Towing Question.. Is my TV big enough?

[captderrick]

Have a new Passport 25RB that comes in at 4700 lbs. Am pulling with a 2003 Chevy LS extended cab, 1/2 ton, V6,and 4.3 rear end with 90'000 miles. Had a stabalizer and sway control installed. I use the "trailer tow button". Think I have enough towing vehicle?

[Handysam]

Absolutely. The V6 will be fine, just do a little more oil changes than your regular changes and keep up on your other maintenance. Happy Camping, Sam

[f6bits]

Is that the Silverado 1500? According to Trailer Life’s 2003 towing guide, the *most* that it can tow is 5,200 lbs. That leaves you 500lbs of wiggle room for whatever’s in your trailer, including what’s in the holding tanks.

So my short answer is that as long as your trailer is pretty empty and you don’t encounter any long, steep hills, you’ll be fine.

The good news is that you have a heavy enough truck with a long enough wheelbase to not get pushed around by the trailer.

[smiller]

I'm afraid the term 'extremely marginal' comes to mind. The 4.3 rear will help but you won't like hills or even a strong headwind.

[captderrick]

Thanks again for the feedback. So if I load the RV to the "max" 5200, how much can I put in the bed and back seat of the truck. My wife and I about 350 lbs.

[SteveC7010]

Thanks again for the feedback. So if I load the RV to the "max" 5200, how much can I put in the bed and back seat of the truck. My wife and I about 350 lbs.

You will have to do some homework to figure that out. You need to know both the curb weight of the truck and the GVWR. Check the sticker in the frame of the driver's door, it should be there.

Subtract the curb weight of the truck from the GVWR. That will give you the max payload.

Then subtract the total tongue weight of the trailer and the weight of the driver and passenger. Also subtract the weight of a full tank of gas. What ever is left is what you can load into the truck.

[SteveC7010]

One other critical point. Your max payload is directly affected by tire pressure, especially in a situation like yours.

You will want to look up the pressure and weight ratings for your tires and factor them in accordingly.

[f6bits]

You’re really pushing the limit, but here’s this:
1) The “dry” weight of the trailer doesn’t include the battery and propane tanks. Call that another 100 lbs.
2) You will need to find out your trucks gross weight limit, and each axle’s gross limit.
3) Once you’re loaded up, head over to a public scale and weigh everything:
a) Pull forward with just the truck
b) Pull forward with truck and trailer on the scale
c) Pull forward with just the trailer (I’m thorough, and you’re already hooked up)
d) Unhook and put just the truck (or trailer) on the scale
#a will show you the total gross weight of the truck (don’t forget about passenger weight)
#d will help you calculate how much tongue weight you’ve got. If you’re not using a weight-distributing hitch, figure that most/all of that weight is on the rear axle.

Again, you only have 500 lbs of give, and 100 are already taken up by the battery and propane. If you’re splitting hairs on the weight, you’re already in sketchy territory.

I guess that the good news is that the limit is due to the V6, and not the physical capacity of the truck. The gross weight values should help clear that up.

[SteveC7010]

Short answer:

Long bed = max payload of 713 kg or about 1568 pounds

Short bed = max payload of 746 kg or about 1641 pounds

If fully loaded at 5,200#, the trailer tongue weight should be at least 12%-15%. They usually come in a lot heavier.

So, 780# for the tongue at an absolute minimum, then 350# for the people. You are already at 1130 pounds. Add a tank of gas, 200# maybe, and you are at 1,330#. That leaves you around 200-300 pounds that you could load in the truck.

But that would put you at the max legal load for the truck. However, if you run the tires softer than recommended by the tire manufacturer for the load, your max payload drops off rapidly.