What can I tow?

peytonhead wrote:
2016 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab 4x2
5.3 V8
gear ratio 3.42
2 adults at 350, growing child at 52 and a 80lb lap dog.
Can someone help with a good travel trailer weight range to stay in with the above specs?

5000 to 5500#'s dry weight.
Loaded up, 6000 to 6500#'s.
Should be comfortable to tow for those long trips.

If you have 1000 lbs left over, 10 percent gives you a 10K trailer.

It is likely he will have nearl 1000lbs of payload left over given the current occupants of the vehicle, but there is NO WAY he would ever be comfortable towing a 10,000lb trailer with that truck. Driving would feel heavy and sluggish, with frequent down-shifting.

Not to mention, 10 percent is the absolute minimum. Most travel trailers run anywhere from 12-14 percent tongue weight.

If you start with a trailer around 5000lbs empty, you will have plenty enough to tow once you've loaded up to go camping. That puts the trailer at between 6000 and 6500lbs with options, loaded and ready to camp.

Should be happy under 6k dry.

also post the payload capacity, on the driver's door yellow sticker.

just as important as the towing capacity and sometimes more important since 1/2 tons run out of payload capacity way before they get close to towing capacity.

DO NOT USE gcwr less vehicle wt to get max tow rating! If you are at gvwr before loading a trailer, you have NO ability to safely tow a trailer! unless you can do this with no hitch wt in a safe and sane manner.

Take loaded truck with family on board, from gvwr, then take this number divide by HW % you need, you have max trailer you can tow. If you have 1000 lbs left over, 10% gives you a 10K trailer. If you need 20% for a 5w, you have all of 5000 total lbs of trailer capacity. This is the absolute best way to figure out how heavy of a trailer your rig can handle.

marty

I have basically the same set up as you except I changed the rear gears from 3.08 to a 3.73. But with your setup and 3.42 gears you should be fine as long as you stay under 6,500 lbs. loaded. That is just my opinion but some have pulled much more but to me that is the safe weight to pull. I pull a 6,000 loaded travel trailer in the mountains of East TN and steep hill will slow you down but not too bad. Plus it is not always what you can pull but also what you can safely stop.

Forget about that 9300 lb towing capacity. It was calculated without passengers, cargo, or aftermarket accessories. In theory, the truck could pull that weight, if it is empty as it was at the factory, and the driver is alone with no cargo. As any of these things get added, the actual tow rating is going down, pound for pound.

Besides the ratings you have listed, your vehicle also has a max cargo / occupant rating (AKA payload). Look for a loading sticker on your drivers door post. This is what it is rated to carry (GVWR minus empty factory weight). Payload gets eaten up by everything in or on the truck, that wasn't there when the truck left the factory. It includes people, pets, cargo, accessories (undercoating, step bars, bed liners, bed caps / covers, even floor mats), weight distributing hitch, and trailer tongue (hitch) weight. Normally, you will run out of payload, before you get close to that mythical tow capacity. Here's a link to a calculator that may help you find a good trailer weight.

Average camping load (dishes, pots and pans, bedding, camping gear, tools, groceries, water, etc) is 800 to 1000 lbs. When shopping for trailers, keep this in mind.

Average trailer tongue weight is 12.5 percent of loaded trailer weight, and, it is not a constant number. It goes up and down during every trip. Water and groceries get used up and holding tanks get filled and emptied. Depending on location (in relation to the trailer axles) of holding tanks, they can have a large impact on tongue weight. Mine can fluctuate by as much as 200 lbs.

Average weight of a distributing hitch is 90 lbs.

The closer you get to your max weight, the more the tow vehicle will struggle, and the more unpleasant your towing experience will be. Leave yourself some room for unplanned cargo and guests.

My tow vehicle is rated to tow 9600 lbs and I now tow 7500 lbs. as weighed on a truck scale and it is a 6.0L V8. It tows OK until we reach a little hill then it downshifts and struggles to make it to the top.
So I'm think'n less than what I tow but the other ideas of actual weights are better than my think'n.

Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating is 15,000lbs. The truck & trailer with everything in them needs to weigh less than 15,000lbs.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 7000lbs. The truck with everything in it needs to weigh less than 7,000lbs.
The real tow rating is 15,000lbs minus the weight of the loaded truck. 15,000lb-loaded truck weight=max trailer weight.
So take the wife, kids and dog for a ride to the truck stop and weigh the truck.