I'm retired and my wife is going to pack it up in October, if not before. We were avid campers back in the day. Not so much lately and were hoping that is about to change. We started out tent camping, moved up to pop-ups, then finally to travel trailers. Never owned any class A, B, or C RVs. We attended an RV show over the weekend and that got the juices flowing again. The heaviest I towed was the 20 ft. travel trailer and it was a challenge for the GMC six cylinder I had. I honestly can't remember what it was rated for pulling wise but I know I was close to it's limit. In hindsight, I should have paid a lot more attention to this and was lucky I came through it OK. Pondering on my past raised some questions I'd like help in understanding moving forward.
Firstly, what determines the towing capacity for any vehicle capable of towing? Is it HP? Drive train? I would guess both but what else is considered? Secondly, what are the long term implications on the vehicle with constant towing at the maximum tow rating on a vehicle?
As an example: My Sierra has the six cylinder in it and is rated at 285 hp. It also has a towing capacity of 6200 lb. What would you consider the most you would tow with this vehicle and not be concerned about excess wear on the engine and have it live a long and happy life? 1/2 of the posted capacity? 2/3? Would you tow to the limit every time and feel comfortable about vehicle longevity? These are questions I need more information on as it will likely affect any purchase we make. Sorry if I rambled and I hope you get the gist of what I'm asking. If you need more info on my specific vehicle or needs, please ask.
Towing Info Help.
- Thread starter Sierra048
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I think the suspension of a vehicle is more important that the drivetrain.
Sure, you don't want to not have enough power in-front of you, but especially with tow-behind/travel trailers, your suspension is what's keeping that trailer from swaying excessively, dipping over every bump and expansion joint.
I like 5th wheel trailers for this reason. The load is distributed over the rear axle and they're very easy to tow. Not much sway and easier when making turns.
Also, besides the obvious HP/torque ratings, you got to think about gearing. What's your rear axle ratio?
I'd tow the rating and feel comfortable. If I was going through the hills of PA, VA, etc. all the time, I'd probably want a 5.3 with 4.11s. Where are you planning on going primarily?
Get a 3/4 ton diesel pickup. A heavy trailer fells much better when its behind a 3/4 ton pickup.
With a 1500,you'll probably exceed the GVWR of the truck before you max out the tow rating.
there is some decent info on here:
http://www.gmc.com/trailering-towing/safe-trailer-towing-capacity.html
If your total weight (trailer and all contents) does not exceed your capacity you should not need a new truck. That having been said, with the number you gave of 6200 lbs for your truck, you have to account for the weight of trailer, passengers and all gear you are hauling. You are likely to load that trailer up with all kinds of accesories, food, clothes, generator etc.
So say you need to haul 500 pounds of gear plus 2 adults at 350 pounds for both, you are now at 850 pounds. 6200-850 pounds means you are looking for an empty trailer of 5,350 pounds. That just happens to be about the empty weight of a 5th wheel trailer i tow. I did tow it with a half ton truck for a while, but with the trailer alone I was over weight on the rear axle. The 350 got it going ok, but rear axle gearing was an issue on hills. After a while i got worried about the weight and moved up to a 2500hd and that is really nice not having to worry about the weight. I pull in comfort and with no worry, so that may be a consideration for you.
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What will get you, and you'll have to watch for, is you loading stuff into the trailer/truck then you and your wife climbing into the truck. All that counts against its GCVWR and its ultimate tow rating. All that stuff you and your wife will want to pack along will add up quick.
I forgot to mention fishing gear!
Also look into load-distribution hitches. They will get you much of the benefit of 5th wheels without wedding yourself to that platform. The vehicles suspension is much more evenly loaded, and the trailer's weight balanced better and lateral motion stabilized. I don't like to pull a heavy trailer without one:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts...ion-systems.htm
How your truck is going to hold up is going to revolve around how you treat it/maintain it when towing. Slow down, use a weight dist. hitch or 5th wheel arrangement, add an auxiliary transmission cooler (not hard to do, cheap) if your factory one is not very big (or doesn't have one), consider an AT temp gauge, service the AT more often, etc.
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GCWR rating is where you need to look. Also factor in the need for an external cooler, brake control, & weight distributing hitch & receiver. If you're going to pull it every day, the difference between gas & diesel trucks is big-for example, my Ram can pull our company's enclosed trailer (with it's flat box front) & get 15-17 MPG all day-the company E-250, with it's anemic 4.6, is lucky to get 8-and it's killing itself shifting & screaming at 4K RPM on hills to do it (on interstate hills).
Originally Posted By: Sierra048
Firstly, what determines the towing capacity for any vehicle capable of towing? Is it HP? Drive train? I would guess both but what else is considered? Secondly, what are the long term implications on the vehicle with constant towing at the maximum tow rating on a vehicle?
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^^^
I was once towing through Dallas Fort Worth in rush hour traffic many years ago...and i won't make that mistake again LOL.
Make a long story short, although I was not towing the boat behind the rv on this trip, some how my wiring that lights up the boat had come loose and was dragging behind me on the road as a very nice lady made the effort to let me know some how with a hand signal point to the back of my trailer. I was not sure what was going on, so I pulled over and found the wiring a bit worn, secured it and proceeded to try to get back into traffic. Heavy traffic around 4:30 to 5 pm and extremely difficult to pull back in with a 27 foot rv. After what seemed like forever, I spotted an opening and told my wife "hold on to your a$$, fred" LOL
I was glad i upgraded to the bigger truck! I now plan my trips through Dallas/foat wuth at night!
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Half tons seem to max out GVWR of the truck before hitting max trailer. If it's just you and the wife in the truck, you probably can hit the max trailer. Us with familes though find GVWR quickly hit.
Others will have better info than me. I took my popup on a long trip a couple of times, and I think that has cured me of wanting the travel trailer. I just don't think I can stomach 10mpg for hours on end. 10mpg or less. Can the diesel trucks do better than that? Sure, but they cost more to buy, more to fix and diesel isn't exactly free either. And shopping around for the highest rated mpg won't help, it seems the frontal area of the TT sets mpg to be barely double digits--and that is based upon my observations across multiple light duty trucks, Ridgeline, Tacoma, Tundra, Chevy, Ecoboost.
Bigger trucks pull better and with less drama. Running at max is not my idea of fun, not for hours at a time while moving across country.
Oh, and one other observation: what is "working hard"? I get the impression that some people think that if their truck downshifts on a hill then it has too small of an engine. Pulling 3k on a slight incline is probably normal for anything other than a diesel or an EB--and all three will be slurping down fuel regardless. While I wouldn't want to listen to an engine spin at 4k for hours on end, a good hill is apt to make it live there, and it's not going to idle in top gear on flat ground either.
Originally Posted By: supton
Oh, and one other observation: what is "working hard"? I get the impression that some people think that if their truck downshifts on a hill then it has too small of an engine. Pulling 3k on a slight incline is probably normal for anything other than a diesel or an EB--and all three will be slurping down fuel regardless. While I wouldn't want to listen to an engine spin at 4k for hours on end, a good hill is apt to make it live there, and it's not going to idle in top gear on flat ground either.
Honestly, in your situation the engine would probably be the least of your worries. Even if it is working hard, as long at the engine temp stays within spec it will ultimately be fine.
However, the bigger thing to worry about is the other drive components. Wear on undersized brakes (even with trailer brakes), transmission temp, strain on the driveline, etc.
On larger 3//4 ton trucks you will see factory trans coolers, larger brakes, larger axles... you get the picture. They will also be geared lower, allowing you to make optimal use of your vehicle's torque (albeit at a MPG penalty).
If it were me and I was going to be doing a lot of long hauling, I would do what everyone else here has said and get a 3/4 ton truck that is set up for towing (tow package, trans cooler, lower gearing, etc.). It is not only going to give you peace of mind, but also allow you to relax while you drive and not constantly be monitoring the vehicle on every slight grade that may stand it your path.
People afraid of RPM while towing make me laugh. They'll buy a big burly engine to tow their trailer,and hamstring it by being afraid of the throttle/RPM.
My Duramax makes 397 HP @ 3000 RPM. Being that I paid for all those ponies,I sure as heck am going to use them.
My fifth wheel is 11K and my boat is 10K. I run my truck up north of 2500 RPM all the time. The Duramax is just purring along at those RPM.
You want to cringe? When you're coming down a grade and the grade braking kicks in and the RPM jumps to 4000. That'll make 'ya pucker...lol
ls1mike
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I know. My 6.0 gasser makes peak power at 4400. When running up Vantage, 4th of July pass, Look out pass or the Continental Divide I will hold 4000 RPMs for miles. No issues that is what they were designed to do. Cruising down the interstate, it may drop into third from time to time, but with 4.10's it will hold overdrive most of the time and I don't tow over 65 mph.
Having a 3/4 ton does make a difference. Having the long wheel base and proper hitch setup really help with porpoising and sway. Larger brakes, full floating axles all good stuff if you are towing often, but the current crop of 1/2 tons are really good. You just have to watch your payload.
Great information in a shorter amount of time than I imagined. Thanks to all.
As far as upgrading to a 3/4 ton, I would if I needed to. But we've decided that we are not going the travel trailer route again. I just bought the Sierra so we are going to have to ride within its limitations, although many travel trailers would fit our towing parameters. On my before-mentioned travel trailer hauling, I did have a weight distributing hitch on it. That's the smartest thing I think I did to our set up. I think when it's all said and done, we'll end up with an A-liner folding trailer or the Flagstaff equivalent. Dry weight should fall between 1950 lbs to 2400 lbs. I know this is well within the towing parameters of the Sierra. Actually, the Frontier should have no problem towing as well, if needed. With just me and my bride, we should have nothing to worry about (assuming she doesn't pack half the house since she does enjoy her creature comforts). She would actually prefer a Class C RV, but that probably won't happen any time soon.
I didn't do as much research and vehicle prep I think I should have in our travels before. BITOG wasn't around then. And according to any RV salesperson I spoke with, my 262 cid v6, with 160 hp, truck could move Mt. Everest so a nice, big trailer trailer wouldn't be a problem. I think I was lucky I didn't have more intensive repairs than I did. I don't want to make this mistake again. This was the reason for asking for your input and experiences. Thanks again to all.
I love the notion of the A Liner, but it's too small for me since I have two kids in tow also. Just got a 12' box popup at the end of this summer, and love the size. I just need to fix the roof and get ac, and I will be quite content.
Good luck!
When I tow with the 5.4 2V, I get better mileage (by 1MPG or so) if I keep it wound up on the hills.
It's a 5 speed, so I have control over it. But as soon as I see a hill, I drop it into 4th, and as soon as it starts to get minor steep, just drop it into 3rd and climb at 3500RPM. Walks right up with little throttle
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