I want to buy a TT to spend time with the kiddos and make some memories this summer
However I am so confused about how big of a camper I can safely tow with my truck. I know it will have to be a small one...
Here is the info I know:
Tow vehicle: 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 4.3L V6. 2WD. EXT cab.
Axle ratio: 3.23
GVWR 6400 lbs
RGAWR 3750 lbs
Max trailer weight 4,400 lbs
GCWR 9500 lbs
Curb weight 5027 lbs
Max towing capacity (per Edmunds) 7700 lbs
Max payload 1373 lbs
The camper I really want has a weight of 3,890LBS.
If you packed that thing full of kids and stuff, you are not going to have much left for the tongue weight (10 to 15% of trailer weight.
A conservative calculation is:
GCWR 9500lbs less GVWR 6400 = 3,000lbs
Or from curb weight 5027lbs add 300lbs tongue weight, and you have 1,000lbs for mom and pop, kids, luggage, and everything else to not max out GVWR at 6,400lbs.
That gets you a trailer with a weight of around 2,500lbs (Folding tent, tiny trailer).
3,890lbs GW Trailer is out of the question.
Disregard the Edmunds rating, if your truck's door jamb label says GCWR is 9,500lbs, Edmunds is flatly wrong.
Get a new truck if that is what you want to do, a 350 with lots of spare capacity.
Unless you fancy risking your entire family's lives.
FYI, for best handling and safety, get a tow vehicle rated to tow 30% more than what you actually want to tow.
That is my preferred safety margin --- especially for inexperienced drivers / infrequent towing.
I had a 1/2 chevy pickup with the v6 engine and a 3.42 differential, it was a good truck, but we bought a 24ft camping trailer,
everyone said, you can pull that no problem, but it was a problem, you did not watch the gas gauge, you watched the heat gauge.
was just too much trailer, nothing worse than having a trailer that is to large for your tow vehicle.
before you buy, can you rent or test pull the size trailer that you want to buy.
put the family in the vehicle and load the back with firewood, etc: so that you would have a load similar to what you would normally pull on a camping trip.
give a good old test drive on hills, up/down, because stopping is much more of a danger than not being able to pull the trailer.
if you have too much trailer it will push the tow vehicle.
good luck,
my motto: you can not have a large enough tow vehicle.
for the same trailer i now have a 2005 dodge diesel 3/4 ton truck, it handles the 24 ft trailer fine.
Pulling a 4,000 to 4,500 GVWR TT with a modern 1/2 ton truck is not a problem. You have sufficient payload capacity available based on manufactures ratings and doing the math for curb wieght versus GVWR. Just don't throw everthing but the kitchen sink into the truck bed when your towing.
I do suspect that with that high rearend axle ratio and the v6 engine you will be surprised at how little power you have at highway speed though. You will be towing with that engine above 3,000 rpm to maintain highway speeds.
As a partical example my wife (not extremely experienced to start out several years ago) pulled a 6,000# scaled weight TT with an '05 Tahoe 3.73 ratio with 5.3L engine for 5 years. Not one problem the whole time and we pull into the NC mountains all the time. If the Tahoe can easily handle 6,000# your 1/2 ton truck with a longer wheel base will handle a 4,500# trailer not problem even for a beginner.
The suggestion above to use a 1 ton truck for that wieght trailer while not wrong is extremely conservative (good excuse though if you just want one). I have a 1 ton dually that pulls an 18k# horse trailer. I'm not over any manufactures ratings except GCWR but I am well within GVWR, Tire Rating, and axle ratings. Pulled that trailer well over 50,000 miles and no issues with power, handling or braking ever, period. A 1 ton is overkill for that trailer
I really can't get a new truck. My second option is a jayco jay flight swift slx with an unloaded weight of 2,740. Do you think this is doable? Anything smaller won't sleep enough people and traveling alone with my kids I wouldn't feel safe in a popup.
Get a new truck if that is what you want to do, a 350 with lots of spare capacity.
Unless you fancy risking your entire family's lives.
Seriously?!? I'm not usually one to take these comments on - but even for the weight police, this is absurd. In no way is it reasonable to suggest someone needs a 1-ton vehicle to tow a 4,000 pound trailer for some summer camping. That's not a 30% safety margin (which I would argues is an excessive standard in itself), that's a 75% or more safety margin (or more)!
That said - to the OP, I DO agree with this individual that you would likely be overextending your truck on this. While you could probably make it work in your payload, your V6 simply will not be enough. The tow rating you found in Edmunds is for a certain truck with a certain configuration (probably a V8 with certain gears, etc...). According to trailerlife's tow guides, the V6 has tow capacities ranging from 4,400 to 4,900 pounds depending on configuration, and that includes nothing other than a 150lb driver.
So, take your trailer that will weigh 4,400 pounds, your gear, and your family, and I think you'd be well over the power available in your truck. With a V6, I think you're limited to a small pup - beyond that, you're probably looking at a new TV.
familyfun2012 wrote: I really can't get a new truck. My second option is a jayco jay flight swift slx with an unloaded weight of 2,740. Do you think this is doable? Anything smaller won't sleep enough people and traveling alone with my kids I wouldn't feel safe in a popup.
Loaded weight of under 3,000lbs (water holding tanks empty, etc.)
I've looked in them at RV shows and they seem to be nice but of course small. The people I've asked about them (who have one) all say they like it. For an adult and a few kids it would probably be fine.
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News w.... You are way out of touch. The proposed original combo by the OP is VERY doable. OP if you are careful with what and how you load the truck will hum right along very happily. A 1 ton is just absurd LMFAO.
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