Anyone tow with a 2011 Chevy 2500HD?

[JSMagill]

I'm new to the forum and won't take delivery of my 2012 Landmark San Antonio until next week. But my question concerns the ability of my 2011 Chevy 2500HD, Duramax/Allison/Exhaust Brake, to safely tow the Landmark. I'm having an 18K Pull-Rite Slider hitch and Firestone Air Bags installed on the 2500. GVWR of the coach is 16,200 lbs, and the max trailer weight of the 2500 is 16,700 lbs. Dry weight of the coach is approximately 13,500 lbs. and hitch weight is 2,800 lbs. Payload on the 2500 is 2,792 lbs. I realize I'm close to limits, but Chevy and Motor Trend promote this truck as much stronger than previous models, and with the help of the air bags, the Landmark dealer assures me I'll be safe. I'm not in a position to trade the 2500 for another vehicle at this time. Any advice, comments, or recommendations would be very much appreciated! Thank You! Jerry

 

[jmgratz]

FYI you will be borderline overloaded, but yes your truck will pull it. Check the towing ratings for your truck rather than relying on a dealer to tell you what is safe. I will say (and I don't mean to sound smart aleck) that it is a little late to worry about if your truck will pull it. Again it will...I am sure others will comment also. Oh yeah, congratulations and welcome to the Heartland family.

 

[GOTTOYS]

Kind of too late. With a payload of 2792 you have to subtract off the weight of your passengers, fuel and anything you carry in the truck. Then take the empty hitch weight and add in whatever you carry in the trailer, options on the trailer and whether your tanks are empty or not. You will find your hitch weight is going to climb considerably. The addition of airbags will help level the truck but they do not increase the load carrying capacity at all. This will be noted on the instructions for the air bags. My guess is you will probably find that difference is now well over 1,000#. If the GM product is anything like the Dodge the only difference between the 2500 and 3500 series SRW trucks is the rear springs. Tires, brakes, axles, frame all all the same. I don't know how much more weight a 3500 SRW will carry. In my opinion the weight of the trailer puts you at a point where you should be looking at a Dually but that's my opinion. I pull a Big Country 3250 that weighs 11,550# going down the road with a 2010 Dodge 2500 with airbags that I only keep about 15 PSI in. I am just under my maximum Combined Gross Weight. I wouldn't want any more weight behind me. You will be able to pull it but the "pucker factor" might come into play at times. JMHO. Why do dealers make these remarks? ..Don

 

[JSMagill]

Thanks, Guys! You're both right, "it's too late, now." I've already tried to prepare the wife for a new tow vehicle, but that just isn't going to happen anytime soon. I was towing a 32' Cedar Creek and the Chevy didn't even know it was there. The Landmark is quite a bit more coach and I'm sure I'll feel the difference. I think I'll be alright in all areas except for the pin weight, and I guess we'll just see how it does next week.

 

[jmgratz]

Thanks, Guys! You're both right, "it's too late, now." I've already tried to prepare the wife for a new tow vehicle, but that just isn't going to happen anytime soon. I was towing a 32' Cedar Creek and the Chevy didn't even know it was there. The Landmark is quite a bit more coach and I'm sure I'll feel the difference. I think I'll be alright in all areas except for the pin weight, and I guess we'll just see how it does next week.

BTW be sure to get it weighed after you get it. Our Landmark specs say 3300 lbs hitch weight and the actual is 4200. Overall we are under (barely) and don't know why the hitch is so heavy but it is what it is. Just check yours to be sure.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Unless I'm mistaken, I think that the new 2500HD, if has the (Duramax) is rated at 17,200#'s for a 5er. The 1 tn's are 21K something. Have you looked in the owners manual to be sure. My 07 has a 15,600K 5er rating and a 3K pin load weight. I do know I would be over weight with a LM. Just asking and trying to remember what I read on the 11 model's.

 

[ihsolutions]

I have an '03 Chevy Silverado 2500HD with airbags and a 2011 Big Horn 3670RL. The advertised pin weight was something like 2160. The actual pin weight leaving the factory was about 50lbs higher. The loaded (and boy do I mean LOADED) pin weight of the trailer is still only 2520 lbs.

Now I know some here have seen their pin weights climb considerably but that has not been the case for me. And nearly everything in my coach is loaded foreward of the axles.

My truck is overloaded on GVWR by about 300lbs. If I had your new truck I would be under the limit.

Do I wish I had a brand new dually? Yes and no. My truck has been paid for since Day 1 (only $33k back in those days) and would cost well over $50k now as equipped. Also it only has 45k miles and has never seen snow, or dirt roads, and rain only a couple times. The stability of a new DRW would be nice but I still feel safe with what I have.

Your Landmark is really going to push that truck around especially on downhill turns. Take it slow and hopefully you are limited to shorter (non-cross continental) trips until you are in a position to upgrade. My kids are still little so except for Disney, we stay within 3-4 hours. As they get older and we head west it will be time to upgrade the TV.

My advice would be to watch your TV tires very carefully and don't be afraid to discard them with lots of tread left to upgrade to a set with higher weight ratings. IMO this is the weakest point on a SRW truck.

 

[danemayer]

As GOTTOYS noted, you'll be overweight on the rear axle by a significant amount. Our GMC 3500 is right at max payload of 4200#. The Rushmore contributes 3000# toward the payload. My wife and I, the hitch, fuel, tuff-coat, folding bed cover, air compressor, ladder make up the other 1200#.

There have been many threads on this subject; I recall a recent one that pointed at manufacturer specs showing different axles and other key parts between the 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck.

That said, lots of people on this forum are towing Landmarks and large Bighorns with 3/4 trucks without obvious problems.

 

[JSMagill]

I pulled the weights right off Chevrolet's online "trailering specs" for the model I have, i.e., 2011 2500HD 6.6L Duramax w/Allison/Exhaust Brake, 4WD, Crew Cab, Regular Bed. I agree that the tires are probably the weakest link, and I may upgrade them to "Gs" to be on the safe side (I think the factory installed tires are Goodyear "Es"). We won't carry an air-compressor or generator, just the usual chairs, camping table, etc. If it makes me uncomfortable, I guess it would be less expensive to add a leaf to the springs, duallys and extended fenders, which beats taking a hit on trading for another truck. Am I wrong to think I can up the payload with an additional spring and duallys cheaper than trading trucks?

 

[Bob&Patty]

Stay away from the dually conversions. They do not increase the legal payload...they only make you feel better and your wallet alot lighter. Nothing you do to SRW 2500HD can increase the LEGAL pay load. Whats on the door "is what it is". Also a 3500 has different front hubs, wheels and tires. I have seen a dually conversion before and they are known to break the rear axles at the wheel. If you were to do the swap....go bone yarding and get all GM parts from a 3500. The cost to do it would more than the hit from trading it in on a 3500 and it still will not be a LEGAL 3500. JMHO

 

[JSMagill]

Thanks for that sound advice on the dually conversion! I'll follow it.

 

[TedS]

I was just looking at 2011 Chevy Duramax because my 2004 is overloaded by 1200lbs on the GVWR. The 2011 2500 GVWR is 10000lbs, the 3500 GVWR is 11300lbs. I need the 3500 to get legal with the GVWR.

 

[JSMagill]

We really like our 2011 2500HD. We were towing a 32' Cedar Creek that weighed in about 13,200, and it offered no resistence to the 2500. I realize the Landmark is a much larger and heavier coach, but knowing the performance I've experienced with the 2011 so far, I'm hopeful it can handle the San Antonio safely. Jerry

 

[cddane]

I have a new 2500 HD. I pull an 2011 Elkridge 24RSLA with GVWR of 14,000 lb. Our trailer is advertized at 10,400 lbs dry with 2035 hitch weight. I know I have another 400 lbs on the hitch and am near the GVWR. I have added lots of stuff...2nd air...many upgrades and lots of equipment...even towed with full tanks. You have a bigger trailer, but It lacks nothing for power and torque! We are really pleased with our combination...it handles the task with ease. We too have the pull right 18K hitch. I can't imagine firming it up with air bags...but for what you are purchasing, I think it will be better for you. Having said all that, you do have more trailer. (We just toured the Heartland facility on Wednesday and went through the Landmark production line. What a Peach!) I hope you weigh all aspects of your rig. You have nearly 3,000 on the king pin. That has got to be close to max.
I agree with the other post....the sales people are just that. Enjoy this new toy...are they pretty.
CD

 

[jimtoo]

Hi CD,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

I see you have been a member for a while. Hopefully you have found info you needed, if you needed any. Thanks for the report about your rig.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[rumaco]

Agree with Bob and Patty in all BUT the "Legal" term. Legal only comes into play if you have a commercial tag on your tow rig!

 

[wesley1963]

Agree with Bob and Patty in all BUT the "Legal" term. Legal only comes into play if you have a commercial tag on your tow rig!

There have been lots of comments made on the "legal" part of towing overloaded. Some are lucky, others are not...

http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=24262

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

FWIW: I know of a chap who is right now in Alaska, with a Landmark RUSHMORE. It is being pulled by a 2500 GMC with air bags. He and his wife and two dogs are doing fine with it and as of yet I dont believe they have had any problems. Good luck, have fun, and keep the muddy side down.

 

[JSMagill]

I located a 2011 3500HD Single Rear Wheel (SRW) Duramax with 70 miles on the odometer. The price is right and my wife wants to buy it to eliminate any worries. It will increase the payload by 1373 lbs, which will allow me an additional 1365 lbs for her stuff. As it is with the 2500HD, I'm sitting at 8 lbs over limit (pin weight) before I put anything in the coach. Towing capacity (GCWR) is well under limits on either truck. Anyone familiar with the SRW 3500HD Chevys?

 

[danemayer]

We have the 2011 GMC Sierra HD 3500 which I think is probably just about identical mechanically to the Chevy. We took our Rushmore to Breckenridge, CO last January and just last week got back from a 6000 mile trip around the country. Towing is a dream. On smooth roads you hardly know you're towing. Towing in the mountains west of Denver was no problem. Mostly I use the cruise control and then slow down a bit for the sharp curves on the uphill climbs. Downhill from Eisenhower Tunnel to Silverthorne, I set the cruise control on 35, pushed the engine brake button, and went down the mountain without using the brakes. Mileage on our big trip was 12.5 overall, which included 6000 miles of towing and 2000 miles visiting family and landmarks. That probably puts the towing mileage at 11 or 11.5 MPG.

Although it's a SRW, it holds the lane without any problem from semis passing in either direction. Moderate cross-winds have not been a problem either.

We're towing a 2011 Landmark Rushmore that weighed in at 15,000# at the rally in Goshen in June. Actual pin weight is 3000#.

I'm very satisfied with this truck.