1/2 Ton Bumper Tow

Good one, well NE is where I have been going. I still think he will be fine, like I said " Going from diesel back to gas will be a change but I have pulled with both and have no issues." The OP changed trucks already so simply giving him any info could be helpful.

kw/00 wrote:
I think you should be fine, I had at one time a 2000 5.3 1/2 ton Chevy and pulled a small fifth wheel 6500-7000 lbs dry without issues. My GVWR was at the max back then but no issues. Going from diesel back to gas will be a change but I have pulled with both and have no issues. I pull 10K with a gas job and so far any mountains I have run into up North I have had zero issues. Just drop a gear and go. The 5.7 Hemi my Aunt has in her 2500 Dodge pulls the hills fine, and she pulls around 10-11K.

Northeast mountains or northwest mountains?

OP wants to tow in Colorado. All the stuff back east is foothills compared to the mountains out west.

I think you should be fine, I had at one time a 2000 5.3 1/2 ton Chevy and pulled a small fifth wheel 6500-7000 lbs dry without issues. My GVWR was at the max back then but no issues. Going from diesel back to gas will be a change but I have pulled with both and have no issues. I pull 10K with a gas job and so far any mountains I have run into up North I have had zero issues. Just drop a gear and go. The 5.7 Hemi my Aunt has in her 2500 Dodge pulls the hills fine, and she pulls around 10-11K.

Forget that 10,800 pound rating. That is just salesman talk. Do the math as far as payload, tongue weight, etc. More trailer than I would want behind most half ton pickups. There are a lot of people that will sell you air bags, timbrens, LT tires, and then a 2500 series pickup.

My suggestion is to keep the towing weight down to 7K or so. Look for a trailer that starts out 5K or so, and you'll end up towing a little over 6K and your truck will be very happy! My Tundra is technically rated for 10K, but I'm towing 6.5K or less and it's a great match, even with 2 folding bikes, blue tote, tool box, etc. in bed of truck. There's just DW & me in the truck. And, we had our rig out in the Rocky Mountains last year and it did very well.

Consider looking at the Winnebago Minnie line. I follow a couple of forums, and most owners have been very pleased with them. We've had ours since the fall of 2013 and it's been a good trailer. Grand Design also has some interesting trailers, with 4 season features but they are a bit heavier and cost more.

The gross weight on the trailer isn't 10.8k, it's about 8800 lbs. Although personally that's still more than I'd pull with a half ton.

What are the axle and tire ratings on the new truck?

I don't think going from a 32' fifth wheel to a 26' trailer is much of a down size. But that's just me. I also think a 26' trailer at 10,800 pounds GVWR is way too much for a 1/2 ton pick up.