Silverado 2500HD Limitations

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At Cliffs Edge

At Cliffs Edge

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Joined
Feb 19, 2013
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9
We own a 2002 Silverado 2500HD 6L SB gaser(approx.6500lb loaded) and I am looking at fifth wheels. After my towing education here I am surprised at how few 5th wheel choices I have.  I am looking at approx. 8000lb GVWR trailer since my tow rating is 9800lbs(9500) and my GCWR is 16000lbs.  Any thoughts on lite fiver mfg's or  can I boost my lbs a little.  Can I go up to 8500-8800 GVWR on a trailer and then watch my miscellaneous loading wts.  We would like to go into the Rockies.

Thank you!
 
I had a 2002 2500HD (6.0L, 4:10 gears, ext cab, 4WD, 6.5' box) prior to my current truck - 2 general experiences I can give you (not 5th wheel related but the weights are similar to what you are looking at).
 
  • We pulled our prior TT with an estimated weight of 7,000 lbs (never actually weighed) from NY to Yellowstone in 2007. Flat towing was fine and it did reasonably well on moderate grades but the mountains killed me. Many grades quickly had me down to 30 - 35 MPH and we even climbed some switchbacks in UT at 22 MPH for a few miles...the transmission LOVED that! All in all, we made it but I would not want to do it repeatedly.
  • We pulled our current TT which is about 8,500 lbs loaded (actual CAT scale weight) for a year. It towed "ok" but was very slow on even small hills. I was well below the truck's max tow rating of 10,300 but was only about 500 lbs shy of the 16,000 lb GCWR.
 
Basically the same truck my brother had.  He bought a 25 foot non slide Alpenlite in Las Vegas and towed it home, mostly flat lands.  About two or three trips convinced him that it was way too much for his truck.  So it went away in favor of a very small camper.  You will find that your combination is pretty capable as long as you don't mind revving it to 4-5000 RPM on hills and second gear in the mountains.  IMHO your far better off with a TT in the 7000 GVWR range, and much easier to find.
 
I have your truck with the 6.0 and 3.73 gearing.  I pull a 28" Rockwood Ultra Lite (fifth-wheel with two slides) that weights 8,000#s loaded to travel (and I mean loaded) and it tows very well.  I think there are plenty of nice trailers available that can be towed by that truck.
 
Joe and Don, thank you for the weights and experiences.  It appears this truck is lacking and I need to stick to the advice about towing gained here.  Joe & COMer, did your trannie ever get the infamous pinhole hole in the top and spit out the fluid? Have you replaced the trannie cover or just patch with JB Weld which I have been doing for 7 yrs.

COMer, I will definitely take a look at the Rockwoods.  Thanks.  My initial search shows them under represented in Minnesota so I have some homework.
 
No problems yet with my trannie.  I have about 60,000 on it and it has stayed out of the shop so far.

When I got mine, RV Wholesale Campers had the best price.  http://www.rvwholesalecampers.com/    They have been sold but the promises are the same.  When I was looking, the price they quoted was 40% off of MSRP.  If you look at that site, note that Rockwood and Flagstaff are the same.  They have other brands that are pretty decent too.  Trailers from Forest River, Keystone, Heartland, Palomino and Gulf Stream RVs.  Good luck.
 
COMer, was your experience smooth working with a .com site for such a purchase.  How did you take delivery?

Flagstaff is geographically desireable for me.  Perfect!
 
I have seen quite a few reviews from people who used them and they were just fine.  Buying from a local dealer does not guarantee that you will be happy, you know.  I don't see any more, very positive or very negative reviews, using a dot com dealer.  Plus, I have heard from people who found a dealer on the Internet and bought from one 1000 Miles way and that can work also.

As it turns out, I took the info I got from the Internet dealer and went to my local dealer who decided that they could match that offer.  The dealer who sold me has turned out to be a disaster and I wish I had gone with anybody else.
 
It's the transfer case, not the transmission, that is prone to leaks in these trucks.

Adding a slide to a 5er/TT adds more weight than adding a few feet to the back, see if you can find something without slides that will meet your needs, even if longer it may weigh less

People tow up to the published max in these all the time.  In the rockies it will be slow going, loud, and require patience.  Tradeoffs you can make

Or you can always trade your truck for one set up better for towing.  Will set you back a little but cheaper than buying the wrong trailer and then trading that at some point in the future.  The NBS chev (1999-2006) was made in a diesel version and an 8.1 gasser - either of those are a better choice for towing than the 6.0
 
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