Can i safely tow out west w/ current setup?

[Johnfort]

Don't forget that if you put 4000# on 2000# axle bearings you could snap an axle off. That's ugly. Seen it.

[frankhaas]

I would not do it. Driving out west in mountains and deserts the vehicle will run hot because it is not made for this type of travel. Going up/down mountains and desert long up hills creates heat, lots of heat beside the outside temp when it is 90*.

[Carguy1965]

No offense to anyone, but I have owned several 1500s with the 5.3. Great motor for sure but not for towing a 5vr at altitude in the mountains. My old Avalanche got wheezy pulling itself in the mountains at higher elevations.



Be safe out there and lots of good advice in this thread, but Im not towing in the mountains without my diesel and my engine brake.. Like others have said the ole 5.3 just isnt capable of engine braking a 10K 5vr on a steep grade. Its going to work itself to death trying. My old 5.7 Hemi Ram with the 8 speed had way more grunt than any of my 5.3s and I wouldnt try it with that truck..

[NMWildcat]

Why are so many so overly concerned about braking going downhill? Start off slow, use lower gears, apply brakes when necessary but don't stay on them too long. Easy peasy.
The tow vehicle does not do all the braking, the trailer has brakes also right?
Towing in mountains isn't that difficult, even with lower power vehicles. Good grief.

[67L48]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Why are so many so overly concerned about braking going downhill? Start off slow, use lower gears, apply brakes when necessary but don't stay on them too long. Easy peasy.
The tow vehicle does not do all the braking, the trailer has brakes also right?
Towing in mountains isn't that difficult, even with lower power vehicles. Good grief.

Because, it’s severe hills and, unlike you, the OP is towing a large 5er with a 1/2 ton. Way overweight, smaller brakes, shorter wheel base, lighter weight, and so on. There’s a lot working against him.

Your advice is sound. It’s just easier to follow it with an HD platform.

It’s serious business on the Ike Gauntlet and we have some colorful signs, too:

[curver900]

Originally Posted by goduc

Really. Try slowing down 9500 lbs plus 7000 lbs of truck descending 10% with just the gas engine braking and not using the brakes.

I just want to know when people like this will be out there driving so I am not...
the horse power on this truck is 355hp/383 lb-ft at sea level go up to 5000 feet (no turbo) it is now 300hp give or take.. then if you go up to 10000 feet (hopefully he won't) 250hp give or take... plus pulling 9000lbs plus I don't see the reason... I think it would be best to stay in WI and maybe go somewhere closer to home or as far west as say eastern CO. Save up your money and go get a new or used 1ton gas or 3/4 ton gas truck...

[walaby]

It's been a week, and OP hasn't been back.


Soooo... either y'all scared him off and he's out truck shopping
or
He's made up his mind to do it anyways, and ain't interested in furthering the discussion.


Mike

[Lazy bum]

We have a 2010 max tow Silverado 1500, with the 5.3 heavy duty cooling, our TT weighs about 8000 lbs loaded while traveling, but I also kept in my mind to have a decent amount of buffer. My truck can tow from the bumper 10500lbs and get an additional 1000lbs, if I went with a 5th wheel. We still struggled going down to Florida through the mountains and back, we didn’t push it, the max we traveled at to and from was no more then 60 mph. We went out west back in September, loved it, but then again we never went over 60. We struggled at times and were 2500lbs below our max limit and that doesn’t even account for the weight, in your TV, from cargo and personnel.

I try to have at least a 1500 to 2000 pound buffer, after the total weight is added up.

[curver900]

Originally Posted by walaby

It's been a week, and OP hasn't been back.


Soooo... either y'all scared him off and he's out truck shopping
or
He's made up his mind to do it anyways, and ain't interested in furthering the discussion.


Mike

I hope it is a new truck... it is no fun being broke down on the side of the road and having to buy a new truck... they don't wheel and deal when they know you need one to get home...

[brewnut44]

Live in Park City all my life @ 7k elv. Going up the mountains slow is one thing. But going down these mountains is something you want total control of. I highly recommend using a engine brake to control speed. My suggestion is to purchase a diesel truck, any of the 3 would be much safer over your gas engine model.

[BobnVic]

Originally Posted by willie1280

Hey everyone!

So my current setup is a 2015 Silverado 1500 w/ the 5.3l and the max trailer package and E rated tires. We've been pulling our 5th wheel Arctic Wolf 265DBH8 around for almost 3 years now here in the relatively flat Wisconsin. The truck is rated to 10,700lbs and our camper is right around 9900 loaded up.

I've never driven out west to Colorado or any of those surrounding states so i have no idea what the terrain is like. I'm wondering if we would have any sort of struggles pulling our rig out that way? Were looking to extend our options out of state for week long trips this summer.

I had a 2015 1500 Silverado with a 5-3. Pulling a 35 foot TT running right around 9000 lb I wound up getting rid of that truck and buying a 2500 with a 6 L gas and it pulls it a whole lot better. Wouldn't think about going any higher than that with a 1500. I think you're going to ruin the transmission. and I live in Wisconsin and I haven't really traveled outside into a lot of hills and valleys. Just saying

[cekkk]

I lived at 9000 foot elevation for about three decades and served on two rural volunteer fire departments. With that experience I cannot Recommend that you do this trip with your current tow vehicle. it's not designed to do what you plan on doing, flat land or mountains IMO.

Keep in mind, you lose 3% of your already limited power per 1000 foot gain in elevation. And once you get to the top, well, do some research on how to drive downhill in the mountains. Best never to touch your brakes more than absolutely necessary.

[hazmat456]

Willie, if you have ever pulled your rig through Eau claire or down Nodine hill, that is similar to what you will experience for hours on end just going through the Dakotas, when you get closer to the national parks it gets a little worse. If that makes you nervous then I would recommend a bigger truck. If you were comfortable with that then you will probably be fine.

[GScott423]

So as I see it you aren’t asking if this is the best truck to tow in the mountains but CAN you do it with your rig. I towed throughout the Rockies with a 1/2 ton GMC 4x4 with 5.3. Its not a picnic but it is doable. Just go very slow. Get in line with semi's and crawl along at 35 if need be. Gear down go slow. I didn’t pass anybody in 4 years and did fine.

[Phil C.]

Hello, new user to this forum. Got a quick question. Bought a new wolf pup 16 FQ and already own a 2015 Nissan frontier v6. I thought I did all my homework and research but when driving home from dealership on a 45 mile ride I noticed the truck did struggle on the hills. I only 50% of max tow capacity and 30% of payload capacity. planning a long trip from CA to Arizona and Texas this spring. Will I have any issues? Any recommendations? I have a brake controller and WDH. Someone told me its a transmission gearing ratio issue as the truck has a 6 speed automatic transmission I believe. Thanks for any advice. Phil

[rlocicero]

I have towed with people with that setup and the truck did fine with a 26 ft traile no slides on the back. It did well on the flats and struggled a little on the hills in Nova Scotia, no where the road you will encounter. I personally think you will be way over what you are able to tow safely in the mountains. Even the hills may be a problem. F150 max tow ecoboost 13,200 rated or a 3/4 ton dodge or Chevy would do it properly equipped. I didn’t mention the f250 or F350 properly equipped for obvious reasons. An F250 V10 with tow package and 3.73 gears would probably tow your house. I do not have a warm fuzzy about Foer diesel unless they got awa from internationals. Duramax and Cummins are fine.

[oldxr]

I noticed people that state what trucks they tow with a lot of times if they are in the Midwest or the south they use 1/2 ton trucks . Any place west of the Rocky Mountains you are getting hills ,desert , summer heat . Sometimes all of that on the same day . I live in the Central Valley in California . I have to go over mountains to get anywhere . We only use 1/2 ton trucks to get groceries or tow aluminum fishing boats . I was towing my 5000lb Mini lite with a 96 e150 ford van . It had the 5.8 motor . It got hot climbing hills even after I put a bigger radiator on it . And you got feedback from the trailer even with wdh hitch bars connected . Just got a 2016 Chevy 3500 window van with the 6.0 gas motor . I don’t use the wdh bars any more . The trailer improves the ride on the van . The van is rated for a 3000 lb load . No feedback from the trailer .

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by 67L48

Because, it’s severe hills and, unlike you, the OP is towing a large 5er with a 1/2 ton. Way overweight, smaller brakes, shorter wheel base, lighter weight, and so on. There’s a lot working against him.

Your advice is sound. It’s just easier to follow it with an HD platform.

I agree, every aspect of towing is easier with an HD truck, and then even easier with a diesel.
But, as stated in my first post, I didn't always have a Duramax. I towed our first several fifth wheels with a half ton pickup, up and down most of the major mountain ranges out here in the west, and they were much older trucks than the newer and more capable truck the OP has.
So yes, the OP can use his current truck to tow anywhere out west. He might be the slowest on the road up or down hill, but that's ok.
Then in the future when he can, I'm sure he will upgrade his TV, just like the rest of us. And then he will wonder why he waited so long, just like the rest of us

[mxdad]

Originally Posted by Larry0071

I've never understood how the truck engine size fatigues some driver's?

It's not about size, per se, but power in general. For me, it's an assault on the senses. Constantly reading the terrain, listening to the motor rev to 4500 on uphills, etc. It just wears me out quicker.

I used to tow my 7500# 26RR with an Escalade ESV. The 6.2 never had an issue maintaining 60-65, but it was not a relaxing drive....I'd be wore out after about 4-5 hours driving. I upgraded to a 2017 F250 with the 6.7 PSD and towed the same trailer 15 hours straight from FL to OK and was more rested (relatively) than towing 5 with the ESV.

[jas451]

Our first set-up was a Hi-Lo Classic 2506 @ approx. 4,700#'s and had a 2005 F-150 5.4 TV. We live in the KC Metro area so it's a natural to head that way quite a bit. Our first trip we headed towards Wichita and just going through the Flint Hills I was surprised as to how much the TV was working, quite a wake-up call! We made our way to Santa Fe, NM and it was more of the same....another
RV'er there noticed our set-up and he had just bought a brand new F-150 and asked if ours was working as hard as his, harder than he would have imagined I guess. We headed north towards Colorado and Durango, CO....and at one point
my wife and I looked at each other and said "we need a bigger truck!" ...lol.
That's when we really started hitting the mountains, and went over Monarch Pass (11,312 ft.) highest mountain pass in North America. We stayed at an RV park in Durango and asked about the road from Durango to Silverton, pretty hairy...a lot of switchbacks. The lady at the park said, "it's not how fast you go up, but more importantly, how fast you go down..." A bigger truck will have bigger brakes, etc. .... So, that Fall, we traded our F-150 in on a F-250 6.8 v10.