NO BRAKES behind a 15 series truck! much less semi safe and sanely with a SW 8 lug rig!
THAT is the issue! YES the truck will pull a 4500 lb trailer as mentioned. SHOULD have no real issues pulling a full size RV or box style trailer too.
Marty
I addressed the "no brakes" issue in the latter half of my post, if you missed it.
In fact, I just went and checked to be sure, and the truck has a pigtail up under the dash. Etrailer's website has a detailed instructional video on installation. It's 4 minutes long and the actual installation won't take a guy much longer than that. 4 wires, 4 barrel connectors, 2 self tappers, and you're off to the races.
Any brake controller is better than no brake controller at all. It doesn't have to be an expensive Prodigy or other accelerometer based controller. I ran an old Tekonsha Voyager for years on my dually and it did the job. You can get a Reese Brakeman IV for $35 on Amazon.
Does anyone here know in a 1500 what the approximate weight you can put in the bed of the truck over the rear axle? Since it's a "half ton" does that mean 1000lbs?
You can put approx 2000 lbs over to slightly forward if rear axles.
Typical truck as you have will be 5000-5500 lbs empty. 2000-2400 on the rear 2800-3200 on the front empty. Both axles are rated at 3900 or so.
Their is an engineer or two that feel one needs to get you down to the lb as to what you can carry tow etc. from 40 yrs of running operating commercially class 1-6 trucks. I'm close.
Marty
What I thought as well.
Definitely find a way to add brakes, even for that one trip.
Just this last weekend I was heading on a trip and traffic suddenly came to a stop because a car pulled out onto the highway with not enough room. Had I not had a brake controller I would have rear ended the truck in front of me.
Marty,
The GCVR is a little strange. This truck is 5.3l, no Towing package, extended cab, 2WD, 6.5 bed, but I found that it is either 11,500 or 12,000 depending on Rear end. That part of the equation I don't l know. I went to the scales yesterday and truck came out at 5600lbs. That was with me and a freshly topped off gas tank. So, with your experience are they correct with the GCVR or did I find wrong information? The newer truacks with same set up show 15,000 lbs
“Newer” trucks or even differently equipped half tons of the same era can and will have higher combined ratings.
moreso due to power and gearing than physical chassis differences. (“Heavy” spring models and Fords with different 3rd members excepted.)
Bottom line, if the truck is in good shape, slap a brake controller in it, either plug n play wireless or fairly simple wired in, pump up the rear tires and hit the road.
Your truck is fine for your use.
I bought a Curt wireless brake controller. I think this will work fine for me
Chevy has 50 million possible option combinations for 1/2t trucks (just a slight exaggeration.) Those options combined with your GVWR and GCWR decide what you can tow safely and reliably without drama. That is all listed on labels in your glovebox and doorjamb. Check the labels and your owner's manual and that will most likely answer your questions. Without knowing that info, we are all just guessing. You may have huge brakes, 4.56 axles, and auxiliary coolers that can easily handle a 12k# trailer; or you may have a light-duty turd running empty 500# below its GVWR that is at its limit with a full ice chest in the bed. We are all just guessing without that info.
BLT2ski is 100% correct. Just because you don't have a factory trailer brake controller doesn't mean you don't have the factory wiring for one. I've owned six GMT400-GMT900 and every single one came pre-wired. Again it's in the RPO codes on the label. If the wiring is there it is essentially plug-and-play to install one and get it working, and a hard wire controller will be cheaper and work better than wireless. Good luck.
I missed the part about no brakes....nope.
I had a brake failure on a 6500lb trailer but with an F250. Luckily, I recognized it and it was on flat ground but it took a painfully long time to come to a stop. In an emergency, it wouldn't be pretty. Your 1/2 ton has smaller brakes and less mass, so in any kind of emergency situation, expect to not be able to stop safely.
OH, your total GCVW or gross combined weight, should be about 9500 to 10K lbs. Truck GVW at 5000-5500 plus trailer GVW at 4500-5000 lbs.
Marty
I recommend brakes on towed items when they are above your overall to remaining payload. That truck has at best 2000 lbs of payload. Thats about what I have on my 2014 4x. IIRC from my OM, GM requires recommends brakes on trailer over 1500 lbs.
Depending upon the state you are driving thru, brakes will be required on towed items from a min of 1500 to 4500 lbs. Here in Wa St it is a variable amount. 1500 to 4500, or 40% of the rigs GVW. That is legal GVW, not door sticker. For me that is 40% of 8000 lbs, so 3200. lbs. This can be a surge brake, electric, air etc style braking system.
Depending upon the steepness of the grade, the grade braking on the rig may or may not hold you. Freeway grades, ie less than 6%, you will probably be "OK" Emergency stops are out! Local grades, I've seen upwards of 20-25% local in Puget Sound region. You won't be able to stop to barely stop.
2014 had a big increase in power in ALL of the motors. My 4.3 went from an approx low 200 HP torque motor to a 280/310 motor. My son is pulling a 4500 lbs single axle RV trailer with a similar hp 05 305 and 4sp tranny. It works, he's not the fastest on the road. He does have a 4" lift, 33" tires, recently switched out the 3.42 gears to 4.10's which helped alot. He can pull hills in direct instead of shifting into 2nd.
Choose your poison, I'm not going to recommend you pull this trailer at 4500 lbs without brakes. An empty 35 series truck with 4000 lbs of payload. no big, but even then, emergency stops can get interesting. I noticed stopping a 3000 lbs trailer was quicker after adding brakes to that trailer on a DW 3500 I had.
Marty
All good with what you say. Problem is this truck is only going to tow this one time North. I don't want to invest in a brake controller just for this trip.
I just saw that Curt has a wireless brake controller. That changes things. Probably will invest in this animal. Makes things simpler
Short on info but 98% chance it will be fine with a 4500lb trailer.
If you could provide year, payload (there is a sticker on the drivers door), along with body style (regular cab, extended, 4 door, long vs short bed), a more definitive answer can be provided. Of course, this assumes everything is in good working order.
You dont say the year. As there have been a few different power ratings for the 5.3, it could be doggish, to very powerful no slowing you down.
Generally speaking, I would hook it up and go! I've pulled upwards of 8500 lbs with a 300/300 4.3 V6, 6 sp tranny without issues.
Make sure you have working brakes on the trailer, and a proper brake controller within the truck.
Marty
I thought the title of the thread says 2013. Total GCVW should be around 4500-5000 lbs. There also is no Weight distrib hitch. I towed with a 12ft Uhaul aluminum vehicle trailer and a Polaris RZR for 125 miles and it was just fine. This time I am going 1500 miles with some good grades. Unfortunately it does not have a brake controller. I will use the gearing to slow down on grades. They aren't to back the direction I am going. Can I use the tow haul mode along with the manual ? If not, I will use the M mode to shift going up & down grades.
