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0rion's avatar
0rion
Explorer
Jan 26, 2014

towing with a 1500 silverado

Before the weight police shoot me my disclaimer is that I can't sleep and am just up doing some research for a buddy. I don't really even have enough info to do much. Just killing some time until I can fall asleep. :D
He wants to go with us on vacation this year. He has an 01 silverado 1500 with the 5.3L. Another buddy of ours said he could borrow his TT. What I need to find out is what TT he actually has. I've seen it but don't remember what it is. It's a 2010 I know and pretty sure 28'.
My question is if it's light enough to be towed by the 1500 how much fun is it going to be towing with it? The guy with the TT also has a 2500 gas burner that I'm sure he would also loan him which is probably what I'd recommend. I just wonder how well the 1500 would do just in case he wanted to use his own truck. I know the engine is capable....it's the brakes and suspension I would wonder about.

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  • 0rion's avatar
    0rion
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    wmoses wrote:
    0rion wrote:
    He has an 01 silverado 1500 with the 5.3L. Another buddy of ours said he could borrow his TT. What I need to find out is what TT he actually has. I've seen it but don't remember what it is. It's a 2010 I know and pretty sure 28'.
    My question is if it's light enough to be towed by the 1500 how much fun is it going to be towing with it?

    When Orion wakes up (must be sleeping now) he needs to provide a lot more info regarding both the truck and the trailer. However I suspect that the rig may be at its limits even if towing on flat terrain.


    I realize I left out a lot of important info. I just don't have it yet. Like I say....I've seen and slept in the camper in question. I just don't remember what model it was. I'll have to ask him this week sometime. The 5.3L payload is 1624 and I was *guessing* the tongue on that trailer to be in the 700-800 lb range so payload wise he should be ok and gvwr he should be ok although I would want to know the exact numbers first. I just wonder how sluggish that 5.3 would be with any kind of sizeable camper behind it and like I was saying the brakes and suspension is what I would worry about the most.
  • wmoses's avatar
    wmoses
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    0rion wrote:
    He has an 01 silverado 1500 with the 5.3L. Another buddy of ours said he could borrow his TT. What I need to find out is what TT he actually has. I've seen it but don't remember what it is. It's a 2010 I know and pretty sure 28'.
    My question is if it's light enough to be towed by the 1500 how much fun is it going to be towing with it?

    When Orion wakes up (must be sleeping now) he needs to provide a lot more info regarding both the truck and the trailer. However I suspect that the rig may be at its limits even if towing on flat terrain.
  • fla-gypsy's avatar
    fla-gypsy
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    Most likely it could be done, that's not to say it would not be without much drama seeing your pal is not an RV person himself but is using borrowed equipment. In my world I would never borrow or loan an RV so not really sure how that will work out.
  • dodge_guy's avatar
    dodge_guy
    Explorer II
    Jan 26, 2014
    Well a 28ft TT will probably weigh between 6 and 7k lbs ready to travel. depending on gear ratio that should be ok. as far as the brakes, the trailer will have it`s own brakes. so with the controller setup properly there should be no braking issues. he will need a WD hitch and a good sway control.

    I towed a 28ft TT with a 97 Dodge conv. van with the 5.9L and 3.90 gear. it performed flawlessly and never had an issue stopping and I never burned up brakes! you just need to downshift when coming down a hill, this is true for any vehicle.

    Find out his gear ratio and what the trailer weighs.
  • dtzackus's avatar
    dtzackus
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    I had an 03' and 07' 1500 Chevy Silverados. Sure they can both pull up to 8500lbs, but every year I was replacing brakes and cutting rotors. Trust me, the 1st time you go down a big hill and you hit your brakes and they go all the way down the floor, you going to wish you had the 2500HD. I upgraded to a 2011 2500HD and will never go back. Sure I miss the 2 mpg I used to get more, but knowing that I can stop on a dime it is well worth it to me..
  • jimw606's avatar
    jimw606
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    This might help some.
    http://www.trailerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Trailer-Life-Towing-Guide-2001.pdf

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