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Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Trailer and Towing Questions

192 messages,  Last post on Nov 11, 2009 at 5:32 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Classic, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Chevrolet Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, GMC Sierra 2500, GMC Sierra 3500, Towing, Truck

#111 of 192 Re: need to know whats better [budster95] by davethecarnut Apr 14, 2008 (1:40 pm)
Replying to: budster95 (Mar 30, 2008 8:25 pm) I had a 89 Chevy "light" 2500 with the 7200 GVW. It had a six lugs. I don't know the GVW of the 1500. Are you sure about the 6000lb weight of your truck? Even with the extended cab your truck should have an empty weight of no more than 5000lbs. Were you factoring in passengers and gear with that 6000? I'm no expert, but I would go with the helper springs/extra leaves if you were going to leave the camper on the truck the majority of the time. If you were to take the camper off often, I would go with the air bags, that way you wouldn't have such a rough ride without the camper.
#112 of 192 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab 5th Wheel Towing by rockyphillips Apr 21, 2008 (8:27 am)
I have a 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab with the Vortec MAX Performance packgage. My owner's manual indicates that the 1500 Crew Cab is not designed for or intended to be used for 5th wheel towing. Does anyone know the design restrictions of the truck that prevents it from being able to tow a 5th wheel trailer?   My owner's manual containes a list of GM truck towing capacities and the 1500 crew cab is only model that has this 5th wheel restriction. Replies to this message: quarque (Apr 28, 2008 3:49 pm) rockyphillips (Apr 28, 2008 5:57 pm) quarque (Apr 29, 2008 8:24 am) davethecarnut (May 06, 2008 11:12 pm) buckmeister2 (Jun 11, 2008 4:02 pm)
#113 of 192 Re: GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab 5th Wheel Towing [rockyphillips] by quarque Apr 28, 2008 (3:49 pm)
Replying to: rockyphillips (Apr 21, 2008 8:27 am) I had the same question a while back when I was considering the Denali for towing. I noticed the GMC website had blanks for any Crew Cab model when it came to 5th wheels. So I did some poking around on the net and it seems that the issue is not weight or towing ability, it is space. The bed is too short for standard setups. But there appears to be some special hitches you can put in the bed that slide and let you get around the space problem. There are rumors that putting a 5th wheel on a CC model voids the warranty. I doubt that is true but who knows. I'm sure you will get a different answer from every dealer.   If someone has more info on this topic please post it. Replies to this message: rockyphillips (Apr 28, 2008 5:57 pm) quarque (Apr 29, 2008 8:24 am) davethecarnut (May 06, 2008 11:12 pm) buckmeister2 (Jun 11, 2008 4:02 pm)
#114 of 192 Re: GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab 5th Wheel Towing [quarque] by rockyphillips Apr 28, 2008 (5:57 pm)
Replying to: quarque (Apr 28, 2008 3:49 pm) Thanks for the input. I spoke with an RV dealer who suggested that a "slider hitch" is required to pull a fifth wheel with a GM crew cab short bed. Apparently, a slider hitch adjust forward for road towing and then adjust toward the back of the bed for backing/turning. I have emailed with GM customer service but they will not confirm or deny the existence of a "slider hitch", nor confirm or deny if it will safely and mechanically resolve the problem without damage to the truck, nor confirm or deny if it will void the vehicle warranty. They did however confirm that a GM crew cab shortbed is not designed nor intended to tow a fifth wheel trailer and they also indicated that there is not a fix to solve the problem. They confirmed that the problem is solely with the lack of horizontal space between the cab and the placement of where the kingpin hitch should be installed. I certainly do not want to damage my truck or risk safety so if there is anyone else out there that can further clarify if a slider hitch is a safe and mechanically sound solution to allow fifth wheel towing with a GM crew cab short bed - I would love to hear from you. Replies to this message: quarque (Apr 29, 2008 8:24 am) davethecarnut (May 06, 2008 11:12 pm)
#115 of 192 Re: GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab 5th Wheel Towing [rockyphillips] by quarque Apr 29, 2008 (8:24 am)
Replying to: rockyphillips (Apr 28, 2008 5:57 pm) Will GM confirm or deny the existence of a truck? lol   I hate it when companies do this kind of BS. I'm sure there are people out there with sliders in a CC model towing just fine. You only need to slide it back when the trailer is making an angle more than xx degrees with the truck. Otherwise the trailer will hit the cab. Depending on how "pointy" the trailer front end is, I bet most of the time you don't even need to slide it. It must have a pretty decent clearance otherwise you'd have to slide it every time you went around a corner.   On another note, I found the 1500 series a little lacking on the payload rating for fifth wheelers. Ones I considered had a hitch weight of 1200+ pounds. Most are over 900 pounds. After you add the passengers and gear you can easily go over 1500 pounds. You might consider the 2500 series - much better suited for 5th wheels. I ended up going with a traditional trailer.
#116 of 192 2008silverado trailer wiring by triker57 Apr 29, 2008 (2:58 pm)
I hooked up an electric brake controller to my 2008 silverado, also hooked the two wires under the hood to the battery. when I plug in my camper, and turn on the parking lights, the right side camper brake light is on constant, when not stepping on the brake. the left side is working fine. my 2004 silverado when hooked to camper was working fine.could the brake controller be cross wired or installed inproperly??? or is the seven pin plug different on the 08 than on the 04??? can any one answer this or have a suggestion to the problem.                                                                                 thanks                                                                                triker57
#117 of 192 Re: GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab 5th Wheel Towing [rockyphillips] by davethecarnut May 06, 2008 (11:12 pm)
Replying to: rockyphillips (Apr 28, 2008 5:57 pm) A company called Pull-Rite makes a hitch that "automatically" slides as you drive. I wouldn't get too crazy with pulling 5th wheels with a half ton. Unless it's those short ones ( no more than 24 ft.). Having a crew cab already lowers the amount your truck can tow anyway. Google Pull-Rite and see if they make a hitch for your truck. I know they make one for those shortbed Dodges.
#118 of 192 Brake Controllers by mheggie May 13, 2008 (9:15 pm)
I take it by reading all these post, that a brake controller does not come installed with the truck when ordered with a tow package? I have a 03 1500HD Quadrasteer. I guess I will have to install a electric brake controller to use the electric brakes on a trailer? Do brake controllers ever come included with a tow package? By hooking it up to the harness, it used the electric brake wire through the 7-way connector to use the brakes?   Any clarification will help.   Thanks Replies to this message: davethecarnut (May 13, 2008 9:53 pm) branhap (May 14, 2008 2:18 pm)
#119 of 192 Re: Brake Controllers [mheggie] by davethecarnut May 13, 2008 (9:53 pm)
Replying to: mheggie (May 13, 2008 9:15 pm) Ford has a factory controller and I think Dodge will have one on the 09's. If you have the factory tow package, just buy a controller with the connector for GM trucks in your year and all ya gotta do is plug it into the harness under the driver's dash next to the steering column. Yes, it's just a plug in. At least it was for my 03 GMC. I don't know what these guys are doing with connecting wires to batteries,etc. Factory tow pkg. Simple plug in. I bought a Prodigy controller. Replies to this message: branhap (May 14, 2008 2:18 pm)
#120 of 192 Re: Brake Controllers [davethecarnut] by branhap May 14, 2008 (2:18 pm)
Replying to: davethecarnut (May 13, 2008 9:53 pm) GM does offer a factory brake controller. It was an installed option on my truck. *shrug*   But it is an add-on in addition to the tow package.

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