Towing w/ GMC 1500

[gphil]

I have a 2010 GMC 5.3 Sierra 1500 w/ tow pkg and 3.42 axle. My tow capacity is 9600lbs, GCWR 1500lbs. My max tongue weight with weight distributing is 1100 lbs.

I have a 2011 Hornet 30Ft trailer with a dry weight of 7440 and estimate once loaded around 8000lbs. With all that said and after reading numerous posts in the forum I was wondering how this TV & TT would measure up on a long trip.

Thanks in advance...

[Festus2]

If your dry weight is 7440 lbs and your estimated total weight after loading is 8000 lbs., I think you have under estimated the weight of everything you will be adding --- 560 lbs.
Have you considered and included the weight of these items: full propane and HW tanks, passengers, and hitch? Those items alone are close to 500 lbs. By the time you add food, clothes, dishes, and all of the other "stuff", you are well over your estimate of 8000 lbs.
I would add about 1200 lbs to your dry weight which would result in 8640 lbs which is about 1000 lbs less than your towing capacity of 9600.

[Handysam]

Its always recommended to weigh the truck and camper after they are loaded to get the facts. Your GMC 1/2 ton truck should be fine towing, even on long trips. But again its best to know before the long trip what the weights are. The hills will be a little slow with that setup, but you should be fine. Happy Camping, Sam

[gphil]

Thanks for all your helpful information. After reading so many different posts regarding towing it sometimes can get a little confusing. The newer GM 1500 series have so many types of vehicle combination and towing ratio's it's hard sometimes to figure out. Once again thanks for your help.

[cumminsdad08]

i had a new 2500 chevy and i think that the tow ratings were a little generous. i know i had it close to the limits a lot and i didn't want to push my luck with it. try it out, see how it handles. and just give your self plenty of time to get where you are going. and you should do just fine.

[Paddler]

I had a similar setup a few years ago. 06 GMC Sierra 5.3L with 3.73 gears (3 speed auto with overdrive) and a 30 ft Fleetwood Lynx 300RL that had a gross weight of 7800lbs. I found I had two choices, either drive at 55 MPH with the overdrive locked out or push the speed up to 70 MPH with the overdrive turned on. I upgraded to a GMC 2500 a year later.
I hope you have better results.