BenK nailed it when he says this is not a good candidate for a tow vehicle.
I do know the 4.3 V6, and it's not a truck motor. Those numbers are for 'spurt' only.
All that being said, he should be OK with a trailer up to the limit on flat ground if keeping all other weights in mind. The entire truck will wear much faster than normal though.
Drive it easily and carefully and your memories will be good ones.
Or borrow a friends 1/2HD or 3/4 for the longer trips.
i would go with the smaller camper as the engine will never be to happy with the heavier camper speaking from family experince with a 98 gmc half ton 4x4 with 4.3 and a two place live stock trailer weighing about 4,000 pounds overheated quickly and got about 10mpg was equiped with tow package to boot
I picked the Jayco Swift up on Friday and drove it 50 miles home down the interstate & a curvy, narrow 2-lane. It was a piece of cake, even on a very windy day! Of course, that was unloaded. We'll see how it handles this weekend :-)
Looking forward to a great summer with the kiddos!
For several years I towed a 1972 ho-lo trailer with a 1998 Ford extended cab. The trailer weighed about 3500 lbs empty buy I didn't have to worry about wind resistance. The truck had a 4.2 v6 with 3.55 gears and a 5 speed manual trans. The truck actually did a good job, buy I think it was a lot lighter vehicle than your 09 GM. I went on several trips to the Rocky Mtns. I never towed in overdrive even on flat land.
Do NOT take ratings information as Gospel from any other than the OEM
There are too many middle information points/process/paths/etc that
too often has mis-information (Edmund's in this case)
The main limiting factors or weak links in this foodchain are the very
MPG based diff ratio and the very small engine, which will be worked
to death struggling to tow anything larger than the listed MTWR or
the true MTWR'd trailer
Of course, Benk does the homework that reveals the vehicle is not rated to tow anything at all.
Just a note that it is not just weight, but frontal cross section area that is used to estimate the "load" on the engine, as the Cd of a tow vehicle / trailer is usually pretty high, and far higher than the .3 of a typical SUV.
That directly feeds into the equation 2 ways, with a high Cd sapping what little power the engine can produce, and also another issue is the side (not front) cross section area, which feeds into handling in crosswinds, being passed by a large wind displacing vehicle like a bus, etc.
Think in this case, there is also a brake issue --- and the weak vacuum produced by the 4.3 and whether the booster will generate enough boost.
The bottom line: Manufacturer says do not tow at all.
But to be a bit liberal, tow a small, light trailer or do two trips.
People like to refer to the "good old days" when families towed RVs with low HP trucks and even cars. My best friends Dad hauled a 23'TT all over the state with a late 60's Pontiac Bonntiville. But what is forgotten is that that big boat had a huge motor in it, a beefier frame than most 1 tons today, and he had to add Hi-Jackers, helper springs, a tranny cooler the size of a radiator, headers and I don't know what else. It made a LOT of HP, was strong enough to handle the load, and most important, he didn't drive over 45-50mph when towing.
You can tow anything that does not flatten the tires and suspension - the question is how and are you really willing to take chances with less than optimum equipment.
Safe towing is a lot more than meeting the weight restrictions listed by the maker of your truck. The closer you get to those limits, the faster problems pile up when things get dicey. When towing a TT that is a little tail heavy with a TV that’s close to its tow limits small things become big things fast. And visa versa, too much tongue weight and you'll be wondering why your headlights are shooting into space and your steering is real light. Either problem just requires a small change in load most of the time, but if you don't catch it before you need a sudden lane change at highway speeds - well, its just not going to be fun. That big TT that weighs about 2/3 as much as you do can push you where it wants to go. Its got a lot of leverage.
I prefer to be in control of the TT at all times, not to have the TT in charge.
Larry and Debbie Kruzan
We never turn a corner without wondering in amazement at God's creation!
I have a trailblazer with the 4.3 and the 3.23 re.
With it, I tow a 17.5' bayliner boat, that weighs about 1700lbs dry, and about 2000lbs fully loaded (skis, tube, vests, etc), and with 5 people in the truck itself (2 adults, 2 teens, one 7yo) which adds another 500 lbs or so.
The 4.3 handles it with ease, BUT, we have to be *very* careful with the temperature of both the engine and transmission. In general, the engine runs about 25-30 degrees HOTTER (~220 vs. ~190) when it's towing than when it is not. And, it has overheated a couple of times.
After the second time it overheaded, we put it in the shop, and had a bunch of the cooling system parts replaced. The mechanic said there really wasn't anything wrong with it though, and that this was typical of a 4.3.
I towed an older Coachman TT with my old Chevy 1500 Regular Cab 4.3 with a 5 speed. It was rated at 4,200 lbs towing IIRC. Now I did add helper springs. Now this truck was not going to win any speed races but it got the truck done. I towed 500 miles each way from Florida to Talladega, AL every spring for the NASCAR race. The engine did fine as long as I kept the rpm's up over 3,500 - 4000.
To the OP, I hope you and your family enjoy your trailer and enjoy making some wonderful lifetime memories.
I am a Retired U.S. Merchant Marine Chief Engineer
05 Chevy 2500 4x4 D/A with Helper Springs and Air Ride Air Bags
06 R-Vision RW3360 Fifth Wheel Toy Hauler
97 FLTCI converted into a Roadsmith Trike by The Trike Shop of Daytona
I have the same engine in my truck the 4.3 is a good little engine if it wasn't GM would have dropped it with the 350. As far as over heating if your cooling system is in good shape you wont have any issue. I have towed my 3800lbs htt along with fire wood all over west and central PA and my temp never goes above 210 my normal. And if you wanted to help with towing go pick up a used rear end that has 3.73:1 gears.
Enjoy your summer
I picked the Jayco Swift up on Friday and drove it 50 miles home down the interstate & a curvy, narrow 2-lane. It was a piece of cake, even on a very windy day! Of course, that was unloaded. We'll see how it handles this weekend :-)
Looking forward to a great summer with the kiddos!
BTW, I'm a SHE. lol
Congrats! And thanks for confirming my suspicions. Thought you might be a she. Again congrats and happy camping, John
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