Anyone tow with a Silverado with the 4.8 engine?
I am seriously conisdering getting an 02 on Monday. If anyone has any pros or cons, I would appreciate your comments.
This one has the tow package and hd suspension.
It is the extended cab with a shortbed model.
Thanks
GeneFWhat s the rear end gear ratio? The 4.8 is a little on the small size for a fullsize truck, so it might be a bit of a challenge on hills or in higher altitudes unless you have something like a 4.10 rear. Actually, how much does your Mesa weigh?
GeneFWe have one. Not sure that it s a 4.8 (it s a small V-8) rear wheel drive with the tow package. No problems at all. Not sure getting into Branson would be considerred " mountains" , but it was pretty hilly and steep in places and had no problems there. Our s is an extended cab that can fit 6 adults fairly comfortably. When we go..it s usually 2 adults, an ever growing 6 yr old, and 2 dawgs. It s nice just being able to throw our gear into the bed of the truck and go.
GeneFGene,
According to Trailer Life s Tow ratings, an 02 Silvy with 4.8L V8, automatic tranny, extended cab, it has a 6100# rating with 3.42 rear end, and 7300# rating with 3.73 rear end. Have the dealer figure out which rear end by using the VIN#, or many times it is on the window sticker, especially in trucks.
With those ratings, you could probably pull TWO Mesas in hilly terrain. Good luck with your choice!
Larry
GeneFThis one has the 3.73 axle so I guess it would pull a larger camper.
I think I read somewhere that with the trailer towing package and hd suspension, towing capacity is about 8800.
thanks for the comments. Still up in the air on it but have to decide by tomorrow.
Deal is okay but not comfortable with the dealer.
there were some tow hook covers missing in the bedliner. I asked the salesman about them and he said " If they are around, I will get them for you."
Couple of places around the door had the paint worn. Asked if he would touch up the paint, not refinish. His answer: " I will get you some touch up paint."
Not sure how much service I would get if there is a serious problem although there is 8000 miles left on the warrantee.
Also dealer is about 100 miles away. Large volume dealer that others in the area have bought from.
Reason for the truck purchase, dw and I are considering a hybrid to do some travelling. I think the larger Kiwi is around 4800 pounds so I think I would still have enough to pull it.
GeneFWe hsve one with the extended cab, this tows the pop up great, much better then the dodge caravan we had at first... when we had the van the back end was really low, now with the truck we have nothing to worry about.....
GeneFWe have the extended cab Silverado and love it. There are only a couple of things I would suggest as " extras" that makes life a little easier. Get a sway bar and towing mirrors (if they were not stock on your model). They really do help. I have had no trouble towing with the Silverado and our Bayside at all. Wish you luck with your dealer... they can be a pain.
GeneFI have the same vehicule with the extended cab and short bed plus the 3.73 transmission so there is absolutely no problems when it comes for towing our popup which weighs around 2800 lbs (I think) loaded.
I went from a Chevrolet Transport to the Silverado. Now I can say that my mind is at ease when we load and go camping. A plus is you can load many things in the bed of the truck i.e. bicycles, wood and other things.
GeneFHey Gene,
Can t tell you what to do, but I would look for a truck with a towing capacity of 2-3 times the weight of the trailer. Nothing compares to overkill when heading up an unexpected steep incline.
I ve always thought the " 75% rule" was ridiculous. While it might be ok for the midwest flatlands, hilly areas can have unexpected rises and more truck power yields less human stress.
Our Jimmy, with towing package, can pull 5500#. Our Taos is 1186# and with equipment and us, we pull about 1900#. Going up roads labeled " 6% grade" (whatever that means) is no problem. But, we encountered one stretch of road with a very steep incline and about a quarter of the way up I was afraid the trailer would pull us backwards down the hill.
Also, GM makes many different Vortec V8 engines (6 or 7?) with drastically different towing capacities. Like Brainpause said, have a dealer tell you the trucks towing capacity based on its VIN.
GeneFWow Gene, thinking of moving up in the world?[;)]
It sounds like a nice tow vehicle, how many miles are on the truck? Any chance the dealer would give you the name of the previous owner so you could check with them to see if it had any problems? If they will not tell you who owned it, you could look to see if they put their name in the owners manual.
GeneFGene,
having used your Sienna to pull your Mesa, I m sure you will find the Silverado great for pulling your popup, and when you get your Hybrid, it should still outperform the Sienna/ Mesa combo.
I have to agree with Brainpause on the tow rating of 6,100 pounds. I have the 03 brochure in front of me, and that s the rating for an extended cab, 4.8 engine, 3.73 rear axle
We just went the same route, only getting both the Hybrid & the Silverado on the same day.
We just took a trip to Lake Tahoe, a climb of over 7,000 feet, and the truck performed wonderfully, but we have the crew cab with the 6.0 engine.
I did what Topcat7736 recommended, and have a 10,100 towing capacity for a 4,400 pound dry weight.
Good luck
6Quigs
QuoteWe just took a trip to Lake Tahoe, a climb of over 7,000 feet, and the truck performed wonderfully, but we have the crew cab with the 6.0 engine.
Yup, you re definitely not comparing apples to apples there. [:D]
topcat7736
QuoteGoing up roads labeled " 6% grade" (whatever that means)
It means that for every 100 of road traveled you ve increased your elevation 6 . The % is actually easier to think of as feet.
GeneFWell Gene,
Did you get the truck or not??
6QuigsInquiring minds want to know !
birolbirol,
I have a 3.73 rear end ratio but the ideal one to have is 4.10. The 4.8 V8 is just fine. I am sure it will be lot better than the mini-Van. I have a in-line six 4.2 and it is like pulling nothing towing my Utah. Most people do not remember that in the 40 s and 50,s six s did all the pull/work power. There is/was a reason for that.
GeneFOkay for those of you that are still interested, I am going to get the truck in the morning.
The long delay has been with getting the dealer to take care of a couple of problems and getting me the name and phone number of the previous owner.
I called previous owner tonight and the guy was upfront with me. Told me what had been done to the truck and what I should do. Main thing was a transmission fluid change and filter. That is normal maintenance anyway and since he was only pulling a popup (older one) I don t think there was much strain on the vehicle.
He gave the truck a good rating.
I asked him why he was trading since the truck only has 28000 miles on it and he had owned it for 19 months. Reason he gave was that he trades his trucks every 25000 miles to avoid repairs. Well, at least I will get the remainder of the 36000 mile warrantee.
Larry, thanks for the tow information. I also looked it up at 7300. I guess I could pull a hybrid with it. [:)]
I told dw I was going to get her the following vanity plate since it is her truck.
MARDNCK