TT Shopping...What should be my weight target
Tow vehicle will be an 05 Chevy Tahoe LT...has a 5.3 liter V8....VIN search says towing capacity is 7700 lbs. Tahoe has a "towing" button as well as a leveling system on the back suspension. I've ...
Forum Discussion
Depends where you tow, and how often you tow.
For local trips on flat terrain with little wind, you can go heavier. For cross country, or mountain towing, I'd go lighter.
I towed the 17' trailer in my sig pic with a 2006 Chevy 1500 extended cab 4x4 with 3.73 gears. I think it was rated at 8700#. It sure worked hard climbing mountain grades, even with such a small and light (3500#) trailer behind it. It would never use OD, and had to run in 3rd, 2nd gear to climb grades. The RV is a full 8 feet wide too - which hurts it's ease of towing, despite being so small and light. I found the 5.3L pretty wimpy power wise. It cooled ok and the trans temp ran normal but it lacked power.
For local trips on flat terrain with little wind, you can go heavier. For cross country, or mountain towing, I'd go lighter.
I towed the 17' trailer in my sig pic with a 2006 Chevy 1500 extended cab 4x4 with 3.73 gears. I think it was rated at 8700#. It sure worked hard climbing mountain grades, even with such a small and light (3500#) trailer behind it. It would never use OD, and had to run in 3rd, 2nd gear to climb grades. The RV is a full 8 feet wide too - which hurts it's ease of towing, despite being so small and light. I found the 5.3L pretty wimpy power wise. It cooled ok and the trans temp ran normal but it lacked power.
