New to towing with my 3.0 Duramax

[smitty481]

Hello,

 I am new to towing with my 2020 Silverado. She is outfitted with the 3.0 Duramax. We just purchased a 2018 Travel Trailer (5700 lbs). I have towed with my past trucks but none of them had the settings (trailer mode, + - on the gear selector) or the ability to have a camera system that essentially gives you a view behind the trailer you are towing. 

 Any chance anyone can share some pointers/wisdom on the best way to tow, what to do, look out for and even using the camera system (which I have yet to purchase)? Any help/input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, Dennis

[voided3]

We tow a smaller (4,000 lbs. GVWR) travel trailer with our 5.3 V8 '21 Silverado. Definitely turn on tow/haul mode every time you tow your travel trailer. It changes the shift points on the transmission and also keeps the alternator at full output (it's a variable charge rate system to save fuel, normally), which you'll want since your camper's deep cycle battery trickle charges via the 7-pin on your truck.

 

The gear range selector basically limits how high your transmission can shift. Your Duramax has a 10-speed transmission and 7th gear is your 1:1 gear ratio. Our truck has the 8-speed and 6th is our 1:1 gear. I like to tow in L6 to lockout the overdrive gears, which on your truck would be L7, but you may find L8 or L9 to be better for your application; it's worth experimenting. Regardless, I personally wouldn't tow in D as I don't see a scenario would it would be advantageous to lug the engine in overdrive that much while towing a heavy trailer.

 

On downhill grades, you also can use the gear range selector to hold a lower gear so you get engine braking to avoid burning out your truck and trailer brakes. You also can use it to hold a lower gear when you're approaching a steep uphill climb.

 

You'll also want to set your trailer brake gain appropriately so it's not jerking too much on the truck, but also isn't doing too little that it's relying solely on the truck's brakes. The manual describes the adjustment process, and there are some good videos on Youtube with suggestions on settings. You'll probably want to tweak the gain depending on road and traffic conditions, too; I bump our gain down a hair in stop and go traffic, for example.

 

Also, and probably most importantly, you'll want to get a properly sized and setup weight distribution hitch for that heavy of a camper. Most travel trailers have a higher percentage tongue weight (~15%) compared to boat or utility trailers (closer to 10%). That means your 5,700 lbs. trailer probably has at least 855 lbs. of tongue weight, before even factoring in the weight of the hitch equipment. The manual says anything over 700 lbs. tongue weight needs weight distribution, last I checked, which will help a ton with stability and squat when towing heavy.

[Anacortes Army Guy]

48 minutes ago, smitty481 said:

Hello,

 I am new to towing with my 2020 Silverado. She is outfitted with the 3.0 Duramax. We just purchased a 2018 Travel Trailer (5700 lbs). I have towed with my past trucks but none of them had the settings (trailer mode, + - on the gear selector) or the ability to have a camera system that essentially gives you a view behind the trailer you are towing. 

 Any chance anyone can share some pointers/wisdom on the best way to tow, what to do, look out for and even using the camera system (which I have yet to purchase)? Any help/input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, Dennis

Welcome to the forum.  The 5700lbs you mentioned for your trailer I assume is its dry weight - what is its GVWR?  As mentioned by voided3, I'll echo his recommendation on using Tow/Haul Mode.  In addition to what he stated, Tow/Haul Mode also disables the Auto Stop/Start feature, which I like.  Though the manual states that you should use a WDH at trailer weights above 7000lbs, I'd recommend using one for smaller trailers as well.  I tow a small camper with a GVWR of 3250lbs and am not using a WDH as the tongue weighs a measured 365lbs, depending on how I load it, but if I wasn't going to be upgrading to a larger trailer this coming year I might still get a WDH, if only to offset the minimal squat my truck experiences.  I recently installed the Timbren Suspension Enhancement System (SES) to help with this problem, and plan on getting the Andersen WDH when I upgrade to a larger trailer.  It's one of the lightest, if not the lightest, WDH on the market, and as voided3 pointed out the weight of the WDH needs to be factored in when doing your hitch weight calculations, and some of the WDHs on the market, that are very high quality I might add, weigh a lot.  If you haven't done so, look at the label on the bottom of the driver's side door frame to see your truck's weight capacities as those are important when it comes to loading your truck and camper.  Payload capacity on a half-ton is eaten up pretty quickly when you add up the weight of any accessories, family members, car seats, luggage, dogs, cats, and whatever else you plan on bringing, of course some of that stuff will go into the camper, but it all goes somewhere.  Early on, and before any trip towing the camper, I highly recommend loading it and your truck with everything you plan on taking (including family members), to include filling the trailers fresh water tank if that's your intent (I only carry a few gallons in mine while traveling for potty breaks, then fill up at my destination or close to it), and run the rig across the scales at a nearby truck stop to learn exactly what your weights are.  Manufacturer weight listings are not always accurate, and may not include the weights for the battery and filled propane tanks, and any RV dealer installed options.  And finally, I also recommending you peruse the following link about WDHs:   https://campaddict.com/reviews/towing/weight-distribution-hitch/

and this link about basic towing knowledge all people towing should be up to speed on:           https://www.curtmfg.com/towing-capacity

 

Good luck!

[newdude]

Tow/Haul on, make sure you set up your tongue weight right.  10% of trailer weight.  

 

If towing safety and real time accuracy is your thing, try some of the products from Weigh Safe  Weigh Safe Trailer Hitches | Towing Peace of Mind (weigh-safe.com)

[smitty481]

Gentlemen,

 

 Thank you both for responding and giving your input so quickly. As asked by Anacortes Army Guy, my GVWR is 7200, tongue weight is 930 lbs and yes the 5700(actually 5710) is the dry weight. Being it is the 3.0 Duramax, it's towing capacity is only 9300 lbs. The folks that sold it to us gave us a bunch of stuff(essentially we just have to add clothes) as well as a WDH (a Curt with thick bars) that weighs about 80 lbs.

 I will be sure to take it to our local dump for the weight and check out those links on WDH and towing capacity. I will also use tow haul, the gear selector and adjust the brakes as suggested by voided3. I never thought of towing it with any water on board because in the past we've stopped for fuel and use the bathrooms. But that may be something to consider for future trips.

 

Thank you both again

smitty481

[smitty481]

Thank you too newdude. I'm glad I came here for the help. Now if I can just get my hands on that camera system that Chevy has.

[CamGTP]

Bring a jug of DEF with you too, depending on where you are going you may not be close to a fueling station with it. Towing a decent load like that will use a lot more DEF than you think.

[voided3]

20 hours ago, smitty481 said:

I never thought of towing it with any water on board because in the past we've stopped for fuel and use the bathrooms. But that may be something to consider for future trips.

Water definitely is a weight/payload consideration. Water weighs about 8 lbs. per gallon, so if you have a full 30 gallon tank, you have 240 lbs. of water on board. A regular lead acid deep cycle battery also is about 50 lbs., and of course your propane tanks factor in, too.

[eckseleven]

In my opinion, don't over think things with the gear limits. I don't remember the weight of my travel trailer, something like 3500-3750. I will use tow/haul mode and just put it in drive. Even going down hill you shouldn't down shift it. The 3.0 Duramax is equipped with an exhaust brake that works automatically based on brake pedal application. Leave it in drive and just gently apply brakes when descending hills. The transmission will automatically downshift and the exhaust brake will engage and you can release the brake pedal.

 

My biggest advice is keeping an eye on DEF. The gauge is a range estimate (much like "miles to empty" for fuel) so it will move drastically if vehicle usage changes. The 3.0 will use a lot more DEF when you work it hard, so it is good to be prepared. Once you get familiar with what your usage is like when towing, you'll know if you should bring a jug with you.

[eckseleven]

I forgot to add that just putting it in D and hoping on the highway, the transmission tends to stay in 9th gear at 65-70 MPH for me with the trailer mentioned. The diesel has massive torque at low RPM. It isn't a gasser, you won't hurt it making it work at 1400 RPM.

[smitty481]

Thanks voided3 and ekseleven for the added info. Our first trip isn't until the 18th of February. Figured it best to stay relatively close to home for the first such trip for both the truck and trailer. Also, it's Florida. Pretty much flat terrain. We will be venturing North over the summer so the all of this info will be a big help. It's nice to know there are people out there willing to help.

Thanks again! 

[smitty481]

And thank you too CamGTP!

[redwngr]

Pull out the tow mirrors.

Adjust the trailer brake control before getting on the highway. 

(GM recommends doing the Trailer Gain Adjustment from the 20-25mph range)

 

Put it in tow/haul.

Leave transmission in D and let the truck sort it out.

Set the cruise.  (cruise will also use transmission grade brake and exhaust brake to limit speed on downgrades)

Enjoy the trip

 

[Transient]

This thread motivated me to buy some hitches and mounts.  It's all your fault smitty481, lol.

[smitty481]

rdwngr...I have the mirrors that strap on. I would love to upgrade to the towing mirrors but they ain't cheap. I didn't care about them because we were originally going in the motor home direction. Wife changed her mind though. Thank you so much for the input and I'm sure we will enjoy it. Sadly it's just for the weekend but I am looking forward to it just the same.