# What can my truck comfortably pull?



## Fmcnair (Oct 7, 2003)

Have 2003 GMC crew cab Heavy Half ton with 6.0 engine.  Have not pulled 5th previously.  What length of 5th should we consider for purchase for our truck to adequately handle?


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## John Harrelson (Oct 8, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

For safety sake, I strongly recommend a trailer that has a *DRY WEIGHT of 5000 lbs or less*.  Because .... when you get it loaded with all the stuff we RVer's take with us, your will have about 7000 lbs total weight.

Your truck can easily pull 7000 lbs ,,, BUT ... the problem is can it stop it, maneuver it, and make it up a steep hill with the 6.0 engine.

There have been several discussions on a couple of forums about the 6.0 engine having trouble pulling RV trailers..  might want to talk to a lot of others about their 1/2 tons and especially their 6.0 engines before going to far with your dreams..   after all, it's easier to pull one foot out of the mud than to try and pull both feet out when you've gone too far..

Just my opinion, and everybody has one,

John

best of luck,

John


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## C Nash (Oct 10, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

Fmcnair,
A lot will depend on the axle ratio, tire size and towing equiped on your truck.  John is probably pretty close for the crewcab.  You are already pulling more that a standard 1/2 ton.  A friend of mine has the 2500 4x4 with 6.0 and he tows a 5th wheel 28 ft Keystone Cougar that is in the 6500-8500 range with no problem.  A lot will depend on your expectations, even semis slow down going up hills.  I towed a cougar 28 ft 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton 350 and it did ok but, traded for a dually and it was a perfect match and stopping was no problem. Worried about stopping with the 1/2 ton.  There are lite weights you should be able to handle just, don't listen to most sales people.  Do your research and good luck.  Any RV is better than none :approve:


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## hertig (Oct 14, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

You may find that 6.0 liter engine struggles pulling significant weight up any hill.  I'd try to stick with a 25' liteweight or less, to keep the Gross Weight as far under 6000 as practical.  Better yet, get a truck designed for towing, with a significant payload and a real engine.  1/2 tons just aren't the top choice for pulling any real weight.  Diesel seems to be best, but a BIG gas engine can do the job.


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## donohue (Oct 15, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

welcome in, i have a 2003 f 150 4x4 supercab with the 5.4 triton,i pull a 26 foot nomad toyhauler tow behind that weighs a touch over 8000lbs.
my truck has no problem pulling or STOPPING it, that seems to be a big thing with some of these guys,if you are set up properly,your truck should pull twice as good as mine,i guess the people who replied to your question dont know what a heavy half  truck is,you will probably out pull alot of stock diesels up most grades, gas mileage sucks but you have a wider power band with gas, so dont let these full timers get you down about your ride,that truck was made to pull, and it WILL STOP IT! just think, all you wanted was to know what size of 5er you should get, and theyre trying to get you to sell your truck, makes you wonder if they sell trucks. i wrote in to ask about gas mileage a few months ago, got one reply about gas mileage and a million about how my truck was going to puke the tranny out on the ground and i was gonna kill a few hundred people because my truck couldnt stop it, and they didnt even know how my truck was set up, im glad after a couple thousand miles of towing, my tranny still works and it stops just fine. youll find a few good guys in here who know the difference between there ass and a hole in the ground, but theres only a few.good luck.     jd donohue


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## hertig (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

Mr Donohue, I agree that your knowlege about 2003 Ford pickups is infinitely greater than mine.  It's even possible that your knowlege about 2003 Chevy pickups is greater than mine, but I've seen nothing to support this.  Its been 2 years; perhaps GMC has 'fixed' the 6.0L engine, or perhaps its always been fine and I just got a 'bad' one.  But my engine struggles getting my approximately 6500 pound trailer up any grade.  That is a fact (ie, proveable), which I believe everyone considering this engine should be aware of.        

Historically, 1/2 ton pickup trucks have had limited towing capacity.  This is also a fact.  Now you claim that this capability has been significantly upgraded, and you might well be right.  If so, it is about time.  I still believe that anyone who wants to tow with a 1/2 ton pickup truck should be aware of the possibility that not every 1/2 ton truck is up to it.  

In fact, anyone who is going to tow anything with any vehicle, should go through the exercise of ensuring that they do not exceed any of the limits set by the vehicle manufacturer.  Many people do, through ignorance or deliberate choice, or dare I say it, arrogance, exceed one or more such limit, and many of them may never notice any repercussions.  This does not mean it is a good idea...  

So, your experiance and knowlege is useful to this forum, as is that of the majority of contributers, who may not meet your standards of 'goodness' or having enough intelligence to distiguish between their own anatomy and excavation.  I'll bet most of these poor souls have made mistakes and hope to educate others so they won't make the same mistakes.  If you find anyone who is distributing false information for fun or profit, you are welcome to expose them; however you might want to consider treating everyone else with a socially acceptable minimum of politeness.  

Your credentials on the capacity of the 2003 F250 4x4 supercab are obvious - you use one.  I would like to know by what knowlege and/or experiance you can estimate the 2003 1500HD to have twice the Ford's prodigious towing capacity though...


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## donohue (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

allright john, your right, i dont know alot about the 6.0 chevy, i wish i had one, anything has got to be better than this ford im driving. i do know the heavy half chevy that this man is talking about has 3/4 ton running gear and has a heck of alot more torque and horsepower than my (fiso),
I had a 2001 f150 with a 4.6 triton v8, and it was the worst engine in a truck i have ever owned, i even got ford to lemon law the truck, because of poor gas mileage and constant pinging.
however, that doesnt mean every 4.6 made was junk, so for me to go about ranting and raving about how bad the 4.6 is wouldnt be right. I have heard of a few people having problems with the 6.0, most have been poor mileage, and a few people griped about the power, but for the most part every seemed to think it was a nice powerplant. but opinions are like you know what,   and this is mine, sorry to offend you, but theres alot of you guys who throw opinions around out there about other peoples vehicles that you dont know much about ie. mine. anyway this will be my last posting on this site thanks for all your help, or lack of. Donohue


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## donohue (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

allright john, your right, i dont know alot about the 6.0 chevy, i wish i had one, anything has got to be better than this ford im driving. i do know the heavy half chevy that this man is talking about has 3/4 ton running gear and has a heck of alot more torque and horsepower than my (fiso),
I had a 2001 f150 with a 4.6 triton v8, and it was the worst engine in a truck i have ever owned, i even got ford to lemon law the truck, because of poor gas mileage and constant pinging.
however, that doesnt mean every 4.6 made was junk, so for me to go about ranting and raving about how bad the 4.6 is wouldnt be right. I have heard of a few people having problems with the 6.0, most have been poor mileage, and a few people griped about the power, but for the most part every seemed to think it was a nice powerplant. but opinions are like you know what,   and this is mine, sorry to offend you, but theres alot of you guys who throw opinions around out there about other peoples vehicles that you dont know much about ie. mine. anyway this will be my last posting on this site thanks for all your help, or lack of. Donohue


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## donohue (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

allright john, your right, i dont know alot about the 6.0 chevy, i wish i had one, anything has got to be better than this ford im driving. i do know the heavy half chevy that this man is talking about has 3/4 ton running gear and has a heck of alot more torque and horsepower than my (fiso),
I had a 2001 f150 with a 4.6 triton v8, and it was the worst engine in a truck i have ever owned, i even got ford to lemon law the truck, because of poor gas mileage and constant pinging.
however, that doesnt mean every 4.6 made was junk, so for me to go about ranting and raving about how bad the 4.6 is wouldnt be right. I have heard of a few people having problems with the 6.0, most have been poor mileage, and a few people griped about the power, but for the most part every seemed to think it was a nice powerplant. but opinions are like you know what,   and this is mine, sorry to offend you, but theres alot of you guys who throw opinions around out there about other peoples vehicles that you dont know much about ie. mine. anyway this will be my last posting on this site thanks for all your help, or lack of. Donohue


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## donohue (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

allright john, your right, i dont know alot about the 6.0 chevy, i wish i had one, anything has got to be better than this ford im driving. i do know the heavy half chevy that this man is talking about has 3/4 ton running gear and has a heck of alot more torque and horsepower than my (fiso),
I had a 2001 f150 with a 4.6 triton v8, and it was the worst engine in a truck i have ever owned, i even got ford to lemon law the truck, because of poor gas mileage and constant pinging.
however, that doesnt mean every 4.6 made was junk, so for me to go about ranting and raving about how bad the 4.6 is wouldnt be right. I have heard of a few people having problems with the 6.0, most have been poor mileage, and a few people griped about the power, but for the most part every seemed to think it was a nice powerplant. but opinions are like you know what,   and this is mine, sorry to offend you, but theres alot of you guys who throw opinions around out there about other peoples vehicles that you dont know much about ie. mine. anyway this will be my last posting on this site thanks for all your help, or lack of. Donohue


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## John Harrelson (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

To ..FMCNAIR,  CNASH,  HERTIG,

Thanks for replying in a honorable and polite way with your opinions on this subject.

I hope that my post did not offend you three like it obviously did some folks. I was under the impression that here in America,anybody could voice their opinion on a subject. But I guess some people don't believe that. They believe only they have that right.

Ah well, such is life,,

Thanks again for your maturity and politeness..
John


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## hertig (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

John, I can't imagine how your post could have offended anyone.  I suspect its not most opinions which offend people, but the way they are presented.  Yours are presented as opinions, not facts, and politely, so you should never feel the need to apologize.   

Donohue, your opinion is as valid as anyone elses, and your experiances superior to others opinions and at least equal to their experiance in the same area(s).  As you say, taking a single experiance and extrapolating a universal claim is a bad move.   

I hope I have not done that or even given the appearance of doing so.  I have nothing against the 6.0L engine or my previous engine, the 350 in a 1/2 ton, which I adore.  Both work very well in the respective truck, and the gas mileage has been acceptable.  It is just that neither of these 2 specific instances of these engines was happy towing 6000 pounds up even a slight grade.  These 2 cases of my experiance shape my opinion that 'small', gas (particularly Chevy/GMC), engines MAY not be the best choice for towing.  Not to say they won't work, not to say in someone else's case they won't be satisfied.  Just alerting people to the POSSIBILITY that they MAY not be satisfied.


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## C Nash (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

John, your post sure did not offend me in any way.  Thought you gave an honest opinion and did not in any way recommend buying a new vehicle.  Also hope Donohue keeps posting his opinions.  Don't understand his post saying the f150 was great and then in the next post saying anything would be better than the ford. I think most of us have been there and done that and are trying to help others.  I for one have made some terrible mistakes in tow vehicles. I guess we generally assume that when someone ask what his vehicle can tow he/she has never towed before and wants honest opinions.  Just all remember it is just our opinions and not necessarly right.
In the 23 years I worked on Chevies, most of the heavy 1/2 ton just had the heavy frame, standard axle ratio and may/may not have the heavy 3/4 ton rear axle and brakes.  Some just had the 10 inch shoes on the rear but, thay may be disc all around now. I also drove the tow vehicle during this time and worked on rvs on the side.  Most accidents I worked involving rv trailers were caused by lack of stopping, improper equipment, speed but, most also had an inexperenced driver.  What one driver can tow safetly another towing the same is an accident hunting a place to happen.  Even brakes on most MH are not up to par.  I see where Fleetwood is offering a $250 rebate to new owners of their MH toward purchase of a breaking system for toads. I would be the first to advise anyone with a MH to watch the breaking but, again that's just my opinion.    
Fmcnair hope no one has offended you with our opinions.  Post again and let us know what you have done


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## Fmcnair (Oct 16, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

Gentlemen, 
Did not mean to stir up a storm with my question regarding the capabilities of my GMC Heavy Half.  Have done some work on the engine and am doing more so it may be a bit stronger than stock.  I have an 8600 GVW which is the same as my 01 GMC 3/4 ton.  I think I may rent a pull trailer of about equal weight that I want and see how it pulls with that.  As I am not retired, I do not want a big dually to run around in when not pulling so will have to do with what I have.

Thanks to all of you for your input.


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## C Nash (Oct 17, 2003)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

No problems Fmcnair.  This is pretty normal when we all start giving our opinions.  I think you are doing the right thing renting a trailer to see what you would be satisfied with.. There should be plenty of rvs out there that you can handle well with your heavy chevy. Look into Keystones Cougar line of fifth wheels that come in around 6500 dry and 8500 gross.   They have a slide and are very roomy and easy to tow or mine was with the 1/2 350 extended cab but as I said before the dually handled it better.  No I would not want a dully to run around in but, really after I got used to it I had no problem other than maybe parking a little futher out.  Needed the walk anyway   .  Sunnybrook also makes a great rv. Go with what you have just do your home work, listen to all and make your own decision.  Let us know what you come up with and these storms get interesting sometimes with all the different opinionsbut,I don't like the bashing of each other just because we may differ


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## sirhuntalot (Mar 25, 2005)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

test


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## sirhuntalot (Mar 25, 2005)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

I just bought a 2003 2500HD 6.0 w/ 4.10 re and 4l80e tranny/ ext cab -I pull a 2004 R-Vision Trailbay 27DS (27ft) Just ran it over the scales wet was 6200lbs.  Gas mileage 9 mpg average.  Let me tell ya - you could put it on cruise at 55 and head down the road and not have to worry about it - and I pulled across hwy 40 between memphis tn and little rock and up 65 into hills of Branson Mo. The 6.0 pulls great and if it needs a little power it will kick down rpms will hit anywhere from 3500 to 4500 and u wont lose any speed.   B4 this truck I had a 1998 chevy 1500 with the 305/// 373's.  With this same trlr if the truck seen a hill coming it would start crying.  If running 65 on an avg hill it would drop to 45-50 no matter how much peddle u gave it. had mileage of around 9-10 tops and if I hogged i could get down into 5 mpg range.  Just a little input   :laugh:


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## turnipbwc (Mar 25, 2005)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

sirhuntalot1,
Do you know you are replying to a forum that was started in October 2003, almost 1 1/2 years ago ?
turnip42


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## Ryegal (Mar 25, 2005)

What can my truck comfortably pull?

This forum is a great way to get information and get to know other rvers. I like it  Donna


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