What about this setup?

[eekabob]

In my last thread "Can I pull???" I asked about pulling a Keystone Premier 31 with a 2005 suburban 1500.... didn't sound like it was a good idea....... being new to this I will probably keep looking. Can anybody give me an opinion on towing a 2012 Bullet 294BHS with the same truck. Dry weight of the camper is 5500. Not sure how all the other numbers play into it, so if somebody could explain or point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.....

[Halibutman214]

You could probably do it but the long and short of it is you need to be pointed to a bigger TV like a 2500 with a big motor. I did this with a toyhauler. I got where I was going but it just wasn't fun.

[eekabob]

What about towing with a Suburban K2500? Would that make much of a difference?

[SAD]

Originally Posted by eekabob

What about towing with a Suburban K2500? Would that make much of a difference?

Even though it may have the same 6.0 V8 (i'm not totally up on Chebby stuff), it will have heavier rear springs, full float rear axle, HD transmission.

It will be softer than the equivalent 2500 pickup, but it will be way ahead of the 1500 variant of the Sub.

A K2500 Suburban with either the 6.0L or 8.1L Vortec with handle either trailer with a little room to spare. If you can, look for a 2008 or newer K2500 with the 6 speed transmission and 3.73 gearing. They are somewhat hard to find - people buy 'em and keep 'em for a long time.

[eekabob]

What do you mean a little room to spare..... I would also have 4 children, my wife and myself in the truck...... plus "stuff" for camping.......

You asked if the truck could handle the trailer. But now you're introducing a larger than average amount of people-weight. And those extra people have extra gear. That changes things.

Add it all up. As mentioned before, you're going to be close to, or a little overweight with the 1500. Now that we know you have a big family, forget the 1500 - it won't do. Although it varies by year and options, the 2500 will add roughly 2000-2500 lbs of capacity over the 1500.

You should be looking at the Trailer Life towing guides as you consider vehicles. They have a PDF chart for each model year. http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/

You'll need to use your best judgement on how much your family and gear weight. If you have big kids with lots of stuff, well, then you might be pushing the limits here too. If you narrow down how much everything will weigh, we can better help you. Don't use the dry weight of the trailer - stick to the trailer's GVWR when adding up weights.

[eekabob]

Probably should have mentioned the family size before I began..... sorry and thanks for your help!

[Englishman]

I would say that you are over your limit as you should only pull 80% of your max tow rate.
and it looks like you max tow rate is around 7000 so you should be looking at towing no more that 5600 fully loaded to be safe.
the 294 is 5635 empty with a carrying capacity 1890 which gives you 7525. IMO

[eekabob]

This is confusing.... the trailer life towing guide for 2005 suburban/Yukon 1500 5.3L V-8 is 8100/4wd with a GCWR 14,000. So doesn't that mean I can tow 8100 lbs? According to my truck manual, My truck is 5500lbs with a max GVW 7100...and towing is 7500lbs with a max GCWR 13000...... how do I work the numbers to figure out what a good combination is (camper to tow)? Sorry If I sound confused....... cause I am. I am new to this.....

[Englishman]

If you call you local Chevy dealer and give them the VIN of your truck they should be able to provide you with the max tow rating.

[Jorme]

Originally Posted by eekabob

This is confusing.... the trailer life towing guide for 2005 suburban/Yukon 1500 5.3L V-8 is 8100/4wd with a GCWR 14,000. So doesn't that mean I can tow 8100 lbs? According to my truck manual, My truck is 5500lbs with a max GVW 7100...and towing is 7500lbs with a max GCWR 13000...... how do I work the numbers to figure out what a good combination is (camper to tow)? Sorry If I sound confused....... cause I am. I am new to this.....

GVW Gross vehicle weight rating (truck or trailer weight with people and "stuff" includes water and propane)

GCWR Gross Combined weight rating (Total weight of truck, trailer, people, and "stuff")

GVW of the truck
5500 (weight of truck) + X (people and stuff) = 7100
X = 1600 lbs worth of people and stuff

GCWR = GVW of truck + GVW of trailer

13000 = 7100 + X (GVW of trailer)

Max GVW of trailer can be 5900

AND REMEMBER These are MAX numbers!

Hope this helps

That's good math from Jorme. One thing you may not have picked up on in all of this is that a vehicle's max tow rating does not include passengers and gear in the vehicle. All of that weight must be deducted from the rated value.

Since your manual differs from the Trailer Life guide, you'll either want to trust the manual or check with the dealer. Your gearing or other options (or lack thereof) likely lower the tow rating. What you have listed in your manual is exactly consistent with what my 2002 Suburban LT 4x4 w/3.73 gearing was. So that sounds right. The trailer life guide may be assuming 4.10 gearing and 2 wheel drive. Odd that it doesn't reflect that. The guide for 2005 doesn't look as thorough as some of the other years.

Originally Posted by Jorme

I did

Thats why I explained what GVW was. Then used the explanations with the math to give the #s

Sorry Jorme - my comment was directed at the OP - not you :-)

[Jorme]

Originally Posted by CampDestinations.com

Sorry Jorme - my comment was directed at the OP - not you :-)

I know......just giving you a hard time Notice the wink

[eekabob]

What about the hitch weight? Do I have to account for that and does a weight distributer lower that number?

Originally Posted by eekabob

What about the hitch weight? Do I have to account for that and does a weight distributer lower that number?

The tongue weight is part of the overall weight of the trailer, so you don't need to add it for purposes of calculating GCW nor do you subtract it from the tow rating. But you do need to make sure that tongue weight + cargo are within the limits of the rear axle on the TV. It also needs to be supported by the hitch receiver itself (should be a sticker on the hitch).

With weight distribution, it's complex, but in a perfect world 1/3 of the weight would shift to the trailer axles (reducing trailer cargo capacity a little) and 1/3 would shift to the front-axle of the TV. I don't fully understand all of the physics involved, but if you want to read more this seems like a detailed thread - http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...335/page/1.cfm

[Festus2]

eekabob:
If you have some time, you might want to go online and do a search for RV Towing or something similar. There are tons of sites on the Internet that you can browse through and pick out a few that seem easy to read and yet give you what information you need to know to safely match a tow vehicle with an RV.

Here are a few that will get you started:
www.sherline.com (Trailer Loading and Towing Guide)
www.etrailer.com
www.dmv.ca.gov
www.transportation.alberta.ca

You have already checked out Trailer Life.

You first need to know what the various abbreviations mean and which ones you need to know in order to work through all of this.
Then you need to find out those various weights, etc., by looking at the sticker on your truck and by finding out the needed weights of whatever RV you are considering. Don't get caught up in thinking that the dry weight is the most important factor. What it weighs empty isn't what you should be overly concerned about.
As was pointed out earlier, when determining the figures for your truck, don't forget to factor in everything in that truck - its own weight plus passengers, fuel, cargo, etc.
Eventually, it will come to make sense to you. Take your time in finding out some good resources - including any factual and verifiable information that you find here on this site. Be patient, do your homework and be flexible with regard to either upgrading your truck or downsizing your TT if you cannot upgrade your TV.
Personally, I would not be towing if I were on the edge of my limits. We should all try to allow ourselves a healthy margin of safety - for yourself, your family and for others on the road.

[Jorme]

Originally Posted by Festus2

eekabob:

Personally, I would not be towing if I were on the edge of my limits. We should all try to allow ourselves a healthy margin of safety - for yourself, your family and for others on the road.

X1,000,000,000 Safety first!