chevy 2002 1500HD Silverado

[conwhi]

Truck GVW 6100 scale weight GVWR 8600 RGAWR 6000
FGAWR 4410
What is the GVW that this truck can safely tow?

[jffnkrn]

Yes, yes and yes. like said earlier, load up, go to the scales and get the truck weighed with people, cargo and full fuel. Then you will know what you can tow, haul and load. I did this also, found out my GMC Sierra 4x4 HD 2500 couldn't tow what I planned and ended up buying a fifth wheel I could tow. Now in the process of upgrading fifth wheel, will be right at max for loads, towing etc. so will be upgrading truck in the near future. So long story short, get your weights, now your limits based on the manufactures GVWR,, GVCWR, on both truck and trailer and of course towing and payload capacities of the truck. Good Luck & be Safe ! ! !

[debraindi]

I bought 2003 1500 hd new and sold it to my son this year for up grade to 2013 LML LTZ Z71. I towed for 12 years with the 1500 HD 373 gears if it had the 410 gears I would have keep it. Maxed out towing 8500 lb loaded fw was ok . It is a 8 lug wheel same transmission and towing equipment as the 2500 HD. The difference is 2500 HD has one more spring and 410 gears.I put mega flow exhaust and cold air intake that helped it a lot in towing.

[laknox]

FWIW, GM was building "heavy halfs" well before the 2000's. I don't remember the specs on them, but we were all buying them in the late 70s and early 80s. Was before the "HD" designation. In fact, now that I think about it, I =think= there were some models that were actually badged "Heavy Half".

Lyle

[JIMNLIN]

conwhi wrote:
Truck GVW 6100 scale weight GVWR 8600 RGAWR 6000
FGAWR 4410
What is the GVW that this truck can safely tow?

Welcome to the forum.
We always have some members who don't know what a '00-'06 1500HD GM truck actually is...and those who think a 1500 truck can't tow a 5th wheel trailer.

You have a much sought after 1500 truck that was and still is very popular with folks looking for a 1500 truck with the most tow and carrying capacity. This is it.

Gm says 8000 lb range with the 3.73 axle and 10000 lb range with the 4.10 gears. The 1500HD I've seen are the old 2500 GM truck C6P chassis before the 2500HD came out.
My neighbors has a '05 1500HD 6.0 engine with the 4L80 tranny with the full floater 10.5" gears eight lug wheels and E tires. The 6.0 is thirsty but does her a good job with her 29' and a 35' horse trailers
Payloads ran up to 3100 lbs on certain trucks.

Weigh the trucks front and rear axles separately. Don't exceed the trucks rear axle/tire load numbers. Your '02 is older so I would stick with GM 8k and 10k tow ratings.

[Stefan]

donn0128 wrote:
No, what I said was... the 1500HD was not a true 2500HD. The 1500HD depending on model year was also sold as a 2500. Not a 2500HD. Big difference. 1500HD/2500 got semi floating axle, lighter springs, less tires and wheels, all on the 1500 frame. The 2500HD got FULL floating rear axle, beafier springs, tires, and wheels all on a heavier frame. I believe the 2500HD also got bigger brakes, but that can be verified by checking a parts manual. The 1500HD was there to bypass some licensing laws for some states. Allowing them to be licensed with passanger car plates instead of truck plates due to the lower GVWR that GM placed on them. They were never a big seller as those that needed to tow heavy bought the 2500HD, those that wanted a passanger car bought the regular 1500.

The 2500HD is NOT a 3/4 ton truck though ...the 2500 is a 3/4 ton truck
3500 is a 1 ton 3500HD is a Dually and rated higher...

2500 = 1500HD 2002 and 2003 chevy called them 1500HD in 2004 they called it a 2500...

[redhooker]

The 1500HD was built at a weird time for GM. They were making a lot of changes in their truck lines and at the time did not have a 1/2 ton frame long enough to build a crew cab on. Some of you might remember Ford was building 1/2 ton crew cabs with 5 foot beds due to the same issues. Chevy decided to just build a 3/4 ton truck that would still have a 6 foot box and badge it a 1500HD. It is an 8 lug 3/4 ton truck just badged/rated lower. Offered with only a 6.0 but could get 3:73 or 4:10 gears as I recall. Same truck in extended cab is a 2500, crew cab=1500HD. The lowering of gvwr and badging enabled Chevy to offer a 1/2 ton CC before their "real" 1/2 ton frames were updated to reflect the changing market demands of pickups. Still was a bit of a gvwr upgrade from a 1/2 ton though. Once the new 1/2 ton frames were up and running the 1500HD was phased out.

ETA:
another evolution of chevy was the 2500HD. It was originally just going to be the only "1 ton" srw offering and the 3500 was drw. Chevy did not even offer a srw 3500 until 2004 or 2005. That's why a 2500HD shares almost every power train and suspension component with it's 1 ton dually brother. The 2500HD has been the most popular 8-lug truck ever offered when combining GMC & Chevy (split up ford is number 1 in sales).

[2oldman]

bait post

[vortec22]

The 1500HD is plenty strong within its 8600 GVWR. He stated that his vehicle scales at 6100, I am guessing that is with fuel and maybe extras. My 2003 2500 scaled at 5900 with fuel, wife, and dog. Granted it was an extended cab so it may have been a little lighter.

It has the same motor and transmission as the HD. Not as heavy of frame, springs, rear axle, and as such does not have the same GVWR.

[donn0128]

No, what I said was... the 1500HD was not a true 2500HD. The 1500HD depending on model year was also sold as a 2500. Not a 2500HD. Big difference. 1500HD/2500 got semi floating axle, lighter springs, less tires and wheels, all on the 1500 frame. The 2500HD got FULL floating rear axle, beafier springs, tires, and wheels all on a heavier frame. I believe the 2500HD also got bigger brakes, but that can be verified by checking a parts manual. The 1500HD was there to bypass some licensing laws for some states. Allowing them to be licensed with passanger car plates instead of truck plates due to the lower GVWR that GM placed on them. They were never a big seller as those that needed to tow heavy bought the 2500HD, those that wanted a passanger car bought the regular 1500.

[garysol]

donn0128 wrote:

garysol wrote:
Figure your pin weight will be AROUND 15% of total trailer weight.

BTW the accepted norm for fifth wheel pin weight is 20% not 15%. 15% pin weight would make for a very unstable towing trailer. .

Just double checked the math on my trailer and yes, you are correct. Actually mine was just a bit over the 20% ....

[garysol]

donn0128 wrote:

garysol wrote:
Just to beat a dead horse...... a 1500HD is not a half ton it is a 3/4 ton from the 6.0 litre and semi floating axles to the springs and brakes.
To the OP.... Even though your truck is a 3/4 ton you still do not have lots of carrying capacity. If it were me I would run your truck over a scale and get a true weight then you can figure out how much pin weight your truck can handle. I think the tow rating was around 10,000lbs for your truck. Figure your pin weight will be AROUND 15% of total trailer weight.

You are sooo wrong! The 1500HD was a heavy half ton. Marketed that way.
Real 3/4 ton trucks do not have semi floating axles, they use FULL floating axles. The 1500HD was a marketing ploy by GM designed to sandwich between 1500 and 2500 trucks. Most of its components were from the 2500 parts bin with heavier springs. .

So your saying the 2500 was not a 3/4 ton? The 1500HD was nothing less than a rebadged 2500. No it is not as well equipped as the 2500HD but it is still equipped the same as a 2500 which was a 3/4ton. 1500HD vs the 2500 ....same frame, same engine/trans/rear.....etc....

[donn0128]

garysol wrote:
Just to beat a dead horse...... a 1500HD is not a half ton it is a 3/4 ton from the 6.0 litre and semi floating axles to the springs and brakes.
To the OP.... Even though your truck is a 3/4 ton you still do not have lots of carrying capacity. If it were me I would run your truck over a scale and get a true weight then you can figure out how much pin weight your truck can handle. I think the tow rating was around 10,000lbs for your truck. Figure your pin weight will be AROUND 15% of total trailer weight.

You are sooo wrong! The 1500HD was a heavy half ton. Marketed that way.
Real 3/4 ton trucks do not have semi floating axles, they use FULL floating axles. The 1500HD was a marketing ploy by GM designed to sandwich between 1500 and 2500 trucks. Most of its components were from the 2500 parts bin with heavier springs. Thats why very few were sold, and they are no longer offered.
BTW the accepted norm for fifth wheel pin weight is 20% not 15%. 15% pin weight would make for a very unstable towing trailer.
20% of even a 10,000 pound fifth wheel is going to place 2000 pounds directly over the rear axle of the OP's truck. Since he states he has a crew cab it is likely he has a family. Kids, wife dog,ice chest, what ever he adds to his truck for a day trip all will reduce his payload. Add 250 pounds for a slider hitch if he has a short bed will reduce it even further.
I will revise my statement, can he pull a fifth wheel? Yes, but I doubt he will like the size of fiver he will be able to pull without exceeding his GVWR.

[garysol]

Just to beat a dead horse...... a 1500HD is not a half ton it is a 3/4 ton from the 6.0 litre and semi floating axles to the springs and brakes.
To the OP.... Even though your truck is a 3/4 ton you still do not have lots of carrying capacity. If it were me I would run your truck over a scale and get a true weight then you can figure out how much pin weight your truck can handle. I think the tow rating was around 10,000lbs for your truck. Figure your pin weight will be AROUND 15% of total trailer weight.

[kaydeejay]

donn0128 wrote:
Your asking in the fifth wheel forum, so I assume your asking about a fifth wheel? Simple answer is none!
Load your truck up like your going onna trip and go to the scales. Subtract your loaded ready to camp scaled weight from the GVwR number you find on the drivers door post. Your real world available cargo carrying capacity could be anywhere from 100 to 800 pounds.

Easy Don, he has 2500# of payload. More than most 1/2 tons and only 300# less than my 2500HD diesel.
A small fiver IS possible as long as he follows the rest of your suggestions.