TT Choices ?!?! Coleman vs Solaire vs Venture

I almost bought a 3/4 ton with the 6.0L and 3.73 gears and found out that the Max Conventional Trailering for that was 9,500lbs

Focus on payload more than capacity. I'm betting the 3/4 ton had a lot more payload.

Also to note. The first year or two we probably won't be traveling any more than 1 to 4 hours from our house. After that I may upgrade to a diesel. :B

I agree with the above. You're going to be pushing the limits, and most likely over some, with any of those trailers and your truck. I speak from experience, I tow a Bullet 31BHPR with a 5.7l Tundra. My trailer weighs 6400lbs delivered (with options) and 7600lbs loaded to camp (no water). My tongue weight including a heavy Hensley Arrow hitch is 1040lbs.

As with most 1/2 ton trucks your limit will be your trucks payload, not the tow rating. What is the payload of your truck? (see drivers door sticker) Subtract the weight of all passengers and cargo you will put in the truck. Subtract another 75lbs minimum for the hitch and what's left is what you can afford for the trailers tongue weight.

The trailers you are looking at will all be in excess of 8000lbs when loaded. Figure the average 13% of loaded trailer weight to be on the tongue will put you at a minimum of 1k lbs. Does your truck have the payload to handle the weight of all passengers, gear and tongue weight? Likely not or very close.

The 3.42 gears are also not ideal for towing that weight, especially if you're in the hills. You may have plenty of power but it will be sluggish with those gears.

I am going off of the weight sticker on the trailer.



As for my Truck:

Curb Weight (lbs.) 5,206

Max Payload (lbs.) 1,794

Max Conventional Trailering,
3.42 Rear Axle (lbs.) 9,600

GCWR, 3.42 Rear Axle (lbs.) 15,000

I almost bought a 3/4 ton with the 6.0L and 3.73 gears and found out that the Max Conventional Trailering for that was 9,500lbs

I was also thinking about getting a tongue weight scale for packing properly.

Thanks,
Ben

You can't just go by what your TV is rated to tow. That's a number obtained by dubious manufacturer testing in order to get the highest number for boasting purposes. You also need to know the payload of your Tow Vechile. It's located on the sticker in the door jamb. Also, do you have OEM tires? Find out the tounge weight of the TT and subtract it from Payload. Then find out how much everything that will be in the truck while towing weighs - people cargo, full tank of gas. Subtract that from payload. You can also get a good idea of what your TV weighs at a Cat Scale. Better to do your homework than be overloaded. And don't ask an RV salesman for advice on this.

Welcome to the forum!

Are the dry weights the actual weights, or the ones listed in a sales brochure? Actual dry weights can run 300-400# over the listed brochure weights due to "optional" equipment. Mundane things like a battery, propane tanks, air conditioner ect. that manufacturers don't include in their fictional dry weight.

What brand? Whatever floorplan / features work best for your family.

GM 1/2-tons with the 6-speed transmission and 3.42 gears have higher tow ratings than ones with the old 4-speed auto did.

And now the hard part, and I don't want to rain on your parade. Forget the 9600# rating. What is the payload and GVW rating on your truck? There should be a yellow sticker on the drivers door jamb with that information on it. As soon as I see "1/2-ton," "family," and especially "crew cab" together I start adding up all the weights. Most 1/2-tons run out of payload long before running out of trailer rating.

SemperFi1991 wrote:
My truck is rated for 9600lbs so I figured I would be around 6800 to 7200 max dry weight. I estimate about 800lbs for gear, sticking to under 8100lbs. Also wondering about the best hitch for the price. The Coleman is 7264 dry, Solaire is 6825 dry and the Venture is 7260 dry.

Thanks,
Ben

Ben - In my opinion all of those rigs and the weights you mentioned is asking A LOT of a half ton pickup. I'm sure your 2011 GMC has a lot more power than the 89' Chevy Silverado with 350 had, but one of my former rigs was an 87 Wilderness Yukon, I believe that had a 6800 GVW and it worked my Chevy HARD. It really was too much trailer for the truck.

Forget about the dry weights. What is the GVWR of those rigs? That's the number you should be looking at. I would guess you will be within 1,000 lbs of the trailer GVWR, fully loaded up with food, clothing for 3 kids, you and your wife/girlfriend, ETC.

With "dry" weights that high, I bet your GVWR is going to be at or over 9-10K on those trailers, and that is too much weight for a 1/2 ton pickup, in my opinion anyway.

As far as hitches go, there are lots of good options out there. I like Reese myself, the Reese with Dual-cam Sway control is nice, as is the Equalizer hitches. Hensley Arrow is big money, but I hear lots of good things about them. If you are intent on using your current pickup with any of those rigs, I'd invest in the Hensley.

Good luck with your decision.

-Greg

My truck is rated for 9600lbs so I figured I would be around 6800 to 7200 max dry weight. I estimate about 800lbs for gear, sticking to under 8100lbs. Also wondering about the best hitch for the price. The Coleman is 7264 dry, Solaire is 6825 dry and the Venture is 7260 dry.

Thanks,
Ben

To answer your question, I am not sure which model I would choose based on quality. What are the weights? (gvwr) of the three. If you will be towing with your truck on signature, you will have payload and towing limitations to consider. It appears that 1/2 truck with 3:42 axle will limit you to trailer with a trailer gvwr of around 7000 lbs or with loaded tongue not exceeding around 700 lbs. With the 3 kids, there will be lots of cargo and passenger weight to consider.
I only mention this because I once bought too much trailer for my truck and it made towing a nightmare not to mention a safety issue. I ended up having to either sell trailer or upgrade truck (both expensive options). I ended up getting larger truck.
Good luck
Steve