cookj

Hello all. I'm a newbie to these forums and would appreciate some real world feedback on my rig and its towing ability. I actually bought this truck this morning and will be having a trailer brake controller installed in the morning. The truck is very clean inside and out and the owner has kept up with the regular maintenance. I was impressed with its handling and driveability during my 150 mile trip back home this morning.

The truck is equipped with the 5.4 engine, 4 speed automatic with B6 axle (3.73). The wheels are factory with Nitto all-terrains (265/70/17); the truck has 140K miles with 80% of those being highway. We have a 2004 Jayco 27BH travel trailer; it has no slides and weighs 4950# (dry).

My question is, for those of you with similar set-ups (or heavier), how comfortably will this truck pull/handle this weight?? I do have the sway control and weight distribution system. I know it won't pull like my older diesels, but, would like to think I could tow this trailer comfortably at cruising speeds of 65-70 without having to use tow-haul, or deal with the tranny shifting in and out of OD. Any information would greatly be appreciated. TIA! James

zx12-iowa

Had. 2001 like yours. I towed 20' enclosed trailer weighing 7-8k lbs loaded. Towed well. No issues, even in some medium hills and strong winds.

cookj

Thanks bud, that's good to hear. I guess my biggest concern would be with the wind drag and not the weight as i shouldn't ever exceed the 13000# GCVWR .

We have a trip planned in mid June so we'll see. I'll make sure to post my results/opinions afterwards. james

Norotso

This was my 03, IIRC it had #1200 payload:




The TT is 26', bumper to hitch, and weighs in around 6k loaded maybe a couple hundred more. I wouldn't want to tow anything bigger with the 4spd! Always lock out the OD, run at 2500rpm at 55-60mph, would jump up to 4500 up hill or bad headwinds.

cookj

Thanks Norotso, this gives me some idea as to what to expect. Tell me, did your '03 have the 3.55 or 3.73 gears??

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

Hi James - welcome to the forum!

The 2003 Towing Guide info I'm looking at says a truck like yours would be able to tow a trailer with a max weight of 7100 lbs, and a GCWR of 12500 lbs.

It shows that with a WDH your hitch is rated for a 8800 lb trailer and a max tongue weight of 880 lbs (should be a sticker under your rear bumper with the hitch limits).

What does the sticker on your driver's door say for your GVWR and payload capacity? If the data above is correct I guess the payload is in the range of 1200-1300 lbs.

Your Jayco that you say is 4950 dry must weigh at least 6000 wet, so with a tongue weight of 750 or so plus a 75 lb WDH, you could limit what you carry in the cab and bed to less than 500 lbs and you'll be in good shape.

If your numbers are different than what I came up with, post up what your door stickers say.

I'm sure the 5.4 should pull a 6000 lb trailer okay, but like Norotso says that or slightly more would be about max.

Bob

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Norotso

It had the tow pkg with 3.73...

cookj

Thanks Bob. As stated on the door sticker, GVWR is 6750#. My owner's manual states a GCWR of 13500 lbs and a maximum trailer weight of 8200 lbs; this truck does have the 3.73 gears. In the past, we've probably had no more than 300-400 lbs in the trailer, and as far as in the truck, no more than 700# (this would be myself, wife and camping supplies. My calculations show this to be under the 12500 GCWR and even more so below the 13500 lb max for this truck with 3.73 gears.

Had I had more time today, plans were to hook on to the trailer and drive it up and down the interstate to see how it handled; unfortunately, this wasn't on my wife's priority list. (lol) As stated earlier, i'd like to think i can comfortably maintain highway speeds of 65 or better in OD; i also understand that hills and other grades may/or will present a challenge.

I appreciate all the feedback guys! James

Norotso

Dont pull in OD, this unlocks the tq converter in the tranny and will cause your fluid temp to run much hotter, causing premature wear and or failure. The manual talk specifically to this... I'm very confident that you will find the tranny hunting gears, shifting down then up, etc...

cookj

10-4. This evening or tomorrow I'll see how she does on the interstate and report back.