Real World Towing Experience - Baby Duramax and Max Towing Package

Port Tack Farm · June 26

I'm considering a new truck, upgrading / changing from my 2017 Canyon Denali Long Bed to either a 1500 Sierra SLT or Silverado LTZ Crew Cab with Standard Bed, 3.0 liter Duramax and Max Tow Package and I'm looking for "real world" experience in towing with this setup. I want to be able to tow my Kubota tractor on a trailer occasionally (2-3 times a year up to 200 miles round trip) with an all up weight of 10K-11K lbs. My understanding is this configuration has a towing capacity of 13K lbs. Anyone have any experience in doing this now? Is this feasible or do I really need to be looking at a 2500HD to make this work. This will be a daily driver truck for the most part so the increased mpg of the 3.0 liter diesel coupled with the available HP is very enticing and short of towing. I really have no desire to drive or park a 2500HD every day. I'll also be towing some small boats from time to time in the 1K-5K lb range, but obviously this isn't an issue and I have regularly towed them with my Canyon without problem. Thanks for any advice or comments.

Samthebam · July 4

What size is your Kubota? I’ve got the 5.3 Max Trailering setup on my 2019 and it pulls my Kubota L3800 with loader and a rear implement no problem at all. I’m thinking that mine has the 11,000 trailering rating, so I’d be really surprised if you have a problem with your proposed setup.

I was looking for exactly the same thing, a 1500 as a daily driver and have the ability to pull the tractor around as needed and potentially a camper. It’s been great.

Port Tack Farm · July 5

14 hours ago, Samthebam said:

What size is your Kubota? I’ve got the 5.3 Max Trailering setup on my 2019 and it pulls my Kubota L3800 with loader and a rear implement no problem at all. I’m thinking that mine has the 11,000 trailering rating, so I’d be really surprised if you have a problem with your proposed setup.

I was looking for exactly the same thing, a 1500 as a daily driver and have the ability to pull the tractor around as needed and potentially a camper. It’s been great.

Thanks for the reply confirming my initial thoughts. I have an L3560 LE ROPs with the 805 FEL and loaded tires. I figure the tractor is about 6200 lbs and I'd also have either the box blade at 600 lbs or rotary cutter at 750 lbs. . I'll probably end up with a 20'-22' trailer with a 14000 capacity which would be about 3800 lbs - so 10-11K lbs all up. For the 2 or 3 times a year I'd tow, I think I'll be fine. I'm actually picking up my new 1500 Sierra SLT with 3.0 diesel and Max Tow tomorrow morning. I don't have any immediate plans to tow it but I'll be nice knowing I can if I want to. In he mean time I think the 1500 will be much easier to live with day-to-day than a 2500HD.

ShortMag · July 5

Personally I wouldn’t tow that much with a half ton truck.

totally agree on driveability of the half ton over the 3/4 ton

newdude · July 5

On 6/26/2024 at 2:03 PM, Port Tack Farm said:

I'm considering a new truck, upgrading / changing from my 2017 Canyon Denali Long Bed to either a 1500 Sierra SLT or Silverado LTZ Crew Cab with Standard Bed, 3.0 liter Duramax and Max Tow Package and I'm looking for "real world" experience in towing with this setup. I want to be able to tow my Kubota tractor on a trailer occasionally (2-3 times a year up to 200 miles round trip) with an all up weight of 10K-11K lbs. My understanding is this configuration has a towing capacity of 13K lbs. Anyone have any experience in doing this now? Is this feasible or do I really need to be looking at a 2500HD to make this work. This will be a daily driver truck for the most part so the increased mpg of the 3.0 liter diesel coupled with the available HP is very enticing and short of towing. I really have no desire to drive or park a 2500HD every day. I'll also be towing some small boats from time to time in the 1K-5K lb range, but obviously this isn't an issue and I have regularly towed them with my Canyon without problem. Thanks for any advice or comments.

An NHT 3.0 Duramax might be rated for 13,000lbs, but its the payload that is shortcoming on the 1500 because...its a 1500. You figure if you tried to tow the max weight and have your tongue weight dialed at 10%, you've got near zero safety net to the GCWR.

A 2023 High Country max trailer short box 4x4 3.0 for example payloads around 1520lbs.

In your use case, would you be fine? Sure, but you still have to be considerate of how your trailer is loaded (weight distributed to get the tongue weight ideal), and be considerate of what else you carry with you or how many people you carry with you those 2-3 times a year you pull the tractor.

Plenty of people on these forums and facebook groups who end up mad or upset when they over expect what a 1500 can safely do, or also have zero caution to the wind and are cool with posing risk to themselves or others.

Edited July 5 by newdude

ExYukon · July 6

Good luck with the new truck. Please let us know what the yellow sticker on the door jamb shows for payload. My '23 Silverado 1500 Crew Short Bed 4x4 w/Max Trailering came in at 1826, but that's with the 6.2L.

Port Tack Farm · July 8

Thanks for the advice and caution. FYI, I picked up the new truck a couple days ago and absolutely love it and so does my wife. I understand the loading and balance need to be spot on with regard to tongue weight and balance on the trailer. Max Payload listed on the sticker is 1500 lbs and Max Tongue weight is 1250 lbs. Max Towing is 12500 lbs. At this point I may just be trailering the tractor with FEL and no implements, but at least if I need to take the tractor in for service I can do that. The few times I would need one of the implements, I could always make two trips, one with just the tractor and one with the implement(s). I could also spend more on the trailer and get an aluminum trailer which would save 700 -1000 lbs in trailer weight. I do know after driving this new truck I made the right choice in going 1500 vs 2500. I wouldn't want to daily or frequently drive a 2500HD and deal with the higher initial purchase price, increased fuel consumption and cost, higher maintenance costs and the difficulty parking, just to be able to tow my tractor and implements 2 or 3 times a year. The Sierra 1500 Crew Cab Standard Box is a huge upgrade in functionality over my Canyon Denali with the long box even if towing the tractor may not work as well as I had hoped. Just being able to get a full 4x8 sheet of plywood in the bed between the wheel wells is huge.

23RST · September 5

Just curious, can someone explain how to balance the tongue/payload/GVWR vs the "rated" 13,300lbs?

From what I understand some payload in the truck + weight on the tongue will very quickly eat up your GVWR maximum before you ever even get close to the 13,3000 "rated" amount (which sounds like BS now that I understand a little more).

May have some towing needed in the next 2 months. Thanks

asilverblazer · September 5

The size tractor you are referring to can EASILY be handled by a half ton truck.

If you can't keep that load on the road with a new half ton, you shouldn't be driving anything other than a mobility scooter.

It seems that everyone in this thread has a good grasp of the different weight ratings.

asilverblazer · September 5

3 hours ago, 23RST said:

Just curious, can someone explain how to balance the tongue/payload/GVWR vs the "rated" 13,300lbs?

From what I understand some payload in the truck + weight on the tongue will very quickly eat up your GVWR maximum before you ever even get close to the 13,3000 "rated" amount (which sounds like BS now that I understand a little more).

A carefully loaded truck (empty), with a carefully setup weight distribution hitch might be able to have a 13K lb trailer attached with 10% tongue weight carefully balanced between the trucks front and rear axles to a stay with in every rating on the truck.

The only way to know is to spend some time at the scale. You must load everything you intend to travel with in the truck and trailer. Unhook the trailer and weight the truck. This reveals how much much weight you have left in the GVWR. That amount cannot be exceeded by the tongue weight of the trailer. You will also see how much weight each axle of the truck is carrying.

Next, attach the trailer with out any weight distribution. Weigh again. You will now know what the GCWR amount is. It cannot exceed the trucks number. You can also see how much tongue weight is added to the rear axle on the truck, and how much it unloads the front axle. This won't really matter because adding the weight distribution system will re-allocate that weight among the axles.

Next, the weight distribution system. Some amount of tongue weight from above will get put on the front axle and some will get put back on the trailer axles, that weight gets lifted off the rear axle.

Lastly balancing the system, you will adjust the weight distribution hitch to maintain about 10% of your tongue weight from step 2 on the truck with out exceeding any maximum weight ratings, FAWR, RAWR, GVWR. You may find that it is not possible to do it. You may find that you're close or...

redwngr · September 5

2wd crewcab shortbox (CC10543), with 3.0 and NHT (max tow) is the only configuration that gets 13,300 conventional tow. (5th wheel is 9000 for that configuration)

GM suggests 10 - 15 % tongue load, so it needs 1,330 - 1,995 lbs payload

It has 1950.

Lots a variation and differences in the ratings depending on the specifics of the truck.

23RST · September 6

Great info both of you, thanks!

Figuring out your payload first & then working backwards to the tongue makes a lot of sense.

I'll have to figure out my exact equipment. I have the LZ0 crew cab with the smaller gear ratio.

redwngr · September 8

On 9/6/2024 at 7:08 AM, 23RST said:

Great info both of you, thanks!

Figuring out your payload first & then working backwards to the tongue makes a lot of sense.

I'll have to figure out my exact equipment. I have the LZ0 crew cab with the smaller gear ratio.

Your truck will have 3 stickers on the drivers doorpost.

Tire label is part way down, lists tire size it was born with and pressures for running at max rated loading.

The two at the very bottom will have trailer ratings, payload ratings etc.

The ratings are VIN specific (vin will be on the labels too)