[jdbunch1630]

Has anyone towed 7000 lbs plus yet, and how does it do. I've got an 18ft enclosed trailer that I've turned into a camper that I would like to tow and I'm thinking it might be too much for this truck, also looking at the Titan XD, but like the unloaded MPG of this truck better.

 

[Canyon 212]

you would be maxing this truck out.....

 

[RMneanCA]

Well the truck is rated for 7700 lbs. if you have the 4x2 7600lbs I believe if you have a 4x4

 

[Canyon 212]

A little thought here........I always bought more truck than trailer.....never would max the towing capacity.....wind resistance alone would put stress on the complete package....so with that being said....if I was towing long distances I would go to 3/4 ton diesel......

 

[ernster500]

Has anyone towed 7000 lbs plus yet, and how does it do. I've got an 18ft enclosed trailer that I've turned into a camper that I would like to tow and I'm thinking it might be too much for this truck, also looking at the Titan XD, but like the unloaded MPG of this truck better.

I am looking at towing about that much too. I've heard some great results from people who have using the minimax so I am actually looking forward to see what this little truck can do. There are those that will argue the "go bigger" opinion, but, the bigger truck wouldn't fit in my garage so here I am with my Dmax Colorado that fits quite nicely... But, I suppose that's a subject for a different thread...

 

[Gary]

Truck and trailer wieghed 6800lb. Pulled just as well as my 5.3 ever did. I actually prefered little max because it wasnt reving like a gasser. First gear rev'd out a bit to get her rolling then all was good.

 

[smthng]

Has anyone towed 7000 lbs plus yet, and how does it do. I've got an 18ft enclosed trailer that I've turned into a camper that I would like to tow and I'm thinking it might be too much for this truck, also looking at the Titan XD, but like the unloaded MPG of this truck better.

I had to rescue a friend with his 6800lb trailer the other day and the Colorado managed it (Z71 4WD). It was okay on torque, a bit low on horsepower for high speed on the interstate. Not enough to worry me, but I won't be spending any time in the fast lane pulling that much. My boat is around 6500 lb, but it's balanced a lot better on the axles. His trailer was nose heavy and the Colorado squatted a fair bit. I'm probably going to add some air bags to the rear on mine just to help out, but that's more a personal preference. In short, the Colorado can tow 7000 pounds, but helper bags or springs would be a good idea if you're towing regularly.

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

I agree with the airbags or other "helper" for anything over about 500lb of tongue weight, smthng is also correct about the trailer needing to have balance. Loading is key. Also having the trailer ride level if it has multiple axles will help, especially if you only have brakes on one trailer axle. I also agree about the truck being low on horsepower in stock form for highway towing of heavy loads. I fixed that with a healthy tune, truck can hold 6th gear and can also hold higher speeds much better.

To handle my tongue weight, I have the autospring add a leafs. This is a 5500lb trailer with 800lb tongue weight, cat scale verified. You can see the extra leaf springs really help with the squat. Without helper springs, this would squat my truck much more.

 

[DeeK]

I agree with the airbags or other "helper" for anything over about 500lb of tongue weight, smthng is also correct about the trailer needing to have balance. Loading is key. Also having the trailer ride level if it has multiple axles will help, especially if you only have brakes on one trailer axle. I also agree about the truck being low on horsepower in stock form for highway towing of heavy loads. I fixed that with a healthy tune, truck can hold 6th gear and can also hold higher speeds much better.

To handle my tongue weight, I have the autospring add a leafs. This is a 5500lb trailer with 800lb tongue weight, cat scale verified. You can see the extra leaf springs really help with the squat. Without helper springs, this would squat my truck much more.

View attachment 2873

Do you prefer the add-a-leafs over airshocks? I have used the airshocks on previous Toyos and love the load carrying but don't love the loss of spring travel so I am considering both routes.

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

Do you prefer the add-a-leafs over airshocks? I have used the airshocks on previous Toyos and love the load carrying but don't love the loss of spring travel so I am considering both routes.

Depends on the application and the rig. My last tow rig was a suburban that had coil rear suspension, so add a leafs weren't an option. I used air bags on that rig because of a few reasons. The truck had a sway bar and the air bags fit neatly inside the coil springs and added 1000lb lift. I filled them to max recommended and left them there. Air bags were the best solution for that particular rig and they worked great. The downside was axle articulation when the bags were filled (the only time my tow rig is offroad is when it's towing, so they were always filled)

On the colorado there is no rear sway bar and I did not want to add one for axle articulation reasons, I also knew I wanted some lift, more load bearing capability and a firmer rear spring. Add a leafs do all of that in one shot.

Add a leafs are not as stiff as inflated airbags, but they're stiffer than deflated air bags. Deflated airbags would be like a stock ride (which you already know but some may not) Add a leafs don't hold as much weight as airbags but nobody should be putting that much on the tongue of the Colorado (the 800lb tongue I run is not recommended) the suburban was a heavier and longer wheelbase rig and could take more tongue weight anyway

Hope that helps

 

[smthng]

I'm probably going with airbags... I like the adjustability. The front travel on the Z71 is already so short that rear travel won't make a ton of difference to me. I need to start pricing out options and installers... that job may be a bit more than I feel like tackling.

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

Another option, weight dist hitch. this video made me a believer I just haven't tried one.

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

I'm probably going with airbags... I like the adjustability. The front travel on the Z71 is already so short that rear travel won't make a ton of difference to me. I need to start pricing out options and installers... that job may be a bit more than I feel like tackling.

Yeah the front travel is dismal. Nearly riding bump stops at stock height, but at 2" lift the upper control arms are nearly maxed out. Considering total chaos upper control arms when I go to adjustable coilovers

 

[Burgess159]

I know were talking about the stock truck, but I think if you were to add a tuner to the truck, I think it would have more than plenty horsepower and torque to do over 7000 lbs, probably even over 8000. Now the suspension might not handle it and it may get the truck to swaying going down the road so that's not good haha.

But I did want to add something. Something that I don't now to be true but it's an idea. Up above, RMneanCA posted the video of the tow on the ike gauntlet. Well they did the full size 3500hd diesel trucks to from Ford, RAM and Chevy. The RAM and Ford have way higher tow ratings on weight than Chevy. However, the Duramax powered Chevy whipped the other two on the up and down hill pull. I don't wonder if Chevy under rates the towing ability of their trucks so that you stay more in the safe zone of the truck. Just a thought.

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

Tuning makes a huge difference in towing. Hell, it makes a huge difference period. I shared the story of the Cummins I spanked while towing. My buddy still jokes about my fast truck.

Speaking to what @Burgess159 said, the engine is a beast. Tuned up, it could easily handle more. The transmission however, is the weak link. That's actually the reason I was cited for duramaxtuner to stop at 460lb/ft becuase the input torque of the transmission is rated just under 500lb/ft. Also the reason why they tell you not to tow on anything higher than tune #2.

 

[smthng]

Again I agree with @Rockcrawlerdude ... I'm sure the engine can handle way more than 7,000lb towing with a good tune. It's the rest of the truck that's going to be an issue. Suspension is the first weak link... they reduced the tow rating on the ZR2 because of it's higher travel suspension and the frame cuts they had to do to get it in there. The frame and lack of mass are the next two issues in my opinion... Could it pull 10,000 lbs? Probably. It's doing it safely and being able to stop it again that's going to make me nervous.

 

[Ohio Boss]

Has anyone towed 7000 lbs plus yet, and how does it do. I've got an 18ft enclosed trailer that I've turned into a camper that I would like to tow and I'm thinking it might be too much for this truck, also looking at the Titan XD, but like the unloaded MPG of this truck better.

I just purchased a 16 foot Featherlight and towed it 170 miles with my Boss.
Averaged 29 mpg going without trailer and averaged 14 mpg coming home with empty trailer.
The torque of the 2.8 handled it well. Loved the trailer brake. Not any sway to speak of.

 

[Brian319]

New here, just wanted to share my input. Just pulled a 31' camper about 100 miles. Its 7000 gvwr. I will say i wont plan on pulling it any further than this due to trailer sway happening going 60mph+. Otherwise the truck pulls no problem. I have the 2.8dmax 4x4

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

New here, just wanted to share my input. Just pulled a 31' camper about 100 miles. Its 7000 gvwr. I will say i wont plan on pulling it any further than this due to trailer sway happening going 60mph+. Otherwise the truck pulls no problem. I have the 2.8dmax 4x4

Anderson Weight distribution hitch

 

[Burgess159]

One fellow on the 2.8 LWN Duramax Owners Facebook group pulled a 31 ft camper I believe it was from....Maine to California I believe. He is tuned and deleted and has the aFe intercooler pipes I think along with a weight distribution hitch and he did pretty well. He said the weight was around 5,900 lbs on the trailer, plus all their stuff totalled out to around 7,000 lbs. Lot of tongue weight for even the distribution hitch he said. He made it there with only minor issues. Said he blew the intercooler boot off once in Texas and then again in New Mexico. I think when he got to where he was going, he planned on cleaning up where they connect better and getting better quality clamps to hold them on.

He didn't mention anything about swaying, even at 65-70 mph. He said the transmission stayed in a decent range, around 230 most of the trip I believe, even in 110 degree temperatures and going up some decent hills out there. It couldn't hold speed going up some of the bigger hills, even being tuned, but it is just a little diesel. If you wanted to hold speed, you would probably want something bigger like a 6.6 LBZ or L5P