Towing Specs

Freebirds · May 22

I looked at the VIN Decoder for my Chevy Silverado 3500 regarding towing capacity. I'm confused, to say the least, and am hopeful the knowledge here can help decode this. Here are the towing weights as listed on the print out:

Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.
5000 lbs 5000.0 min 5000.0 max

Wt Distributing Hitch _ Max Trailer Wt.
8800, 13300, 9200, 13700 lbs 8800.0 min 22600.0 max

Fifth Wheel Hitch Max Trailer Wt.
8800, 13300, 9200, 13700 lbs 8800.0 min 22600.0 max

What's the maximum I can tow? I was looking at a fifth wheel unit and I know what the salesman told me. I don't trust RV salesmen, with apologies to any on the site. Thanks for any input.

RV_ · May 22

Not enough info to answer.

What year Chevy?

What engine?

What Tranny?

What rear end?

What body style crew cab or two door cab?

We can find your answer with some information.

Freebirds · May 22

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

6L engine

6 speed automatic transmission

4.10 rear end

Crew cab

Thanks

Chalkie · May 23

2 hours ago, Freebirds said:

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

6L engine

6 speed automatic transmission

4.10 rear end

Crew cab

Thanks

2WD or 4WD, box length and SRW or DRW?

RV_ · May 23

Freebirds, we need what Gary asked for too. Thanks Gary!

Edited May 23 by RV_

RV_ · May 23

So are we have:

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

6L engine

6 speed automatic transmission

4.10 rear end

Crew cab

Still need:

Long bed/Short bed

2 Wheel drive/4WD

Single rear wheel or dual rear wheels?

Then we can look it up for you and show you where we found your towing specs.

Freebirds · May 23

Long bed

4WD

Single rear wheels

Thanks, guys.

GlennWest · May 23

Chevy put 3.73 gears in all Duramax. But this is gas so might be different

Chalkie · May 24

13700 maximum for trailer or fifth wheel/gooseneck. You can find that info on this page. https://media.gm.com/media/ca/en/chevrolet/vehicles/silveradohd/2016.tab1.html

Ray,IN · May 24

The way I read that website his pickup has a 11,000lb. towing capacity; that pickup will run out of carrying capacity before anything else. It's limited by the weight capacity of the SRW load range .

For example (since we don't know his tire size), a 235/85R16 load range E tire has a maximum load capacity of 3,040#. Which means the rear axle has a maximum capacity of 6,080# for a SRW pickup.

Crew cab, 8’ box (4WD) with single rear wheels:

6.0L: 4990 / 11000
6.6L: 5262 / 11600

Towing specs are listed in the owners manual.

Edited May 24 by Ray,IN

Freebirds · May 24

Thanks to the collective wisdom here. I was looking at a fifth wheel toy hauler and the salesman was telling me about how me truck could haul a much heavier fifth wheel unit than a trailer. I learned long ago never to trust a salesman.

bigjim · May 24

I don't remember the exact numbers to look for but in the glove box on most if not all Chev trucks there is a decall with the build codes for that vehicle and the one for the rear end like g5 or g4 or somethiing. One means 3:73 and one means 4:10. There are other but that is the ones I was concerned about. Like stated most modern chev diesels have 3:73.

update GT5 4:10 GT4-3:73 GT2-2:29 GT1-2:56 and there are others

Edited May 24 by bigjim

RV_ · May 24

Just got here and Gary answered it.

I don't trust RV salesman at all on towing capacities. They are right that you can tow almost anything with a pickup on flat ground. But emergency stops and stopping on a downhill run?

I look forward to your future posts.

TXiceman · May 25

Generally you can to a heavier travel trailer than a 5er due to the increase hitch/pin weight on the 5er. SRW trucks reach the cargo capacity or rear axle GAWR well before they reach the towing limits.

And remember you can always tell when an RV or auto salesperson is not telling the truth...he or she will move their lips every time.

Ken

RV_ · May 25

Excerpt:

"The truth is, there's more to choosing a vehicle/trailer combo than matching a vague idea of your max tow capacity to the largest trailer within this limit. Below, we'll go over a few important factors your dealership probably didn't mention: your vehicle configuration, your payload, and your wheelbase ratio. All of these factors are just as important in determining how big of a trailer you can safely tow.

In this article:

Towing Term Glossary
How Much Towing Capacity Do I Need, and How Do I Calculate It?
What Is My Payload?
What Is My Wheelbase?"

Source:

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-much-trailer-can-I-tow.aspx

This next video is excellent. Fifth wheels are more stable on the road if you have enough truck. I towed with a Ram 1 ton diesel Dually towing ~ 12k-12.5pounds.