Outback 27RSDS towed with Silverado 1/2 ton?

[cmsutton]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie and just can't seem to find the answer to my question no matter how much Googling I do! So I'm hoping someone could help me as best as possible...

We would like to purchase a 2006 Keystone Outback 27RSDS. We have a 2005 Silverado 1/2 ton which has a tow capacity of 7600 lbs, and 13,000 lbs combined weight. The RV weights (dry, shipping, hitch, etc.) just plain confuse me. I don't know if the shipping weight includes the hitch weight, if shipping weight is the same as dry weight, etc. We're a family of 4, my husband, myself, a 9-month-old and a dog, weighing in total about 425 lbs. I don't think we'd be bringing a lot of stuff (famous last words, probably:)).

Will this be a safe travel trailer for us to tow?

Thanks very much!


BTW, TT weights are:

Shipping Weight: 5860
Carrying Capacity: 1710
Hitch: 570

[Flyguy]

Here's the specs on that trailer:

2006 27RSDS Specifications
Shipping Weight 5860
Carrying Capacity 1710
Hitch 570
Length 29' 7
Width 8'
Height 10' 1
Fresh Water 50
Waste Water 40
Gray Water 40

Shipping weight usually means dry weight (no LPG in tanks, no liquids in holding tanks or water heater, no battery installed on trailer). This weight is listed as 5860lbs. If you tow with no fluids in the holding tanks and only have a battery and full LP tanks and 6 gallons in the HW heater plus your belongings then you can figure on about 1000lbs over listed dry weight. So you will be towing at approx 6860 or just under 7000lbs and I think you'll be fine. You do need to know what the total weight will be of the TV so as to figure the GCVW and not go over that. Your TV needs to be at 6000lbs gross or less to allow 7000lbs for the TTer.

[cmsutton]

GREAT, thanks so much for explaining that! It would be the perfect TT for us, so I was hoping that would be the case!

Is it common to tow without any fluids in the tanks? I'm assuming we'll likely be going to sites with full hookups (water, electric, sewer). Silly question possibly, but this will be our first camper so we're novices at all of this...

Also, I know we don't want to max out the tow capacity for safety reasons, but is there a "safe range" rule to generally abide by? Like 85% of capacity or something?

[Flyguy]

You will be at approx 90% of tow capacity and the preferred amount is 80% so this will most likely take you to the extremes of what your TV is capable of. Keep the TV weight down, our Tundra's GVW is 7000lbs and we are close to that when we tow. WE don't keep any fluids in the holding tanks when we're towing except for the 6 gallons in the HWH and I add about 6 gallons to the fresh tank and charge the potty so we can use it on the road if we need to. You need to be patient on hills and don't tow at any speed greater than 60mph, we tow at 55 and sometimes 60 but never more than that. Remember that trailer tires are rated at 65mph max so keep that in mind.

[jq1031]

You might also consider a weight distribution hitch set up. This will distribute the weight of the trailer to all the tow vehicles axles & take it away from the back of your Silverado, producing a much better & safer tow experience.

[Bob Landry]

You might also consider a weight distribution hitch set up. This will distribute the weight of the trailer to all the tow vehicles axles & take it away from the back of your Silverado, producing a much better & safer tow experience.

It goes without saying and in some states required by law, that anything over 5000lbs requires some kind of WD setup, and I would also go with sway control.

[Festus2]

As Flyguy suggested in his post, you will be close to your towing capacity and the hitch set up described above may help as well. Remember that it is very easy to "throw in a couple of more things" and probably most of us pack more than we often need or use. With this in mind, be watchful of the "extras" and do whatever you can to keep your extra weight to a minimum, your tires properly inflated, and your speed down.

[jq1031]

As you said you're a newbe so FYI, a good WD hitch is the Reese Hitch 1200 lb with dual sway cams. Properly connected it will make your traveling life much more comfortable.

You like me, are pressing the envelope regarding TV & weight, so the right equiptment is essential.

[Bob Landry]

Using the max loaded trailer weight, you are with 30lbs of your towing capacity. You probably aren't going to pack the trailer to the max, so anything less than that comes off wha the truck is going to have to pull. At any rate, you are at the top end of the towing capacity for your truck, but it's doable. You are going to need to be concerned with CCC as the hitch weight will count towards that so with that in mind, you are going to have to watch what you load in the truck along with passengers and knowing that you can't throw a lot of extra stuff in the trailer just to make the truck lighter. It's going to take some juggling, but it canbe done.
As far as the WD bars, with your tongue weight under 1000lbs, 1200lb bars will be overkill and could possibly cause issues by transfering too much weigh to the front axel when adjusted. I would go with 1000lb bars, and a dual cam sway control. I wouldn't even think about 1200lb bars since a trailer with that much tongue weight ould put you over payload and tow capacity for sure.
Another thing that might improve your towing stability, if you havn't already done so, is to replace the passenger tires on your truck with LTs with a higher load range. You may also need to airbag the truck if you can't get it leveled with the WD, but you'll know that after you pull the trailer for a while.