Is our truck strong enough?

[Rickat]

Hi, we are new to trailing and just put a deposit on a jayco feather 23 rlsw. We have a Silverado 1500 6 cylinder 4.3 L truck. Is this enough power to pull the trailer? The specs say it is but.....

[DocBrown]

Welcome! Hope you really enjoy the new trailer!

We don't have enough information. What year is the truck? Crew cab, extended, or standard? What is the payload (sticker inside driver door jamb)? What gears (equipment RPO codes are in the glove box)?

GU4 : AXLE REAR, 3.08 RATIO
GU5 : AXLE REAR, 3.23 RATIO
GU6 : AXLE REAR, 3.42 RATIO
GT4 : AXLE REAR, 3.73 RATIO
GT5 : AXLE REAR, 4.10 RATIO

All of this has a direct bearing on what you can safely and comfortably tow. Everything you need to know about your truck's towing ability is in 3 places, the RPO sticker in the glove box, the load rating sticker in the driver door jamb, and your owner's manual. More is involved than just the tow rating.

My trailer fully loaded to it's GVWR is only 200# less than yours as listed dry. I would not want to pull mine with a 6 cyl GM, at least nothing older than a 2014 (they dramatically bumped the HP and torque for the 4.3 in 2014). I have a feeling that you are going to be very close to your rated capacities. It's probably doable, but you will not like long trips or towing in mountains.

[Rickat]

We have a 2014 4 door extended cab Silverado 4.3 L engine ,3.23 rear axle ratio.

[Rickat]

Oh and the gvwr is 6900 lb

[DocBrown]

2014? That's good, you might be OK. Again, compare the ratings in your manual. Pay attention especially to your payload, keeping in mind that your tongue weight and the weight of your hitch will eat a significant amount of it.

[Rickat]

Thanks so much. We'll make sure not to overload.

[Desert RVers]

Welcome to the forum Rickat and congrats on the new Jayco! If you haven't already discovered the search function here on the forum, I highly recommend it for reading up on all things RV'ing. Have fun and happy camping!

[Country_Mouse]

I am a newbie but during my research I found this towing calculator.

RV Tow Check | Towing Guide Eliminator

Zoë

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Rickat

Oh and the gvwr is 6900 lb

I think are going to have a hard time with a 6 cylinder engine. I have a Ram 1500 4x4 with the towing package with a 5.7liter V8 and its max towing is 10,500 pounds while its full-time continuous rating is 5,500 pounds. If your GVWR on your camper is 6900 you're gonna be pushing a V6 to its limits and you're gonna have a lot of wear and tear on your truck.

I'd look in your manual for the continuous rating or on the Chevy website. If you plan on towing it a lot I would have reservations. IMHO. You should see if your truck is equipped with a transmission cooler and oil cooler as well, because if you are going to be maxing out your truck you'll want those.

Just my two cents, for what it's worth.

Edit: Second Thought: If you are getting this from a dealer they should tell you if you can tow it or not (if they are a good dealer). When I just got my camper they made sure my truck was up to snuff for towing.