tow weight opinions for a possible upgrade

dry/empty weights are a joke...no matter what you load up to or do or don't carry, your best bet is to use the trailers GVW and go from there.....Don't load with water, thats fine, nothing in any tanks, but you WILL carry something....best bet is give us an idea of what the GVW of the trailer you're going to tow is and go from there. Do you tow in the mountains? How many in the family? It's amazing how much one can load into an rv before you realize it.

.....oh, just because TONS of people tow bigger trailers with 1/2 tons doesn't make it right or safe....If the GVW of the trailer can be handled by your truck, then you're good to go. What is the recommendations for your vehicle for towing a TT?

ON EDIT: Looks like "towing capacity" of the TT you're looking at is 7660# or somewhere there abouts...I would think your truck should be able to handle that...again, what does your owners manual tell you about how much you can tow with your truck when it comes to a TT?

I think you will be just fine with that set up.

Sounds like you would be pushing the envelope, depends on what the Payload of your truck is. That trailer has a GVWR of 7,660# and you can expect to be near 7,000# fully loaded which generates over 900# of Tongue weight. Add that plus 400# for your family and another 100# for the WDH and you are at 1400#. Many half ton trucks don't have much if any more than that to start with which would leave you able to take nothing in the truck without overloading the TV. The issue with half tons inevitably comes down to payload.... or the lack thereof. Good luck! :C

Just from the TV. Looks like you will be fine, and IF it is a 2 wheel drive truck, You will be better. No reason a 5.3, 3.73 rear, Can't tow a 7000lb TT. And by what you say. It prolly won't be that heavy. I personally can believe the 400 lb statement. As we only add 600 to our's. And we carry alot more than we need.

If you are only going on fairly short trips in normal terrain, you'll probably be fine. I had the same truck, only a year older with the 4 speed tranny. I pulled the trailer in my signature (5250 dry 7500 loaded) around our area (SE OK, NE TX, West Arkansas) just fine, but last summer's adventure to Colorado made an impression on me! Climbing passes at 4500 rpm for several miles and engine temps rising to 235 is not what I like.

HOw long will the four of you be at 400 lbs? Heck my ex and I are 400 lbs....now add in our 4 kids, I think the minimum we were was around 600 or so, now try 1300-1400 when the kids were adult sized teens! I'd have the op's truck at gvwr before adding the hitch wt of a trailer! so my tow capacity would be zilch, nada, nothing! or what happens when those two tots say, can we bring a friend ea? now you are in my wt catagory!

Reality is, at some point in time......if you go to a bigger trailer, you will need a bigger truck, because if nothing else, you may/will run out of payload, before running out of power with todays trucks. At one time, if a half ton had over 200 ponies with a mid 300 CI sb8, you had a power house. Now adays with V8's having 300hp, you will not run out of HP! yeah at 10K elevation in the rocies you will be down some 90hp, or about 200, try going from 200 down to 140 or so! talk about slow!

So you have to decide if you need a bigger truck, and the why! I needed a 25 series truck to tow a tent trailer, just because as noted above, the wt of my family had a typical 5 or 6 lug 15 series truck at gvwr!

Marty

yea I understand as family grows, needs will change. As they get bigger tow vehicle will age itself out of the loop also. At that time I of course would look back at how it towed versus what a 2500 series would. I was just asking for a baseline of opinion or of people who have towed similar with a similar tow vehicle. It is 2009 ext cab 1500 silverado std bed, z71 with 5.3 has factory z82 hd towing and tranny oil cooler on it. Was just looking to from some people who have experienced similar rigs. We live in ohio, most mountain we would encounter is smokies on 75 southbound. I know alot of people on here are die hard 3/4 ton or better to tow a small lawn trailer, but That isnt always an option for everyone when it is your daily driver also. GM states 7500 to 8000 lbs with up to 1100 tongue weight with wdh. and the trailer will be within that, but like i said, just wanted to hear from folks on here with similar experience. Thanks so much for all of your help.

Reality is, you will probably do fine. My 25 yr old son has a reg cab with a 4.8, 3.42 gears abd the 4l60 trans, he's pulled upwardsof 7K with it, and has no complaints. Does as well or better than my older 6.5td, then again, he has 120 more HP than that motor had, but less torque.

It will pull fine, alibi probably a bit slower and or more revs. I would fine a gear, rpm that the motor is not pushing itself and go up the hills. For my diesels, that has been 2500 rpm or so. For my vortec 350, about 3500-4000. Your 5.3 will probably turn a few more r's than the 350, so 4000-4500, If you need to shift down a gear, but you can go 5500 or so r's, slow to that 4000-4500, and enjoy the ride to the top.

As long as you are not overloaded in axel capacity, have brakes that work on the trailer, enjoy the trip with your kids. When you get over the actual wt capacities of your current truck, look at a new truck. in the mean time, enjoy the time with the kids, they grow up quick!

Another that will allow smaller motors to work better, find a trailer that is more aerodynamic, ie rounded in the front, and has smooth solid walls. The corrogated aluminum trailer do weigh less, but are actually harder to pull, and use more fuel due to worst aerodynamics. SOmething MANY folks do not take into consideration.

Marty

You'll be fine with that set up.

Anyone buying a viewfinder by cruiser rv you need to keep an eye on the front end for color fading I have a 2012 viewfinder 27rbss that is grey in color after 1 year the color has bleached white. It has been cleaned a number of times been waxed no less than three times. Cruiser will not fix it or help with repair. We like the trailer I will not replace with this brand again. Any co. That will not call to task the co. That is producing there front caps is not much of a co. No matter who they are.