Will it pull my trailer?

I have to chuckle a bit when reading these threads about "is it enuff truck?" For years I towed 24' TT's with a 1/2 ton 1965 Chevy Van (flat front, flat windshield, engine between front seats). I installed a 292 inline 6 cyl motor with a TH350 trans, headers, HEI, 2 bbl Weber carb. The 292 is a low revving tow monster with tons of torque, they were used in wreckers in the early '60's before big block v-8s came along. Step on the gas it just starts out with a low rumble and goes thru the gears very steadily without making a lot of racket. We towed all over the western USA up and over Cascades & Rockies for 90,000 miles worth, got 10 mpg towing and all of 13 mpg running solo. Based on all that I read here it shouldn't have been able to tow fully loaded with 5 people and a 5,000 lob TT, but it did, and still does (still have it). I've since towed with an '88 454 Suburban and a 2005 Roadtrek motor home (3/4 ton Chevy Express) with 6.0 which did better than the 454. Now towing with '94 Suburban with 350 that has to rev high, much prefer towing with the old van but it doesn't have A/C so us oldsters had to go with something newer with A/C. It's a 1/2 ton 4wd but does great with a 5500 lb TT loaded. 9.5 to 10 mpg towing, never better than 13 solo, but I don't care, love driving it.

Will it pull it? Yes...I speak from experience having a camper that weighs a around 4500 lbs and using the 5.3 V8. The gas mileage towing was horrible and it sounded like it would blow up when I hit it up in the mountains. Go for overkill if you will be doing long trips. I’d like at a larger V8 like. 5.7 tundra. I went major overkill and bought a Ram 2500 with the Cummins Diesel and can’t even feel the trailer.

ppine wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

ppine wrote:
If you want to pull something get a real truck.

Hey, your buddies called. They want you to come over and beat your chest with them.
Make sure you show up in a 1 ton diesel so they don't laugh at you though!

Maybe you have never pulled big horse trailers, or large RVs or a backhoe. Nobody keeps the same lightweight trailer for the rest of their lives.

If you want to pull someting get a real truck. Then you don't to sell your other truck and find a new one. Then you don't have to borrow your friend's truck. Then you don't have to worry about burning up the transmission. If are going to be a dick go somewhere else.

I have and do pull those types of loads for the last 30 years. And small loads too, which are fine behind small trucks. And if the OP was asking about pulling a backhoe I'd have reccomended a diesel.
Most people don't keep the same truck for the rest of their lives either, unless they're 1997 F350s. Those seem to draw a real emotional attachment to old men! Lol
Didja ever consider that if the OP is looking at a 5 year old base model half ton, maybe he doesn't have the financial means or needs to step into the big bad hairy chested world of tow a house diesels??

Hi Steve
I think that truck would be fine for the trailer you have. I would recommend you have adequate payload capacity and check the rear end gear ratio. I had a small trailer and towed it with gears intended for good gas mileage. I don’t remember the numbers but when I finally fried it I traded it for one with 373 gears and it was night and day better.
Happy travels!!!!

ppine wrote:
There is a common theme on this forum. People wringing their hands about whether they have enough truck to pull their trailers.

There is a simple solution. Spend the money, step up and buy a truck like a 3/4 ton that is designed to pull with. A truck with sufficient torque, an 8 foot bed, a trans cooler and the right gears. Then life is simple when it comes to towing.

There are some better 1/2 ton trucks now, but I would never own a truck with a 5.5 foot bed or ev en a 6.5 foot bed.

Any truck that has a factory tow package is designed to tow anything up to its specs. Not everyone needs an 8’ bed.
That’s why there are a lot of choices when it comes to a TV.
When someone spends the time (not money) to understand all the numbers of the camper and TV and makes the appropriate decision, then life and towing can become nicer.

srockey wrote:
I am looking for a new/used truck to pull my travel trailer. I have a Keystone Passport Ml199 that weights 3800 lbs empty. I would like to get decent gas mileage since it will be an every day driver. The truck I am looking at is a 2014 Chevy Silverado LT Double Cab 4x2, 6 cylinder. The specs sheet says 6,000 to 7,100 lbs, and I know those are over estimated. What do you think?

Thank you,
Steve

Hey Steve - in my opinion, the truck you are looking at would most likely be fine with the TT you mentioned. However, not mentioned here is the fact the the engine will have to overcome the sail effect that a high walled TT creates when going down the road. Gas engines make their power at high RPM's so it will be working - notice I didn't say struggling. Hilly mountainous terrain will be challenging too.

I towed a slightly larger TT with a 2003 Tundra - had an 8cyl 4.7 engine. It did OK - barley OK. I didn't like it - felt like I was driving a waterbed, even with the correct tires and upgraded shocks.

Here are the comparisons between these two which seem to give the V6 for the truck you are considering an edge over my Tundra:

4.7L Gas V8 Horsepower 240 @ 4800 RPM

4.3L V-6 V6 Horsepower 285 @ 5300 RPM

Note though that the V6 will be revving higher. According to a few Google searches on your stated truck/year, EPA fuel economy estimates stand at 20 mpg combined (18 city/24 highway) for two-wheel drive. With the 5.3-liter V8, the same model/year will achieve 19 mpg combined (16 city/23 highway).

If your preference is gas mileage over towing agility, get the V6, but if, thinking ahead, you think you may want something bigger, then opt for the V8.

I didn't look at the numbers for later model 5.7 liter Tundras, but they are very capable tow vehicles and give other brands a run for the money quality wise. My 2003 had 160K miles on it when I sold it, and I still see it running around my area.

Whatever truck you buy, don't buy based on the manufacturers tow capacity number. Research payload. Make sure you have Good LT tires - not P rated passenger tires, and is should also have a tow package.

Good luck!

ppine wrote:
There is a common theme on this forum. People wringing their hands about whether they have enough truck to pull their trailers.

There is a simple solution. Spend the money, step up and buy a truck like a 3/4 ton that is designed to pull with. A truck with sufficient torque, an 8 foot bed, a trans cooler and the right gears. Then life is simple when it comes to towing.

There are some better 1/2 ton trucks now, but I would never own a truck with a 5.5 foot bed or ev en a 6.5 foot bed.

I don't see anyone wringing their hands. They are simply asking questions about what is needed to do the job.
Just because a 3/4 ton is right for you, doesn't mean it is right for the rest of the world. For some people a 1/2 ton is just fine.
Funny how your simple solution is "Just Spend Money", might be pretty easy in your shoes. Others may need to work with ratings that cover their needs and put off having icing on their cupcake for another day.

OP, you can get accurate, unbiased (un-opinionated) information to work this through yourself here: Clicky

There is a common theme on this forum. People wringing their hands about whether they have enough truck to pull their trailers.

There is a simple solution. Spend the money, step up and buy a truck like a 3/4 ton that is designed to pull with. A truck with sufficient torque, an 8 foot bed, a trans cooler and the right gears. Then life is simple when it comes to towing.

There are some better 1/2 ton trucks now, but I would never own a truck with a 5.5 foot bed or ev en a 6.5 foot bed.

Mark and Linda wrote:
I have a 2007 Chevrolet with a 5.3 V8. On the interstate I get about 22 mpg. If I hook my two wheel utility trailer to it...16-18 depending on the load. Pulling our 2009 Puma 25RS....it goes to about 11-13. 13 being on a good day.

I just "downgraded" from a 2008 3/4 ton Suburban to a 2015 1/2 ton GMC Sierra with the 5.3/3.42. Both the 6.0 in the Suburban and the 5.3 in the Sierra had 355hp and 383ft/lbs of torque. That said, my half-ton is easily better pulling my camper than the Suburban was. Now, to be honest the Suburban was "sick" I think. It just never felt right, always felt underpowered, could hardly ever hold 6th gear unloaded on the highway.

The new truck is nicer in every way. My camper is about 6,000lbs loaded. My towing capacity in the Suburban was 9600lbs. Towing capacity in the Sierra is 9200lbs. Sure I give up a little in payload 2000 down to 1800, but it's a much better puller.

Oh yeah. Gas mileage was the primary reason I made the change. The Suburban was getting 12-13 empty and 7-8 pulling. The new truck got 10 with the camper through the Flint Hills of Kansas, and gets 19-21 empty on the highway. A bit worse in town, 15-16. But I've also learned how to drive it in town in V4 a lot of the time to help with it.

So all of that is to say, I'd get the 5.3 and not look back. Far superior power and a negligible, if any, MPG penalty.

ppine wrote:
If you want to pull something get a real truck.
Some day you are likely to have a heavier trailer.

What on earth is a “real” truck?
I certainly don’t want an imaginary one.