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!

[DLHarrison]

Grit dog wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
Way too much trailer for that age of 1500 truck.
Weights are only part of the equasion. That trailer is going to be a monster sail going down the road. It is going to be pushing you all over the place.

Oh ma gersh! He's gunna kill someone! .....not really.
DL , sounds like you ran all the numbers and you're within them, the 3 big factors imo are:
1. Is the truck in good/great mechanical shape? It could be a dually but at 14 years old it may not be up for the task anymore from a safety or production standpoint.
2. How far/where do you want to go? I'd tow that thing all over the Midwest, but would have second thoughts about towing thru the Rockies. Or beating it down the road 20,000 miles a year.
3. What do YOU think? Are you comfortable handling it? Any prior experience towing trailers?

Set up properly it is not a problem. Notthe mack daddy ideal, tow in comfort with the cruise on in top gear through a tornado type of setup, but it's adequate if you can answer all the above favorably.

Yes - the truck is in good shape - has 120,000 miles on the odometer. New shocks, new truck tires, brakes good condition (checked by local garage), changed and replaced all fluids, etc.

Truck is used for towing and short trips in town (I'm retired so it is used maybe once or twice a week for short trips). Upcoming trip is through southwest Texas ( no Rocky Mountain trips) to Big Bend and the hill country.

I started towing a pop up camper in 2009, upgraded to a hybrid camper in 2012 and picked up the current camper this past November. I have don't have any problems towing the trailer - maximum speed that I will go is 60 mph. I plan on taking a trip this October to Texas and look to upgrade to a Chevy 2500 in early Winter.

Dave

[TomG2]

DLHarrison wrote:
Will you please clarify your question regarding payload on the Silverado?

Exactly as stated. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating minus actual weight equals Payload or the amount of weight that can be loaded onto the pickup in the form of tongue weight, passengers, and cargo. Many owners are surprised and disappointed to find only a few hundred pounds are available for trailer tongue weight. PS: Actual weights, not brochure weights which can be off by fifty percent or more.s

GVWR is usually posted somewhere on the tow vehicle. Yours is probably in the 6,200 to 7,000 pound range.

[Grit_dog]

donn0128 wrote:
Way too much trailer for that age of 1500 truck.
Weights are only part of the equasion. That trailer is going to be a monster sail going down the road. It is going to be pushing you all over the place.

Oh ma gersh! He's gunna kill someone! .....not really.
DL , sounds like you ran all the numbers and you're within them, the 3 big factors imo are:
1. Is the truck in good/great mechanical shape? It could be a dually but at 14 years old it may not be up for the task anymore from a safety or production standpoint.
2. How far/where do you want to go? I'd tow that thing all over the Midwest, but would have second thoughts about towing thru the Rockies. Or beating it down the road 20,000 miles a year.
3. What do YOU think? Are you comfortable handling it? Any prior experience towing trailers?

Set up properly it is not a problem. Notthe mack daddy ideal, tow in comfort with the cruise on in top gear through a tornado type of setup, but it's adequate if you can answer all the above favorably.

[Gulfcoast]

I started to buy a 2004 Silverado to tow my TT, but I'm so glad I went with a Dodge 2500 Diesel. What a good time to trade for a diesel.

[SoundGuy]

DLHarrison wrote:
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.

The danger of exceeding GCWR is in most cases irrelevant because in most cases you'll exceed the truck's payload capacity long before coming anywhere near it's GCWR. With the trailer's average GVW loaded and ready to camp weighing in at 6480 lbs that by definition means you should be running ~ 850 to 900 lbs of gross tongue weight. What you really want to know is how much your truck weighs with a full tank of gas, no one and no cargo in it - that's it's real world base weight. Subtract that from it's GVWR listed on the driver's side door jamb sticker and what you have left is it's actual total payload capacity, that which you will use to account for the weight of everyone in the truck, all additional cargo in the truck, PLUS tongue weight transferred to the truck from the trailer when hitched up. And don't forget that 80 to 100 lbs of weight distribution either - it ALL counts. Believe it - you'll max out payload long before you come anywhere near exceeding it's GCWR.

You have an advantage with that 3.73 but it will only do so much to compensate for your wide ratio 4-spd which will absolutely force you to lock out Drive and tow in 3rd, with shifts down to 2nd on serious upgrades if you want to maintain road speed. No question it will be slightly more adept at this that my 2006 Silvy and 2005 Avalanche, both with the same 5.3L engine, but both with a slightly less capable 3.42 axle than your 3.73. I towed our 5500 lb KZ Spree for 6 years with these vehicles, from here in Ontario down through many US states without issue but I sure wouldn't wanted to have towed any more with either truck. JMO, but that 6500 lb Heartland Mallard is IMO too much trailer for your truck and even if it can manage to handle this much gross tongue weight I suspect you'd be seriously disappointed anytime towing conditions are anything but ideal - serious upgrades, heavy wind, both. You want a much lighter trailer to tow with this truck.

[SidecarFlip]

People tend to buy too much trailer. Mainly because the sales drummer talks them into it...

[DLHarrison]

Will you please clarify your question regarding payload on the Silverado? Also, I stated that the length of the trailer is 30 feet - this includes the distance from the end of the trailer to the hitch. Is this correct? I cannot find a satisfactory response - some say it is the body only while others say it is the entire length (rear bumper to the tip of the hitch). Thanks - Dave!

[TomG2]

What is the payload (gvwr-5,760) for your setup?

I tried a Silverado 1500 with a 5,000 pound trailer and was disappointed.

[ib516]

I pull a 3500 lb (loaded/wet) 17' with a very similar truck (2006, ecab, 4x4, 3.73, 5.3) and it does great. It does use 3rd (not 4th/OD) to cruise on the flats, and has to drop to 2nd gear to climb hills. I wouldn't want to haul a 30 footer with it, but your may do OK for short trips on flat ground.

[donn0128]

Way too much trailer for that age of 1500 truck.
Weights are only part of the equasion. That trailer is going to be a monster sail going down the road. It is going to be pushing you all over the place.

[MFL]

While your truck may work for you, it will likely be under powered, which gets old, when traveling a longer distance. The older 5.3s with 4-speed were down on horsepower and torque. Being at max ratings is not usually the best experience. While some will say it tows just fine, others may say it was a horrible experience.

Jerry