Towing Capacities - Diesel Forum

drdenny1 · 09-15-2008, 10:32 PM

My son's friend has a 04 Chevy 1500 Extended Cab 2WD SB. He is looking to purchace a travel trailer. We were looking for weight capacities, after looking on a couple of sites I said TDS was the place for the answers.

So if ya don't mind... What size/weight trailer would be recommended without going over the safety limits for his truck?

Thanks!

chris u · 09-15-2008, 10:43 PM

What motor and tranny does he have? I have a half ton gmc 4X4 with a 350 and a five speed manual and it pulled a 5000 pound travel trailer with no problems I did put a extra set of springs in the rear because I also haul my 4 wheeler in the back hope this helped some.

drdenny1 · 09-15-2008, 11:02 PM

4.8L Auto Trans.

chris u · 09-16-2008, 10:14 AM

I am not sure what the weight limit is, it should say in the owners manual or on the truck inside the door or under the hood. I would recommend a brake controller and a light weight trailer around 17 to 19 foot and a tranny cooler if it doesnt have one. Even with that wont be very fast in the hills and depends on the gearing. Good luck.

MarkEkberg · 09-16-2008, 10:45 AM

I think most small 1/2 tons are rated to 8K worth of trailer. That is with trailer brakes and a leveling hitch.

SmokeyWren · 09-16-2008, 11:35 PM

I know zippo about bowties, but I assume it's competative with the F-150.

F-150 max trailer weights depend on rear axle ratio, cab, engine, wheelbase (or bed length)and 4x4/4x2. The comparable F-150 is a 2004 SuperCab 4x2 shorty with 4.6L engine. Max trailer weights are:

Code:

axle    GCWR    Max tag
                trailer weight
----  ------   ------------------
3.55   11,700   6,300
3.73   12,200   6,800

Those numbers are max, and assumes there is absolutely nothing in the truck except one skinny driver, so the truck grosses no more than 5,400 pounds before you tie onto the trailer. No tools, no jacks, no bedliner, no luggage, no cooler, no passengers, no pets, nothing. So for most of us, if we don't want to be overloaded when we reach the CAT scale, we have to subtract about 1,000 pounds from those max weights because we have other stuff in the truck besides one skinny driver.

If it were my grandson, I'd advise him to not even look at trailers with a GVWR over 5,500 pounds to tow with that truck. That just about rules out all the regular and even the "lite" travel trailers. So look at pop-ups. My camper was a pop-up "tent" camper from 1968 until about 1992, with a GVWR a lot less than 5,000 pounds. We drug that camper all over the USA, coast to coast and border to border. It was a lot better than the tent we had before we bought the popup.

THEBUNDO · 09-17-2008, 02:10 AM

Maybe he needs to get an old Oldsmobile

SmokeyWren · 09-17-2008, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THEBUNDO

Maybe he needs to get an old Oldsmobile

Yep. Way back when, I had a new '65 Olds Delta 88 with the 454-or so premium-gas "Rocket" engine. Later as my commuter car I had a used 7-years-old '63 Ninety-Eight with a similar huge gas-gulping engine. Lots of power for dragging a trailer. Modify it by adding good shocks and an oil cooler, and it would tow a good-sized trailer cross country. But it got only 8 MPG without towing and about 5 MPG when towing. On "premium" gas. And I didn't try to drag anything over 5,000 pounds back then. So no thanks, I'll stick with my ole '99.5 PSD. It gets over 11 MPG when dragging an 8,000 pound 5er.