Truck-Travel Trailer Fit

[Magic1374]

Good afternoon, first post. I searched through the threads but am confused.
I'm looking at purchasing my first travel trailer. Safety and not damaging my truck are absolutely more important than comfort/length/amenities.
Vehicle specs: 2020 GMC Sierra Crew Cab, short bed, Elevation trim, 5.3L V8, 3.23 gears. The GVWR of the truck is 6900 lbs, GCWR 15,000, Max payload 1,933 lbs, conventional TWR 9,600 lbs, max tongue weight 960. I have a Curt Class 3 hitch rated at 6,000 normal and 10,000 weight distribution. I don't have a brake controller but was planning on adding one along with heavy duty shocks if needed. The truck does have a trailer selection dial (can switch between normal, ice/snow, and sport). I do not plan on adding any cargo to the truck since we will always be traveling with 2 cars due to family size so I will come nowhere close to loading down pickup. The most I anticipate is around 300 lbs.

Trailers I've considered:
Coleman Lantern 263BH. 30 feet, 7 inches in length with a dry weight of 6,084. Cargo weight is listed at 1,516 so I assume the GVWR is 7,600? Hitch weight is 811 lbs. Has 1 slide.
Forest River Cherokee 26DBHBL. 31 feet, 7 inches. Dry weight 5,795 cargo weight is 1,930 and gross weight is 7,725. Hitch weight 725 lbs and 1 slide.
Prime Time Tracer 260 BHSLE. 29 feet 11 inches, dry weight 5,156. Cargo weight 2,519. Hitch weight 675 lbs. 1 slide.

Is this possible given the vehicle I have? Is over 30 feet dangerous to pull with a 1/2 ton? Any suggestions for a safe travel trailer experience? Thanks in advance!!

 

[Magic1374]

Is it possible to delete this thread? I placed in the wrong category. Thanks.

 

[scottydl]

There are lots of prior "can I tow this?" threads, but it's okay -- we can dissect your numbers a bit and offer an educated opinion. Here are a few basics, from my experience and knowing what many others here will suggest:

- Yes, trailers at/over 30 feet will be stressing a 1/2 ton truck for a variety of reasons. These trailers are like giant sails, picking up wind and drafts from every breeze and passing vehicle. 1/2 tons are built more for riding comfort and lighter cargo compared to its 3/4 ton and 1 ton counterparts--which have heavier duty powertrain (engine/tranny), engine cooling, tires, suspension, etc. all designed for trailer towing. If you have a short bed (common especially on 1/2 tons), that's also a shorter wheelbase which reduces stability and sway control of the truck. A trailer that size could easily push your truck all over the road. Not a fun experience, and potentially dangerous.

- Those trailer you mentioned above all have a "26" in the model numbers, which tells me that the box size is around 26' and the total length includes the tongue. So that might be more acceptable for your truck (since the box is what picks up the wind), but keep reading ->

- Dry weight of a trailer is a pretty useless number, since nobody tows them empty. It may already weigh more than that coming from the dealer (even still empty), if features/options were added after manufacture. Better idea is to go with the GVWR (the max the trailer is rated to weigh) until you know or can realistically estimate how much weight you'll have in the rig.

- Payload and tongue weight are often the most limiting factor of 1/2 tons. If you have a 7500# trailer for instance, average tongue weight of 12.5% puts you at 937.5#. Add in your hitch weight of around 100# and you're well over your truck's limit in that regard. Not safe OR enjoyable.

- You don't need to buy new OR from a dealer. RVs depreciate quite steeply in most cases, although this current pandemic era we're in has inflated the value of use rigs. Still, I'd take time learning everything you can about RV ownership and operation, and shop locally for a gently used trailer that fits your floorplan and feature needs. You'll save money up front, and experience less depreciate to soften the blow when you re-sell it later on.

Good questions - keep them coming and we'll help however we can.

 

[scottydl]

Is it possible to delete this thread? I placed in the wrong category. Thanks.

This is a fine location, or I can move it to Towing/Towables if you'd like.

 

[Rene T]

Welcome to the forum. I think you are in the right category. We’ll see what others say.

 

[Magic1374]

Oops I already posted in another. Sorry for the confusion everyone I'll get the hang of this forum I promise.

 

[Rene T]

No need to post the same post in 2 different catagories.

 

[donn]

Scott git most of the high points but with one error. Model designations have nothing to do with trailer sizes. Have you loaded up your family and stuff you would normally have on board and driven across a set of scales yet? That one thing more than anything else will give you a true number you can load in/on before becoming overloaded.

 

[Magic1374]

Scott git most of the high points but with one error. Model designations have nothing to do with trailer sizes. Have you loaded up your family and stuff you would normally have on board and driven across a set of scales yet? That one thing more than anything else will give you a true number you can load in/on before becoming overloaded.

I will be driving the truck with nothing in it, maybe a kid or two that are both under 10 years old. With me and them the weight would be around 300 pounds. The bed of the truck will be empty minus the roll up bed cover.

 

[donn]

Please bare with me. Load it up like your going camping and drive across the scales. Be sure to have a full tank of gas, maybe an ice chest full of drinks. How about a bit of fire wood, tools etc?
Stuff adds up in a hurry believe me. Two kids can add a lot of toys and stuff even for a short trip.

 

[scottydl]

Scott git most of the high points but with one error. Model designations have nothing to do with trailer sizes.

Its not an exact science but many RVs have the box size (and sometimes features) embedded in the model # somewhere. Not all of them of course. My trailer is a 32BHDS which means 32' BunkHouse Dual Slide per factory documentation. It is indeed a 32' box and about 35' overall. Our first motorhome was a Residency 3500 and was 35' long, they had 3200 and 3400 models that corresponded with those sizes too. And that was a 1994 model so the naming convention has been around for awhile.

Different manufacturers do sometimes measure box size differently (interior front to back, exterior front to back, with or without bumpers/ladders) that can affect true length too. Then 3-5 more feet added in the tongue on trailers. But the basics are often in the model number.

 

[edjunior]

Hi Magic...welcome to the forum. What part of the United State of Texas are you from? I'm a bit north of Houston.

You need to base your weight on the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), not the dry weight. And you say you will never have anything in the truck. Well what about the clothes, and the pots and pans and dishes, the play things (whatever the kids will be bringing with them), the cooking stuff, the stuff being cooked, the coats, the entertainment, and...well, you get the idea. You say will always be taking two vehicles, but are you going to load all that stuff up in the second car? I think you need to be a little more realistic about your payload. The stuff has to go somewhere.

That being said, a 1/2 ton could be too little for the trailers you are looking at, but configured properly, it could work for you. You really would be better off with a 3/4 ton, and if there is anyway you could manage it, I would do that. But if this is what you have, just be sure and keep the above information in mind. Remember, these folks on this forum have a lot of experience.

Anyway, again, welcome, and hope to see you down the road!

 

[Magic1374]

Please bare with me. Load it up like your going camping and drive across the scales. Be sure to have a full tank of gas, maybe an ice chest full of drinks. How about a bit of fire wood, tools etc?
Stuff adds up in a hurry believe me. Two kids can add a lot of toys and stuff even for a short trip

I will do that this week. We have to camp with 2 vehicles due to our family size so anything excess will be loaded into the other vehicle. Even the travel trailer will be less than normally loaded.

 

[Magic1374]

Hi Magic...welcome to the forum. What part of the United State of Texas are you from? I'm a bit north of Houston.

You need to base your weight on the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), not the dry weight. And you say you will never have anything in the truck. Well what about the clothes, and the pots and pans and dishes, the play things (whatever the kids will be bringing with them), the cooking stuff, the stuff being cooked, the coats, the entertainment, and...well, you get the idea. You say will always be taking two vehicles, but are you going to load all that stuff up in the second car? I think you need to be a little more realistic about your payload. The stuff has to go somewhere.

That being said, a 1/2 ton could be too little for the trailers you are looking at, but configured properly, it could work for you. You really would be better off with a 3/4 ton, and if there is anyway you could manage it, I would do that. But if this is what you have, just be sure and keep the above information in mind. Remember, these folks on this forum have a lot of experience.

Anyway, again, welcome, and hope to see you down the road!

We are just outside Austin to the north. What I meant to say was that the pickup truck will not have anything extra in it besides myself and a child or two. There will be no gear in the bed, none in the back seat. Will be as empty as we can make it. Any suitcases or coolers (with ice and food and drinks) will be in the other car. We're light packers no matter where we go or how long we go for. Minimalistic if you will.
The travel trailer will be loaded with the camping needs. Planning on lightweight stuff such as blankets, pillows, plastic kitchenware, towels, maybe a small amount of food on the inside. Tools and anything with some weight (kids scooters, no bikes) will be in the pass through storage. Water tanks will be empty. We're planning on stopping at full hookup locations during a western US camping trip. I have a friend that trails a 30 foot trailer and I've seen what he loads up. I anticipate we're bringing around half the amount of stuff he does just based on what our family needs/wants while away from home.
The GVWR checks in at 7,500 lbs. There is a trailer we've looked at that is GVWR at 7,000 lbs. Even with kids we don't anticipate coming anywhere close to that weight. We will be not be storing food or stocking on supplies for a week or month at a time. Probably be making grocery stops daily or every two to three days as the route is almost all highway.
Really appreciate the advice from everyone. Trying to make this as memorable as I can for everyone.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Good afternoon, first post. I searched through the threads but am confused.
I'm looking at purchasing my first travel trailer. Safety and not damaging my truck are absolutely more important than comfort/length/amenities.
Vehicle specs: 2020 GMC Sierra Crew Cab, short bed, Elevation trim, 5.3L V8, 3.23 gears. The GVWR of the truck is 6900 lbs, GCWR 15,000, Max payload 1,933 lbs

Trailers I've considered:
Coleman Lantern 263BH. 30 feet, 7 inches in length with a dry weight of 6,084. Cargo weight is listed at 1,516 so I assume the GVWR is 7,600? Hitch weight is 811 lbs. Has 1 slide.
Forest River Cherokee 26DBHBL. 31 feet, 7 inches. Dry weight 5,795 cargo weight is 1,930 and gross weight is 7,725. Hitch weight 725 lbs and 1 slide.
Prime Time Tracer 260 BHSLE. 29 feet 11 inches, dry weight 5,156. Cargo weight 2,519. Hitch weight 675 lbs. 1 slide.

Is this possible given the vehicle I have? Is over 30 feet dangerous to pull with a 1/2 ton?

I find it very hard to believe that your actual payload on your listed truck is 1933 lbs. Sounds like brochure numbers. There is a yellow sticker in your drivers door, what is the 'carry capacity' listed. That is YOUR trucks payload #. I looked very long and hard for a GM and could not come close to that payload. I went Ford, and special ordered to get decent payload for a 1/2 ton.
Please confirm your number before going any further or you might make a very costly mistake.

And IMO, any box over 25' and any gross weight over 8000# is the max top end of a 1/2 ton, and it has to be a 1/2 ton that can meet those requirements, I suspect yours does not.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'm not quite as negative as some others, but a 26 ft "box size" trailer (about 30 ft overall) with a GVWR weight in the 7500-8000 is going to be about the max your truck can handle. Tongue weight will be (and MUST be) 10-12% of the loaded trailer weight, so using 10% of GVWR as a guestimate puts you at least to 750-800 lbs With the truck otherwise lightly loaded, you should be ok on both hitch weight and cargo payload, but you are near the upper limits on the hitch receiver. May be getting near the truck GCWR as well.

If the 1933 payload number came from any other source, definitely check the placard on the driver door post for your trucks actual cargo capacity (payload).

 

[Magic1374]

I should have added these with the original post but here are the stickers

 

[Magic1374]

Apologies here they are

 

[Carbonation]

Camping gear and farkles have a way of expanding to consume all available space and weight.
From experience, I think that your 5.3 and 3.23 gears is going to struggle towing anything over about 6k. Will it tow more? Sure. Will it work well without you going nuts from transmission hunt and it screaming in low gears up a slight grade? I don't think so.
Pick the RV you want, that will support your family and goals. Then find a truck.
I had an 8k travel trailer and an F250 that could tow 10k. On paper all was well. In reality, it was terrible, losing speed on any slight grade, screaming at the top. It could not get out of its own way, or safely merge on the highway. The 5.4 Triton was eating itself alive.
I upgraded to diesel, towing that same trailer easily for years. Then a heavier 10k TT, same truck. Still very successful. It was a long wheelbase and not once did the tail wag the dog.
You will see a lot of half tons towing more than they should. The manufacturers will swear it's fine, the salesman will tell you it's fine. It isn't.
Do the math, like you are, but don't overlook that you need a solid platform to keep the trailer in line, protect your family and others, and not wear the thing out in a few years.
Best money I ever spent on RV ing was a 1 year old HD truck from Enterprise, and an Equal-I-Zer hitch for the travel trailer.

 

[Rob&Deryl]

When my 05 Ram 1500 needed replacing, we were thinking that in the future we would get a 5th wheel trailer. The half ton was struggling with my bobcat trailer anyway. I searched an area 500 miles from Nashville on Autotrader (I wanted a used truck that didn’t spend winters in salted road territory). I found a 3 yo 3500 Cummins with 60k miles in north Georgia. It pulls my 14000 lb 5th wheel with no troubles.