# Truck Towing Help



## Richard58 (Jan 27, 2012)

HI, just joined your forum. I am seriously looking at an Outback 28bhs 2004 and could use some help with a few things concerning towing. I have a 2007 silverado
1500 4x4 z71 with towing package, 5.3 v8 automatic. Is this truck good enough to pull a trailer this size. The trailer dealer is telling it is and will pull it fine. He is including the addded hitch,ball sway bars and wiring. The trailer looks pretty big. According to the weights he says everything is ok. Your help ia appreciated. Thanks Richard....email [email protected]


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

Sure, it'll pull it.

But....

You may be disappointed regarding the performance towing such a large trailer with only a 1500. You're probably pretty close to the towing limits of the truck with an empty trailer, now add passengers, fuel, water, propane, and a plethora of paraphernalia (food, chairs, toys, clothing, lanterns, fans, charcoal, wood, etc.) and you will probably exceed those limits - which puts you in the danger zone - an accident waiting to happen.

How far are you towing? What's the terrain like? You won't do well in mountainous areas.

The stresses all this puts on the truck will create problems/malfunctions and failures of components.

If you can live with all of that.....


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## Richard58 (Jan 27, 2012)

Richard58 said:


> HI, just joined your forum. I am seriously looking at an Outback 28bhs 2004 and could use some help with a few things concerning towing. I have a 2007 silverado
> 1500 4x4 z71 with towing package, 5.3 v8 automatic. Is this truck good enough to pull a trailer this size. The trailer dealer is telling it is and will pull it fine. He is including the addded hitch,ball sway bars and wiring. The trailer looks pretty big. According to the weights he says everything is ok. Your help ia appreciated. Thanks Richard....email [email protected]


Hi Raynardo thanks for the quick reply. My truck is also an extended cab with short bed if that helps. I live in northwest Pa. It's up and down small hills mostly. A few big ones here and there. We usually stay within a 100 miles or so camping right now, but could choose to go farther,probably not out of state. The dealer said the hitch would be adjusted so the truck would be leveled out. We just hauled a pop up with a car before. There's alot more things to consider now with a bigger trailer, and I don't want to get into trouble with the wrong equipment. Thanks Richard


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

Hey...Welcome to Outbackers.com. In my opinion (yep, it's a bit swayed) the 28BHS is one of the best family floor plans out there. We have enjoyed out 28BHS since we purchased her new in 2004. Back then, we towed her with a 1996 Chevy Suburban 1500. Although it pulled her fine on the flat lands of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota, it struggled in the hills of Tennessee in the heat of the summer. The weakest point in the Suburban was the transmission. An although we had an external cooler, it heated up quick in the hills. We probably pulled the camper 10,000 miles with the Suburban. But I knew that when we wanted to head down to Florida with the camper, it was time for something new. Did the 1500 do an adequate job of towing our unit? Yes it did. Were there any white knuckle moments? You bet there were. But knowing that we were on vacation and not needing to be anywhere at a certain time, we never pushed it. I have a logbook with real world actual loaded weights of the camper. But unfortunately, the logbook is safely stowed in the camper and she is deep in hibernation right now with no way of getting to her. If I remember correctly, the loaded (for a long trip) weight with about a 1/4 tank of fresh water was in the 6800lbs range. I hope this helps you some. Feel free to ask any specific questions you have and I'll do my best to answer them.

Here is the 2007 towing guide in a printable PDF. As there are may different options for your truck, I'll let you look up the actual tow rating. --> 2007 Towing Guide


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## tomandamber (May 17, 2006)

hello. I used to have a very similar truck to yours z71 etc... I would tow my 27rsds with it, the truck will pull the trailer but it is going to put allot of extra strain on the truck. most of the time we go camping we head east which means going over altamont pass it is a some what low pass 1000 feet not to steep, but the truck would really struggle and I always was nervous driving over that hill. i could write allot more, i would sugest spending some time on here reading all you can about towing setups. there is so much to learn. I had my truck and trailer before finding this site, i wish it was the other way around. I ended up going the 3/4 ton diesel route and I have been so happy and felt so safe. now going up altamont I can cruze at 60 with the a/c on when its 105 outside... Hope this helps...... Tom..........


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## Richard58 (Jan 27, 2012)

Hi, I would to thank everybody who replied to my post. The answers were alot of help. I think I might go ahead and get the outback 28bhs. I do want to check out one more trailer place first, just to compare. This forum is so nice it makes me want to own an outback. Thanks Richard


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

You may have sway issues with a truck that short and a trailer that long.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Although your truck is just capable of pulling that trailer (7300#, according to the chart displayed from the earlier link to Chevy specs), the number you need to be concerned with is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). That number represents the maximum load that can be put on all four truck tires, which includes the weight of the truck and its equipment, all passengers, their camping gear, any other gear in the bed of the truck, the weight of the WD hitch, and the tongue weight from the trailer. Usually, this is where the 1500s fall short.

I looked up the GVWR for your truck (Google) and I found that the number for your truck is 6400#. Your truck's curb weight (from the factory) is 4448#. That leaves you with a 1952# payload capacity. On average, two adults and two kids will weigh in at around 600#. Keystone's website gives the tongue weight for your trailer as 560# - without propane bottles, battery, awning, and any gear you have in the trailer. (This weight adds up faster than you would think - I'd figure 700# tongue weight, to be on the safe side. Mine is nearly 900#!)

Adding those numbers gets you to 1300#, and that doesn't account for any gear in the truck bed. This only leaves you with 650# of available truck cargo capacity. Another person or two and their gear - or anything really heavy in the truck bed - and you're over the GVWR. I usually carry a weekend's worth of firewood, dutch ovens and charcoal, etc. That could easily put you over the limit, which makes safety a concern when driving at highway speeds. And then there's the reliability issue, with the tranny being the weakest link (and most expensive to replace).

I towed our 29BHS for about four short trips with our 1500 Suburban (5.3L with 3:73 axlew ratio) before I decided that for the safety of me, my family, and others on the road - and for reliability - I needed to trade for a 3/4-ton tow vehicle. It made all the difference in the world! Towing was no longer a nightmare and I haven't been worried about whether or not we'd make it to the next destination. The 2500HD model got me the 6.0L engine with Tow/Haul Mode, HD tranny, tranny and engine oil coolers, HD brakes and suspension, larger capacity radiator, and HD charging system (for the extra load of charging the trailer battery, etc).

You should be OK for short trips in flat country with your 1500, but as others have said, when you get to hilly and/or mountainous terrain, be prepared to stop often and realize that a breakdown is eminent, sooner or later. The television ads and the manufacturers specs tell you what your truck's abilities are in the extreme, but they don't talk about doing that for eight hours a day for several days in a row.

Now, I will say that there are claims that a Pro-Pride hitch, and a couple other similarly designed hitches will solve your problem without upgrading your truck. While I have no experience with these hitches, the folks on this website that have them absolutely swear by them. But these are expensive and are a bit more trouble to hook up. Perhaps someone else can elaborate on them more.

Hope I've given you something to think about that will help with your decision. Good luck! And stay safe!

Mike


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## Tangooutback (Apr 16, 2010)

Richard, 
I have a 25RSS and had a Dodge 1500 with 5.3 V8. It was marginal for towing on flat terrain. Max speed was 60 miles/hr and gas mileage was 7 miles/gal. With wind in my face or going up a small hill, speed dropped to 45 max. The dealer guy told me my truck would do just fine. Sure, its transmission blew after 800 miles with the trailer behind me. The Dodge barely had 48K miles on the meter and I changed transmission fluid at 30,000 miles. It cost me a tad over 2K to overhaul the transmission in order to sell the vehicle. I replaced it with a Ford F250 diesel and life has been great ever since. Fuel mileage with the Ford is 12 to 13 miles/gal while towing. It climbs hill at 60 miles/hr without any problem.

If you want to keep your current truck, I'd recommend you to add on the biggest transmission cooler you can find. Also add a temperature gauge on your transmission and monitor it closely. I learned the lesson the expensive way. Even with my current F250, which is rated for 10,000 lbs load while my trailer is only 7,000 lbs fully loaded, I add on an aftermarket transmission cooler to make darn sure I do not have to spend an arm and a leg on blown transmission again.

WD hitch is also a must have item. I added EZ-flex to my trailer and that helped with the towing.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Here is another Chevy/GM specific guide with everything you need. Click here

Pair that with the unloaded weight info for the 2004 Outback 28BHS

+ weight of your things, family, water, propane, food etc.

Pay close attention to the GCWR (Combined weight of the truck and trailer) and the GVWR of the truck.

If we say you have a 5000 GVWR (loaded truck) and a moderately loaded travel trailer, your at about 11,800lbs GCWR. You don't have a lot of wiggle room.

I pulled a 31RQS with a 2007 Silverado 1500HD moderately loaded, myself, my wife, and my step-son. I drove that set up for one season.... Not where I wanted to be.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

egregg57 said:


> I drove that set up for one season.... Not where I wanted to be.


Captain of the Nimitz Class Trailer?


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Insomniak said:


> I drove that set up for one season.... Not where I wanted to be.


Captain of the Nimitz Class Trailer?
[/quote]

Right! Went fom Captain of a Nimitz Class Travel trailer to Admiral of a Galaxy Class Fifth Wheel!

Seriously, though the F-250 6.8L V-10 was a much much better tow rig for it. Miss them both at times... that is until I put my foot into the Diesel... Then I forget all about it....


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