Best sized rv for GMC Sierra 1500 gas w/5.3 Litre engine

kdeerman wrote:
Ok, Thanks everyone, I'm not driving the truck today, but will get you more information on my truck.

I think that you will find there is no one "best" sized RV for the ruck you have, since most will have different opinions on what can be towed. Best is subjective.

See my signature below for what I tow my 7500# trailer with. I pulled it 800+ miles home from the dealership so 600 miles is not an issue. Went to CA this summer and it pulled just fine on the 3800 mile round trip.

As others have suggested, get your actual truck's tow ratings and you may get some good suggestions as to what is a decent trailer to pull from ones with actual experience with the truck. You may well be payload limited.

A small tent trailer will work. Have fun.

I have a Silverado Z71 crew cab, tow package, Gross combined vehicle rating is 15000lbs. max trailer weight is limited to 9600lbs. #3950 front/rear axle rating. 1666lbs. payload. I would think yours is very close to this but like others have said, look on the driver door pillar for the ratings plaque and go by those numbers. I tow a 6500lb. TT, that's loaded with 1/3 tank of fresh water and all that's needed for our camping. My truck does just fine, just make sure your hitch is set up properly as that may cause some unstable towing if its not proper. I had to have mine redone twice to get it right. If I were you I would look at the ultra lites....... Passport line maybe? Good luck on your shopping for one.

Agree that you need lots more numbers for your truck to get good answers.

We have an '03 F150 CC with 5.4 - can't remember the rear end - , but we've towed a ROO 23SS at 5000# and now our Rockwood 2604 at GVWR 6629 (dry weight is 5585). Both have towed well, we feel comfortable with the set up and a stop at the CAT scales has us underweight with some wiggle room.

Also agree, don't ask the RV sales person if you can tow it with your truck, because the answer is always "sure!, no problem!". Do you have any thoughts about size, features, etc? A bunkhouse for the kids? Sofa with an air mattress for the kids?

Lots of homework to do before time to sign on the dotted line. Good luck.

Don't guess at anything. And don't bother with Internet charts put together by 3rd parties. They are often missing important info.

Your owners manual has a chart in the towing section that lists all the configurations available (cab size, 4wd or not, and gear ratios), their perspective towing capacities, and GCWR (the max total weight the truck and trailer can be). Also listed is the max tongue weight you can have. These, along with the info from the door sticker are critical to know. You should not exceed any of these numbers.

If you don't have an owners manual, just do a Google search on your year and make. GM has them back pretty far, and 3rd parties have older ones available for free.

Also look in your glove box. GM puts a sticker with option codes on it, AKA RPO codes. You're looking for the code that shows what gears are in the rear end. The most likely ones that might listed are as follows:

GU6 = 3:42 ratio
GT4 = 3:73 ratio
GT5 = 4:10 ratio

Also look for the G80 code, that's a locking rear differential and can be handy to have. You have it if you have the Z71 package.

When all is said and done it's probably realistic to keep your trailer under 6500#, but again, learn what all these numbers mean and you'll have a great towing experience.

2012Coleman wrote:
You have 4WD and a Crew Cab, so I would expect it to be on the low side.

Not necessarily so. I have a 4wd crew cab and my CC is over 1600#. This is why it's so important to have all the correct information, not only from the door sticker and RPO code sticker in the glove box, but from the owners manual also.

The rest of what you stated is spot on though!

We have a 2003 Tahoe with the 5.3 motor and complete towing pkg on car. We tow a 24 ft trailer with dry weight of 4500 lbs, GVW of 6000 lbs and don't even know the trailer is behind us. I would think the truck would be similar tow ratings as the Tahoe. Ratings for the Tahoe are max towing of 7400 lbs.

Trailering guide here, clicky.

Rear end ratio makes a huge difference.

Ok, Thanks everyone, I'm not driving the truck today, but will get you more information on my truck.

The old school says 7500lbs GVWR for the Ford F150s and Chev 1500s...

This equates to something in the 24-foot range. You have to add the word "SAFELY PULL" your trailer requirements. The RV SALES folks will tell you anything to get you to buy the trailer. I doubt if any RV SALES place will let you bring it back if you end up unhappy with the tow situation.

Its not the going up the long grade hill but coming down on the other side that will eat your lunch. Traveling at 55MPH meeting a loaded down GEORGIA PACIFIC Pine Tree log truck who is doing around 70MPH on the two lane US82 roadway outside of Crossett, ARK will tell the correct story as well... The last thing you will probably remember is the big smile on the truck drivers face...

My 2005 8900lb 5th wheel "You can tow this trailer with your F150 1/2Ton truck" still sits in the back yard driveway. We use it for added bedroom for when the grandkids visit. They love it... I always thought I would get a bigger truck but never happened. Now I tow my 4200lb OFF-ROAD POPUP TRAILER anywhere and everywhere and get great gas mileage doing so. It has all the modern appliances we need for the two of us - just lacking abit on the move around room inside... We happy campers...

There are lots of RV'ers pulling bigger trailers with the 1/2 ton truck but they are seasoned type pullers and know how to deal with them...

Roy and Carolyn

The 5.3L half ton has tow ratings from 5000 to 12000 pounds. You'll have to provided some more details to narrow that down.

Assuming you have a 2009+ 6-spd, 3.42 axle, HD towing package/trans cooler, then you'll likely be limited on receiver and payload. Stick to near 6k dry, use a WDH with integrated sway control, and you should be happy.