Towing Specs

[Freebirds]

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_]

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]

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

6L engine

6 speed automatic transmission

4.10 rear end

Crew cab

Thanks

[Chalkie]

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_]

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

 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by RV_

[RV_]

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]

Long bed

4WD

Single rear wheels

 

Thanks, guys.

[GlennWest]

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

[Chalkie]

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]

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, 2023 by Ray,IN

[Freebirds]

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]

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, 2023 by bigjim

[RV_]

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]

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_]

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.

Safe Travels!