Can I Tow This With My Truck?

[Lan_N]

My wife and I are making some changes in our lives trying to inch ever closer to our dream of traveling around the U.S. We are both outdoor enthusiasts and want to see and explore this majestic country of ours. We recently purchased a 2016 Silverado 1500 (4x4, double cab, max towing package, and a 5.3L V8 engine) to tow a TT in the near future. We've attended several RV shows and looked at bunch of floor plans. Base on what we want to do and our life style we believe that a TT with a bunk house will be best for us. However, since we know nothing about towing or about RV we are here for some advice.

Our truck has a tow rating of around 11k lbs and we are interested in the the Salem Hemisphere 27bh. The trailer total length is 32'8" with a dry weigh of 6048 lbs and a cargo capacity of 3117 lbs. Our first question is will our vehicle be able to handle this? Or should we be looking for something lighter and smaller? Also, what is the maximum length a 1/2 ton truck can safely tow? Since we are planning to be relative mobile what's the maximum weight I should be looking at? Thank you in advance for your help and advice.

[DutchmenSport]

After reading a few thousand posts on RV.net, I think that most folks would agree with this summation. Disclaimer: I'm talking in very general terms here, and every trailer, 5er is different and has different weights. But as a general synopsis:

Travel Trailer or 5er total length 23 feet or less = 1/2 ton truck Single axle, gas or diesel

Travel Trailer or 5er total length 23 - 31 feet = 3/4 ton truck gas, but diesel is better, and single or duly, but duly is better.

Travel Trailer or 5er total length over 31 feet = 1 ton. You can do it with a gasser, but diesel is by far the way to go, and duly will give you much, much more stability. And still use a WD hitch system.

Anything with a triple axle or over 40 feet, you at the line where you need to start thinking about HDT trucks or 450, or 550.

Here again, this is VERY subjective, it does depend on the weights of the trailer and every trailer is different. And you can tow with any truck, but the question is, how comfortable? And... do you have enough truck to stop the trailer in the event of brake failure in the camper. (This will happen some day ... even if you simply forget to plug in the trailer pig tale to the truck one time ... like I did once, and on my previous trailer, had brake failure 3 times until I was able to get the problem finally fixed).

Regardless of the size of your trailer, get a proper hitching system and don't short cut.

[evanrem]

You need to figure out the numbers on what you can tow. Do some research and get a grasp on what it all means. You can then make some what of an informed choice. With that being said if you pack lite and don't load up the bed of the truck you might fall under the limits of the truck. If you get your self a high end hitch and load the trailer properly the tow might not be so bad but better with a 3/4 ton. I had the same setup and pulled it for 5 years, just upgraded to a 3/4 ton and its a way better tow. If you fall under all the limits on the truck and you are happy with the tow you are good to go, but as you reach the limits that is where the white knuckles towing starts and it's really no fun

[bobndot]

That truck also has a small gas tank . At @ 8 mpg , towing just about any TT , wiil mean more frequent fuel stops. The shorter the rig, the easier it will be for you.
Many gas stations , the pumps are perpendicular to the road with a convenience store attached to it. The parked cars at the store front as well as the dopes that park at the pump and leave the car there while they sit and drink coffee will be an issue.

[bid_time]

Looks like you ran into the "got to have a diesel dually to pull a popup crowd". Let's start with the payload number and go from there. Look for a yellow sticker on the door of your truck which will say something to the effect of: "The maximum load of cargo and passengers shall not exceed _____ lbs." What's that number. No one can tell you anything until they know that number.

[krobbe]

To figure out how much weight you can tow, you need to find the most limiting factor of the vehicle. Ignore the 11K lbs tow rating. That is pie in the sky.
Look for the payload capacity of your truck. There is a tire inflation sticker inside the driver door jamb that says something like "Weight of cargo not to exceed ____ pounds". That is what the vehicle can carry.
Starting with that number, subtract the weight of passengers, anything else to be carried in the bed, and 100lbs for the weight distrib hitch.
What is left over is how much trailer tongue weight the vehicle can carry.
For stability, a TT needs 12 to 15% of it's loaded up to camp weight on the tongue. Now take the vehicle's left over carry capacity and divide that by .15
What you have, is the maximum weight your vehicle should tow based on it's payload capacity.
As an example:
My 3/4 Suburban has a payload of 2000#. Passengers can be up to 800#. WDH 100#.
2000 - 800 - 100 = 1100.
1100 / .15 = 7333
My TT loads up at 7200# with 1100# hitch weight ready to camp. I am just within(barely) payload capacity.
The tow rating on my truck is 10,500#. So you can see how payload is the limiting factor for my vehicle.

[Rbertalotto]

A "Dream" truck is usually not a 1/2 ton with a 5.3.....I had one and it was a nightmare pulling a much smaller trailer. 4000 rpm and 30mph going up hills is not fun! The day I got back from a western mountain trip I traded for a 3/4 diesel. Now THAT is a dream truck.

[LarryJM]

Lan.N wrote:
My wife and I are making some changes in our lives trying to inch ever closer to our dream of traveling around the U.S. We are both outdoor enthusiasts and want to see and explore this majestic country of ours. We recently purchased a 2016 Silverado 1500 (4x4, double cab, max towing package, and a 5.3L V8 engine) to tow a TT in the near future. We've attended several RV shows and looked at bunch of floor plans. Base on what we want to do and our life style we believe that a TT with a bunk house will be best for us. However, since we know nothing about towing or about RV we are here for some advice.

Our truck has a tow rating of around 11k lbs and we are interested in the the Salem Hemisphere 27bh. The trailer total length is 32'8" with a dry weigh of 6048 lbs and a cargo capacity of 3117 lbs. Our first question is will our vehicle be able to handle this? Or should we be looking for something lighter and smaller? Also, what is the maximum length a 1/2 ton truck can safely tow? Since we are planning to be relative mobile what's the maximum weight I should be looking at? Thank you in advance for your help and advice.

1. You are IMO right on the edge or probably over on what I would consider a comfortable towing combo and definitely not one I would want to do extensive traveling on extended trips with.

2. While there might be exceptions for something close to full timing traveling long distances over extended times with a trailer you would want to use I think a 1/2T is just too light and something more capable would be a better choice overall.

3. I thing you probably made the first mistake in choosing the vehicle you did for the reasons you stated and now are going to be faced with choosing a trailer less than you want that will be the best for the type of traveling you are looking at doing.

You're going to have to compromise somewhere .... less than a desirable trailer or a more capable TV ... you're call.

Larry

[rbpru]

Can you pull the TT with your truck? The short answer is yes but you will most likely be at or over the max cargo capacity of your truck.

Some folk have an inordinate fear of towing with anything less than a Gonzo mega-power beast; other just get in and adapt.

According to the CAT scales I am pulling a 6200 lb loaded TT with my F-150 E-Boost. I am at my Max Cargo limit. I have had no issues in the last 17,000 mile in the Rockies or on the flat.

Buying a trailer is major investment. My standard advice to the first timer is to Rent a TT similar in weight and floor plan to what you think you want.

A week or ten days on the road will tell you a lot and answer many questions.

I also help eliminate buyers remorse because you know what to expect.

[owenssailor]

Based on my experience you should be able to tow that trailer. You will likely be right up against your payload ratings depending on how much stuff you take along.

Our Jayco 28U is 5400 lb as shipped. The trailer cabin is 28ft. Overall it is 30.5 ft. Loaded for snowbird travel it is 6600 lb. My truck is a 2012 Silverado crew cab 4x4 5.3 6spd 3.42 rear end. We use and Equal-i-zer 4 point hitch. I am at payload limit.

We have done round trips from Ont to Maritimes, Key West, Malibu, San Diego and are currently at Lake Havasu this trip. Mileage is way over 30 000 miles towing.

We get no push or pull from transports passing. When going up long steep grades the engine does rev - up to 4000 at times. Those engines are built to take those kinds of rev.

The 2016 has 355HP vs my 315. I don't remember torque. Did the 2016 come with the 8 speed? That would likely help on long hills.

Would a smaller trailer be easier to pull? Maybe. However fuel economy would likely remain about the same since it is the windage of pulling the box through the air that is the real penalty. Now I don't have any experience going through the Rockies.

It does depend on how comfortable the OP is driving a long machine. Some people as mentioned above will never be comfortable. Others are fine.

However, being reasonable on what is loaded and how it is loaded that truck should work fine.

[tonymull]

Essentially, your payload is what matters, not your towing capacity. You will always come up against the payload number before you reach the towing capacity. Your payload needs to exceed the tongue weight (take the trailer weight and add 25% for gear, the logic being that the bigger the trailer the more junk you will put in it. Then take 15% of that number as your tongue weight.) Then add the weight of any passengers, gear and anything else you might be putting in the bed. Add the weight of a weight distribution set-up, about 100 pounds. Whatever that works out to, your payload needs to be more. You'll have a tough time with a larger trailer not exceeding that number for a half ton pickup. Half tons do well with trailers about 24' or less.

[bob213]

There's no joy in "white knuckle" towing. I would rather be under-trailered or over trucked and have a relaxing drive. I would suggest a smaller trailer or a larger truck. I don't know your numbers but keep in mind, very few of us keep our 1st trailer. Think of the future when planning your truck or trailer.
Best of luck persuing your dream. We love every minute we are out with our trailer!
And by the way...Welcome to the forum!

[old_guy]

I'll tell you the same thing a friend of mine told me years ago, shoulda bought a 3/4 ton in the first place. and he was so right. I did buy a 3/4 ton and it tows so much better than the 1/2 ton ever did.

[corvettekent]

Lan.N wrote:
My wife and I are making some changes in our lives trying to inch ever closer to our dream of traveling around the U.S.

If this has been your dream why did you buy a 1/2 ton truck?

You can buy a bigger truck now or a bigger truck in a few years but the bottom line is you won't be happy towing a 32' trailer with a 1/2 ton.

[MitchF150]

You'll be maxed out with that combo IMO, just going by the numbers. Will you get down road with it? Sure.. How you feel while towing it is really up to you and what your towing expectations are.

Pedal to the floor, winding the engine out over 4000 rpms, getting less than 10 mpg, feeling 32' of trailer behind you.. Are these conditions you expect, or will it concern you?

Sounds like you've never towed before, so these things can be daunting to the nerves the first time you experience it..

I got lucky in my youth, I was exposed to driving and towing stuff before I even had a drivers license... Then, I worked construction in my 20's and drove and towed all sorts of overloaded and interesting combos all over the country.

Anyway, you are going to get a lot of questions on "tow ratings" and "payload" and lots of other stuff about the vehicle.... None of that really matters until you know what it's like to tow in general.. I've seen people not be able to tow a simple utility trailer around the block without running it over every curb.. To those that towed way overloaded and did just fine.. 😉

Good luck with it all! It'll be quite the experience no matter what!

Mitch

[Drew_K]

What's the payload capacity of your truck? There's a sticker inside the driver door sill that says weight of cargo not to exceed ____ pounds.

What's the tongue weight on the trailer? Fully loaded, I bet the tongue weight will be closer to 1K pounds.

Without knowing more, 33' is a pretty long travel trailer for a 1/2 ton truck. That 6K pounds of dry weight will probably end up closer to 8K pounds by the time you're loaded up. And forget about the 11K advertised towing capacity. It's marketing BS.

I'd say you're right at the edge of what will be a comfortable towing experience for your truck. I consider anything over 30' to be a large TT and pushing into 3/4 ton truck territory. When we travel, I rarely see large TT's towed by 1/2 ton trucks, and I think there's a reason for that.