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View Full Version : Towing Cougar 32FBS with half ton?


barrydt102
05-29-2017, 06:11 PM
Hello, all!

Well, we traded in our (much smaller) Evergreen Element RV for a new Cougar 32FBS. Towed it home from Camping World in Harrisburg, PA, tonight.

I need practice getting used to this much larger tt. I tow with a 2017 GMC Sierra Denali 1500 crew cab short box (4x4, with the 6.2 V8, 3.23 rears). I had Camping World install a 10k Equalizer hitch system. Truck seemed to tow it very nicely on the drive home (a little sway when a big rig would pass me, but I guess that is to be expected?).

Thoughts, tips, suggestions?

sourdough
05-29-2017, 06:49 PM
My thoughts on towing it with a half ton......you need more truck.

What is the payload listed on the sticker of your door on the truck? That would be a good start, but;

The gvw of the trailer is going to be 9500 lbs. It's 35' long. It has a dry tongue weight of 965 lbs. so figure 1425 lbs at gvw. What was that payload?

You have 3.23 gears; those are for driving down the highway and getting good mileage, not for towing. In anything other than flat terrain your truck will really struggle.

If you have a Denali you might just want to run the truck over a scale. I suspect the weight of the truck very well might reduce whatever payload is listed on the door due to actual weight vs your gvw.

You have a 10k Equalizer. You got a good hitch just not big enough. At the very least you need to put 1400 lb. bars on it. I think the shank may already be rated at 14k. Check your hitch...is it Class III?

I know you think it towed nicely; I said/thought the very same thing and posted that on this forum....but, I hadn't pulled it with a truck that was made to pull it. There is not any comparison (and I hate that phrase but it's true) between pulling a trailer that size with a 1/2 ton and with a HD truck.

I tried pulling my trailer with a truck very similar to yours but with a 3.55 rear end (I also had a 3.92). I can't imagine trying to tow it loaded with a 3.23. Additionally, if you try you need to install air bags, LT tires and in my case HD shocks. All to no avail. I made one trip with it and knew how close I was to being overloaded and the truck wasn't cut out for it. I was worried constantly about causing an accident or injuring us or someone else. I was literally sick. When I finally made it home I immediately (within 3 weeks) went down and bought a HD truck.

Keep in mind that you have a 35' sail attached to the rear of your truck. I'm sure you have soft sided, P rated passenger car tires. Soft springs etc. They don't handle the push/pull of almost 10,000 lbs. very well.

barrydt102
05-29-2017, 06:59 PM
Thanks so much for your input! The Denali only has 4k miles on it (wasn't thinking about buying a new tt when I got it). Nonetheless, I plan to look at heavy duty trucks this week.

Even though I believe I am safely within all my weight ratings, I wouldn't mind a bit more peace of mind.

Thanks again for your valuable input!

sourdough
05-29-2017, 07:05 PM
Wow! You are in the same boat as so many....including myself. When I upgraded to the HD truck mine was 6 mos. old. Wife couldn't understand my logic but she understood that I was really worried.

Check the numbers on your door panel for gvw, gawr and payload. They will give you some insight as to where you are. A scale will give the definitive answer but I think I can pretty much tell you that you're in HD territory.

Does the truck have any kind of towing package? Aux. tranny cooler, HD radiator, Class IV hitch? If not, pulling 9500 lbs will give them an early death.

BTW, good luck and welcome to the forum! Sorry it's not so good news.

barrydt102
05-29-2017, 07:09 PM
I will take a picture of the sticker on the door and post it tomorrow to get your input. It does have a class IV (I believe) integrated factory tow hitch and a factory integrated break controller. I will see if I can get a picture posted tomorrow to see if you can take a look at my numbers.

sourdough
05-29-2017, 07:58 PM
That will help. I'm sure others will chime in with their thoughts.

notanlines
05-30-2017, 03:30 AM
Again I have to agree with Sourdough, it's becoming a habit. One of the big truck sites says "The Denali makes for a comfortable, luxurious pickup with the emphasis on performance rather than payload and towing capacity." I'm afraid you have a nice little truck and a nice big trailer.
But we need to see the yellow sticker and you need to roll that beast over a CAT scale so you actually know the truth about what you have.

ctbruce
05-30-2017, 03:38 AM
I pulled a similar sized trailer with a Silverado 4x4 with the full tow package for a year. I was way overloaded but convinced myself it would be ok. Took a trip out west to Yellowstone and bounced and swayed all over the road. We could pull it, just not very safely and with no joy. I loved the truck but not at that cost. Traded up to a full ton Silverado 3500 Duramax. Reset my Equilizer hitch and now I truly enjoy pulling the trailer. The right tool makes all the difference. There are a lot of us that have done the same thing as you here on the forum. We should probably get t shirts printed to hand out.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

bsmith0404
05-30-2017, 03:55 AM
I agree with everything that was said except the hitch. The mistake many people make with WDH is that they put bars on rated for the tongue weight or more. The rating on the bars is not for the tongue weight, it's for the amount of weight they have the ability to transfer. So your 1,000 lb bars have the ability to transfer 1,000 lbs from the hitch to the TV and trailer axles and are sufficient for your TT. As for a 10,000 lb rated hitch with an RV that is coming in right about that weight, yes, if it were mine would have a little more margin for safety than that.

GMcKenzie
06-01-2017, 10:12 AM
Hello, all!

Well, we traded in our (much smaller) Evergreen Element RV for a new Cougar 32FBS. Towed it home from Camping World in Harrisburg, PA, tonight.

I need practice getting used to this much larger tt. I tow with a 2017 GMC Sierra Denali 1500 crew cab short box (4x4, with the 6.2 V8, 3.23 rears). I had Camping World install a 10k Equalizer hitch system. Truck seemed to tow it very nicely on the drive home (a little sway when a big rig would pass me, but I guess that is to be expected?).

Thoughts, tips, suggestions?

3.23 gears tells me you don't have the NHT package so your payload will be around 1500 lbs. Your new trailer will put you over that limit. Your tranny gearing makes up somewhat for the higher gears (2017 NHT 6.2 8 spd use 3.42's) but you need to know the payload number and then scale the setup loaded for camping.

If you look at the HD trucks, just be aware that GM's 2500 trucks with the Duramax are still limited in payload, ~2200 lbs. If you want GM diesel, I'd pass by the 2500 and go 3500. If you are going gas, than a 2500 will do fine.

I have a 10K Equalizer and find it work well for my trailer. Mine is max 8,200 lbs, despite being over 34'. Last time over the scale I calculated the trailer at ~8100 and the truck at ~7540 (I have 7600 GVW).

sourdough
06-01-2017, 10:43 AM
I agree with everything that was said except the hitch. The mistake many people make with WDH is that they put bars on rated for the tongue weight or more. The rating on the bars is not for the tongue weight, it's for the amount of weight they have the ability to transfer. So your 1,000 lb bars have the ability to transfer 1,000 lbs from the hitch to the TV and trailer axles and are sufficient for your TT. As for a 10,000 lb rated hitch with an RV that is coming in right about that weight, yes, if it were mine would have a little more margin for safety than that.


I agree on the purpose of the bars. I guess the size you use would be predicated on several things and some may want lighter vs heavier bars. I tend to err to the heavier side but in the case above 1400 lb. bars is probably overkill and 1200 might be better. I think 1000 lb. bars are OK but might not be where I would like to be :).

A bigger concern to me is the weight rating of the receiver/hitch. With an approx. tongue weight that might be 1400 lbs. or more a Class III is overloaded. Since I don't think the truck is actually equipped as a tow vehicle I was concerned it might have actually came with a Class III. I don't have any idea if they do or don't but it would be a consideration IMO.

notanlines
06-01-2017, 12:48 PM
When I went to Chevy's website to snoop around a little they didn't list a towing capacity for the 323 gears. Hmmmmm.....

sourdough
06-01-2017, 03:15 PM
When I went to Chevy's website to snoop around a little they didn't list a towing capacity for the 323 gears. Hmmmmm.....

I found the GMC Sierra 1500 listed. They do not make a towing package with the 3.23 rear axle. The towing max is 9100 lbs. vs the OPs gvw of 9500.
About a 1/3 way down on 4th chart. Towing packages all come with higher ratios.

http://www.gmc.com/trailering-towing/towing-charts.html

Timcharlie
06-01-2017, 05:49 PM
Barrydt102,
I can speak from experience on this question. My wife and I own a 2016 32FBS and really like it.When we first bought it I was towing her with a 2009 Nissan Titan (1/2 ton) with the towing package. For awhile the Titan felt like it was towing her fine, but it felt a pulling/pushing sensation as I was driving down the road. So I asked the same question on this website and was told the same thing you are being told, by Brent and Soudough and others, the truck is not "big" enough to handle the trailer safely. So after a few trips and some uneasiness, I traded in the Titan for a 2015 Chevy Silverado 25000 and the difference is very noticeable.

Tim