Towing 5500 lb travel trailer

socalledchad · May 16, 2017

Looking at an older 24ft travel traiker. 2003. 5500 lbs dry weight. Pulling with 2013 ..1500 cc 4x4 3.55 5.7 6 speed 8600 towing capicty. With a wdh factory hitch with the curt 1333 receiver.

Curt brake controller .

I tow a 6x12 enclosed all the time 3 to 4k lbs.

Guy said he pulls it with his 5.3 tahoe pretty easy..i dont know

Woukd this be a comfortable tow by any means ?

fordtech90 · May 16, 2017

You can tow that thing anywhere with 0 problems.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

VernDiesel · May 16, 2017

Short answer you should not have any problems. But it's best to look at TT GVWR for worse case & not dry weights. To best keep your family safe & have the best towing experience set your WDH up at a tripple scale with your camp ready TT. For best suspension control you might also appreciate air bags to compliment the WDH. Last level trailer hitch weight should be about 12.5 of wet TT weight so you can compare that to the bar weight ratings on your WDH to make sure they are appropriately sized.

TRCM · May 16, 2017

I tow an older (like as in 1976 model, ~6500 lbs) 25' travel trailer and it tows just fine.

I do have the 3.92 gears tho, so that helps.

socalledchad · May 16, 2017

This is good to heat...and i found out its 3980 dry weight. At least tjats what nada says on the model and year. Can that be roughly trusted ?

socalledchad · May 16, 2017

VernDiesel said:
Short answer you should not have any problems. But it's best to look at TT GVWR for worse case & not dry weights. To best keep your family safe & have the best towing experience set your WDH up at a tripple scale with your camp ready TT. For best suspension control you might also appreciate air bags to compliment the WDH. Last level trailer hitch weight should be about 12.5 of wet TT weight so you can compare that to the bar weight ratings on your WDH to make sure they are appropriately sized.

Family saftety is the main concern . Thanks !!

14hemiexpress · May 16, 2017

I wouldn't think twice with those weights and size. Sounds like a good match for a 1500.

mtofell · May 17, 2017

socalledchad said:
This is good to heat...and i found out its 3980 dry weight. At least tjats what nada says on the model and year. Can that be roughly trusted ?

That should be a good match but knowing your truck's payload is and how much weight you put in the truck to subtract off that payload are the key numbers... along with the weight of the TT. The numbers can add up quickly. Here's an example:

Truck payload 1500# - if you put 600# of people in the truck and 300# of firewood and other gear in the bed you are left with only 600#. Subtract another 100# for a good hitch and you have 500# left. That's roughly the tongue weight of a 4000-5000# (loaded) trailer.

There's also a max towing number on the truck but 95% of folks will hit payload max before even getting close to max towing. Like I said, the weight goes quickly. Manufacturers give "max" numbers that are almost unattainable in the real world. For example, max towing can only be achieved with a completely empty truck.

In the end you should be good with that trailer but perhaps by not as large a margin as some posters think. Get us the numbers on your door sticker for payload and more exact on the TT if possible and we can give you more precise answers.

GsRAM · May 17, 2017

What motofell posted is 100% accurate. Do check the yellow sticker payload limit and post back here with that number. How many are in your family? What is your total combined weight? What gear will you be bringing along?

I do think with a properly set up wdh you'll be ok, but as moto stated, I'd bet you will be closer to your payload limit than you think. That's the issue with half ton towing. You run out of payload long before you hit the tow rating. That's one of the reasons i went from a 15, 1500 Silverado to my 2500hd ram. Also, get some good trailer tow mirrors, you'll need them. Good luck.

Swampfox · May 17, 2017

Check the tires on the trailer and make sure they are not the original Chinese tires that came on the trailer. Otherwise should be within your capacities and tow well for you

socalledchad · May 17, 2017

Looks like 1430 payload.. 3 in my fam. People weight will be about 375. Looks like most gear will be in the trailer. And bike rack on back of trailer. I wont be traveling with warter in the tanks...for the most part.

Looking at payload definatly gives me less wiggle room. 12 pecent tounge weight ...im going to figure around 15. Then say camper with gear is 5k and say tw is 750. ...so 1125 tw and persons. Ill keep the truck with light stuff and be careful about how many hamburges i buy...geez. yeah.

One good thung for this season is we are new to camping so we dont have a ton of stuff.

socalledchad · May 17, 2017

Oh...1344 on the sticker...hahaha mann no hamburgers at all

socalledchad · May 17, 2017

Sorry guys you cant bring your shoes ..to heavy

ronheater70 · May 17, 2017

socalledchad said:
One good thung for this season is we are new to camping so we dont have a ton of stuff.

I remember saying something similar.. and here I am one new 3/4 ton truck poorer..L

Your number seem decent, at least your thinking about it now, that's a big part of it.

avantiguy · May 17, 2017

Swampfox said:
Check the tires on the trailer and make sure they are not the original Chinese tires that came on the trailer. Otherwise should be within your capacities and tow well for you

Excellent advice. Also be sure you or the dealer grease all the bearings and be sure the brake pads and suspension rubber are in good nick.

As an example, my son bought a used 26' boat with tires on the trailer that looked brand new. We towed it home and during the tow, one tire just blew apart. We put on the spare and were much slower going the rest of the way. He bought four new tires and kept the best old one as a spare on the trailer. About a month later, the spare blew apart on the trailer tongue with no weight on it.

They turned out to be 10 yr old Goodyear trailer tires. Apparently age just beat them up badly. If your tires are in that age range, the best time to change them is now.

Golden cobra · May 17, 2017

There's a lot of good information here, I personally added some Firestone Ride-Rite bags on the rear of my 2014 1500 and couldn't be happier. It does a great job of transferring the weight to your front tires and the price isn't bad if you install them yourself

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

socalledchad · May 17, 2017

I have the air lift 1000. Are the firestones the same idea ? I know the airlift helped alot with sag and seems a bit more stiff pulling my smaller trailer ..not sure if they will do much for a heavier load

socalledchad · May 17, 2017

The travel trailer i am buying is a 99 coachmen futuria lite 246 tb. Im not finding a ton about the specs so far aside from the weight listed in NADA

Totesmygoats · May 17, 2017

Golden cobra said:
It does a great job of transferring the weight to your front tires and the price isn't bad if you install them yourself

Leveling the rear does no transfer weight to the front to any relevant degree.

Golden cobra · May 17, 2017

socalledchad said:
I have the air lift 1000. Are the firestones the same idea ? I know the airlift helped alot with sag and seems a bit more stiff pulling my smaller trailer ..not sure if they will do much for a heavier load

Yes it is the same idea, Also to clarify there really isn't a significant amount of weight transfer to the front from bags alone but it does feel a lot more stable, probably from less body roll. It is a great combination with a weight distribution hitch which will actually transfer a decent amount of weight to the front tires. I always try to keep my trucks and trailers as level as possible.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

Towing 5500 lb travel trailer

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

USN, Retired

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Member

Similar threads

Forum statistics

Share this page