I am looking at buying a 2005 Silverado 1500 crewcab 2WD LS 5.3L with a axle ratio of 3.73 and was wondering how good this will be for towing? I have a 19 ft trailer and the specs say the following:

GVWR 6,000 lbs
Gross dry Weight 3,905 lbs

Do you think this truck will pull the trailer with no problems? I currently have a 99 Ram 5.2l with 3.55 gears and it strains it a little bit

Thanks in advance for any help

Mike

 

It has a lot to do with the terrain where the towing will be done. My old 5.3 towed our 22 foot pontoon great on flat ground, but it struggled a little on the inclines. I think our boat and gear are in the 5-6K pound range plus the wind drag of a pontoon. I think it will tow it better than your current set up for sure though. Good luck!

 

I would think you could tow that load OK>
look at this site:

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/sp...lverado%201500

You have 295HP and with the 3.73 differential you should be at the max tow rating of 7700#

I have a 2000, 2500 series with 350 engine (255hp and 330# torque) with 3.73 differential and i pull about the same load, it pulls it fine, but on long steep hills its a bit short.

That is why i am looking to up grade to the 1500HD (2004-2007) models or a 2500 series with the 6.0 liter engine (300hp)

check out that site, lot of good information.

 

the rear gears dont mean much anymore the trannys from 96 and up are programable to change gearing with programmers which are a hell of alot cheaper than changing rear end gear ratios and alot easier than looking for a truck with good gearing if your planing on pulling heavy weights alot 3/4 tons are the way to go they have heavier springs to manage larger loads, but if your a weekend hauler on your daily driver just get a 1/2 ton and a programmer and you'll be fine.

 

For a couple years we pulled a steel 16ft horse trailer that weighed 6000lbs dry with a 2003 GMC 1500 Z71 with that same engine and gear ratio. It did alright on flat ground, but with three 1200lb horses and a loaded bed, it really struggled, not so much power-wise, but I was more concerned with the stability of the load, that much tongue weight and such a hugh GVWR caused it to "lose confidence" for lack of a better term. I understand that we were maxing it out by over 2000lbs, but they build in a buffer zone right??

It's really all going to come down to how confidently and safely you want to tow. Power is almost negligable... If you want to keep going 75mph up a 5degree incline, you're going to need a diesel with 800 torques. If you want to get there, get there safely, and don't care how fast you go, I'm sure you'll be just fine.

 

You will find two things with the truck you are looking at that

you are not getting in you Dodge, better gas mileage and more

pull power.

Yes the 5.3 will pull your 19' with ease, and you can expect 12 to13+ mpg pulling the trailer and 20+ on the highway with out.

I have the same truck and pulled a 20' Prowler and the truck did not even know it was there. I am currently pulling a 27' Comfort that weighs 6650 and can pull any hill at 55 mph or better keeping the RPM's under 4k.

If you want to go faster just raise the RPM's and the truck will respond.

Currently my truck has 86k miles and just keeps pulling.

Good Luck with you new truck

vp

 

It shouldn't be a problem depending on how much tow you do or how offered, you should look into an air bag set , or Timbren kit, both will assist if you vehicle sags or bottoms out when you are towing, an Firestone airbag system will be a perfect fit if you have sagging problems, with a Timbren kit that are no bags to worry about, its a simple install that can be done in about an hour or so, the place I got my from had very good prices and offered free shipping which helps out alot. sdtrucksprings.com very reasonable and live support to, they walk me thru everything i needed I'm not to handy....lol

 

The guy probably has already bought the truck, or not, but heres my two cents. I tow with a '04 Silverado 5.3/3.73 setup most every day. I tow a 4K work trailer and a 7+K dump/trash trailer. No problem with either. The truck has a "redneck" ram air setup, Flowmaster cat-back, Hellwig air bag setup (worth every penny) and most importantly, a Blackbear Performance scan tune. Truck tows anything I've hooked to it, obviously within reason but 6-7K is no problem at all. 9K starts to feel heavy and I don't go much over that. RT

 

IMO i would look at a 3/4 ton. Pulling with mine has been easy. I have the 6.0 with 3.73s and it uses all 360 horses if you need it. I mean i have the Cadillac of chevy 2500hds for 2010 so pulling is comfortable all the time. Not to mention the tow mirrors chevy has are very nice. Your 2005 will handle pulling great, don't doubt it at all.