Towing Jay Flight 29BHDB with Half Ton

[seabeejason]

Hey guys! Long time lurker, first time poster. My family & I currently own a 2011 Jay Flight 26BH & we are signing the paperwork for a new 2017 Jay Flight 29BHDB next week. I have been pouring over all the numbers for towing for the last few hours & I think I am good to go, but figured I'd get your advice before I put my mind at ease. I need to make dang sure I am not getting in over my head & potentially putting my families safety at risk. Take a look at the numbers & let me know what you think. I will never be hauling the travel trailer with the tanks loaded. It'll have things like food, chairs, small grill, & clothes in it. Along with the propane tanks & battery on the tongue. That is it.

Tow Vehicle:
2014 GMC Sierra 5.3L V8 ECOTEC3 All-Terrain w/ Trailering Equipment Package w/ Trailer Brake Controller
3.42 Rear Axle
GVWR 7,200 lbs
Maximum Trailer Weight 9,600 lbs
GCWR 15,000 lbs
GAWR 3,950 lbs
Curb Weight 5,208 lbs
Total Weight (truck with cargo, passengers, gas, etc) 6,225 lbs
Hitch Rating (Distributed Weight) 1,200 lbs

Jayco Jay flight 29BHDB
Unloaded Vehicle Weight 6,930 lbs
GVWR 9,250 lbs
Dry Hitch Weight 825 lbs
Overall Length 34'2"

What do you guys think? I know, I can buy a 3/4 ton or a Peterbilt. And yes, I want one But that ain't happening right now unfortunately. Either this works or I cancel the deal on the new travel trailer.

[bearcat77]

I would think you'll run out of payload on your truck. I think my 27BHS would pretty much max your truck out, but then again we overpack, and have every tool and piece of equipment we could ever possibly need. If your heart is set on that trailer, maybe you pack very light until a 2500 truck is a possibility?


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[quantum743]

Hello and congrats on your first post! In my opinion you will be over your weight limits. Whether or not you are ok with that is up to you.

Your truck GVWR (7200lbs) - Total Truck weight (6225) leaves you with 975lbs of payload to be carried by the truck. If your dry hitch weight is 825, and you add on batteries, propane and the weight of the WDH, I believe you will be at 1000 lbs. That 1000lbs is without any additional cargo in the trailer. That puts you over your GVWR.

Have you taken your current setup across the scale to see what margin you have? That may help you project what your weights would be with a new trailer. With my 2009 silverado with similar specs to what you have listed and my 2018 26BH i was only 120 lbs under GVWR. After a couple trips I didn't feel comfortable and found away to trade up to a 3/4 ton.

[seabeejason]

Originally Posted by quantum743

Hello and congrats on your first post! In my opinion you will be over your weight limits. Whether or not you are ok with that is up to you.

Your truck GVWR (7200lbs) - Total Truck weight (6225) leaves you with 975lbs of payload to be carried by the truck. If your dry hitch weight is 825, and you add on batteries, propane and the weight of the WDH, I believe you will be at 1000 lbs. That 1000lbs is without any additional cargo in the trailer. That puts you over your GVWR.

Have you taken your current setup across the scale to see what margin you have? That may help you project what your weights would be with a new trailer. With my 2009 silverado with similar specs to what you have listed and my 2018 26BH i was only 120 lbs under GVWR. After a couple trips I didn't feel comfortable and found away to trade up to a 3/4 ton.

Going by the Tire & Loading sticker on my GMC Sierra 1500, it says the occupants & cargo shouldn't exceed 1601 lbs. I was just now looking at this before I saw your posts. It goes to zero really quick once I add in all the crap we carry, especially kayaks & bicycles. Adds up to around 1,740 lbs. I could dump the kayaks, bikes, etc for now. Kinda sucks though. I had all my ducks in a row & one of the little f'ers just now waddled off.

[seabeejason]

I ran the numbers using the Husky Towing Calculator & it is saying I am good. I added in absolutely everything in terms of cargo, etc. I even included my bed liner. Either I am too tired to be doing math, or the calculator is lying to me. Or I am too tired to be typing numbers into the calculator. In case you don't notice, I really don't want to buy a new truck if I can avoid it. Safety first though.....

CALCULATED TRAILER WEIGHTS
GVW w/ Trailer (Total) 7329.3
GAW (Gross Axle Weight) 7329.3
Hitch (Pin) Weight 0
Reserve Trailer Cargo Capacity 1920.7

NEW TOW VEHICLE WEIGHTS WITH TRAILER
GVW w/ Trailer (Total) 6447.4
Reserve Tow Vehicle Cargo Capacity 752.6
GCW w/ Trailer (Gross Combined Weight) 13776.7
Reserve Trailer Capacity 1223.3

[need-a-vacation]

Originally Posted by seabeejason

I ran the numbers using the Husky Towing Calculator & it is saying I am good. I added in absolutely everything in terms of cargo, etc. I even included my bed liner. Either I am too tired to be doing math, or the calculator is lying to me. Or I am too tired to be typing numbers into the calculator. In case you don't notice, I really don't want to buy a new truck if I can avoid it. Safety first though.....

CALCULATED TRAILER WEIGHTS
GVW w/ Trailer (Total) 7329.3
GAW (Gross Axle Weight) 7329.3
Hitch (Pin) Weight 0
Reserve Trailer Cargo Capacity 1920.7

NEW TOW VEHICLE WEIGHTS WITH TRAILER
GVW w/ Trailer (Total) 6447.4
Reserve Tow Vehicle Cargo Capacity 752.6
GCW w/ Trailer (Gross Combined Weight) 13776.7
Reserve Trailer Capacity 1223.3

Is the "calculated" trailer weight of 7329lbs per the yellow sticker on the trailer you are looking at? Because you haven't even loaded food, clothes, bedding, or anything else in the rig at that weight. You posted what I am guessing is the "brochure" dry weight in your first post of 6930lbs. Understand the "brochure" weight does not include any options, even those that are a "mandatory" option. Even the propane or a battery isn't included in that weight. Also know that from those of us who have weighed our rigs, our loaded for a trip rigs tend to weigh upwards of 1000lbs over the "brochure" weight. So your ~6900lb rig will probably weigh in the ballpark of 8000lbs once loaded for a trip!!! That will give you a tw (tongue weight) of 960lbs- 1200lbs (12-15% of the loaded rig).

Now add up the weight of: all occupants riding in the truck, all the anticipated cargo (coolers, bikes, firewood, kayaks, etc), any accessories added (step bars, bed liner, tonneau cover/ truck topper, etc), the wdh (weight distribution hitch), AND the tt tw. Compare this total amount to the yellow payload sticker in your truck, which you stated is 1600lbs.

To give you a comparison of some actual weights when we had our '10 Silverado 1500 CCSB 5.3/6spd/3.42 4x4, gvwr 7000lbs, towing a '01 Dutchmen 28 BHS:
Family weight was under 500lbs at the time.
Had a cab high truck topper, spray in bed liner, step bars, WeatherTech floor mats and mud flaps.
Had just about 200lbs in the bed of the truck.
Reese Dual Cam wdh.
Trailer was just about 7200lbs loaded, with 920lbs of tw.
We were over the gvwr of 7000lbs by 200lbs, and just under the rear axle rating by 50lbs (3950lb RAR).

You are looking at a rig that has a dry weight of 7000lbs (vs my 7200lbs loaded), hauling kayaks and bikes (not sure how many of each), and your gvwr is only 200lbs more. Will you be under the gvwr: I don't see any way possible. Will you be under the RAR: maybe, it's hard to know for sure.

What all do you have stored in the front pass through of your 26 Bh? May sound crazy, but take it out and weigh everything as that weight is ~90% (if not more) all tw.

As mentioned, take you current rig (26 BH) across the scales, just like you normally would pack for a trip, with the family, kayaks & bikes. Weigh three times total!!!

1: Truck only, leaving the hitch in and wd bars in the bed.
2: Truck and tt with wd bars unhooked and in the bed.
3: Truck and tt with the wd bars hooked up, ready to travel down the road.

Come back with the weights and we can figure out all your weights for you if needed. Follow my signature links for the CAT Scale how to, and the locator for a scale near you.

[Iraqvet05]

That seems like way too much weight for a 1500 Silverado. Personally, I had a 2007 Silverado 1500 the first season we pulled our 26BH and I hated the way it swayed and pulled moderate grade hills. Your 1500 has the 6 speed transmission which is a great advantage but the nearly 7k lbs will put the truck to the test. The numbers may look OK on paper but if you purchase the TT and find your truck is not up to the task, then what are you going to do?

[Marcm157]

Having recently upgraded from a very capable F150 to an F250, I can tell you even though I thought my half ton was doing the job there is no comparison to how the F250 handles not only the weight but the length as well. I have a much better tow experience now then before.

My F150 had a 2017 pound payload and I used a great portion of it just with the tongue weight of my current trailer which has a yellow sticker weight of 6581 pounds. Loaded for camping I weighed in at 8170 pounds. Granted we load fairly heavy but my point is we were pushing that truck well beyond what I was comfortable with. I don't think you are going to like the tow experience of your proposed setup.

[bearcat77]

Our 27BHS is exactly 1000lb over the yellow sticker weight, and that doesn't include big heavy items like 4 bikes, Cornhole boards, extra drink cooler, etc, which all go in the truck.

Is taking two vehicles to your campsite a possibility?

Have you looked at the 27BHS? I think it's pretty much the same, other than you lose the half bath. Plus side is that I think the pantry is bigger.


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[seabeejason]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet05

That seems like way too much weight for a 1500 Silverado. Personally, I had a 2007 Silverado 1500 the first season we pulled our 26BH and I hated the way it swayed and pulled moderate grade hills. Your 1500 has the 6 speed transmission which is a great advantage but the nearly 7k lbs will put the truck to the test. The numbers may look OK on paper but if you purchase the TT and find your truck is not up to the task, then what are you going to do?

The 26BH & being fully loaded is very easy to tow right now. I recently towed it all to Florida for a week & it did very well. Hardly even noticed it was back there. Regarding the extra weight, I forgot to add in food, chairs, the little grill we carry, etc. I figure that is 400 lbs or so. I did already have the propane & battery added.

I may head up to the dealer to see what kind of deal I can get on a 2500. Looked over the listings last night & saw one that I like. I do have some equity in my current truck, so it may be doable.

[seabeejason]

Originally Posted by bearcat77

Our 27BHS is exactly 1000lb over the yellow sticker weight, and that doesn't include big heavy items like 4 bikes, Cornhole boards, extra drink cooler, etc, which all go in the truck.

Is taking two vehicles to your campsite a possibility?

Have you looked at the 27BHS? I think it's pretty much the same, other than you lose the half bath. Plus side is that I think the pantry is bigger.


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Way I see it, I got a couple options. Pack light. Meaning I leave the kayaks & bikes at home. We really don't bring a lot with us on 3 day trips anyway. We don't plan on any big trips again until next summer.

Second option is that I see how it goes during our next camping trip on August 4th. The 1.5 hour drive will be through the Ozark foothills, so I'll know if it's going to work after that trip. I'm already resigning myself to buying a 2500. It's just a matter of when, this year or next year.

[SkyBound]

The 26BH is a much tamer animal than your new trailer. The 26BH is a great match for your current truck, the 29BHDB is not.

I would not tow anything larger with my truck than what I have now, and I have verified that I'm near the limits of GVWR and GAWR with a 5500lb empty 6700lb loaded trailer with a MaxTow truck, even though I'm under GCWR by 3K lbs. I can't carry kayaks or put a topper on if I wanted to, or carry a generator. Bikes go on the rear of the trailer to offset tongue weight of 900lbs.

I think you're making a good choice looking up to a 3/4 ton truck. You'd likely be exceeding several limitations of the 1500 including GVWR, GAWR, and GCWR.

[Wireman]

If your TT dealer and salesman were honest, they would help you calculate the numbers and figure out if the 1/2 ton is capable rather than trying to make a sale.

JMO

[SkyBound]

^ most TT salesmen wouldn't even know how to do this, let alone care enough to put something in between making their sale. Again, I say most. Some are probably good, but I have yet to come across one.

[Wireman]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

^ most TT salesmen wouldn't even know how to do this, let alone care enough to put something in between making their sale. Again, I say most. Some are probably good, but I have yet to come across one.

My salesman has been around for 25 years and had a book to verify towing limits of my TV and new his specs on the TT's he sold.

He would not have sold me something that was not within limits.

Probably the exception, but the way it should be done.

[vcbice]

First, I would not trust a salesman. Second, the only way to know for sure is to load everything up and weigh it.

The set of numbers in the OP looks to be at or near the limits.

As background we had a 2006 Tundra that we used to tow our 24ft fifth wheel. We were at the limits of the truck. I had to install airbags or it would bottom out the suspension on a regular basis. Over time (4 years) the transmission was giving up from all the towing (30k miles towing, a lot in western mountains). Later models had higher GCWR and hopefully better transmissions for towing.

So, yes, you can tow at max loads, and you will probably need some overload springs. But, long term you may see some issues pop up.

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by Wireman

My salesman has been around for 25 years and had a book to verify towing limits of my TV and new his specs on the TT's he sold.

He would not have sold me something that was not within limits.

Probably the exception, but the way it should be done.

The book is a general listing and is not vehicle specific. As others have said, payload is your biggest limiting factor and that can't be figured from a book as its vehicle specific. Not bashing your salesman just pointing out that payload can't be determined from a book.

[Wireman]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

The book is a general listing and is not vehicle specific. As others have said, payload is your biggest limiting factor and that can't be figured from a book as its vehicle specific. Not bashing your salesman just pointing out that payload can't be determined from a book.

He asked for my specific tow vehicle & engine and determined what it could tow.

[Wireman]

I'm just pointing out he took interest in determining what I could tow. A lot more than most of them.

I've known him for over 20 years, buying a couple class A's from him over that time period. Someone I could trust and appreciated his verifying what I already new.

I new what my payload and axle ratings were so I was informed also.

I did a lot of research and new what model(23RLSW) I wanted, new it's weights and made a informed decision.

All my weights are confirmed at a truck scale and I in the limits of my tow vehicle and it tows well.

[seabeejason]

Well, I called up the dealer today. Got a couple 2017 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT's picked out. Called the bank this afternoon for a pre-approval & I am awaiting word. Thankfully I got equity in my current truck, so payment will not increase much at all. I don't plan to ask permission from the wife on this one, so I hope I don't end up divorced.