I am fairly new to hauling/towing, so I want to make sure I am hauling safely and not putting anyone in danger and not stressing the truck out either. The beginning of this may sound familiar to some of you (from previous post) but please read on, there is more added to this question. I got the info off of my receiver hitch and truck and I want to run it by some of you guys to see what you think. Receiver Hitch stats - on the receiver it says "Weight Carrying" (max. trailer weight (lbs.) = 5,000 lbs and (max. tongue weight (lbs.) = 500 lbs. "Weight Distributing" (max. trailer weight (lbs.) = 10,000 lbs and (max. tongue weight (lbs.) = 1,000 lbs. Now, for the truck - it is a 1996 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 it is a 5.7L V8 Vortech Automatic .....the axle ratio's in the owner's manual says the axle ratio is 3.42 then the "max. trailer weight" is 6,000 lbs. By these stats - what is the biggest trailer I can tow? I am wanting at least a regular 2H BP (fully enclosed) fully loaded (1 horse weighing in at about 1500 lbs to 1800 lbs, a few sq. bales of hay and some gear) ...but would like to have a 2H BP with a small dressing room and collapsible tack (fully enclosed) fully loaded (with about the same gear as above) ... Would this truck (with the stats above) be able to pull either of these trailers safely? I'd prefer to find a 2H BP with a small dressing room but I don't know if the truck could handle it (loaded) safely? What do you think? On the previous post, I was given advice to add a P3 and to get a weight distributing hitch... Is there anything else I should change or think about? On the ball (hitch) they have numbers/weights stamped into them...what size would I need? Currently, the ball on the truck says 2,000 lbs.
Edited by Killrail 2009-03-04 6:43 PM
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