rockhillmanor wrote: You can "pull" anything with a truck, how SAFELY it will pull it is another thing. I would think that keeping one's family safe would be first on anyone's list.
I saw this yesterday.
It's a good example of "my Blazer can tow anything".
IMHO.....I don't want to be on the road any where's near THIS scenario. The front end tire roll on this set up is an accident waiting to happen.
My parents sold their 28 ft TT to my Aunt. They came and got it with a mini van with no W/D or sway control. They are still around so I guess they made it.
Doing it wrong in an unsafe manner and succeeding does not make it right or safe for others around them.
"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us".
I hate to tell you sky, but you're fine. The only thing I would suggest if you are worried is to put more of your gear in your TT and less in the pickup bed. If you can reduce that by 100lbs or so, then I think you're well into the clear.
SkyPiGG wrote: MAX payload is 1732...Hitch weight is 710.
Any actual scale weights loaded up for a trip?
Hitch weight will likely be at least 200 pounds higher. As equipped payload is likely to be 200 pounds lighter, maybe 400 pounds lighter for high trim/lots of options. Family of 4 or 5, plus firewood, bikes, chairs, grill, toys, etc in the bed adds up quicker than most new RVers estimate.
Quote:
So I guess my question is... what's going to break first?
A little over GVWR, certain parts tend to wear quicker. Shocks, bushings, springs sagging, that kind of thing. A good WDH with integrated sway control will still handle well. Maybe more bouncing when towing as well because the springs/shocks are tuned for specific weights.
Transmission issues are more relative to GCWR and poor driving techniques, not over payload/GVWR.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009 2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS 2012 VW Passat TDI
Here's my thoughts: a truck overweight isn't itself a hauling hazard ASSUMING it has enough brakes to slow the package down, assuming it has a proper hitch setup with proper sway control, and assuming it isn't GROSSLY overloaded (for example, so much that it's sitting on the bumpstops in the rear or similar.
Where you might run into issues is the DURABILITY. Rear springs might start sagging with lots of use. Shocks won't last as long. Accelerated wear on drivetrain components such as axle bearings, etc. Transmission is especially a concern if temperature isn't monitored.
And, all of this also depends on how it is driven. Drive it hard, durability will probably suffer more quickly. Drive it easy, then it may last just as well as a truck pulling a lighter trailer. For example, just because it will pull a hill at 65mph doesn't mean you should if the truck is turning 4000 rpm.
Lots of variables in this whole equation. Take it easy on your equipment it will last much longer. Even if overweight somewhat.
With all that being said, transmission is usually the weak link, especially if temps and fluid aren't monitored.
Richard White
2011 F150 Ecoboost SCREW 145" 4x4
Firestone Ride-Rite Air Springs/Air Lift Wireless Controller
2006 Sportsmen by KZ 2604P (30')
Hensley Arrow
rockhillmanor wrote: You can "pull" anything with a truck, how SAFELY it will pull it is another thing. I would think that keeping one's family safe would be first on anyone's list.
I saw this yesterday.
It's a good example of "my Blazer can tow anything".
IMHO.....I don't want to be on the road any where's near THIS scenario. The front end tire roll on this set up is an accident waiting to happen.
My parents sold their 28 ft TT to my Aunt. They came and got it with a mini van with no W/D or sway control. They are still around so I guess they made it.
Doing it wrong in an unsafe manner and succeeding does not make it right or safe for others around them.
never said I'd get in the van with them or even want to be on the same road. Dad tried to give them their money back when they showed up in a mini but my Aunt is stubborn and wouldn't hear of it.
We see a lot of RVs here heading to or from the mountains every day. A lot of them I wouldn't be in or even around. Last week we came up on a rig that even changing lanes caused the TT and TV to violently wiggle for about 5 secs. As we got closer, they changed lanes again and the same thing happened. As we passed I saw it was a F250 that had been lifted for off road use and had big 4x4 tires. They had the TT on a drop down hitch with no W/D or sway control.
TT was no bigger than ours and so easily within the limits of a F250. Even so I wouldn't want to be in that truck either.
2011 GulfStream Amerilite 25BH
2007/2003 Ford Expedition
Nights camped in 2011 21
Nights camped in 2012 16
anaro wrote: This thread is gonna probably get good.
For me the problems were more from a handling standpoint and not from a things breaking. I only did it for a season so nothing broke but the fact that the TV was pushed all over the road and down a 7% grade was enough for me to upgrade. I do beleive many say you could be over the tire ratings and they could give out. Not sure what else. I say if you are fine with your combo then more power to ya if it handles ok.
I'm with you except for the tire rating thing. Remember the truck does not have to carry the trailer, only the tongue weight. Most stock truck tires, The ones with P on them, are rated for 2271lbs. So the truck would have to weigh more than 9084lb to be over the tire rating. Or have more than 4542lb on the rear axle. Not going to happen.
I stand corrected, I may have been thinking about what is said about TT tires. Thanks Terryallen
and you would prolly be right, I was focused on the TV. My bad.
If you're over on PAYLOAD and not on GCWR (or tow capacity), how is this extra hard on the transmission and differential? (....or, I should say, any harder than having 400 lbs less weight on the truck eating up payload capacity as opposed to putting that weight in the trailer to get it off the truck "payload" category and into the "towed weight" category?).
rockhillmanor wrote: You can "pull" anything with a truck, how SAFELY it will pull it is another thing. I would think that keeping one's family safe would be first on anyone's list.
I saw this yesterday.
It's a good example of "my Blazer can tow anything".
IMHO.....I don't want to be on the road any where's near THIS scenario. The front end tire roll on this set up is an accident waiting to happen.
X2 I am so over folks who have no regard for other folks on the highway........it puts others on the highway at risk for all the reasons stated in so many previous posts.....match the TT to the TV you should not be pulling a TT down the road with a TV that is beyond any of the TV's weight limitations....period....this situation is no different from the guy who thinks it's ok for him to drive at 80mph in a 70 mph zone....it puts others lives at risk.
If Ralph Nader had driven a truck/camper combo we'd all be packing tents. Non of our rigs are safe compared to a Corvair on it's own.
Actually, as a catagory, horseless carriages aren't safe altogether, just like the horse-men of 100 years ago claimed. As evidence, the 5th greatest cause of 2010 injury and death was accidents, many of them on highways. Beer and steak while camping is probably #1, causing cardiac disease.
For the original poster, I think you are doing the right thing with your combo. No bigger than it has to be. Great... well reasonable mileage when driven empty. Those that noted accelerated wear just during towing are probably right. But the parts are still cheaper than a bigger truck and you are screwing the oil speculators.
Heat will be your biggest enemy. Heat will thicken ordinary oil and rob it of lubricity one molecule at a time. The transmission might severely overheat on a long hill. But the differential carries the same nasty load and they do get hot as Hans noted earlier.
I spite of increased axle gear sizes, and tougher trannies, on the newer trucks extra cooling capacity might not be a bad idea. You can get a pair of oil gauges and rear axle oil pump and cooler at Summit. These oil temperature gauges will work for engine, tranny and axle. Heat is heat. This would allow monitoring temps. A set of coolers, tranny and axle, would be better. Race cars use axle cooling pumps and there is no reason a hard working tow rig wouldn't benefit from them.
All this over-heat normally occurs rapidly within a few minutes under sustained heavy load. Because of the extreme power involved, the oil will heat faster than a premium turkey deep fryer. Ordinary oil starts dying quickly around 300F, loses lube quality, and cokes at about 320F degrees, so using synthetic oil at least for the tranny and rear axle is not a bad idea. Synthetic is usually good for another 100F into the 400's before failure. Synthetic often runs cooler to boot. Perhaps these suggested changes will give you additional peace of mind and be fun to boot.
Wes
...
Days spent camping are not subtracted from one's total.
- 2000 Excursion V-10 - 2004 Cougar Keystone M-294 RLS, 6140# tare
- Hensley Arrow - Champion 4000w/3500w gen
- Linda, Wes and Quincy the Standard Brown Poodle
...
SkyPiGG wrote: Ok.. so I've been reading all these posts about what our 1/2-tons can or can't pull, and after trying to do all the calculations, it seems to me that I'm either right on the border or a little over on my payload capacity. My question is... so what? I already bought this equipment, and I'm not going to take the financial hit required to downsize my TT, or to upgrade my truck. So what's going to happen?
The question is really rhetorical as I really don't care. I'm going to keep doing it without the peace of mind, but it's really kind of maddening trying to keep up with the weight police.
I have a 2011 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab with the 5.3 V8 6-spd Tran, with the HD Trailering package. It has a 3.42 RAR. GCWR is 15000, MAX payload is 1732. My trailer is a Cougar X-LITE 26BHS, Dry Weight is 5870, GVWR is 7800. Hitch weight is 710.
I drove it around all last year, and had no problems. Taking it out again this weekend.
So I guess my question is... what's going to break first?
Frustrated.
Why are you frustrated ....seems you are very satisfied with your situation....Oh, I get it much like the dutch with the wooden shoes.....let's throw something into the equipment and see how much fun we can have.......
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