pulling a 29ft travel trailer with a 2010 avalanche??

[ravenfan1]

I have 2010 Chevy Avalanche with the towing package .I bought a 29ft travel trailer its dry weight is 5500 lbs . I was wondering if this trailer would be to have to pull with my avalanche ? Im looking for opinions Thanks

[dadmomh]

We just weighed our Rockwood Ultra Lite 2604 - dry 5585/GVWR 6629 and 03 F150 with factory tow and 8000#...OTOH could be 8600 and we're calling the dealer in the morning. This trip requires more stuff - wheelchair, shower chair, misc for DS#1....way more than usual. We all ways pack and load carefully, but found that we are closer than we thought. Calling to dealer to confirm rear end....had this truck since brand new and now can't remember....ugh! I would think 29' at that weight may be wishful thinking and that's a LONG trailer for those specs.

Suggest you triple check specs on truck and clarify dry at vs actual weight as it sits + what you expect to load + people,water, propane, fuel, etc. It adds up quickly.

[Strictly_simon]

With a goof WD hitch you will be ok. If your going to tow across the mountains it might not be much fun. I tow my Crossroads 290Bh with an 07 avalanche ltz.

[ravenfan1]

Thanks for all the info

[AH64ID]

Goldstalker wrote:
That has no bearing it could be 12,000lb GVWR just means it has stronger axles. It only matters how much "stuff" you are gonna load into your camper and you just need to be smart about it. If it weighs 5500lbs empty then load about 1000lbs worth of gear and you will be fine.

Yes and no. I know of several trailers that have 10,400 worth of axles and frame, but have the GVWR around 8K.

Yes the important part is the actual weight, and without weighing the trailer it's hard to guess.

Without hardly anything in my trailer I am around 8,00lbs over dry weight, and then throw water, etc... A GVWR can give you a good starting point for a loaded guess. Its not uncommon for dry weight to not include certain options, such as a/c, 4 seasons package, etc. Not all mfgrs do this, but some do.

When I was last trailer shopping it seemed the GVWR was more based on average use than actual structural limits. All the GVWR's of the brand I was looking at were about the same weight over the empty weight.

So yes you do need to weigh them, but on a TT (not a toy hauler) the GVWR can be a good starting point on weight.

ravenfan1 wrote:
7200 lbs

Unless you don't take water with you I would guess that's too much trailer for that rig.

Assuming your Avalanche has the HD cooling package the GCWR is 14,000. The curb weight is ~6,200, giving you the 7,800lb tow rating.

With the curb and dry weights combined you have a total of 11,700. That leaves you with 2,300 lbs of room to spare for water, food, clothes, and people in the Avalanche.

You are also limited to 1,100 lbs of tongue weight with a WDH. I know my 29' TT is heavy on the tongue, around 1,250 with careful loading and easily exceeds 1,400 if I am not careful on how I load it. It might also be something to consider.

On a 1/2 ton it's generally not recommended to run right up against the GCWR, especially with something that tows much heavier than it is due to the frontal area and drag. (My old 4K lb 18' TT towed harder on flat ground than a 15K lb dump trailer from the drag alone).


I'll be honest, people that tow heavy with 1/2 tons always think it's acceptable. There is a big difference on the TV from a 7K lb cargo or flatbed trailer to a 7K lb travel trailer or 5er. Size is a big factor in what the TV can handle on a emergency stop.

It's always amazes me how big people go with little trucks. It's no different with slide-in campers. Just because the seller/mfgr said they can do it they will, they never actually weigh the things and see how far above limits they are.

IMHO it's always better to have more truck than you need, but I do live in mountain country which biases my opinion.

[Goldstalker]

ah64id wrote:

ravenfan1 wrote:
It has 5.3 4*4 with 3.42 gears and it say its tow capacity is 7200 pounds

What is the GVWR of the TT?

That has no bearing it could be 12,000lb GVWR just means it has stronger axles. It only matters how much "stuff" you are gonna load into your camper and you just need to be smart about it. If it weighs 5500lbs empty then load about 1000lbs worth of gear and you will be fine.

[ravenfan1]

7200 lbs

[AH64ID]

ravenfan1 wrote:
It has 5.3 4*4 with 3.42 gears and it say its tow capacity is 7200 pounds

What is the GVWR of the TT?

[ravenfan1]

It has 5.3 4*4 with 3.42 gears and it say its tow capacity is 7200 pounds

[Doug33]

We tow our 28' TT with the Avalanche. I was concerned at first, moving up from a much lighter 24' TT. But things have been okay. I tried to keep the loaded weight as light as possible, by eliminating about half the cargo and gear that we had in the old trailer. We really haven't towed in mountainous terrain, nor do we plan to. the new TT actually tracks and maneuvers better than the old TT.

[fla-gypsy]

Sounds like a reasonable match but I would need more info on the truck and trailer to give an informed opinion. Truck-GVWR, payload, rear gear, receiver ratings, etc. Trailer-GVWR, tongue weight

[Goldstalker]

You will be just fine just don't load the bed with a bunch of gear put in all in the trailer as payload will be your only concern.

[loulou57]

We have a 2012 Avalanche. We pull a 27QBSS, one long slide, actual 31'8". Dry weight 4201 GVWR 5993. We have no issues pulling. We also pull our 20' princecraft boat behind the trailer sometimes. We have a good weight distribution bars Enjoy!

[AH64ID]

The dry weight is probably low, and if you have a 1/2 ton that is a fairly soft suspension for such a long trailer. It would handle fine under normal circumstances, but have an emergency stop or drive on crappy roads and the 1/2 ton isn't enough in IMHO.

[abc40kids]

Your more than ok and a good set of weight distribution bars will help keep everything nice and level.