who tows with a 1/2 ton?

[brownz]

Just purchased a crew cab 2014 silverado with a 5.3. I had to downsize the amount of vehicles I had so I sold my civic and 2500 silverado and bought the 2014 outright

I will be towing my 1900 pound open car trailer with my 79 Camaro. I will most likely be adding the ride tech tow pro if they make one that fits my year.

Anyone towing with a 1/2 ton 5-7 times a year? If so what if any upgrades did you do?

Brandon

[silvermonte]

Ive towed with a half ton from Florida to Iowa a few times. Going up and down the mountains in Tennesee sucks but really not that big of a deal. If your truck doesnt have a tranny cooler you should really think about getting one. Other then that just take it slow and dont get yourself in a postion that you might have to make a panic stop.

[TheJDMan]

You won't have any problem towing an open trailer with a 1500. Just make sure you have a trailer with axle brakes and install a good brake controller in the truck. I also recommend that you upgrade the tires to load rating E which will help with stability as well as increase the load capacity of the truck and you might also consider a weight distribution hitch with sway control.

[vintageracer]

That truck will pull and more importantly STOP your trailer/car just fine.

That of course assumes you have trailer brakes on both axles of the trailer.

You will be just fine with nothing else special to have a safe tow.

[juggernaut]

I pull my Camaro on an 2000 lb tailer with a 1/2 silverado. My truck is lowered so I added Airlift bags and compressor. I've pulled with and without trailer brakes, but I'm in Louisiana, roads are nice and flat. The trailer brakes and a Proportional controller was a nice addition. I have much more confidence in my stopping ability. I also installed a fresh break-away kit.

[brownz]

Yes I have a good brake controller and also brakes on one axle. I also have a break away kit on the trailer. I try to be as safe as I can when towing. It's nice to hear others doing it with a 1/2 ton as this is a good all around vehicle.

I really hope ride tech comes out with the tow pro for the 14-15 models. I have heard good things. They tow a 24" inclosed trailer with a 1/2 ton I think. Maybe they need a mock up truck...

[Bonehead]

Yup. Video in my signature. No issues going over the mountain passes around here. I went a little over kill though....

2009 Silverdao, crew cab, short bed 4wd
5.3L
Six speed trans
Edelbrock. E-Force supercharger - 6lbs boost
Kooks headers, green cats and y-pipe
Corsa cat back
MSD coil pack
Airaid MXP intake
Fitch Fuel Catalyst - I generally run 87 octane fuel. All dyno pulls made on 87 octane

New best on dyno; 420hp, 410tq.

[Bonehead]

Fitch install - http://youtu.be/FQKbSh3PYc0

[brownz]

The supercharger might be a little overkill for me lol

[bret]

Just purchased a crew cab 2014 silverado with a 5.3. I had to downsize the amount of vehicles I had so I sold my civic and 2500 silverado and bought the 2014 outright

I will be towing my 1900 pound open car trailer with my 79 Camaro. I will most likely be adding the ride tech tow pro if they make one that fits my year.

Anyone towing with a 1/2 ton 5-7 times a year? If so what if any upgrades did you do?

Brandon

I have some experience with this.

When we were developing our TowPro system a few years ago I bought a 2011 1/2 ton 2WD crewcab with a 5.3, auto and the towing package. I wanted to see what it would take to get that truck to safely haul a 24 ft. enclosed trailer with a 3600 lb car in it.

In stock form the rig is uncomfortably unstable, even driving down a straight flat road at 60mph you would get noticeable sway. When you passed a semi [or one passed you] you needed to be up on the wheel to keep the thing in its lane.

First thing we changed was the tires, installing a set of Michelin E rated tires. Better, but not a lot.

Then we installed out TowPro system that consists of an add-on airspring/bracket kit, specially calibrated shocks, and an automatic compressor/leveling kit. Much better, but still not something I would turn my wife loose with.

While we were installing the TowPro system we noticed that the GM hitch was made from beer cans and exhaust tubing. We installed a heavy Drawtite hitch. Biggest improvement yet. Certainly acceptable, but not as comfortable as I'd like. Keep in mind I have towed hundreds of thousands of miles and being in the suspension business, I am very critical of ride quality and handling performance in any format.

The power and braking of the 1/2 ton GM truck is of no issue...plenty of both. Even with the upgraded suspension, shocks, tires, and hitch, you still have to "drive" the rig...its not something that is "relaxing" at 60mph through the hills. If you are towing a few times a year, you can tolerate it. It you plan to use it a lot, or plan to put someone inexperienced in it...get a 3/4 ton truck.

Remenber...the above refers to towing a 24 ft. enclosed trailer with a 3600 lb car in it. The trailer weighed about 3600 lbs. Total trailer weight about 7200 lbs.

Now...a 1900 lb open trailer with a 3600 lb car...total weight about 5500 lbs? Different story. You will still need to upgrades I described above, but it is a comfortable and relaxed drive with that 1/2 ton truck.

One other thing...if you are buying a new trailer [at whatever price range] immediately replace the trailer tires that have been supplied by the lowest Chinese bidder with some high quality tires. They'll cost you about $130 each. If you wait until they blow out on the road [won't take long] they'll cost you some multiple of that in money and irritation.

[brownz]

Thanks Bret for taking the time to give me your experiances with a 1/2 ton. I dont see at anytime soon that I will have a enclosed trailer. I use my car trailer for more then just towing cars, I use it for mulch, gravel, furniture ect.

Are you planning on offering the tow pro for the 2014/15 gm trucks? I would like to install it if needed.

[vintageracer]

One other thing...if you are buying a new trailer [at whatever price range] immediately replace the trailer tires that have been supplied by the lowest Chinese bidder with some high quality tires. They'll cost you about $130 each. If you wait until they blow out on the road [won't take long] they'll cost you some multiple of that in money and irritation.


Excellent suggestion!

Best choice for replacement tires on a trailer are LT or Light Truck tires preferably load range E if possible.

ALL the trailer tires available today are JUNK! They all blow in a minute. Blew 3 NEW Carlisle trailer tires between Nashville and Dallas 2 years ago on a triple axle 2 car tag open car trailer with only 1 car on the trailer. Replaced ALL 7 tires (spare included) in Dallas with 7 Firestone Destination LE Light Truck Tires. Not one problem at all. Those tires now have well over 20K miles of towing! We looked GOOD showing up in at the Mecum Auction in Dallas with on 4 tires on the 6 tire trailer. Fortunately with "Torsion Axles" who says they all need tires to go down the road!

Carlisle bought all 7 tires back at full price under their warranty program. What PITA!

I will never buy trailer tires again for any of my 3 trailers.

For what it is worth I did purchase a used Featherlite Enclosed trailer with "trailer tires" made by GREENBALL. I have yet to have a problem with this set of tires from this manufacturer. I have put 10K on the trailer/tires.

[SSLance]

I'll second Bret's experiences... "Can you"... sure. "Is it comfortable"... Not always.

Be diligent in your setup, get your tongue weight spot on and mark your trailer so the car gets in the same spot every time. Get good brakes on the trailer and an excellent brake controller on the truck. And lastly, go slower and pay attention to wind, road conditions, and traffic ahead and behind.

I've always heard that truck tires are not good to put on tandem axle trailers, the sidewalls aren't built for the twisting that occurs in sharp cornering. I took off some BFG A\Ts that were on my trailer when I bought it and replaced them with new Goodyear Marathons of the proper load range. We run Marathons on all of our trailers and haven't had any trouble...just make sure you buy the proper range tire for the load it's carrying.

[mikidymac]

The new trucks just keep getting better and more powerful. That being said after you break it in go try it, you might be surprised how good it is stock. I think the new 1/2 ton's are rated at about 7,000 lbs towing so you should be fine. I tow my 6,000 lb boat with my 2009 f-150 work truck and it does just fine on the hi-way and in the hills bone stock 4x4 5.4L. But I do prefer towing with my personal F-350 powerstroke better.

[bs46488]

Brandon,

When you say towing 5-7 times per year...how far are you going?

I have a 1/2 ton F150. I've just added some helper springs to the rear. I've towed an open trailer with a couple of vehicles (1970 Nova, 2001 Mustang). I think Lance summarized it best "Can you"...Sure. "Is it comfortable"...not always.

One of my last tows was over an hour on the freeway to get the tranny rebuilt on the mustang. Sure I made it. But if I had to go 1,000's of miles or multiple hours it would have been very exhausting by the time I got there.

I live at the top of a very steep hill that dead ends. When I pull the trailer up the hill I make sure I don't have any interruptions to have to start/stop part way up.

The other day my neighbor was towing a massive boat up the hill. He had to stop dead center on the hill because somebody backed out of their driveway. He runs a turbo diesel F350. I heard his turbos start to spool then he just started to move like nothing was attached to his truck. That is a vehicle that obviously can haul without breaking a sweat.

[brownz]

[QUOTE=bs46488;1099614]Brandon,

When you say towing 5-7 times per year...how far are you going?


I will prob tow maybe 3-5 hours away from me... but who knows how far I might go

I towed with my last truck 06 2500hd and it was great but I need this to drive to and from work in the winter and wanted the fuel mileage plus the crew cab. I know it will not be as good as a 3/4 ton and might have to make some driving changes but that okay. Just want to make sure that it will work even if its not completly perfect. I guess a good compromise is what Im looking for

[Bonehead]

The supercharger might be a little overkill for me lol

Totally overkill! But towing is never an issue. Never think twice about it. Making the mustang guys wonder what the hell is going on when they cant find enough HP to pass me on the highway is a bonus. :)

[djorgensen3]

I would also add that a weight distribution hitch with sway control built in would be a nice addition also....something like an Equal-i-zer...the original brand.

http://www.equalizerhitch.com/

[snappytravis]

This post reminds me of a deal one of my friends had last summer, Pulling camper with 1/2 ton dodge, It has the auto level air bag suspension from factory. He ended up replacing the rear sway bar with a aftermarket one and also installed one of these sway controls, I think that is probably the only way to go. It takes some testing to get the weight on the hitch right but once it is your good to go. Here is another link for you.
http://www.realtruck.com/curt-tow-trailer-sway-control-accessories/images/

[MrQuick]

I'd be running 4:11 and dont forget to add a trans cooler.

[David Pozzi]

A huge help to stability of a trailer is the distance from trailer tongue to center of the axles, (longer is better) & the load height & percentage of weight on the tongue, (10% is ballpark).
I have a super stable open trailer that is 25' end to end, fairly low, & I position the Camaro so it's placing 10% on the tongue.
An ez lift load bearing hitch helps a lot if your rear springs are soft, the wheelbase is short or you have a lot of tongue weight. No more bobbing up & down. I've towed with my 2004 short Yukon with very soft rear springs & it's been fine.

Use 4 wheel trailer brakes for better safety. They can be easily added to most trailer axles, I went from 2 wheel hydraulic to 4 wheel electric.

[Nicks67GTO]

About 8 years ago I pulled a 71 Chevy C-10 longbed {4000+lbs?} on an open dual axle car trailer from StLouis, Missouri to Waterloo, Iowa with a 2WD 2001 1/2 ton silverado 5.3. Bone stock. If I remember correctly it had 120K miles on it. Granted there were no major hills to climb or descend but there were no issues with any aspect of it.

[Nicks67GTO]

All that said though if I was going to do a lot of pulling on a reasonable budget, I think I would source a "low" mileage Ford F250 7.3 turbo powerstroke out of the south. A buddy at work went to Texas and got a rust free, 2000? crewcab F250 with the 7.3 and about 150K on it for $10K. Nice truck. It will pull anything and is pretty cheap to fix in diesel terms.

[MonzaRacer]

Actually 1/2 ton tows fine as long as its set up properly.
Trans cooler, heavy rad. You don't need 4.11s to tow if the engine has tq to pull with out big strain. 3.42,3.55,3.73 work fine.
Trans temp gauge is good add on.
If trailer is more than single axle, sorry but many states have made new laws,, you have too have brakes on all axles. Period.
Best money is add brakes to all axles so as to stay clear of dot issues. In Indiana if tags add up to more than 10100 lbs you need dot numbers and inspection papers.
A spare set of fuses, flares, triangles, at least 10 lb extinguisher preferably 2.
Get truck and trailer DOT inspected, get it too pass. Go as far as that could keep you from getting ticket.
Or at least maybe just warning .
Typical inspection runs $50 on up.
Per vehicle.
Biggest issue is 7ktruck plates 7k trailer make you over on plates.
Pulled dads single axle trailer with 61 f100 long bed unibody no issue, and 3k lb Buick Skyhawk .
Would 3/4 be better sure.
My 78 c10 is half ton SBC but has air ride and I'm thinking about swapping 9000 series bags, out for heavier bags.
Biggest issue is installing properly rated LT tires.
Don't try to get by on p series on tires.
As for trailer tires, name brand, Lt series straight tread tires work fine.
Most light trailer tires will fail especially if properly inflated, and not over two years old.
Never buy car/truck tires with more than 2 yes on last 4 digits of dot code, which is usually on backside of tire near bead.

[brianchevy]

2013 Silverado Extended Cab here with 1800 pound dovetail trailer and 2 3500# axles with electric brakes and brake controller. I tow my 1987 IROC Z/28 which weighs 2950. I live in Tennessee and drive up and down those hills and have very little trouble. The nice thing is going 60 MPH on the flat roads I am getting 18.2 MPG with the trailer. YEP. i'm real happy with that.

It has towing package, transmission cooler, brake controller (replaced the ash tray with a bolt on with no cutting of dash) Teknosha. I have a bed cover on and a toolbox on the front of trailer for straps. I'm VERY happy with this setup and will be going to Lincoln Nebraska this year as well as several new events with my new Pro_Touring friend Dave Hamilton of Tennessee with our camaros.

[brownz]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm ready to hook up to my new truck and see how it does. It's really nice having a crew cab and the fuel mileage using it as a daily driver. I couple things that I will do is maybe upgrade the cooler if the temps get high and maybe add the ride tech tow pro if I can't seem to get the load placed correctly. All this will have I happen when I tow with it to see how it does in stock form. I will also be leveling the front with a set of bilstein adjustable front shocks. And going lt tires load range E. From what I have read this is the correct way to level these trucks.

[nekkidhillbilly]

any truck 1/2 ton made after about 08 is rated around 10k. my 01 was rated at 7k. a camaro on a open trailer could be pulled by well another camaro. honestly a 4 banger s10 could pull that around. other than a brake controller i dont think you are going to need anything. e rated tires are overkill.

[dzslova]

I have towed a cj7, r2500 burban, a k10 and a k20 at different times of course with my wife's 05 lifted tahoe while my 2500 was broken down no problems at all. I would recommend a weight distribution hitch though. All were 450 mile trips over the grape vine

[Randy67]

any truck 1/2 ton made after about 08 is rated around 10k. my 01 was rated at 7k. a camaro on a open trailer could be pulled by well another camaro. honestly a 4 banger s10 could pull that around. other than a brake controller i dont think you are going to need anything. e rated tires are overkill.

It depends on how it is optioned, not all 1/2 tons are rated to tow 10k. Here is the listing from GMC on towing for all their trucks: http://www.gmc.com/trailering-towing/towing-charts.html

With an open trailer, most 1/2 tons will do just fine, unless your open trailer is meant to carry bulldozers. I towed open trailers with a couple Dakotas before. They did the job, but I much prefer a larger truck, makes the drive more relaxing than the Dakota.

[brianchevy]

Agree with the other comments, towing with a WEIGHT DISTRIBUTING HITCH has been awesome for me. Really gives me a bunch of options as to where I put the car and how I can just rebalance things with a few changes of a bar without moving car backward or forward. AWESOME setup from the boys at Reese Hitches.

[Neil B]

I just towed my Corvette from Tampa to southeast Texas for the Texas Mile using a 19.95/day U Haul pickup. 2,500 miles round trip. No issues at highway speeds. It would get a little loose when passing trucks but overall it worked like a champ.

[nekkidhillbilly]

It depends on how it is optioned, not all 1/2 tons are rated to tow 10k. Here is the listing from GMC on towing for all their trucks: http://www.gmc.com/trailering-towing/towing-charts.html

With an open trailer, most 1/2 tons will do just fine, unless your open trailer is meant to carry bulldozers. I towed open trailers with a couple Dakotas before. They did the job, but I much prefer a larger truck, makes the drive more relaxing than the Dakota.

its still anywheres from the mid 7k range all the way up to 9k for any of them. he is barley pulling 5k is my point. he doesnt need to ivest in all kinds of things like a dist hitch or e rated tires. a brake controller and ball on the back is about what he needs 75 bucks at walmart. i live in eastern ky and have pulled cars from one border to another like this. thats over alot of mountains.

[David Pozzi]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm ready to hook up to my new truck and see how it does. It's really nice having a crew cab and the fuel mileage using it as a daily driver. I couple things that I will do is maybe upgrade the cooler if the temps get high and maybe add the ride tech tow pro if I can't seem to get the load placed correctly. All this will have I happen when I tow with it to see how it does in stock form. I will also be leveling the front with a set of bilstein adjustable front shocks. And going lt tires load range E. From what I have read this is the correct way to level these trucks.

My local tire shop says load range E tires run hotter due to the added plys, & they see better life with D series on car trailers. They don't even stock the E's anymore but can get them n one day. They recommended we stick with D range for our enclosed trailer. We've tried both ranges over the years & didn't see any improvement with E range tires which was disappointing.
I noticed the newer trailers are using larger tires these days.

[nekkidhillbilly]

i cant hardly find d tires for some reason. i run e tires on my hd truck. they wear like crazy and ride like a wagon. unless your pulling 16k goosenecks or putting 4k in the bed they are not needed. ive never run more than a 6 ply tire on a non hd truck. if you are pulling the weight that needs them you need a hd truck anyhow.

[nokones]

Besides having the correct hitch and tires and other associated equipment, please pay close attention to your manufacturer's weight certification ratings of both the power and towed vehicles. Just because the power vehicle can pull the trailer doesn't mean that you are doing the right thing. You need to factor in the windage and the grades on the downhills and other important factors. There is a reason that vehicles have weight ratings and combined vehicle weight ratings.

You should always take the safe approach. Never tow at or beyond those weight ratings. In order to be safe, you should not tow beyond 75% of your gross weight ratings for various reasons.

If you exceed the gross weight ratings and get involved in an accident, you may have a difficult time in a civil court trial.

[JJEH]

Like other already have said, check your manufacturer weight ratings. Don't overload. I get my tires from either Discount Tires or Summit Racing. Tire Rack has good tires too but they always seem to be more expensive.

Keep your truck maintained. Perhaps invest in an additional rear axle suspension kit, steel or air.

Always use the right hitch. Few weeks ago I stopped to help a fellow that lost his trailer due to a too small hitch ball for the trailer he used....

[Arctic_Ragtop]

The truck can pull the trailer no problem. Do yourself a favor and buy a Weight Distibution Hitch, the diference is unreal. You will be happy you did. Much more stable.