Hi,
My dad has a 2002 1500 silverado LT with a 5.3. He wants to tow a fifth wheel trailer. Chevy's trailering guide says that he can safely tow a 8,000lb trailer with 3.73 gears, which is what he has, and 9,000 lbs with 4.10 gears. He wants to be able to tow 9,000 lbs. He's been thinking of trading in the truck for one with a bigger engine so he can tow more, and I was thinking maybe he could swap gears and be able to tow 9,000 lbs. Do you guys have any advice? Would the gears make that big of a difference? I searched on here and it looks like he could do it for $800. I'm just looking for opinions, and maybe a place to get the gears. Sorry if a towing question is off topic. Thanks in advance.

thanks in advance!

 

friend of mine was towing a 4000 lb snowmobile trailer with the same set up as your dad but 4.10's and went thru 3 trannys in 6 months. I would tell him to get a hd with the duramxx or 8.1L and an allison for sure!!!!!!!!!

I have the 6.0L and 4.10's and would only think of towing a 8000lb trailer if the roads were flat and no hills

 

I'm pulling +7000# with a 99 1500 silverado with a 5.3 and 3.73's. Pulling this combo in overdrive my trans is constantly shifting in/out of lockup and in/out of od/3rd. This will definatly kill any transmittion in no time at all. I now pull in 3rd with the tow haul mode engaged, the rpm's are up, the torque converter stays locked in and I feel confident my power train can handle the load. Since I only tow a couple thousand miles a year this works for me.

The 1500 silverado's suspension is anouther issue to consider: If I were to go 5th wheeling more than a couple thousand miles a year, I would definatly opt for the 2500 HD. I don't nessesarily feel the 4.10's are needed because I like to tow in 3rd and use OD for empty cruising and gas mileage. But with the heavier suspension, axles and tires will definatly handle the work better than the 1500.

good luck ... Ron

 

I agree with the above posts 100%. If he is going to tow it regularly, step up to the 2500HD. I pull a 5800lb loaded trailer pretty often. It does fine for flat open highway, but meet a grade of about 3% or more and it starts whimpering and hunting for power that isn't there with the 5.3, regardless of gear ratio.

Most people say don't tow more than 85% of the MFG's rating, with any regularity. The truck you use needs to have a trailering capacity of around 11,000lbs to meet the 85% recommendation.

Oh yeah and one more thing, watch out with the weight. 9,000lbs is only 1001 lbs away from needing a class A CDL in most states, unless it's an camper/RV or farm vehicle/trailer.

 

Thanks for all of your replies! I guess he's gonna have to step up to the 8.1 liter <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" />