Will my truck tow safely in the Smokys?

Price of fuel is relative. I love going on vacations because the price of Diesel drops by at least $1 per gallon after leaving California. I will gladly burn 350 gallons with a smile on my face because its only $2.70 a gallon.

JIMNLIN wrote:

A number of years ago I tried to tow in the Smokeies. Same weak motor.
Unfortunately living in Alabama I had to tow thru Chattanooga.
Just the other side of Chattanooga, the Interstate goes up a long grade... I started up that grade with a running start. I was going 65 at the bottom. Before I got to the crest, I was going less than 20 mph and folks were passing me blowing their horns and shooting us the Bird.

The new gen 5.3 engine the OP has with 355 hp and 383 torque 6 or a 8 speed tranny isn't the same 5.3 weak motor you had.
The wifes previous '06 1500 5.3 with 3.73 gears was a gutless wonder.

However the new gen 5.3 from 2014 on up towing duties out performs the older 5.3 engines.

Correct... My 5.3 was a under powered 5.3.
My truck was a great Grocery Get-er, terrible for towing.
When I traded I got a 6.4 Twin Turbo Ford Diesel. That truck had been tricked our and was a fantastic tow machine. I used it to tow a 30' trailer across the Rockies. Never a problem, except the price of Diesel.

Guess my vid links didnt work.

4 speed, 5.3 295hp 3:42 pulling about 6500.

Dogging it 2nd gear.

https://live.staticflickr.com/video/39374259561/68e80270dc/1080p.mp4?s=eyJpIjozOTM3NDI1OTU2MSwiZSI6MTU4MDk1ODg1OCwicyI6IjlkNzQ1MWM1YzY0MmM0MDExNzg0NDg0YzM4MGQyNjhiMDM1NTBhNzIiLCJ2IjoxfQ

1st gear revving. 1st no issue. can speed up and all do whatever. 2nd forget it... so back to first unfortunately drawbacks of the 4 speed. 3500 rpm.. work it baby..

these were coming into blueridge parkway ashville ect...

https://live.staticflickr.com/video/35822079640/5e0bfff2de/1080p.mp4?s=eyJpIjozNTgyMjA3OTY0MCwiZSI6MTU4MDk1OTA2MCwicyI6IjMxZjcxMWYyMThiYzE3YTRiNWQxODMxYTAyNGFkYzdhOGE0Yjc2NzgiLCJ2IjoxfQ

I pull my #5800 dry weight 27(30) footer through the Smokies with a 1500 Suburban. I was nervous till I did it the first time. On that day it was hotter than blue blazes. But, the Suburban didn't complain any. Do not use Overdrive. Be gentle with the tow haul, this is not a race. When you hit a steep incline pull it down a gear to keep your RPMs up. I pull Black Mountain at about 32-3300 RPMs which is about 47 MPH. I don't have to get on the gas very hard to do that and I'm passing the semi-trucks. I avoid the two lanes unless I know exactly what I'm getting into. Or, have a educated idea that I'm not heading for a dead end or hairpin turns. Take it easy, let the other driver's worry about themselves and you'll be fine. Oh, for the downhills.. For example I start at the top of Black Mountain at about 35MPH and I have no issues going down the mountain. It's easier than when I had my class A motorhome.

bshack wrote:
I have a 2017 Silverado with max towing of 6100lbs, it is a 5.3 w/ 3.08. My TT is 5000 lbs dry. My Truck feels strong enough on flat land but I've never taken it anywhere with a real grade. We'd like to go to the Smokys with the TT, bad idea?

How about some actual scale weights and vehicle ratings. You are probably over your payload rating for one thing. You put "safely" in your question. The little 5.3 will eventually get to the top of the hill, but "Safely" depends on a lot more than horsepower. If you plan on towing when there is nobody else on the highway, then don't worry about us.

We’ve pulled our camper all over up here in Western NC. Before we got the Chevy, the TV was a Frontier. It did the job, too.
I put the Chevy in Tow-Haul and forget it until we stop. Never had it slam, never had to worry about keeping at speed going uphill.
5.3, 6 sp auto, 4.3 rear, 5000# camper. Guess we got lucky.

OleManOleCan wrote:

A number of years ago I tried to tow in the Smokeies. Same weak motor.
Unfortunately living in Alabama I had to tow thru Chattanooga.
Just the other side of Chattanooga, the Interstate goes up a long grade... I started up that grade with a running start. I was going 65 at the bottom. Before I got to the crest, I was going less than 20 mph and folks were passing me blowing their horns and shooting us the Bird.

I made it to the campground, but as soon as I came home, I traded trucks.
My advice from someone who has BTDT is have enough truck before you go thru what I did.

Unless you have a much larger trailer than the OP, something was wrong with your truck, if you slowed to 20mph on that hill.

A number of years ago I tried to tow in the Smokeies. Same weak motor.
Unfortunately living in Alabama I had to tow thru Chattanooga.
Just the other side of Chattanooga, the Interstate goes up a long grade... I started up that grade with a running start. I was going 65 at the bottom. Before I got to the crest, I was going less than 20 mph and folks were passing me blowing their horns and shooting us the Bird.

The new gen 5.3 engine the OP has with 355 hp and 383 torque 6 or a 8 speed tranny isn't the same 5.3 weak motor you had.
The wifes previous '06 1500 5.3 with 3.73 gears was a gutless wonder.

However the new gen 5.3 from 2014 on up towing duties out performs the older 5.3 engines.

bshack wrote:
Thanks everyone, I was expecting it was going to come up short. What about a 5.7 crew cab tundra with 9800 lbs towing capacity? Will it handle the grades going up and down with no trouble with the same 5000lb TT? No white knuckles?

The Tundra is enough truck to tackle the grades easily.

bshack wrote:
I have a 2017 Silverado with max towing of 6100lbs, it is a 5.3 w/ 3.08. My TT is 5000 lbs dry. My Truck feels strong enough on flat land but I've never taken it anywhere with a real grade. We'd like to go to the Smokys with the TT, bad idea?

A number of years ago I tried to tow in the Smokeies. Same weak motor.
Unfortunately living in Alabama I had to tow thru Chattanooga.
Just the other side of Chattanooga, the Interstate goes up a long grade... I started up that grade with a running start. I was going 65 at the bottom. Before I got to the crest, I was going less than 20 mph and folks were passing me blowing their horns and shooting us the Bird.

I made it to the campground, but as soon as I came home, I traded trucks.
My advice from someone who has BTDT is have enough truck before you go thru what I did.