First off I believe your truck is rated to 15000K+.  Actually the limiting factor is not the manufacturer of your truck but the limit allowed by law which is 22K.  I believe that your truck could pull more than the 15K.  When you look back at the specs make sure you look at the 5th wheel/ gooseneck trailering section.  It will tell you that you can pull a max of 22K including your trialer and truck when using a gooseneck. 

Now try this one for size (I'm sure that quite a few will freek but I don't see the problem).  I'm getting a 16' sw 4H sundowner with a 12' slide.  It has a dry weight of 11700# and I'm going to pull it with my 2004 2500HD duramax with the allison.  I've put airbags in the back (which I may or may not need) and I'm putting the edge (a chip) and exhaust system in my truck.  The only real question is can you stop it.  I'll know more in a week or so but I don't see a problem.   

I went looking at toy haulers with my buddy today and they were all around the 11000# mark or higher.  That was dry.  If you added the fuel and water, ect. then it went up to the 13-14K range.  How many times have you seen them going down the road?  We have some serious hills in AZ and they go up and down them all the time with no problems in their 2500's and 3500's.

I've got another buddy that has a 2500 dodge ram with a diesel.  He has a 10' sw 3h.  He puts 4 horses in it and a bunch of dogs and all his gear.  It is loaded to the max and then some.  He has had the trailer for quite awhile now and has blown every tire that you can on his trialer and truck.  Sometimes more than one at a time.  He said it can be exciting at times but he doesn't see the problem with just one set of back tires.  Now keep in mind that he lives in his trailer on the road for about 8 months a year or so.  

I think trucks are like guns.  Most people think they need WAY more than they really need but it makes them feel more comfortable. 

Later,

Chad 

Like Chad said, Make sure you are looking at the Gooseneck and not the bumper pull weights.  Your Duramax should be rated higher than 12,000.

Nope.  It's the truth.

Later,

Chad

The gal that owns the trailer said it had a sticker on the front that said the weight was 7900#.  When a buddy looked up the weight off of a trailer blue book the trailer was supposed to weigh 11700.  The gross is 17K.  I figure the worse case senerio is 11700.  I also don't plan on putting 4 horses in the trailer.  The funny part is I don't even own a horse yet.  I'm planning on about 2 horses.

Sooner or later I'll get a new truck anyways.  Not sure when or how big.  Time will tell that one.

Later,

Chad 

http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/specifications/

Try this link.  If it doesn't work then go to the chevy site.  Look under the silverado, then options and standard, then specifications, then trailering.  Then go all the way to the bottom and it will have a section for 5th wheel/gooseneck towing.  I'm sure that the specs for the 2004 are very, very close to the 2006.

Later,

Chad

The reason that the smaller trucks are rated for more towing capacity is because they are lighter.  The max gross weigh can be 22K.  It isn't the max load your truck is capabale of towing.   GM would rate the truck's towing ability higher if it was legal to do so. 

I'm with you on finding trailer weights.  It is such a pain the in booty to find weights.  They are missing the boat when it come to that.  I realize that LQ's may have different weights but they could give an average or something.

Later,

Chad 

Every Certificate of Origin that the manufacturer supplies with a new trailer (or truck or car) has, by law, the empty weight of the vehicle.  When that C of O is turned into a title by the licensing authority, that empty weight is not noted on the title.  There may be a few states that do carry the empty weight onto their titles, but I have oviously never had one of those titles.  Therefore, a dealer knows what the new unit weighs, because they have the C of O, but a used unit would have to be physically weighed or guessed at.  Also, a living quarters C of O has the weight of the trailer BEFORE the LQ was installed.

In all the years we have been selling trailers, we have had just one used trailer come in that had the empty weight on it.  It was a steel stock trailer built in Georgia, and the weight was on the VIN tag.  I don't remember the brand name.

There is a new federal law effective 9/1/05 that applies to trailers of all kinds manufactured after that date with a GVWR of 10,000# or less.  There must be a label on the trailer that states the tire information and a statement that the cargo weight should never exceed X pounds.  A dealer that alters an affected trailer in any way, by adding a ramp or other permanently mounted components must put a new label on the trailer with the updated weight capacity information.  The weight capacity is the axle capacity (GVWR) less the weight of the trailer, so you can easily figure the empty weight. 

However, a living quarters trailer would never have a GVWR of under 10,000#, nor would the average simple three or four horse, so this regulation is not going to help horse trailer owners except for those pulling primarily two horse units.

Please also be aware that we have NEVER weighed a trailer that weighed exactly what the C of O said it did.  We have had, for instance, two three horse goosenecks of the same brand, one with a 4' dressing room, one with a 6' dressing room.  Both C of O's said the same empty weight. 

We need to use the stated empty weights as a guideline, not as accurate numbers.   If you need to be exact, pull the trailer to the nearest mill and pay them a few bucks to weigh it for you.  We have allowed customers to take prospective purchases to have them weighed when the weight issue was overwhelming the common good sense.

I notoced that on the registration for my trailer, the weight (used to calculate the cost of the annual vehicle tabs) is right on the registration... 3800 lbs.  I have a 3 horse gooseneck, with the high-sides style and tapered nose... no living quarters but a good size tack room.  Do other states list the weight on trailer registrations?

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