Towing a 40’ weekend warrior 4005 flt.

[Windowman]

OK I’m getting mixed reviews on towing my trailer. I have a 98 2500 Chevy diesel but I don’t plan on hauling it with that since I’m getting rid of it but I’m considering either another 2500 HD or 3500 Can I use a 3-4 ton pull the trailer safely or should I be looking at a 1 ton truck instead?
I’ve been pulling trailers all my life I also drove transfer trucks so I’m not new to towing.

[twodownzero]

You guys are awfully nice to him. I'm not sure I'd pull a 30' toy hauler with a 25 year old 3/4 ton. I'm pretty sure a 40' would be so scary in the first few miles that it'd be instantly recognizable as a terrible idea.

Bonus if it has the semi floating rear axle that many 3/4 ton Chevys had then. The 4k of pin weight has to be more than double the payload of that truck, and that's not even including the weight of the people inside.

I just realized this was an ancient thread--consequences of searching. Sorry everyone.

190 horsepower by the way. That's what he'd have on tap to move ~20k pounds down the road.

[agteacher]

We had a 36' WW SLC. When we bought it we had a 1999 Dodge 2500 Diesel. We towed it home and fuel went from 25+ mpg to 9.9 mpg. This was an empty trailer and it still pushed the truck and tried to pull it sideways with any wind. We opted to put it on a permanent site while we looked for a medium duty. Medium duty got 24.5 mpg loaded or unloaded. Picked it up for half the price of a pickup. Sold the WW a couple years ago and went back to a truck camper after the kids became adults.

[fj12ryder]

Wow, that's a really light pin.

[joebedford]

My 5er is 18720 loaded with 3080 on the pin. TV is a 2011 Silverado 3500HD CCLB dually Duramax. I replaced my 2004 Ram 3500 LB Cummins - the Ram struggled on any kind of a hill. New vehicles much more capable of towing heavy.

[Bionic_Man]

I know there is a lot of love for the 8.1. It probably was a good engine back in the day, but it doesn't hold a candle to anything put in a truck in the last 10 or so years.

I had a 2003 Burb with an 8.1 that I used for a couple years to tow a 7000 pound wake boat. It had the 4 speed, and on flat ground it spent most of the time in 3rd. Pulling the passes in CO it wouldn't maintain 50 MPH.

I wouldn't want to do a lot of miles towing that much weight with an 8.1.

[Huntindog]

HTElectrical wrote:
2022 Crew Cab, Standard Bed 4WD, 6.6L Duramax Turbo-Diesel V8 engine:

Max GCWR = 29,700 Single, Dual 40,000

Max Conventional Trailering 20,000 Single, 20,000 Dual

Max Payload 5,343 Single, 6,838 Dual

GVWR 12,100 Single, 14,000 Dual

Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating 7,250 Single, 10,500 Dual


You DO NOT NEED A DUALLY to safely, comfortably, or any other matter tow that trailer!!!!!!!!!!

Those are brochure ratings. Real world will be a lot less.... I know as I have a Silverado 3500 dually....Yes he should get a dually. Weekend Warriors are some of the heaviest out there.

[JIMNLIN]

I want to thank everyone who replied to me, my main concern is the safety of my loved ones. I am needing to get to Southern California with my 5th wheel and do it keeping everyone safe including other drivers, if my 2500 was new or in great shape I would not be asking here.

There is no 3/4 or one ton srw that will be safe carrying 4000 lb plus pin weight from trailer that weight with a 4000 lb pin weight. Add a hitch and other stuff your carrying in the bed. All weight in the bed will be on the trucks rear axle and may be closer to 4500-4800 lbs.

Your not buying new but I'll thro some numbers older model #s at you that will be your biggest safety numbers. Older 2500 GM had only a 6200 rawr (tires/wheels/rear suspension/rear axle assy). OEM tires/wheels and rear spring pack are the weak point.
Those older 2500/3500 srw had the old AAM corporate 14 bolt rear axle good for around 9xxx lbs. We find truck camper owners with 250/2500 or 350/3500 srw going with 19.5" tires/wheels and some type of upgraded rear suspension.
Older 3500 srw GM had 7000 rawr and good for approx 3300-3500 lbs in the bed.

That 5343 lb payload for a new 3500 srw is a gvwr payload that comes from the trucks front and rear axle.
RV trailer owners have fixed hitch loads so gvwr based payloads cannot be used over the trucks rear axle. Hell even the new one ton srws are limited to their 7000-7250 rawr + approx 3700-3800 lbs on the rear axle.

I've pulled non rv trailers for a living. I wouldn't hook anything other than a one ton DRW with those bigger 9000-10000 lb rawr which are good for 6k-7k lbs in the bed payloads. Of course actual payload numbers will be determined by actual scaled rear axle weights....not the truck mfg website add or a brochure number.

[Windowman]

I want to thank everyone who replied to me, my main concern is the safety of my loved ones. I am needing to get to Southern California with my 5th wheel and do it keeping everyone safe including other drivers, if my 2500 was new or in great shape I would not be asking here. That is why I am looking for a good used truck so I can take a job opportunity that I was offered, once I get there I will be getting a new truck away since if they don’t keep me employed the pay would pay for me to get a truck. Paying someone to tow it for me is out of the question and $ way to much.

[lincster]

To the OP.

Will a "newer" 3/4 ton truck tow that trailer? Yep.
Will a "newer" 3/4 ton truck be within the tow ratings towing that trailer? Nope.

Pin weight on that trailer will be pushing 4000-4500lbs with full water in the trailer.

If tow ratings/weight matter, you have to put the truck on a CAT scale and do the math from there.

I own a 2006 Weekend Warrior, 42' with no slides.

Empty trailer is 11,800lbs with 2700lbs of pin weight.
Fully loaded, with 160 gallons of water, sand rail etc, I am at 17,400lbs with 3460lbs of pin weight.
I have put my entire set up on a CAT scale in all configurations.

Truck only.
Truck with empty trailer.
Truck with fully loaded trailer.

The trailer you are asking about will have higher weights than mine in all aspects due to the slides.

[Grit_dog]

^True, but knowing the gentleman’s plan now, it’s a viable stop gap option, as long as the old truck is healthy enough to run at a high % of duty cycle and the 8.1 will pull about like a V10 with a tad more low end grunt.

[valhalla360]

Grit dog wrote:
^Fair enough. Where are you towing, is a big consideration.
Low altitude, relatively flat terrain for the most part, if the 8.1 and Alli are healthy they’ll work. Be easy on the engine and drivetrain.
Dually will handle the pin no problem

Even on flat terrain, it may not be great. For a short while we had a 12k lb 5er pulled with a 2008 Ford V10 and every little overpass, she wanted to downshift if I didn't feather the gas pedal.

It did it but really not great.

[Grit_dog]

^Fair enough. Where are you towing, is a big consideration.
Low altitude, relatively flat terrain for the most part, if the 8.1 and Alli are healthy they’ll work. Be easy on the engine and drivetrain.
Dually will handle the pin no problem

[Windowman]

Yes I have been towing trailers like 32 foot single wide mobile homes and I used to drive truck transfer trucks hauling gravel dirt and not the ones with the little pup trailers on the back.

I would never try and pull this trailer with my 2500 because it is old and I just wouldn’t trust it. The truck I’m looking at will be a temporary truck because I didn’t really wanna pass up the price when all it needs is the fiberglass side panels on the bed because original owner backed into a couple of fences with them. I figured this would get me in the trailer to where I wanna go for a new better paying job and then I could turn around and sell it once I find the truck I’m looking for, Plus I use my motorcycle for commuting on.

[rhagfo]

HTElectrical wrote:

Windowman wrote:
I’m looking at a used Chevrolet 3500 dually with an 8.1 in it. I would like to keep a diesel but my budget right now wouldn’t allow it and I don’t think my 2500 diesel would fit or be too much for me to convert it.

Since you are going with an older truck, you will need a dually, and I do not think you will be happy with a Gas powered truck, Diesel would be preferred.

Just can’t even imagine towing 18,000# with a gas engine on anything, but flat ground.