2004 Silverado Towing Capacity

[DLHarrison]

Hey Gang - I need a sanity check to go over my calculations. I have a a 2004 1500 Extended Cab Shortbed Silverado 4 x 4 with a 5.3 liter engine, HD towing capacity, 3.73 rear end fitted with E Rated truck tires. The weight of the truck, loaded for traveling is 5,760 lbs (actual weighed weight with trailer hitch, full tank of gas, my wife and our dog, extra 5 gallon of gas). The only thing that is carried in the bed of the truck is the extra gas can.

The travel trailer is a 30 foot Heartland Mallard with a dry weight of 5048 pounds and a dry hitch weight of 464 pounds. The loaded weight of the trailer ( full tank of water, two batteries, two loaded propane bottles, food, cooking and camping equipment, and miscellaneous stuff) is 6,480 pounds. The total actual weight was 12,260 pounds (weighed at a local grain handling facility in town). The maximum GCWR for the truck is 13000 pounds. The difference is 740 pounds (13000 lbs - 12260 lbs) so I am under the maximum weight for the truck. I tow with a E2 Weight Distribution Hitch with 1,000 pound rated torsion bars on the WDH. Please review my calcs and give me you comments. Thanks!

[TomG2]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
OP.......

Hookup and go camping :B

OP

Keep asking questions. There is a lot of good information available on here and other places. It won't take you long to figure out what it is and where it comes from.

[Old-Biscuit]

OP.......

Hookup and go camping :B

[Iraqvet05]

I had a 2007 Silverado 1500, 5.3, 3.42 (2WD) I pulled our Jayco with the first year. Our TT is about 5500 lbs loaded and I hated the way that truck pulled. The 5.3 was constantly shifting gears in the rolling hills of central Missouri. The truck had to really rev high to make power but I couldn't take it anymore and sold it for my 2500HD gasser. My 2500 is way older but the 6.0 makes the pull easier and the heavier suspension made a world of difference in handling. I'm upgrading again in the spring to a 6 speed 2500 gasser.

[TomG2]

To the OP:

Aren't you glad that you asked for help? Try to read between the lines and hope that you get something out of it. There are actually more than five rules to follow to get a great towing experience. In fact, books can and have been written on the subject. That is a little more than can be covered in 140 characters or less. What you did get are the opinions of some people who honestly think they know more than anyone else what you need. Some will focus on legalese and technicalities while others think that "Close is good enough". The manufacturers are no help. Someone should make them tag every vehicle with what "they" think is the maximum permissible capacity of their vehicles. They should be forced to put a "Towing" section in their manuals. At least we don't charge forty thousand dollars for our advice and you are getting everything you paid us for.

[JIMNLIN]

The manufacturer's GVWR rating doesn't just take into account how much the truck can weigh without breaking axles or blowing tires BUT how well the truck brakes, steering, and various electronic stability and control systems can handle a specific maximum amount of weight. Starting and keeping a heavy weight moving is almost always easier than stopping it or making it go in the direction you want it to go in an emergency maneuver.

Actually a vehicles brakes are a function of the GAWRs at a minimum which is one reason commerce safely uses the sum of the axle ratings as the vehicles gvw.
A truck with a 4k fawr and a 6k rawr has 10k lb of braking performance at a minimum. Some 3/4 ton trucks have the same brakes as their bigger sister one ton srw trucks.
And lets not forget Fords F350 srw with a 10000 gvwr or a 11200 gvwr both trucks are identical from the ground to the lights on the roof..... just a different gvwr placard.

Coming from the commercial side using the same trucks we rv with I'm always amused how we can use the sum of a trucks axle ratings as its new gvw....and nothing ever breaks prematurely like some rv folks claim nor do we face civil lawsuits/overweight tickets/insurance drops or other silly things rv folks come up with because our gross is above the truck makers gvwr.

[TomG2]

BenK wrote:
Look up the definition of these words and from more than one recognized dictionary

Bottom line is: "believe what you want"...this is still a free country out there...until something that has 'legal' attached to that brings it in from out there and into a court room...with lawyers...

Save us the trouble as there must be one or two that you don't think we uneducated masses understand.

I was charged with purchasing a lot of equipment including trucks during thirty years in the road construction business and I never purchased a truck rated by the manufacturer for ten tons that I intended to haul fifteen tons of hot mix asphalt with. Believe what you want. Disregarding warnings is fun. I have taken my share of risks. I get that part.

[BenK]

Look up the definition of these words and from more than one recognized dictionary

1. Should
2. Can
3. Recommend
4. Shall
5. Require
6. Rating
7. Warranty
8. Liability
9. Regulatory
10. Contract
11. Agency

There are others, but this is the essence of them all for this forum/discussion

The biggie is "liability"

Then their 'legal' definition...sometimes a bit oblique to the commonly accepted definition

But...this is a typical circular topic that comes up often on these forums... :S

Bottom line is: "believe what you want"...this is still a free country out there...until something that has 'legal' attached to that brings it in from out there and into a court room...with lawyers... :E

[blt2ski]

Someday, you will all realize, the manufactures ratings are nothing more than warranty ratings, ie go over that number, they have reason to deny warranty work. No different than chipping the motor etc. if that is to blame for damage to drivetrain, warranty can be denied.

From a legal prospective, the LEO that pulls you over does not care what the manufacture has put on the door sticker. You do not have to let them see the door sticker. Been pulled over at 150% of gvwr of my mdt, which IS the sum of the axels, and did not get an overweight ticket. As my paid for gvw trumps the actual manufacture rating. My 2000 c2500 has a paid for registration of 8000 lbs. If I go down the road at 8600 as the door sticker has on it, Im illegal and over weight!
But as noted by some, the ratings are also what the manufacture feels are acceptable performance standards. Whether they meet YOUR standards, are another thing all together!

Marty

[wq93]

The manufacturer's GVWR rating doesn't just take into account how much the truck can weigh without breaking axles or blowing tires BUT how well the truck brakes, steering, and various electronic stability and control systems can handle a specific maximum amount of weight. Starting and keeping a heavy weight moving is almost always easier than stopping it or making it go in the direction you want it to go in an emergency maneuver. If you greatly exceed GAWR you may break something quickly, if you exceed GVWR (or GCWR) you are going to have a rig that doesn't handle in a manner the manufacturer feels is reasonable. I can remember when GM had a footnote for some of their trucks that the GCWR could be increased by about 25% for low speed operation (i.e. farmers towing wagons) but it didn't mean that the average buyer should use that rating because the performance wouldn't be suitable for normal operation.

GVWR can never exceed the combined GAWR or total acceptable tire load AND in MOST cases it will be far less than either of these numbers because one or more components will be at its safe design limit before the other maximums are reached. If a truck has a 4,000 pound front GAWR and a 6,000 pound rear GAWR then rating it at 10,000 pounds GVWR would require absolutely perfect weight distribution when loaded; who wants to tell poor Aunt Edna that she is going to have to ride on the hood to make the axle weight distribution work properly 🙂

[TomG2]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
5 important ratings


Truck/trailer GCVWR-----stay at/under that number
Trucks RAWR.............stay at/under that number
Trucks Rear Tire Max Load ---stay at/under that number
Trailer Axle Ratings....stay at/under that number
Trailer Tire Max Load--------stay at/under that number


Run the numbers then GO Camping!

Why no mention of GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) or Payload (The number on the Yellow door sticker with the cautionary words)?

You believe in some ratings, like RAWR, but not the total vehicle rating GVWR? Are you qualified to make that determination or just personal choice? Can we also ignore FAWR? How about hitch ratings? Are these just "Suggestions" too. Too bad the engineers go to all the work to assign ratings when all they need are the few that you believe in. Oh well, they need something to keep them busy.

[TomG2]

Deleted

[Old-Biscuit]

TomG2 wrote:


Not sure what your point was in providing the definition of words we all know. You really think should is not a strong enough word for them to use? When someone who designs and builds something as complex as a pickup truck tells me that I "should never" do something,I listen. But I do not know more than them. I admit it.

Have a good day. You obviously don't like what Ford or I have to say on the subject.

LAWYERS wrote it.......
IF if was a BIG NO NO they would have used the words

SHALL NOT vs should never

And has NOTHING to do with FORD...RAM, CHEVY, GMC use the same language 'should never'. Which is a 'recommendation NOT a requirement.
Simple.-----

[TomG2]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

I have negotiated/written several Company/Union Contracts and understand the meaning of 'words'.

So have I. I have also written purchase agreements for the state highway department. One can leave out the consideration of GVWR when giving towing advice. I don't. That might be called "misleading by exclusion". Those are nice words for something else.

Not sure what your point was in providing the definition of words we all know. You really think should is not a strong enough word for them to use? When someone who designs and builds something as complex as a pickup truck tells me that I "should never" do something,I listen. But I do not know more than them. I admit it.

Have a good day. You obviously don't like what Ford or I have to say on the subject.

[HuckleberryHunt]

IMHO, that's a doable combination. Ideal? No. But doable. It won't be the most comfortable to drive, you won't win any races uphill or in a headwind, and you'll want to exercise a little more caution when loading and towing, but no reason you can't get from point A to point B with that setup. I pulled a 6k lbs (loaded) with a 2003 Silverado, similar specs, and it did just fine. Was happy when I switched to a 3/4 ton diesel, but the 1/2 ton got us around for ten years without incident. Not that I wouldn't recommend a more stout towing vehicle, but sometimes that's just not in the cards. For what it's worth.