RE: Chevy Silverado Tow Vehicle

[GeneF]

 
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

[jawilson]

 GeneF
What 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?

[rednekrubbrduck]

 GeneF
We 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.

[brainpause]

 GeneF
Gene,
 
 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

[GeneF]

 GeneF
This 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.

[jpreiser]

 GeneF
We 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.....

[BaysideBruce]

 GeneF
We 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.

[EZCamper]

 GeneF
I 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.

[topcat7736]

 GeneF
Hey 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.
 
 

[tlhdoc]

 GeneF
Wow 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.

[6Quigs]

 GeneF
Gene,
 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

[jawilson]

 6Quigs

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.

Yup, you re definitely not comparing apples to apples there. []

[jawilson]

 topcat7736

Going 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.

[6Quigs]

 GeneF
Well Gene,
 Did you get the truck or not??

[birol]

 6Quigs
Inquiring minds want to know !