Can my truck tow this?

MFL wrote:
"Thanks for the explanation, but ya made up the 8klb towing capacity thing."

This^^^^The OPs truck has a GVWR of 7K, and a GCWR of 15K, but his truck does not weigh anywhere near 7K as it left the factory. For example, if his truck has a payload sticker on the door jam stating not to exceed 1500 lbs, would mean it weighed 5500, when it left the factory. So for example, the OP has added 500 lbs of stuff, would be a curb wt of 6K, allowing another 9K, actually 9400 stated, before reaching the GCWR of 15K.

So while many ratings will be close, the only real concern, safety wise is the factory receiver, that can be replaced. Of course the operators experience/ability towing a large trailer is always a concern, even with a more capable truck.

Jerry

The curb weight of a crew cab 4wd Silverado 1500 is over 5,000 pounds, but I assumed it was 5k pounds to be modest in my rounding. It might be more like 5,300 pounds depending on how equipped. If you take the 5k pound curb weight, add 1000 pounds of tongue weight, and a 200 pound driver, you have 800 pounds of payload remaining for passengers, additional tongue weight due to trailer loading, the hitch itself, etc. If you want to quibble about those how those 800 pounds get eaten up, then so be it, but I suspect that most of us don't tow our trailers with only one person in a 4 door cab, and that 800 pounds will be quickly gone with 3 more passengers and their stuff, and even then, that assumes that nothing you put in the trailer itself raises the tongue weight, which is of course not the case and would not be safe or stable. A more realistic estimate would add 2-300 pounds of tongue weight from loading the trailer, which leaves 500 pounds of remaining payload for your passengers, cargo, and hitch. That's going to be awfully close, if not overloaded. And in any event, GVWR is going to be at or near max in realistic loading. As such, the tow capacity is 8k pounds (the remaining GCWR), not anywhere near 9,400. And it's never going to be even close to that 9,400 in real use. That is why "tow capacity" is ****. If it was a 14k lb GVWR truck that weighed 8k empty, you'd be onto something. But with a truck that has so little payload to begin with, the realistic towing capacity is much closer to GCWR - GVWR than it is the manufacturer's stated hypothetical tow capacity.

Replacing the factory hitch receiver is obviously demanded as well, and once again, that means that you'll be adding weight to the truck and decreasing payload. That said, this is critical--it is never safe to overload a trailer hitch or any component of that system.