Buying a TT

I appreciate everyone's advice on this. I'm going to get the 27 footer and invest in a good hitch and brake controller. It's the size camper I need for my family. If I find that my truck is struggling or for some reason I can't handle the setup to my liking I'll look into upgrading for sure. Thanks so far everyone.

I will add that the advice here is spot on. You don't want to be at your max tow ratings. Its not fun, add in some mountains and your truck will be a dog. O had a 2012 gmc with the heavy duty tow package, it can tow stuff but it was at high rpms the whole way. Just didnt make for a confterble ride.

LVJJJ wrote:
Your trailer WILL weigh a lot more than the advertised numbers, maybe as much as 1000 lbs. So, be sure you weigh it before trying to pull it with the 5.3. The GM 6.0 engine is fantastic for towing, find one. Those 3.42 gears won't help, 3.73 at a minimum. While it'll get you going down the road, you probably won't enjoy listening how hard the engine is working. Transmission cooler mandatory. Yes, Equal-i-zer been using one since 1988.

i can agree with the gearing. My 5.3 with the 3.42's does ok but i need to keep speed at 65-70. at 75mph the truck rpms are screaming away. The chambered muffler doesn't help. Gets obnoxious.

Your trailer WILL weigh a lot more than the advertised numbers, maybe as much as 1000 lbs. So, be sure you weigh it before trying to pull it with the 5.3. The GM 6.0 engine is fantastic for towing, find one. Those 3.42 gears won't help, 3.73 at a minimum. While it'll get you going down the road, you probably won't enjoy listening how hard the engine is working. Transmission cooler mandatory. Yes, Equal-i-zer been using one since 1988.

CleverName wrote:
The math checks out. I've just heard concern on the length but I'm getting a good hitch.

On that subject, are any of you familiar with the Husky line of WDH with Antisway? That's what my local dealer equips and I just wanted to know any good or bad impressions.

Im happy with my husky centerline. It seems pretty easy to adjust and the truck handles great! I've got a 2006 half ton with a 5.3 and im around 4500# loaded though.

Equalizer 4-pt, Reese Strait Line, or Blueox Swaypro are all in the ~$500 range. I have 10yrs with the Reese and love it.

Not familiar, but I would not consider anything less than the Equalizer E4, or Hensley Arrow if you can swing it.

CleverName wrote:
The math checks out. I've just heard concern on the length but I'm getting a good hitch.

On that subject, are any of you familiar with the Husky line of WDH with Antisway? That's what my local dealer equips and I just wanted to know any good or bad impressions.

The math checks out. I've just heard concern on the length but I'm getting a good hitch.

On that subject, are any of you familiar with the Husky line of WDH with Antisway? That's what my local dealer equips and I just wanted to know any good or bad impressions.

I always highly recommend you do the math and then check it. First, know your truck. What motor and what rear gear ratio do you have? Once you know that go to the Trailer Life website and lookup your truck in the towing guides to get your max towing capacity. After figuring that out, find the sticker on your truck's door (usually drivers side on the side of the door as you open it or on the column the door closes to). That will tell you the vehicles curb weight and GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating). The GVWR is the total the truck can weigh (with people and gear included) with a trailer. Depending on options on the truck the truck's weight can vary.

I personally like to leave at minimum 10% overhead in my towing weight. My 2019 Silverado with the 5.3L V-8 and 3.23 rear gear ratio will tow 9600 pounds and a tongue weight of 950 pounds. That means I want to stay roughly 1,000 pounds lighter in my trailer. I figure that 10% makes up for the people and things I will have in the back of my truck.

For your trailer... there is a stick on the door, or somewhere on the outside of the trailer that will list the trailers dry (empty) weight. This is almost never accurate. Just like your truck it depends on the options you have in the trailer unless you want the base options. My new trailer I just picked up is a Coachmen 29se. The manufacturers website says its ~5700 pounds dry. The sticker on the door of the trailer says its 6040 pounds dry. Clearly something is off. I figure we have some extra options in our unit that adds to the weight.

The first thing I did when I picked up the trailer with my wife is take our empty truck (just me and the wife) and the trailer hooked to the truck to truck weighing scale. I was shocked that it came to 12,40 pounds. The truck sticker says its 5,300 pounds and the trailers sticker says its 6,040 pounds. So that's about 800 pounds more than I expected. Now I weigh 180 pounds and my wife weighs 140. So it doesn't make sense. however, I am still within my total GVWR for the truck. (15,000 pounds).

I invested this time in the Equalizer E4, 4 point hitch. Wow, what a difference. Its like the trailer isn't even behind my truck, and I get no bouncing anymore on the road. We pulled it home with high winds and it was

I figure we usually have roughly 1,000 pounds of "stuff" when we load up our trailer and the truck bed with bikes for the family camping trips. But, I will be going back to the scale to weigh that in a week when we leave for our 8 day trip with all the gear.

In closing... do the math, know what numbers you're using for the math, get the truck's data, the trailer's data, and get your rig weighed at a scale. Its worth knowing the data. And for the love of all things right... get a good hitch. The biggest problem I see is people cheapening out on their hitch system. Easily more than half the trailers I see on the road being hauled are not distributing weight properly, no sway control, and they are bouncing and swaying all over the road. Also, that causes vehicle wear and tear much quicker.

I tow that now and its fine. Make sure you invest in the Equalizer 4 point (E4) hitch or the Hensley Arrow and you'll be fine. Ive towed on very windy days with no issues.

kfp673 wrote:

CleverName wrote:
After doing a lot of research I'm looking into a Salem cruise lite 273qb. The dry weight claims to be 5950, and the overall length will be 33' with the tongue and everything. My tow rating is 9100lbs. I'm going to spend the money on a good brake controller and WDH with sway control. It feels less risky to me especially with the dry weight being under 6k. What do you all think?

We had a similar setup for a few years but with a Yukon. The Yukon had the auto air leveling which made it a lot easier to level. You can certainly do it just take your time and know it's going to get a bit "loose" behind you. Invest in a really good hitch. I'm a BlueOx sway pro fan myself but there are plenty of good ones. I upgraded to a 3/4 ton truck and it is a massive difference. Trying to paint a realistic picture for you rather than scare you or say just go for it. We did many trips this way, always got there safe, but definitly have more grey hair and drank more beer once getting there because of it. Especially on highways when you get pushed around. Back roads were really no problem. Give it a try. Your first year of use will tell you if a new truck is in your future or not ;-)