04 Chev 1500 as a tow vehicle 8000lb camper
Up until this year we have had our camper setup on a seasonal site (Outback 312BH), and do to other commitments we decided to pull out of the seasonal site so we could travel with the kids sports. I s...
Forum Discussion
I've read everyone's comments and I agree that you're towing a little too much with the truck you have. It'll do it though, but first and foremost you need to ensure you are within all your maximum weight specifications! If you're over, I would advise against towing that down the street until you upgrade the truck. It's not just unsafe to be overweight, it's against the law. If everything IS within max specs, read on.
I was once like you, (not a bad thing, just didn't know better). I had a minivan towing a 21' trailer. It was an ultra-light Rockwood, and I was actually within my limits, though near the max. But it towed it so well. It was like magic. My '97 Town & Country was a towing beast! All the tranny problems were simply because it was a Chrysler product, everyone knows this.;)
But then something happened. I got tired of the problems and traded for an '01 Chevy 1500 Z71 truck. Let me tell you something...there's nothing in the world like towing something that feels like it's not even there. At that point I realized how BADLY my minivan actually towed that trailer! Several years later we upgraded to a small 5th wheel. Another ultra-light. Perfect match. Then came a new truck, an '05 2500HD 6.0 gas, because we wanted a bigger 5th wheel. And we got it, bigger and heavier.
Our new 5th wheel weighed (loaded) 9,000 pounds, about what you're towing. I had a 6 liter engine, 4.10 gears, and HD transmission. I can honestly say I did not feel I had enough power! I certainly would never have even tried towing this trailer with a 1500 knowing how my 2500 towed it, and this trailer was listed as 'half-ton towable', though kudos to my dealer who was honest and advised against towing with a half-ton. Stopping was fine, no sag, everything was all heavy duty, but I just did not like the towing characteristics and how much I had to put my foot in it to get it to pull a 3% grade. I recently got a new truck, same camper ('04 but I'm keeping it, it's paid for), and this time I got the Duramax diesel. I'm finally really happy with how my truck tows!
The moral of my story is, anything can pull anything, but the question is, how long, how safely, how easily, how stress-free? It's not just about getting it moving, but also stability, stopping distance, weight on your axles and suspension etc. Someone suggested renting a 2500 and towing your trailer around for a day. I really like that idea, and being a travel trailer you have that option as most will already have the receiver hitch (unlike anyone wanting to 'test tow' their 5th wheel...good luck finding a rental set up for that). Once you do that, you'll see and FEEL the difference for yourself, and you can make a much more informed decision based on your own first hand experience.
It's great you asked your questions here, you got a lot of good info and advice. Take all that and you'll figure out what you really need. I know it's not always possible to just go buy a new truck just like that, but at least you'd know what to look for when you're in the position to do so, and to just take it easy in the meantime. Let us know what you end up doing. Good luck and enjoy the summer.
I was once like you, (not a bad thing, just didn't know better). I had a minivan towing a 21' trailer. It was an ultra-light Rockwood, and I was actually within my limits, though near the max. But it towed it so well. It was like magic. My '97 Town & Country was a towing beast! All the tranny problems were simply because it was a Chrysler product, everyone knows this.;)
But then something happened. I got tired of the problems and traded for an '01 Chevy 1500 Z71 truck. Let me tell you something...there's nothing in the world like towing something that feels like it's not even there. At that point I realized how BADLY my minivan actually towed that trailer! Several years later we upgraded to a small 5th wheel. Another ultra-light. Perfect match. Then came a new truck, an '05 2500HD 6.0 gas, because we wanted a bigger 5th wheel. And we got it, bigger and heavier.
Our new 5th wheel weighed (loaded) 9,000 pounds, about what you're towing. I had a 6 liter engine, 4.10 gears, and HD transmission. I can honestly say I did not feel I had enough power! I certainly would never have even tried towing this trailer with a 1500 knowing how my 2500 towed it, and this trailer was listed as 'half-ton towable', though kudos to my dealer who was honest and advised against towing with a half-ton. Stopping was fine, no sag, everything was all heavy duty, but I just did not like the towing characteristics and how much I had to put my foot in it to get it to pull a 3% grade. I recently got a new truck, same camper ('04 but I'm keeping it, it's paid for), and this time I got the Duramax diesel. I'm finally really happy with how my truck tows!
The moral of my story is, anything can pull anything, but the question is, how long, how safely, how easily, how stress-free? It's not just about getting it moving, but also stability, stopping distance, weight on your axles and suspension etc. Someone suggested renting a 2500 and towing your trailer around for a day. I really like that idea, and being a travel trailer you have that option as most will already have the receiver hitch (unlike anyone wanting to 'test tow' their 5th wheel...good luck finding a rental set up for that). Once you do that, you'll see and FEEL the difference for yourself, and you can make a much more informed decision based on your own first hand experience.
It's great you asked your questions here, you got a lot of good info and advice. Take all that and you'll figure out what you really need. I know it's not always possible to just go buy a new truck just like that, but at least you'd know what to look for when you're in the position to do so, and to just take it easy in the meantime. Let us know what you end up doing. Good luck and enjoy the summer.
