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Old 03-12-2019, 11:20 AM   #1
John McLean
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GMC 2500HD Towing Capacity Question

My wife and I are considering purchasing a 2019 Keystone Montana 3121RL.

We have a 2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD Duramax Diesel, with auto transmission, Crew Cab, 6.5' bed and around 70,000 miles.

I want to know if this truck is adequate to pull this fifth wheel rig. I am a 'newbie' at towing something this big.

On-Line available Montana Specs:
Dry Wt. Camper = 12,014 lbs.
Payload Cap. of Camper = 4366 lb.
GVWR of camper = 16, 380 lb.
Hitch wt. of camper = 2385 lb.

From the Truck Owner's Manual:
6.6L V8 Diesel
Axle Ratio = 3.73
Maximum Trailer Weight = 15, 400 lbs.
GCWR = 22,000 lbs.
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Old 03-12-2019, 11:53 AM   #2
jeffba
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Welcome to the forum!!


Your hitch/pin weight is 2385 unloaded.
I am betting your carrying capacity of your truck is about 2600 (you can look at your driver's side door to verify) that leaves you 215 pounds for you, your wife, fuel, hitch and anything you want to put in your camper.

So you will be overweight.

Here is some good reading on the subject.

http://www.trailerlife.com/tech/qa/d...PfKWIoOtW2tW4A
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Old 03-12-2019, 11:53 AM   #3
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The hitch weight of the camper is the dry weight. What does the yellow door sticker say your cargo weight is? Most likely you are at or over that number before loading anything in the truck or camper. ������and now we weight for all the opinions.
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Old 03-12-2019, 11:59 AM   #4
rmthelen
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Welcome to the forum John. Yes, your truck will safely handle your trailer with room to spare. We have virtually the same trailer, 2013 3100RL and pull it with a 2004 Chevy crew cab short box which is the same truck as yours. Mine is an early 2004 which means that it is prior to the emissions laws that went to effect for anything built after January 1, 2014. The only modification I made to the truck was to install a set of Timbren overloads to eliminate sag which began to show up after several years of towing due to spring fatigue. The truck and trailer ride level with the Timbrens. We are snowbirds and use ours about 6 months out of the year and we have never approached the GVWR of the trailer and I weigh it frequently on the truck scales of the trucking company I work for occasionally. You don't need to carry your whole house to live comfortably. Hook it up and enjoy!
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Old 03-12-2019, 01:33 PM   #5
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Overconfidence will kill you sooner or later. Simply put, you need a more capable truck to tow the trailer you seek. Sure, your 2500 can pull the trailer. but you doing so by exceeding the mfr rating for the truck if you load up that trailer. As it stands you legitimately would not be able to carry much of anything in that trailer with that truck as your tow vehicle. You invite a catastrophic failure and probably when you will be least able to cope with it. Don't heed your ego... be safe. Look for a smaller or lighter trailer or get a more capable truck. It's that simple.
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:12 PM   #6
BuilderBob
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When is the to towing (WAR) going to start?
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:34 PM   #7
John McLean
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Hahaha.
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:44 PM   #8
John McLean
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There is no 'yellow' sticker on my truck's driver side door, but there is a white one and here is some of the information contained on that sticker:

GVWR: 4173KG (9200LB)

GAWR FRT: 2000KG (4410LB)

GAWR RR: 2760KG (6084 LB)

And this means....?
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:49 PM   #9
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FRT = front axle

The 9200 is full max allowed weight of truck including load. By the way, wife and I weigh around 400 lb, your fuel is about 6x25 gallons = 150 lb. Hitch = 75-150 lb. So before you start you are around 650-700 lb of load. THEN add in the hitch weight.
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:29 PM   #10
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I had a 2004 Silverado 2500hd diesel. I am pretty sure it's max weight capacity was 9200. The newer ones - 2012 (my new one) could come in either 9200 or 10000, I am pretty sure. So the limit on the 2004 was actually the tires on the rear. My standard LT tires could handle 3040 if memory is correct. x2 = 6080 lb on rear axle. I had a 2980 and I was at 6074 on rear axle. The hitch weight (weighed) was around 2400. BUT the truck limit was 9200 and I exceeded that by around 400.

So yes, you WILL be overweight with your bigger rig.
Now I wasn't too concerned about the 400 over, since on those models the only difference between them and 3500 was an extra spring. So I added air bags. Still was technically overweight tho. I certainly would not run 1000 lb over the truck limit tho.

Strangely the 3500s increase payload by 1000 or 1500 lb and only cost about $1500 more. I goofed and got another 2500 because I thought it would cost $3-5000 more for the 3500.
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Old 03-12-2019, 03:01 PM   #11
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the simple answers: yes you will be overweight. but can you pull the trailer, the answer is yes. Lots of 3/4 ton trucks are pulling this type of load.



It will be your choice of what you want regarding the power and etc. It is all about what you can afford.
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Old 03-12-2019, 03:16 PM   #12
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Sure, you can tow it....but can you stop it safely in the event of a blowout or to avoid an accident that you came upon unexpectedly? For safety sake, for you and wife, and everyone else on the road, you really ought to strongly consider a dually for something that heavy. Makes life SO much easier...and safer! Good luck.
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Old 03-12-2019, 03:25 PM   #13
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Somewhere there is a line of PIP lawyers that are just salivating at a new potential revenue stream.
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Old 03-12-2019, 03:34 PM   #14
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I'm not going to be a part of that stream.
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Old 03-12-2019, 03:27 PM   #15
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Learning a lot this afternoon. Didn't realize this truck was not capable of safely towing this load. Really appreciate all the good info I have received. Came out of the nuclear industry and it's all about safety. So, there you go. Best be shopping for a different coach. At least it will be cheaper, hopefully.
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Old 03-17-2019, 05:52 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John McLean View Post
Learning a lot this afternoon. Didn't realize this truck was not capable of safely towing this load. Really appreciate all the good info I have received. Came out of the nuclear industry and it's all about safety. So, there you go. Best be shopping for a different coach. At least it will be cheaper, hopefully.
There are dangers in everything you tow, maybe consider tenting. I drive a class8 heavy hauler truck for a living. Bigger the load the better i like it
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Old 03-12-2019, 03:12 PM   #17
John McLean
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Just checked the info on the sidewall of the tires on our truck. These are the same tires that were on the truck when I bought it from the original owner not too long ago. He pulled a fifth wheel and will call him to see what weight info he may recall from his coach.

This is the tire info: MICHELIN LT245 / 75R16, Load Rating E
Max Load Rating Single, 3042 LBS @80psi
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Old 03-12-2019, 04:52 PM   #18
John McLean
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So, I did speak to the previous owner of our truck. He was towing a 25-ft. all aluminum fifth wheel with only one slide. His dry weight for the camper was 6080 lb and a hitch weight of 750 - 950 lb. had a 12,000lb capacity fifth wheel hitch. Pretty light set-up. Towing that rig down the road was easy.
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Old 03-12-2019, 05:13 PM   #19
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You already have your truck. Why don’t you pull your camper and see how it feels. If you feel safe try it if not trade. The only difference between a 2500 and a 3500 SRW is the 3500 has an extra spring leaf. Every thing else is the same, the frame the breaks the front end every thing.

There are far too many 3/4 ton trucks pulling fifth wheel campers for all of them to be unsafe, including mine.
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Old 03-12-2019, 07:03 PM   #20
John McLean
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Lynwood,

Have not purchased the coach yet. Saved some $$$$. thought our truck had adequate pulling capacity for the Montana, but today have learned otherwise. Now looking for a different coach.

Thank you
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