Towing with a TC

The GCWR (Gross Combination Weight Rating) is the weight that your truck can handle. It includes everything: truck, trailer, dog food, people, camper, etc. Think of it as the weight that you would see if you put your entire loaded vehicles on a scale at once.

LeRoy

LeRoy - THANKS!!! That's just the easy, simple answer I was hoping for. I checked the owners manual and it says I can handle 16,000# GCWR. Now I need to put the camper on and head to the scale to see what I have to work with (with a fudge factor for stuff in the camper).

Except, it's not that simple. It never is.

The weight of the trailer's tongue is carried by the truck, which means your truck needs to have enough payload capacity left for the trailer tongue.

Pay attention to your rear axle weight. If it's over 6084, you have ZERO towing capacity left, and you are exceeding the axle capacity with just the camper.

In other words, your towing capacity is (GCWR - actual weight of the truck), as long as there is available payload capacity for the tongue weight.

OK - you had to throw a wrench into my excitment.... But, I will definitely check into the tongue weight of the trailers. I know my little boat has almost none to speak of and the enclosed one is pretty light and well balanced too, but I'll get it weighed. I'll check out the scale once I get everything loaded on the truck. Thanks again...

you want *some* tongue weight though. I mean, don't move your ATV back in such a way that you have zero or negative tongue weight.

mkirsch wrote:
Pay attention to your rear axle weight. If it's over 6084, you have ZERO towing capacity left, and you are exceeding the axle capacity with just the camper.

And the tires too, if it has OEM tires on it.

I have the same GMC truck 04 2500HD 4.10 4x4 . I would upgrade the 04's stock recvr. hitch. They were 'not the best' .

My non slide Lance 845 camper is about 4000# and i have been towing boats and various trailers for 70k miles with this truck, no issues.
Trailer: Cargo Pro (Sno Pro) 5x12 alum. 950# dry wt. loaded up=2000# , which is under the payload of the 3000# trailer. AS for the truck , i'm under the rear axle wt. but over my GVWR of my truck because of the camper . I'm ok as far as the combined weight . Im not worried about the GVWR because the trucks frame can handle it, the axle rating is what's important, that's the weak link.
I did upgrade my tires to 265x16 E in order to beef up the low 6000# plus rear axle as stated. With the new tires my axle is now 6800# plus. (these are rounded off numbers by a few lbs.)
to offer better control and handling I added Rancho 9000 shocks, rear sway bar, air bags and stableloads. I also added a CURT 2.5" hitch with a 24" extension because of my campers overhang. CURT 2.5" hitch
Tongue/hitch wt. should be 10-15% of the trailers wt.

No problems towing a 3500# boat and trailer with 2500# wet Angler.

Have the same truck with a lance squire 185 and tow a 21ft eliminator boat without problems.It aint the fastest rig on the hills loaded up but it gets to where i want to go.

Thanks everyone for the information. Based on what you all have said and what I know about how the truck is optioned - I feel real save towing the little mini items I have in my toy collection. Thanks again!