Mtwolfer
Montana
New Member
Joined: 03/01/2023
View Profile
 Offline
|
I just purchased a new Cougar 32BHS travel trailer, they say "half ton tow able" is that true?, it says 34' .I have a 3/4 ton chevy duramax, will that do? Dry weight about 7000lbs., my owners manual for the truck says up to 12,000lbs towing . I'm in Montana sooo High winds and tall mountains.
|
naturist
Lynchburg, VA
Senior Member
Joined: 04/24/2008
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Half ton towable, maybe. Depends on the truck. What usually gets people is neither the trailer dry weight/loaded weight/vehicle tow weight, it's truck payload.
For example, your trailer dry weight is 7,000 lbs, but loaded it'll will be heavier, perhaps 9000 lbs or so. For stability, most trailers put 10% to 13% of the weight on the tongue, so that 9000lbs translates to 900-1170 lbs tongue weight. Great, you say, your half-ton payload is 1600 lbs (varies from truck to truck, btw), so you are golden. Not so fast, bunkie, what do YOU weigh? Your wife? The kids? what about the generator and bikes you threw in the truck bed??? And don't forget about a full tank of go-juice at 7.4 lbs per gallon.
With only 700 lbs (or maybe only 530 lbs) left for all those people and fuel and stuff, you might easily be overweight on that payload. (Lessee, 225 for me, 145 for wife, 22 gallons at 163, two e-bikes at [email protected] for a total of 643 lbs . . . .
For YOU, @Mtwolfer, your 3/4 ton truck is probably fine. Your brother-in-law's 1/2 ton, maybe not.
|
BB_TX
McKinney, Texas
Senior Member
Joined: 04/04/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
Is it a 30BHS? Only 32BHS I see is a fifth wheel.
|
Mtwolfer
Montana
New Member
Joined: 03/01/2023
View Profile
Offline
|
BB_TX wrote:Is it a 30BHS? Only 32BHS I see is a fifth wheel. its a 30BHS
|
Thermoguy
Graham, WA
Senior Member
Joined: 01/04/2017
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Your 3/4 ton Duramax should be fine pulling that. That is what it was designed for - that and more.
|
|
|
deltabravo
Spokane, WA
Senior Member
Joined: 09/08/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Mtwolfer wrote:I just purchased a new Cougar 32BHS travel trailer... .I have a 3/4 ton chevy duramax, will that do? Dry weight about 7000lbs.,.
YEP! a 2500 Duramax will be an awesome tow rig for that trailer.
2009 Silverado 3500HD Dually, D/A, CCLB 4x4 (bought new 8/30/09)
2018 Arctic Fox 992 with an Onan 2500i "quiet" model generator
|
valhalla360
No paticular place.
Senior Member
Joined: 08/19/2009
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
|
1/2 ton trucks can often pull the load. It's payload where 1/2 ton trucks typically fail.
If you get a "unicorn" 2500lb payload 1/2 ton, yes, you likely have enough tow rating and enough payload rating.
Your average 1/2 ton truck is somewhere in the vicinity of 1500-1700lb payload and that get's pretty marginal.
Some 1/2 ton trucks have truly pathetic payloads (under 1000lb) and no question they will be over their ratings.
7000lb empty will likely be up around 9000lb full with a hitch weight of around 1200lb. Add in say 500lb for a family of 4 plus cooler, firewood, etc... in the truck bed and you are very quickly going to be asking the truck to carry (ie: payload) 2000lb or more.
So assuming you want to stay within the manufacture ratings, it's unlikely to be half ton towable unless you camp by yourself and take nothing in the truck or trailer.
3/4 ton trucks on the other hand start around 2200-2500lb payload (check the door jamb to see what your payload is). Odds are you are fine with a 3/4 ton.
Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV
|
APT
SE Michigan
Senior Member
Joined: 06/09/2010
View Profile
|
Congrats on the new RV! Your 3/4 ton will be great and comfortable. Half tons - that gets complicated as travel trailers tend to tow the worst with related to weight of any other trailer type. So 8500 pound flat bed or car hauler - maybe okay for the most capable half tons. 8500 pound TT - I will say that very few reports of half ton owners towing that weight range are "comfortable". As mentioned above, the key are is payload and rear axle ratings.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009
2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS
2017 Subaru Outback 3.6R
2020 Chevrolet Bolt
|
wing_zealot
East of the Mississippi
Senior Member
Joined: 12/31/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
naturist wrote:... And don't forget about a full tank of go-juice at 7.4 lbs per gallon... Just to set the record straight, the payload weight on the sticker on your truck already includes a full tank of fuel.
|
naturist
Lynchburg, VA
Senior Member
Joined: 04/24/2008
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
wing_zealot wrote:naturist wrote:... And don't forget about a full tank of go-juice at 7.4 lbs per gallon... Just to set the record straight, the payload weight on the sticker on your truck already includes a full tank of fuel.
That's not the way I heard it. Since the weight of fuel changes as you drive, I have always heard it was not included. I guess it is time for a deep dive on the issue
EDIT: It seems 'twas I who was wrong, @wing_zealot was right. I stand by the calculations and conclusions otherwise.
|
|
|
