1500 or 2500 Silverado

ashnic wrote:
Looking to get some feedback from some folks that are somewhat in my situation. I have a 7k 26' Aruba trailer which I currently pull with my 04 5.3L 3.73 EC Silverado. I have WD hitch setup and the truck pulls it really well, low temps, braking etc. However I know I am stretching the truck ability and do not want to damage it by over working it. So I am looking at either getting a 2011/2012 1500 which has a higher tow rating with the 6 speed tranny or a 2500 with a 6.0 combo. I know go bigger is better but I hate to buy such a large truck when it will only tow once or twice a month for 6 months out of the year. Will the newer 1500 pull 8k ok? Does anyone on here pull this kind of load? What are your experiences?

That is a tough one. IMHO, going to another 1500 probably won't buy you much. If you are stuck on GM, a 2500 would likely just be a foot longer (assuming 6.5' bed, vs 5.5' on a crew cab), and a whole lot more capable. With an 8K trailer, your tongue weight is going to be close to 1K. A 1500 probably won't leave much payload for people or other stuff. With that trailer, I would be looking for a yellow sticker payload of at least 2K.