weight of trailer and truck size

[gserve]

I just purchased a new 2017 Chevy Silverado 4wd 1500 double cab pickup with the standard bed. It has the 5.3 V8 and towing package with built in brake controller 3.42 axle. The GVWR is 72000. According to the manual it looks like I can tow a 9800lb trailer. I am looking at a trailer with a 8600lb GVWR. Can I safely tow this trailer? Never really understood how to figure what I can tow. Any help or advise appreciated. Thanks

[deltabravo]

Towing with 3.42 gears will be a very miserable experience unless it's all flat land or downhill.

[afidel]

Oh, and those whining about the gearing, the 8L90 has a 4.56 first gear and then 5 more non-overdrive gears to keep the engine in the power band, a far cry from the old 4 speeds.

[owenssailor]

Per the current GM publication that truck has a GVWR of 7200 lb, payload is 1850 lb and max trailer weight is 9200 lb. The engine in the 2017 is 355 HP as compared to the 2012 referenced above which is 315 HP.

There is no doubt that a top of the line weight distribution hitch with integated sway control would be necessary ( Equal-i-zer brand or Blue Ox for example)

With 1850 lb payload the truck should handle the tongue weight fine and stay within specs as long as the OP does not go wild loading in everything including a spare kitchen sink. The empty tongue weight is not very high. Working tongue weight will likely be in the 1000 lb range. That leaves 850 for passengers and stuff.

My 2012 tows our trailer fine. It has been 5 winters averaging around 8000 miles towing each year which has included 3 trips across the mountains to San Diego.

Based on my experience with an older version of that truck the OP will be fine as long he uses normal caution.

[theoldwizard1]

SoundGuy wrote:
... most likely GM's ubiquitous 3.42, not the best for towing, ...

CONCUR !

You need more axle, around 3.7-4.1.

[afidel]

Dog Trainer wrote:

troubledwaters wrote:
People jumping to conclusions without having the most basic of information, like Payload Rating for starters.

OP, you can research this and come to some very sound conclusions for yourself by checking out this site. clicky

Your going to need the payload rating, FAWR and RAWR on your truck from the yellow sticker on the door; then your going to need to know some basic info on the TT. You will have to make some reasonable assumptions about how you will be loading the TT and truck (both cargo and people). Lacking all this information, everything else is just jumping to conclusions.

No conclusions to Jump to. That truck will not safely tow the trailer the OP is asking about. So spend all the time you want researching it but the short answer to the OP'S question is too much trailer for that truck.

Why not? He'd be under GCWR and my similar truck has 1720 payload so with two adults and a lightly loaded bed I'd be under cargo capacity, not sure why you're confident he'd be unsafe.

[gserve]

The truck combined weight rating is 1,772lbs and the camper dry weight is 5,592 and GVWR is 8,600 and hitch weight is 572lbs

[troubledwaters]

Dog Trainer wrote:

troubledwaters wrote:
People jumping to conclusions without having the most basic of information, like Payload Rating for starters.

OP, you can research this and come to some very sound conclusions for yourself by checking out this site. clicky

Your going to need the payload rating, FAWR and RAWR on your truck from the yellow sticker on the door; then your going to need to know some basic info on the TT. You will have to make some reasonable assumptions about how you will be loading the TT and truck (both cargo and people). Lacking all this information, everything else is just jumping to conclusions.

No conclusions to Jump to. That truck will not safely tow the trailer the OP is asking about. So spend all the time you want researching it but the short answer to the OP'S question is too much trailer for that truck.

Not wanting to be argumentative, but I will anyways. I'll bet you a $1,000 I can tow that trailer with that truck "safely" for the next 10 years.

But that is not the real answer is it; and what does "safely" mean. I at least gave the OP the basis for real information to arrive at his own fact based conclusions. Everybody else gave him nothing.

[Dog_Trainer]

troubledwaters wrote:
People jumping to conclusions without having the most basic of information, like Payload Rating for starters.

OP, you can research this and come to some very sound conclusions for yourself by checking out this site. clicky

Your going to need the payload rating, FAWR and RAWR on your truck from the yellow sticker on the door; then your going to need to know some basic info on the TT. You will have to make some reasonable assumptions about how you will be loading the TT and truck (both cargo and people). Lacking all this information, everything else is just jumping to conclusions.

No conclusions to Jump to. That truck will not safely tow the trailer the OP is asking about. So spend all the time you want researching it but the short answer to the OP'S question is too much trailer for that truck.

[troubledwaters]

People jumping to conclusions without having the most basic of information, like Payload Rating for starters.

OP, you can research this and come to some very sound conclusions for yourself by checking out this site. clicky

Your going to need the payload rating, FAWR and RAWR on your truck from the yellow sticker on the door; then your going to need to know some basic info on the TT. You will have to make some reasonable assumptions about how you will be loading the TT and truck (both cargo and people). Lacking all this information, everything else is just jumping to conclusions.

[boosTT]

Short answer- No. That's too much trailer and not enough payload.

[ScottG]

I thin you will run out of payload with that trailer. Verify the numbers and take a serious look at everything else you will be hauling; passengers, firewood, camping equip, they all take away form payload.
You will be near 1000# with just the tongue weight of the trailer or more if you put anything in it or fill the water tank.
Not enough truck IMO and that's a mistake any of us has only made once.

[evanrem]

It's all about the payload. Get an understanding on tow capabilities of your truck and realize the closer you are to the max of any of the limits the worst the tow experience will be.

[SoundGuy]

gserve wrote:
I just purchased a new 2017 Chevy Silverado 1500 double cab pickup with the standard bed. It has the 5.3 V8 and towing package with built in brake controller 4.3 axle. The GVWR is 72000. According to the manual it looks like I can tow a 9800lb trailer. I am looking at a trailer with a 8600lb GVWR. Can I safely tow this trailer? Never really understood how to figure what I can tow. Any help or advise appreciated.

No way the axle is 4.3 ... most likely GM's ubiquitous 3.42, not the best for towing, 'though the 6 speed narrow ratio transmission will help. No way GVWR is 72000 either ... guessing you mean 7200 lbs. I recently upgraded from my 2005 Avalanche to a 2012 Silverado Crew Cab 4x4, same 5.3L, same 3.42 axle ratio, same 6-spd transmission, but GVWR is 7000 lbs ... I wouldn't tow a trailer weighing any more than ~ 6000 lbs loaded & ready to camp with this truck.

If you really want to understand what you can safely tow with your truck you want to weigh it with a full tank of gas. If you're in it at the time it's on the scales subtract your weight from the scale reading. The result is the truck's actual base weight as it sits there ready to be hitched to a trailer. Subtract that number from it's GVWR which is listed on the driver's side door jamb sticker and the result will be the truck's actual payload capacity which you'll use to account for the weight of all people and all cargo in the truck plus any tongue weight transferred from the trailer to the truck. Exceed that and you'll most likely exceed the truck's GRAWR (Gross Rear Axle Weight Rating) ... and count on it, you'll hit that wall l-o-n-g before you come anywhere near the truck's GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating).

Here's a sample of my own Trailer Tow Capacity Worksheet.

[DutchmenSport]

See my signature line below. It speaks volumes, then you decide if this truck will do what you are asking?

[APT]

Maybe? Frankly, there is not enough information provided yet. There are a few ratings for the tow vehicle that tend to limit RV tow weight below the tow ratings. Payload and receiver ratings are most common. If you plan to have a lot of weight in the truck while towing (cab and bed), then the amount of payload left for trailer tongue weight is reduced for example.

7000 pounds dry is really pushing the limits of even the most capable half ton. That's close to 8k loaded for a long weekend with 1000 pounds of tongue weight. Is this your first travel trailer?

BTW, your axle ratio is likely 3.42.