choosing a tow vehicle

[Noahron]

Hi, we had a 34ft class A MH that we had nothing but trouble with,between
break downs on hwy tow bills and stress ,It caught fire twice. but any way my wife and I decided to trade for a T T something to pull behind pickup.
any ways we got a great deal on a 2015 Jay flight 27RLS last October that we love. the problum is out dealer never asked what I had for a TV and I didn't do my home work and wanted that M H GONE so we bought a T T to heavy for our truck.now I cant afford a new 2500 series truck right now and I have a 2013 Silverado 5.3 wit the 3:42 gears what should I do?
Doe's any body tow with a 1500 silverado with a 5.3 and 3:73 gears and how does it do. I can get a decent deal on the Silverado wit 3:73 gears
or take my chances .with the 3:42 gears this year till I can afford a 2500

[christopher.smith50]

The 5.3 with 3.42 gears should tow over 9,000 lbs:

http://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam...0eBrochure.pdf

How heavy is your TT?

[slabat]

It seems like the cost of a 2500 is not much more than a 1500 as long as you are looking at a gasser and not a diesel. If I was going to stay with a 1/2 ton truck I would seriously consider the ford Eco-Boosts. I think they are great trucks.

[Skaling]

Your trailer is probably @ 7000 lbs dry and has a max gvw of @ 9200 lbs. why push the envelope with a 1500... IMO I would be looking for a 2500..then you won't have troubles like you did with your MH

[vtdanokim]

Buy a nice weight distributing hitch, take it easy and your 1500 should tow it fine. It's amazing that people we American's have to have nothing smaller than a 3500 to tow a pop up...
The Europeans and Australians tow massive TT with sedans!

[eldermike]

I pulled trailers like yours with less truck than you have now. Yes its better to have more truck than you need but you can tow your camper. Just slow down, its not a race.

[rryman]

I had an 05 Silverado, 5.3, 4:10 axle. We pulled a Jayco 242, 24', 5000# dry weight.
We made two trips out West, about 7k miles each time. Last year we went to Yellowstone. My fear was the mountains out there. When we got to a grade, I found a truck or someone else going my speed, fell in behind them and motored on. On mot long grades, I was at about 45mph and 3000rpm. But there were a lot of others right there with me. I tried not to let the rpm go over 3500. The truck had a tow rating of 8700#. I wouldn't have wanted to have had thet much weight behind me going over some of the grades we encountered. But, the truck did fine, all in all.
I know some people are pulling a lot more with a 5.3.

[NewBlackDak]

A good used diesel 2500 will last you many years and you let someone else take the new vehicle hit. Not to mention, you could find one that wasn't ruined by DEF/DPF.

I was towing mine trailer with a big tow Titan, and it was not enough truck. It was definitely tail wagging the dog.

That said, you are under your rating(depending on payload and loading). If you take it slow and easy, you should be fine.

[rryman]

………….. It was definitely tail wagging the dog.

I guess a lot of us are guilty of that. We bought our first TT "THinking" that our tow vehicle was enough. Wasn't so upgraded to another truck. Then, upgraded to another trailer. This time, we found the unit we thought we would settle on for a number of years to come, added in a little margin, THEN bought the tow vehicle. Hopefully this will suffice for years to come. (or until we see something we like better, of course!!)

[clubhouse]

A 2500/250 is the best option, but I understand finances dictate a lot. I would really work on getting a 2500, even if it's a bit older.

As far as the 3:73 vs 3:42, my question is what year is the 1500 5.3 3:73 you are looking at? In the older 4speed transmissions, 2006 and older, it would be essentially the same as a newer 6 speed 3:42. The extra 2 gears in a later model truck make that 3:42 perform essentially the same as older 3:73.

The real issue I think you have is payload capacity. That can't be fixed in a 1500/150, with the exception of maybe a new ford F150 ecoboost with both max tow and max cargo option. Finding those used is a bit like finding a unicorn.

[David472]

The real issue is the tongue weight. We have the 26RLS, which Jayco now calls the 27RLS. Pretty much the same trailer, with slight floor plan layout change. The loaded weight of ours is 7200 lbs, and upwards of 7800 lbs with some water in the tank. BTW, the tongue weight of our TT doesn't change with or without water. The tank must be centered nicely over the axles. Now comes the kicker, our tongue weight is 1100 lbs (15%). We used to have a Chev 1500 with 3:42 gears. The tongue weight plus other stuff put us over the GVWR by a few hundred lbs. Never towed the 26RLS with the 1500 though. I went shopping for a nice 3 year old 2500 gaser, which we have now. The sticker price was literally half the new vehicle price, and our trade-in dropped the cost even more. I'm very glad I got the 2500. Night and day difference.

[SouthCo]

So you have the trailer and the truck? Have you towed to see how it feels?

Your Silverado 5.3 3.42 will tow it but you will know its there. It will run high rpms on all hills. I had, basically the same truck, a 2010 Sierra 5.3 3.42 (6spd) w/ max trailering package. I had an 18' enclosed trailer that I'd tow our toys in and I would estimate it, when loaded, weighed about 6k pounds max. I knew it was there and going up hills, it had the power, but it would really have to hold higher rpms all they way up. When my wife decided we wanted a camper, I told her that was fine but I was getting a 2500.

Your looking at a 6k pound unloaded trailer. Again it will do it. I would not trade to another 1/2ton just to go from 3.42 to 3.73. Like clubhouse check payload. I have no idea what the payload is on your truck.

[SouthCo]

Originally Posted by vtdanokim

Buy a nice weight distributing hitch, take it easy and your 1500 should tow it fine. It's amazing that people we American's have to have nothing smaller than a 3500 to tow a pop up...
The Europeans and Australians tow massive TT with sedans!

Just because they tow massive tt with sedans doesn't make it safe or comfortable...

[clubhouse]

Originally Posted by vtdanokim

The Europeans and Australians tow massive TT with sedans!

Travel Trailers, or what they commonly call caravans, are built with different load distribution because of what they use for tow vehicles. They aren't towing TT with 1000 lbs plus tongue weights with the sedans you mention. In America TT are designed to carry 12-15% of the TT by the vehicle, not the same overseas.

[vtdanokim]

Originally Posted by clubhouse

Travel Trailers, or what they commonly call caravans, are built with different load distribution because of what they use for tow vehicles. They aren't towing TT with 1000 lbs plus tongue weights with the sedans you mention. In America TT are designed to carry 12-15% of the TT by the vehicle, not the same overseas.

Very true, but as long as you don't go over max GVWR and watch your tongue weight, a lot of modern half tons are far more capable then most people think. I've towed a lot more weight then folks think I should with my half ton, but I keep my tongue weight below my max, and keep a close eye on GVWR by using our CAT scale up the street. if my weight goes up, I stay in the right lane, and just stay behind the 18 wheelers as to not slow down the rest of traffic. And yes, I never carry less than 11% tongue weight on any trailer I tow.

Just take it easy and drive slow, and keep within the max specs of your truck.

[Paintinfool3]

I say it depends on how far and over what terrain you plan to travel ... wd can take care of a lot but I know I had a 7800 lb trailer I pulled with a Yukon and 5.3 and it really didn't like hills at all ... always downshifting and the airshock system went south trying to level before I could get the equalizer hooked up lol

[MrKong]

Why not if the tongue weight is within your capacity, it would be far cheaper to have the rear end re-geared and get a set of air bags. That's assuming your are within your GVWR.

[cekkk]

deja vu all over again.

[Twistzz]

To be comfortable, especially when in mountains and hilly country, I'd go with a used diesal as well. Been there done that with the half ton and it is night and day. Good Luck, lots of deals out there just be patient...

[vtdanokim]

Originally Posted by Twistzz

To be comfortable, especially when in mountains and hilly country, I'd go with a used diesal as well. Been there done that with the half ton and it is night and day. Good Luck, lots of deals out there just be patient...

Go with what your pocket and DW comfort level dictates.

I wouldn't hesitate to tow your camper with my half ton. I just bought a 29sqb, and plan on towing it with my Titan.