Advice on 2014 Chevrolet 1500 High Country for Hauling?

[GutsNGlory]

Posting for a friend to get advice from the masses. I know there are several threads on here about hauling vehicles, and especially 1500s, but still not sure what advice to give on this situation…

Friend’s current set up is a Chevrolet 2500 HD Duramax 4x4 with a Hawk 2H + Dress bumper pull trailer. This set up works great for her with hauling (1 horse), but the truck is also her hubby’s commuter truck & is used 90% of the time for this reason. Hubby would like to downgrade truck to a gas for better mileage and general ease of driving (finding diesel stations, parking, etc.). They have found a 2014 Chevrolet 1500 High Country 5.3L 4x4 they both love & which they would get a great deal on new at the dealer. However, friend is also considering upgrading her trailer to a WB size at some point and possibly investing in a second horse this year.

In researching pulling a 2H BP with a 1500 truck, it appears the High Country, with trailering package, has some of the upgrades that make it a bit safer than other models (high performance suspension, external engine oil & transmission oil coolers, upgraded brakes, etc.). With permission from the dealer, she took it home for the weekend and hooked up her trailer to take her horse for a ride. Friend said it pulled well up hills, braking, etc. but she did feel a good amount of sway with the winds. I suggested she invest in a weight distribution hitch with sway bars to increase her towing capacity and stablize. The dealer, though, has told her this will make no difference (at least in regards to towing capacity), “There is no longer a separate rating for a weight distribution hitch. The hitch can pull 10,800 lbs with or without the WD add on. Tongue weight is 600 lbs without and 1,100 lbs with a WD hitch, though.” Thoughts? She said her current hitch is rated at 20,000 lbs (I assume this is the WD rating). In looking at the specs on the truck for this post, I also just noticed that the rear axle ratio is only 3:42 as well. Not ideal, I know, but would it make due for 4-5 years? She plans to re-evaluate her situation a few years down the road and trade in again at that point.

So, first question: Will this truck be enough for her needs, in general? She realizes it will not fully measure up to her current truck, but is willing to compromise since her husband uses the truck more and she will adjust.

Secon question: How much difference does the WD hitch with sway bars make in hauling? I would think it is a worth-while investment, but I’ve never hauled with a BP so I can’t really provide personal experience for her.

Any other advice/thoughts are much appreciated! TYIA!

[DiamondJubilee]

I am by no means an expert but this is what I have found with my trucks.

I have a F150 5.4L 4x4 and have pulled a 2 horse exiss trailer with tack room (with 2 ponies) as well as a 24ft car haul trailer (5,000lb empty and have put 4 x 400lb carriages and towed over 500km with it). The truck has no problem pulling either of the trailers or stopping. The drive is mostly all flat, but it handles smaller hills without a problem as well. I have driven a 28ft house trailer (7800lb loaded) and it had sway bars. I really liked that the trailer did not “sway” back and forth much. When I tow the car trailer, I really notice the play of the trailer going back and forth - especially on a highway inbetween big trucks, or on windy days. I notice the trailer getting “sucked” into the trucks when I pass them without a sway bar. I don’t think it really helps at all being able to tow more, it just stabalizes the trailer better. I do like sway bars for this reason…but I still tow without one as I don’t own one. I have just got used to the movement. I really does not bother me anymore.

I would be pretty confident that the truck she is looking at would be totally fine to tow the trailer she has now. I would think she would only need sway bars if the movement of the trailer bothers her. I doubt she would notice much of a difference from one truck to the next. I have used our larger diesel dually to tow the small trailers and I really didn’t notice a difference of towing from one to the next. The dually just holds the road a little better.

[Guilherme]

How much does the trailer weigh? Find this out by taking it to a truck stop and getting it weighed. That will cost $25-$35. Then weigh the truck you’re looking at.

Now look in owners manual and find the GCVWR (the maximum legal weight of truck plus anything being towed; note that this has nothing to do with the “towing capacity” at this point and it can vary from model to model depending on engine, differential, etc.). Add the truck weight and trailer weight and subtract that sum from the GCVWR. Now you know how much you can put into the truck and trailer and be legal. You can now ask about the hitch capacity on the truck (assuming it has one; if not you know how much hitch to buy because you’ve weighed the trailer).

If you’re getting “sway” then a weight distributing hitch with tow bars would be a good idea. It doesn’t mean you can tow more; it means that whatever you’re towing is less likely to pull you off the highway.

Good luck in your search!

G.

[GutsNGlory]

Thank you both!

Guilherme - That equation helped immensely! We do not have any truck weigh stations in the area (closest is about 65 miles), but she already knew the weight of her trailer (3200) and we found the specs for the truck weight (5370) and GCWR (12000). So, with her horse (1200-1300 lbs) and all her ‘stuffs’ in the truck and trailer, she should be fine. Two horses would be putting her at max, but that isn’t a current issue so she’ll cross that bridge if/when it comes.

She has decided to drive the truck/trailer with the regular hitch for a bit after buying the truck to see how bad the sway is on a regular basis. Then she will know if she needs to invest in sway bars before season starts.

Whew! I’ve sure learned a lot through helping her. I’ve only ever hauled a large GN with a diesel, so not much experience with smaller trucks and BP trailers