Anyone towing 15-16,000#’s Conventionally with new 2500?

jjackkrash · April 16, 2020

49 minutes ago, fsunole33 said:

We are considering a fifth wheel tiny home of the same dimensions and roughly the same weight (maybe a bit more like 16-17k due to trailer) for a safer tow.

Fifth wheels tow better but they put a lot of weight in the bed of the truck. Really look hard at pin weight versus payload capacity if you are looking at fifth wheels. But, ya, a big bumper pull is really going to pull you around if its that big and heavy.

Edited April 16, 2020 by jjackkrash

fsunole33 · April 16, 2020

1 hour ago, jjackkrash said:

Trailer sway on a conventional set up is mostly from trailer set up, tongue weight, and how big of a sail your trailer is. A house or a travel trailer is a vastly different thing to tow than a flat bed, a boat or a dump trailer. Until recently I towed a 10k, 36 ft travel trailer, and, frankly, it is a more stressful tow than a 14-15k flatbed when the wind is blowing. I switched to a DRW in '19 (so I have owned both the '19 and the '20 DRW versions) and six wheels and the extra width makes a big difference on stability. I think you are in for an eye opener trying to tow that big a house with an SRW truck.

I definitely understand where you are coming from, and quite frankly I know a DRW is the smartest tool to tow something this large- but I just can’t swing a DRW as a daily driver. I’ll be getting rid of my current mid size DD truck to purchase something capable of towing the house, and a DRW just isn’t going to work for us outside of the few times a year we move this thing.

The other option we are considering is building the house back in Georgia where we will physically be living in the home- then purchasing a SRW Diesel truck capable of towing it from GA to FL as needed. That way we avoid the 2,000 mile trek from AZ.

fsunole33 · April 16, 2020

1 hour ago, jjackkrash said:

Fifth wheels tow better but they put a lot of weight in the bed of the truck. Really look hard at pin weight versus payload capacity if you are looking at fifth wheels. But, ya, a big bumper pull is really going to pull you around if its that big and heavy.

Yeah absolutely- it would be more for stability towing if we went fifth wheel, and it’d for sure need to be a 1 ton truck if so.

jjackkrash · April 16, 2020

1 hour ago, fsunole33 said:

but I just can’t swing a DRW as a daily driver.

I am not saying you absolutely need a DRW, but just know you are looking at towing a lot of weight coupled with a lot of wind drag. You can do it, but be prepared to take your time and slow down a bit, especially if its blowing out. Things happen really quickly when you are heavy, and one way to mitigate that is to just slow down and manage your expectations. The good news is, the new 2020 trucks really are beefed up, awesome tow vehicles. Frames, brakes, tranny, engine cooling, you name it, it is better this year than its ever been before. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Edited April 16, 2020 by jjackkrash

touchracing · April 16, 2020

Once you go DRW you won't want to go back. I daily drive 50 miles round trip in my crew dually. The advantages wile towing far outweigh the disadvantages wile daily driving.

2020-2500 · April 16, 2020

You're a bit off on your calculations and number estimates. I have a 2020 2500 HD Custom. Here are some numbers from my door panel:

Max conventional trailer is only 14500. To get to the full 16600 capacity you need to be towing a fifth wheel or gooseneck.

Max tongue weight is 1450lbs. Even that would be tough to tow as you usually want 13-15% tongue weight or more to be safe and prevent sway.

It sounds to me like you're playing a dangerous game. The max towing capacity you're thinking of is not for a crew cab - you're probably looking at the limits on a regular or double cab.

fsunole33 · April 16, 2020

8 minutes ago, 2020-2500 said:

You're a bit off on your calculations and number estimates. I have a 2020 2500 HD Custom. Here are some numbers from my door panel:

Max conventional trailer is only 14500. To get to the full 16600 capacity you need to be towing a fifth wheel or gooseneck.

Max tongue weight is 1450lbs. Even that would be tough to tow as you usually want 13-15% tongue weight or more to be safe and prevent sway.

It sounds to me like you're playing a dangerous game. The max towing capacity you're thinking of is not for a crew cab - you're probably looking at the limits on a regular or double cab.

Is your truck the gas model? If it’s diesel, does it have 18 or 20 inch rims or the 17’s?

Edited April 16, 2020 by fsunole33

2020-2500 · April 16, 2020

7 minutes ago, fsunole33 said:

Is your truck the gas model? If it’s diesel, does it have 18 or 20 inch rims or the 17’s?

Yes. I took a look at the trailering guide again and maybe the numbers can work. Really depends on the tongue weight which I still believe will be a dangerous situation. Also note that the LTZ model is going to take a bunch of the payload and tongue capacity away. I'd personally opt for the 3500 SRW in this case since the cost difference isn't much.

https://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/chevrolet/na/us/english/index/vehicle-groups/trailering-and-towing/trucks/02-pdfs/2020-chevrolet-trailering-guide.pdf

fsunole33 · April 16, 2020

18 minutes ago, 2020-2500 said:

You're a bit off on your calculations and number estimates. I have a 2020 2500 HD Custom. Here are some numbers from my door panel:

Max conventional trailer is only 14500. To get to the full 16600 capacity you need to be towing a fifth wheel or gooseneck.

Max tongue weight is 1450lbs. Even that would be tough to tow as you usually want 13-15% tongue weight or more to be safe and prevent sway.

It sounds to me like you're playing a dangerous game. The max towing capacity you're thinking of is not for a crew cab - you're probably looking at the limits on a regular or double cab.

I don’t believe the Custom is a diesel...you are right though, the gasser 2500 crew cab is a 14,500 max conventional and 16,500 or so max fifth/gooseneck.

According to Chevrolet, the crew cab 2500 diesel models with 18/20 inch rims have a 18,500# conventional Max

fsunole33 · April 16, 2020

3 minutes ago, 2020-2500 said:

Yes. I took a look at the trailering guide again and maybe the numbers can work. Really depends on the tongue weight which I still believe will be a dangerous situation. Also note that the LTZ model is going to take a bunch of the payload and tongue capacity away. I'd personally opt for the 3500 SRW in this case since the cost difference isn't much.

https://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/chevrolet/na/us/english/index/vehicle-groups/trailering-and-towing/trucks/02-pdfs/2020-chevrolet-trailering-guide.pdf

I definitely agree- I’m also wondering if you can replace the stock bumper/hitch setup to increase your tongue load if needed? Not sure if that is even possible...

the numbers you and I are seeing is just what drew me to the truck, you can’t even find numbers like that on SRW 1 tons from 2015-2019 on any of the big three...

fsunole33 · April 16, 2020

12 hours ago, jjackkrash said:

I am not saying you absolutely need a DRW, but just know you are looking at towing a lot of weight coupled with a lot of wind drag. You can do it, but be prepared to take your time and slow down a bit, especially if its blowing out. Things happen really quickly when you are heavy, and one way to mitigate that is to just slow down and manage your expectations. The good news is, the new 2020 trucks really are beefed up, awesome tow vehicles. Frames, brakes, tranny, engine cooling, you name it, it is better this year than its ever been before. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thank you very much for taking the time to response and give input. Any little bit helps greatly!

fsunole33 · April 16, 2020

4 hours ago, touchracing said:

Once you go DRW you won't want to go back. I daily drive 50 miles round trip in my crew dually. The advantages wile towing far outweigh the disadvantages wile daily driving.

I believe you especially from the towing standpoint. My wife is a badass, but I’m not sure I can convince her to drive a DRW daily lol

fsunole33 · April 16, 2020

13 minutes ago, 2020-2500 said:

Yes. I took a look at the trailering guide again and maybe the numbers can work. Really depends on the tongue weight which I still believe will be a dangerous situation. Also note that the LTZ model is going to take a bunch of the payload and tongue capacity away. I'd personally opt for the 3500 SRW in this case since the cost difference isn't much.

https://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/chevrolet/na/us/english/index/vehicle-groups/trailering-and-towing/trucks/02-pdfs/2020-chevrolet-trailering-guide.pdf

Absolutely- if I’m pushing 15,000# the SRW 3500 versus the 2500 is a no brainer. I’m hoping once is said and done, I’m under 13,000#, and at that point (once getting the exact tongue weight, etc) could possibly consider the 2500 if everything adds up. I know either way a conventional tow with this trailer is going to be risky and a challenge, so towing it will take patience and time to do it right. I just want to ensure I’m not buying a $50,000 truck that I’m going to tear up.

2020-2500 · April 16, 2020

12 minutes ago, fsunole33 said:

I definitely agree- I’m also wondering if you can replace the stock bumper/hitch setup to increase your tongue load if needed? Not sure if that is even possible...

the numbers you and I are seeing is just what drew me to the truck, you can’t even find numbers like that on SRW 1 tons from 2015-2019 on any of the big three...

Probably not. It's most likely the rear axle rating limiting you, plus modifications don't increase the listed capacities on a truck, legally speaking. Remember a conventional trailer is putting more stress at lower weight on the axle because of the distance from it. Fifth wheel/gooseneck is directly over the axle hence the increased capacities.

jjackkrash · April 16, 2020

12 minutes ago, 2020-2500 said:

Probably not. It's most likely the rear axle rating limiting you, plus modifications don't increase the listed capacities on a truck, legally speaking. Remember a conventional trailer is putting more stress at lower weight on the axle because of the distance from it. Fifth wheel/gooseneck is directly over the axle hence the increased capacities.

It can also relate to the suspension and how much weight a conventional hitch is pulling off the front tires when the hitch is loaded (this affects braking and handing). So I agree it is a more complicated issue than mere hitch strength.

Edit: In fact, without checking, I bet the 2500 and 3500 use the same hitch despite the difference in ratings.

Edited April 16, 2020 by jjackkrash