Towing Numbers

[annmarie]

My first post on the new member check in started quite the feedback and now that I have some actual numbers, I figured I might as well continue the conversation where it belongs. I'll try to unpack the details and give as much information as possible.

We weighed ourselves on our way out of town. I know we should have done more than just the one weight, truck alone vs truck + trailer, but we didn't have time. We plan to do another complete set of weighing but just wanted to make sure we were towing within our numbers for this first trip.

CAT Scale Weights
Steer: 3140 lbs
Drive: 3560 lbs
Trailer: 6660 lbs
Gross: 13360 lbs

Truck Door Sticker Weights
Front: 3900 lbs --> Difference of 760lbs
Rear: 4100 lbs --> Difference of 540lbs
GVWR: 7100 lbs --> Difference of 400lbs

Notes on our first road trip
Weight Distribution Hitch: Andersen
Total towing mileage: 1550 miles
MPG range: 8-11 mpg
While towing, the truck ran along nicely right around 2200-2400 RPMs. Obviously depending on the incline, it would downshift and jump to 3500 RPMs, maybe a couple times to over 4000 RPMs. (overall just trying to paint a picture of what towing was like on this trip)

Our truck has the towing package so we were in tow/haul mode and had our trailer brake control setup as well.

We went between 55 and 70 for most of the time. We were cautious about higher speeds but as the trip went on we discovered the truck seemed to perform just as well - with a slight drop in mpg.

We experienced extremely little to no sway. There was only two times when a gust of wind came through that we noticed the trailer move significantly. It was not, by any means, an unpleasant or stressful towing experience.

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So there you have it! Our numbers and our experience on our first road trip. The GVWR margin is significantly less than what we realized it was going to be and what we were wanting (10-15% margin was our hope). But based on the above information, we feel as though we are towing safely and still within our limits. Do we wish we had gone with a 2500 or 3500? Definitely - for our current trailer and future possible setups. Are we considering upgrading? Yes. Will it happen immediately? Probably not... tbd.