towing with an 04 Colorado

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dulcimerbob

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Joined
Jul 19, 2017
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First of all I am new to this forum and am glad to be here. I have an 04 colorado tow rating 4000 lbs. I am pulling a Coachmen Cadet 17' 2450Lbs , I have added a transmission cooler and brake control . The rig does pretty good on flat ground and does fine at freeway speeds. However pulling out into traffic from a standing start is somewhat scary . I believe I am legal weight wise but it seems another truck is in order. Any suggestions or advice ?
 
We have a 2016 Winnie Drop, 17' with dry or UVW of about 2450 lbs. GVWR is about 3800 lbs. We used to tow with a Nissan Quest with tow rating of 3500 lbs. it did okay but I decided to upgrade a bit to a Nissan Frontier. It has a tow rating of 6100 lbs but after all calculations it levels out at about a trailer with a GVWR of about 5400 lbs. That equals a trailer with roughly a 4000 lb dry weight. I think you are pushing the envelope with with your current truck.
 
I am pulling a Coachmen Cadet 17' 2450Lbs
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That is definitely the empty & dry weight of the Cadet, so you are actually pulling much more weight than that. The GVWR (max loaded weight) of a 17 ft Cadet is about 3700 lbs or so, depending on the exact year and sub-model.

Further, that 4000 lb rating on the Colorado is for an empty truck. As you add passengers, gear, and the trailer hitch, the available tow capacity goes down proportionally.  The bottom line is that the Colorado is almost sure right at its max capability. Maybe even a bit overloaded.

Last, Chevy said it is capable of pulling 4000 lbs, but they didn't promise you would like it.  Performance is definitely going to be on the weak side at max load. And pray you don't ever have to make an emergency maneuver or stop when its loaded like that. It's most likely going to be a handful & really scary!
 
Thanks for all the replies. They bear out what I suspicioned. Any advice on buying a high mileage truck ? Cannot afford a newer one
 
Try to find a 5 yr old with under 100,000. Also learn to decode the loading sticker on the drivers door sill so you know what it's cargo capacity is and get a v8 with 3.73 gear ratio and tow package already installed. Any of the big 3 American brands will do. The American manufacturers sell 10 to 20 times the trucks that the foreign makers do so there are more of them to choose from as well as more on the road feedback from owners so the products are a bit more refined as far as durability and effectiveness.

Nothing wrong with foreign trucks but for heavy work the big American brands outperform them hands down. The rest of the world tows trailers you can haul with a Volvo wagon. They look at us and our 18,000 pound toy haulers and shake their heads, he he.
 
Most any half-ton truck, American or import, should handle that trailer nicely.  Just check the numbers for whatever truck you are considering to be sure that the tow capacity substantially exceeds 4000 lbs (approximate trailer gross weight) and the payload (cargo capacity) is adequate for all your passengers and gear PLUS about 500 lbs. The 500 lbs is roughly the weight of the trailer tongue & hitch.
 
Update , I ended up buying a Siverado with tow pkg and 5.3 v8. Have not pulled the trailer yet but I feel this will be way better than the Colorado. Thanks again
 
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