UPDATE: 2015 Silverado Double Cab 4x4

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I don't find the coil suspension to sag any better or worse than any other truck. I have had up to 1200 pounds in mine and it reacts about the same as my old Silverado.

Sag with a trailer is decent, I towed a 4k tongue heavy landscape trailer the other day and it hardly sagged at all.

Maybe I'm not doing enough "truck" like stuff with my little light duty half ton. Its a half ton I'm not going to hook at 12k trailer up to it even if the marketing department says I could. For half ton stuff it works just like any other one.

I hope you don't mean 4k tongue weight...any truck would sag with that.

I don't have dog in this fight, just that the guys towing trailers similar to mine on the RV board were complaining about sag. My tongue weight is about 800 lbs.
The reason for such a nice ride is the suspension. Noting more, nothing less.


Most half-tons (NOT THE HD VERSIONS - like yours 1mike-which includes Ford's MAX TOW), have a payload of between 1400 and 1800 pounds. So anything over an 800 pound tongue weight will put you right against payload (or over) once you load passengers and cargo if your pulling a travel trailer for a weekend family getaway.

 

[userfriendly]

Put the cargo in the trailer.
And before the trip is half over?
Put the kids, dogs and o'lady in the trailer too.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: used_0il
Put the cargo in the trailer.
And before the trip is half over?
Put the kids, dogs and o'lady in the trailer too.



IMHO when it comes to buying a travel trailer to be pulled with a half-ton pickup, most owners of said half tons make way too heavy of a choice in travel trailers. Then they go on the RV forums and start talking about Firestone airbags, cold air intakes, tunes, etc., to try to make up for a poor decision.

 

[hattaresguy]

More or less, most manufactures lie about their tow ratings.

For example my half ton Ram has a realistic maximum carrying capacity of 1400ish pounds, with me and some tools in the truck per a calibrated scale. My truck by 1500 Ram standards is pretty light, add options and that number quickly decreases.

Now with the Hemi and 3.92 gears my "towing" capacity goes to 10k pounds which is total [censored].

So with a 10% tongue weight and subtract about 100 pounds of payload for the bigger motor I'm left with 300 pounds... take one more person who lets say is 150 and I'm weighing luggage like the airlines.

No margin of error at all, and with some gear in the back totally illegal.

I rate my truck to tow around 4k-6k pounds, realistically.

 

[userfriendly]

If I was going to use a 1500 for towing, I would get the crew cab 143" wheel base,
the 6.2L engine and maybe XHD trailering package too.
Slammed, suspension mods and 22s, would make a good sports car out of it.
The 6.2L engine should discount the trailering option, but I wouldn't bet on it.
(If I read the sheet correctly, the 6.2 comes with a bigger rear-end and 3.42 gear already.)

What makes me laugh, is all those trucks with leveling kits towing with the headlights pointing at the tree tops.

A lifted truck is on the list of "things not to do" for towing.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Fortunately for you, since you couldn't afford to purchase the truck you decided to rent it. In 2 or 3 years you can just rent another one, and once again support your local dealerships, salespeople and banks.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Fortunately for you, since you couldn't afford to purchase the truck you decided to rent it. In 2 or 3 years you can just rent another one, and once again support your local dealerships, salespeople and banks.


Unfortunately for everyone, you must have forgotten your previous post about the same truck.

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
That sure is a nice pickup.

I also admire the generosity of folks who choose to make lease payments. Not only does it help stimulate the economy, but it helps put money in the pockets of the staff at the dealership and the lessor. There aren't a lot of folks who are that generous, knowing they can't afford it, but still choose to reach out and help others like that. Once you're done renting you'll help stimulate the secondary market by turning it in and walking away so the folks at the dealership profit once again and someone else gets a great deal on a slightly used vehicle.

Not to mention all the accolades and jealous looks from people who think you actually own it.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Fortunately for you, since you couldn't afford to purchase the truck you decided to rent it. In 2 or 3 years you can just rent another one, and once again support your local dealerships, salespeople and banks.


Unfortunately for everyone, you must have forgotten your previous post about the same truck.

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
That sure is a nice pickup.

I also admire the generosity of folks who choose to make lease payments. Not only does it help stimulate the economy, but it helps put money in the pockets of the staff at the dealership and the lessor. There aren't a lot of folks who are that generous, knowing they can't afford it, but still choose to reach out and help others like that. Once you're done renting you'll help stimulate the secondary market by turning it in and walking away so the folks at the dealership profit once again and someone else gets a great deal on a slightly used vehicle.

Not to mention all the accolades and jealous looks from people who think you actually own it.

 

[cptbarkey]

 

[userfriendly]

OK everyone, post your mortgage. Quit trying to fool people into thinking you actually own the farm.

 

[Dave Hess]

After lease of Silverado is up, get a Ram that's a better driving truck.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
More or less, most manufactures lie about their tow ratings.

For example my half ton Ram has a realistic maximum carrying capacity of 1400ish pounds, with me and some tools in the truck per a calibrated scale. My truck by 1500 Ram standards is pretty light, add options and that number quickly decreases.

Now with the Hemi and 3.92 gears my "towing" capacity goes to 10k pounds which is total [censored].

So with a 10% tongue weight and subtract about 100 pounds of payload for the bigger motor I'm left with 300 pounds... take one more person who lets say is 150 and I'm weighing luggage like the airlines.

No margin of error at all, and with some gear in the back totally illegal.

I rate my truck to tow around 4k-6k pounds, realistically.


Actually-the weight you have at 4k to 6k pounds is what I recommend for half-tons to tow. That is a comfortable weight with some cargo capacity left. Of course, on the truck boards "Macho" gets in the way and they don't listen. Then the how do I increase my tow capacity questions come out. When in reality, you can't legally increase your payload beyond what's stamped inside your driver's door. I tow a 5,500 pound-30 foot Ultra Light and my payload is 1444 pounds. It' a 2011 Silverado Crew Cab (5.3-2WD) with the towing package. Chevrolet rates it at 9,600 pounds . Total fantasy. How are you going to tow 9,600 pounds and not be over payload?

 

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
More or less, most manufactures lie about their tow ratings.

For example my half ton Ram has a realistic maximum carrying capacity of 1400ish pounds, with me and some tools in the truck per a calibrated scale. My truck by 1500 Ram standards is pretty light, add options and that number quickly decreases.

Now with the Hemi and 3.92 gears my "towing" capacity goes to 10k pounds which is total [censored].

So with a 10% tongue weight and subtract about 100 pounds of payload for the bigger motor I'm left with 300 pounds... take one more person who lets say is 150 and I'm weighing luggage like the airlines.

No margin of error at all, and with some gear in the back totally illegal.

I rate my truck to tow around 4k-6k pounds, realistically.


Actually-the weight you have at 4k to 6k pounds is what I recommend for half-tons to tow. That is a comfortable weight with some cargo capacity left. Of course, on the truck boards "Macho" gets in the way and they don't listen. Then the how do I increase my tow capacity questions come out. When in reality, you can't legally increase your payload beyond what's stamped inside your driver's door. I tow a 5,500 pound-30 foot Ultra Light and my payload is 1444 pounds. It' a 2011 Silverado Crew Cab (5.3-2WD) with the towing package. Chevrolet rates it at 9,600 pounds . Total fantasy. How are you going to tow 9,600 pounds and not be over payload?


That's [censored]. Post the law that makes it illegal to tow over your payload. There is no agreement on that subject on the rv forum and in many states you can get your truck licensed for whatever weight you want.

 

[CKN]

That's a source of controversy Nate. But then when your over payload and you have an at fault accident you will have to prove how you can operate a vehicle over the manufacturer's payload specification in a safe manner, especially if your grossly over. And your right-in some states you can register whatever you want. They just want the fees based on weight.

Being a ex-Southern Californian I can tell you that outside Glamis California (where the dunes are) the CHP use to sit with portable scales and site those that were obviously over. So-there is some law there. I'm not searching for it.

 

[Nate1979]

OK, lets state it like this. In almost every state no LEO will even care. Whether or not you are negligent is much more than just being over the payload. Especially when many payloads are not actual design payloads but artificial number you can select when buying the truck (more for 1ton trucks). You can be over payload and driving perfectly safe. And you can drive under payload but be driving reckless with the weight not properly loaded. But when people come onto the forums and scare people about it being illegal that's [censored].

 

[dishdude]

If you're involved in an accident with bodily injury or a fatality, you can be assured the weight will be thoroughly investigated.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
If you're involved in an accident with bodily injury or a fatality, you can be assured the weight will be thoroughly investigated.


Agreed Dishdude. The following I address to Nate-

A savvy Lawyer will look at the payload. If it goes to court, then you can explain to the judge how you as the operator thought you were safe by putting airbags on, overload springs, whatever to increase the payload. You can explain to the judge what your qualifications are; and how you know more than the engineers who designed the truck. It would be fun to sit in the courtroom and observe this.

Being sued for negligence if your over payload is not a scare tactic. Do you have any question in our litigious society this wouldn't happen? I can tell you Nate that if you were over payload and plowed in to me (your fault)-I would sue. That's a fact. Now you can flame me for saying this is what's wrong with society, etc., etc. I don't care.

Also, the CHP sitting outside Glamis, CA with scales and pulling over 5th wheels is also a fact. Maybe they don''t care in Oregon, but they care in California about weight.

And when your over payload and going over the design capabilities of the truck-how do you rationalize this isn't at the least illegal and at the most negligent? Again, you know more than the engineers? Please tell us your line of work or occupation that makes you this qualified? I will tell you I'm retired. I spent twenty years as an outside Industrial salesperson, drove well over a million miles and have seen all kind of nonsense on the road.

 

[Hokiefyd]

My folks used to full-time RV, and spent a lot of time at clinics on how to RV better, etc.

Lawsuits regarding over-loaded vehicles are not made up. This stuff happens, and people lose their shirts over it. It's just not worth it.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
If you're involved in an accident with bodily injury or a fatality, you can be assured the weight will be thoroughly investigated.


I have personal friends in my business that were sued out of existence for running 3/4 ton vans overweight. A savvy lawyer WILL find out and your liability is then no longer covered by your insurances!!

Smart folks who want to keep their biz know this...

 

[CT8]

The trucks with lift kits can get in huge trouble when involved in an accident . Since pearls of wisdom are being shared.
yes you can get in big $$$ trouble being over loaded in any vehicle.