Is a half ton enough to tow the 2509S?

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by dm6

I did have a blowout with the boat once a long time ago and that scared me enough that I am probably overly cautious with trailers now. Even on that little trailer, I am constantly checking the tire pressure, lug nuts, repack the bearings way more than necessary, make sure I don't overload it, etc. I guess that is why I am really looking into this before I buy anything. But then again, I didn't expect this thread to go on this long! LOL

The first thing I did when I bought my two trailers was replace the China bomb tires with Made in the USA Goodyear Endurance tires. I learned my lesson when I bought a new cargo trailer and had one of the China bomb tires explode on me. Something you should also consider, especially since you've also had a blowout in the past. If you go with the Silverado as your new tow vehicle, get one with the advanced trailering system. That way you'll be able to have trailer tire pressure and temperature display on your infotainment screen.

[BOO-BOO-IS-IN-CAMP]

swaping the gears im not sure..
but a trailer that size you should be using a truck with Dully ..
sorry to say ..
tires on the trailer get a TPS system .. watch the heat .. i have china bomb's on my trailer But,
i do not push my truck or my self ....
any Any truck can all most pull any thing you put be hind it BUT BUT!!
when it come to Grade % up hill down hill thats when your truck is going to be push to it limits .with no jake brake relying only on your skil's..

my truck is a 2000 quad cab 8' bed 4X4 dana 60 F dana 80 R 4.10 gears Dully 5.9 cummins. Rancho XL9000, over load leaf. new trans with a ton of up grades..
but my truck is still limited ..it's a auto not a standard
just my take ...


check out BIG TRUCK BIG RIG on YouTube tums of info and how to ...

good luck

[Mike134]

Originally Posted by BOO-BOO-IS-IN-CAMP

but a trailer that size you should be using a truck with Dully ..
sorry to say ..

You are joking of course. Post #1 describes a 26' trailer topping out at max of 6900lbs.

This thread is getting long and like I've said forums for advise are like gin mills for advice. I think we are in the 6 beer range of advise now.

[BOO-BOO-IS-IN-CAMP]

LOL

[dm6]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

The first thing I did when I bought my two trailers was replace the China bomb tires with Made in the USA Goodyear Endurance tires. I learned my lesson when I bought a new cargo trailer and had one of the China bomb tires explode on me. Something you should also consider, especially since you've also had a blowout in the past. If you go with the Silverado as your new tow vehicle, get one with the advanced trailering system. That way you'll be able to have trailer tire pressure and temperature display on your infotainment screen.

I am sure most people here are experienced and know the age of the tire matters, but I will mention it for the newbies. These tires I had the blowout in were actually Good Year. I lived about 2 miles from the lake and most of the time just took the boat down there. I was going on a couple hundred mile trip and the blowout happened less than 10 miles from home so at least that part was good. But the tires looked brand new, had full tread, but were 12 years old and I didn't factor that in. They were never exposed to the sun because it was kept in a carport and I even put the trailer on blocks in the winter and brought the tires inside. They both went at the same time because by the time I got home on the spare, the other tire had a bunch of cracks in it.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by dm6

I am sure most people here are experienced and know the age of the tire matters, but I will mention it for the newbies. These tires I had the blowout in were actually Good Year. I lived about 2 miles from the lake and most of the time just took the boat down there. I was going on a couple hundred mile trip and the blowout happened less than 10 miles from home so at least that part was good. But the tires looked brand new, had full tread, but were 12 years old and I didn't factor that in. They were never exposed to the sun because it was kept in a carport and I even put the trailer on blocks in the winter and brought the tires inside. They both went at the same time because by the time I got home on the spare, the other tire had a bunch of cracks in it.

Those were probably Goodyear Marathon tires, if it was that long ago. Those were made in China and they were no better than any other China bomb tire. That's why Goodyear came up with the Endurance design and moved production to the US. Brand new Endurance tires should give at least five to seven years of trouble-free service.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

The first thing I did when I bought my two trailers was replace the China bomb tires with Made in the USA Goodyear Endurance tires.

I put about 30K miles on my China Bombs over 3 years. Had one flat caused by a nail. In my case, my tires were rated for 130% of my actual trailer weight, which probably had a lot to do with it. Lots of people have tires rated for 110% or less of their weight.
Decided at three years to swap the tires and now have even more reserve capacity. Hoping to get 5 years out of the new ones.

[RangeMaggotBob]

Originally Posted by dm6

Yeah maybe that is what I am thinking about. I see people at the campgrounds with their truck bed fully loaded hauling a big trailer. I guess if I had a trailer, I would put all the gear in that and maybe just put a little bit of firewood in the truck or something. If the tongue weight gets too high though, you can always add more gear to the rear of the trailer to lessen it, right? Maybe put the bikes in the back of the trailer instead of the bed of the truck or something?

Oh, don't worry. You'll soon have that bed in your truck full, no matter how you load your trailer. I don't think a couple of bicycles is going to affect your tongue weight too bad. Over time, you'll figure out on your own the best way to pack.