Size truck to pull 16' - 20' travel trailer

[thatsmyoption]

I have always known more is better, but in the effort of economy will a 1/2 ton 350 engine be enough to pull a 20' travel trailer?
Full time use of pulling the trailer will only be for about 6 months, then we'll use it for occasional weekend trips. We don't want to purchase an extra big pickup for that reason.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
We are definitely not interested in a 4x4.
Thanks, RB

[GordonThree]

My ram 1500 has a 350 and tows my 3500# KZ 200 (20 ft) just fine, passing with ease many heavy lumbering (powerful?) diesels towing larger rigs up grades.

I'm a gambling man though.

[coolmom42]

pitch wrote:
Sure it can depending on the particular truck and with careful selection of trailer.
Most 1/2 ton trucks are perfectly capable of handling up to about 8000 pounds no matter what these 3/4 ton folks want to tell you.
No you are not going to be able to haul a family of six, bikes ,generator,hot tub and the kitchen sink.
You need to get the figures for your particular truck,not brochure figures,but actual figures,with special attention to payload
When looking for the trailer the only figure that you want to work with initially is the Gross Vehicle Weight rating. 11 to 15% of the gross weight is tongue weight which is carried on the truck as payload.
There are literally millions of 1/2 tons hauling campers safely,just as there are many 3/4 ton mostly 5th wheel rigs that are overloaded.
Do your due diligence,get your figures and go from there.

This.

We towed a 22' from TN to Glacier with a GMC 1500 with absolutely no problem.

Make sure you have a tow package with tranny cooler.

Check your weights, get a good brake controller, an Equal-i-zer hitch, a well-maintained truck, and you will be fine.

[rfryer]

I would certainly think you should be able to pull a 20’ TT. But without knowing the specs for your TV and TT it’s an impossible question to answer. With a ½ ton payload is most likely to be the limiting factor. And regarding the specs, dry weights are relatively useless numbers. I pull a 16' TT with a 2001 F150 and it's a piece of cake, even in the extensive mountain driving I do. But it weighs 3000# loaded.

[tatest]

A 20-footer can be somewhere between 2600 and 6000 pounds, depending on how it is constructed and level of equipment and creature comforts, particularly weight of things like slideouts. A lightweight might be easy, a heavyweight pushing the capacity of your truck to carry the tongue weight, if the truck is also heavily loaded. That would likely still be within the "tow rating" of most V-8 trucks of the size.

Power is not often the issue, in some cases 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton (and SRW 1 ton) trucks with the same engine and gearing will get the same "tow rating." This was more often the case 10-20 years ago when the "big" engine for the 1/2 ton was the same engine as the "economy" engine for the heavier truck. They do not do that so much now, chasing numbers for the CAFE that now applies to trucks.

More to the issue, can the suspension of the truck handle the loads applied to a point behind the bumper, and still be comfortably stable for your towing skills, which can be a greater factor than the truck itself. I.E. when the tail is trying to wag the dog, how much dog do you need if he is to stay on his feet?

Many of the folks in our RV club have towed trailers in that size, and up to 24-26 feet, with 1/2 ton V-8 trucks, SUVs and vans. So far, only one has had his 6000 pound trailer get wild and flip his 5500 pound truck at highway speed. Luckily, he and his wife survived, but approaching their 80s, they lost confidence in their abilities and gave up on RVing.

One of our members has three old (pre-1990) Chevy 1/2 tons with the 350, uses different trucks for different trips, depending on what or who else he has to carry.

Your satisfaction with the performance will depend on your expectations. When you double the mass of your rig, you halve the acceleration and maximum hill climbing performance. The greater frontal area will impact top speed and fuel economy (pickup truck to TT, frontal area roughly doubles, slightly more than doubling the power needed to cruise at the same speed, and double fuel consumption). But this applies to heavier trucks as well.

[dspencer]

Dandy Dan wrote:

thatsmyoption wrote:
I have always known more is better, but in the effort of economy will a 1/2 ton 350 engine be enough to pull a 20' travel trailer?
Full time use of pulling the trailer will only be for about 6 months, then we'll use it for occasional weekend trips. We don't want to purchase an extra big pickup for that reason.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
We are definitely not interested in a 4x4.
Thanks, RB

You should be just fine. I assume that you have a weight distribution hitch. Gee I guess someone should have told me back in the 70's that you couldn't pull a 20' TT with a 350 V-8. Ours was in an Olds Delta 88. This should give the weight police something to babble about. FYI in 2005 I pulled a 28' TT all over with my Ford F 150.

Truthfully I wonder how many of the weight police actually practice what the preach?

[Dandy_Dan]

thatsmyoption wrote:
I have always known more is better, but in the effort of economy will a 1/2 ton 350 engine be enough to pull a 20' travel trailer?
Full time use of pulling the trailer will only be for about 6 months, then we'll use it for occasional weekend trips. We don't want to purchase an extra big pickup for that reason.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
We are definitely not interested in a 4x4.
Thanks, RB

You should be just fine. I assume that you have a weight distribution hitch. Gee I guess someone should have told me back in the 70's that you couldn't pull a 20' TT with a 350 V-8. Ours was in an Olds Delta 88. This should give the weight police something to babble about. FYI in 2005 I pulled a 28' TT all over with my Ford F 150.

[rexlion]

Wind resistance plays a huge part in towing. A 7' wide trailer will tow easier than an 8' wide, for instance. Also height will come into play. While your pickup should do all right, it will have an easier time and get better mpg if you pick a trailer with a relatively small frontal area. This is an even bigger factor than weight (assuming your weight is within the vehicle's stated towing limits to begin with).

[mileshuff]

We pulled our 20' 5000lb loaded Hybrid trailer for 10 years using a 2004 Dodge Durango with 5.7L Hemi and also a 1/2 ton 2003 Dodge truck with 5.9L. The Durango's 5.7L had more power and pulled better but the truck did just fine. We live in AZ with numerous steep mountain grades. Both vehicles pulled the hills in lower gears around 35-45mph. Plenty of power but kept RPM's from getting too high.

[dspencer]

I'm pulling a 26BH travel trailer with my 1500 Silverado. I know the 3/4 ton folks will have you pulling a popup or tear drop with nothing less but that is absolutely ridiculous! Now as others as said it's all about the weight not the length. Mine is the stick and tin too and it handles it with ease. The newer 1/2 tons are way more capable than there older counter parts.

[ol__grouch]

thatsmyoption wrote:
I have always known more is better, but in the effort of economy will a 1/2 ton 350 engine be enough to pull a 20' travel trailer?
Full time use of pulling the trailer will only be for about 6 months, then we'll use it for occasional weekend trips. We don't want to purchase an extra big pickup for that reason.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
We are definitely not interested in a 4x4.
Thanks, RB

You should be able to do it just fine IF (<------note the big if). #1, you'll need to add an auxilliary transmission cooler if your truck doesn't already have one. Heat kills transmissions. You want it in the return line to the transmission. #2, does the trailer have brakes. If not, the truck will do all the stopping and this may be too much for safety. If it does, the new solid state brake controllers are fantastic. Easy to install and easy to use. A trailer or RV shop can slap one in your truck in short order if you don't want to do it yourself. #3, this is the biggie! What gearing does your truck have? If you have 3.9 or even 3.5 gears in the rear end, you'll be fine. If you have 3.2 or so, your truck will be laboring. If you have economy gears like 2.4, forget it. You'll be asking for trouble. There should be an option sticker in the door, under the hood or in the glove box that details all the options your truck came from the factory with. Look for what it says about the rear axle. This last will determine if you can do it at all.

[mbopp]

See my sig. Granted, it's just my wife and I but my standard-payload F150 tows it fine.

[1oldtruck]

People have been towing with 1/2 ton trucks with 350 or smaller engines for years. Thats all that was available prior to the late 90's. It should not be a problem. Just plan on taking it easy and feeding it plenty of fuel.

[pitch]

Sure it can depending on the particular truck and with careful selection of trailer.
Most 1/2 ton trucks are perfectly capable of handling up to about 8000 pounds no matter what these 3/4 ton folks want to tell you.
No you are not going to be able to haul a family of six, bikes ,generator,hot tub and the kitchen sink.
You need to get the figures for your particular truck,not brochure figures,but actual figures,with special attention to payload
When looking for the trailer the only figure that you want to work with initially is the Gross Vehicle Weight rating. 11 to 15% of the gross weight is tongue weight which is carried on the truck as payload.
There are literally millions of 1/2 tons hauling campers safely,just as there are many 3/4 ton mostly 5th wheel rigs that are overloaded.
Do your due diligence,get your figures and go from there.

[Grandpere]

The 350 engine will be fine, slow on gaining speed, but adequate. The problem in the 1/2 ton truck itself. The average weight for a 20 foot trailer is 4000 to 4500 pounds. That small a truck would work for weekend travel on short distances, but for full timing it is asking for mechanical problems. A truck that small is not built to handle that much weight, go with a 3/4 ton truck. There is very little difference in the quality of the ride and you will have a pickup designed to handle heavy loads, not just one for showing off and that rides like a car. Trailer pulling is not a time to skimp on the vehicle, more is always safer and the truck will last longer, unless you are like my dad who trades vehicles ever 2 years, then the damage will be minimal for you and a real pain for the person who buys it next.