Towing ST29SS with 1/2 ton

[jgerni]

I've been thinking about simplifying a bit and getting rid of my Duramax and Cruiser 5vr and going to a Travel Trailer. Considering the ST29SS and towing it withour 2004 K1500 Suburban with the 5.3L and 4.10 gears. The tow rating on the Suburban is 8200lbs.

The ST29SS comes in with a dry weight of around 5900lbs. We only tow around 2500 miles a year andin fairly flatterain with rolling hills. We have about 450lbs in passenger weight in the Suburban...Do you think this setup will work? I'm not expecting the Suburban to tug like the DMax but I do want to be safe.



Thoughts on the Suburban/ST29SS setup?

[accordionman]

we tow a ST27 RB with a K1500 Yukon XLrated to pull 7000lbs.. our unit weighs 5300 lbs. from the factory . that includes all the options . your dry weight does not include options. you have to read the fine print. i have 3.73 gears with the same engine . does a good job, but will not win any races up any hills . been to Fl. from Pa. twice with it . gets about 10- 11 MPG .the only thing with the 1500 series is the coil springs . they are very soft and it took some doing for me to get the proper hitch set up . rides like a charm solo . if you don't load it real heavy and the 4.10 gears you should be ok other than the formentioned suspension

issues . good luck

good luck .

[spinella]

with my current trailer (6000lbs. dry-8000lbs loaded) we used to tow with my wifes 1500 series suburban. it has the 5.3 engine with 3:73 gears. i installed timberens. if you not familiar with them they replace the original rubber bump stops on the rear suspension. the new ones are much larger in every way. that with a w/d set up correctly made towing our camper fairly good.

[icefalcon]

I tow our 29RL trailer with '02 1500 Suburban. Have taken that and our old 28' trailer all over the country, NSEW. No problems. Only has 180,00 miles on it.

[FezUSA]

Did you get the ST29SS? How is towing with the K1500 and the 4.10?

We picked up our 29SS at the end of the summer, and according to the label the dry weight was around 6100 (Reserve pkg). My current TV is the 2002 Chevy Sub 1500 but with the 3.73; I also have 5 young children in the car. Towing seems ok so far, but I'm trying to determine how long I have before I can upgrade to a 2500 model, and if it's far enough down the road which upgrades to do on the 1500. I've thought about replacing the OEM hitch receiver, adding Timbrens, replacing the mirrors with camper style etc.

[mb1953]

Originally Posted by spinella

with my current trailer (6000lbs. dry-8000lbs loaded) we used to tow with my wifes 1500 series suburban. it has the 5.3 engine with 3:73 gears. i installed timberens. if you not familiar with them they replace the original rubber bump stops on the rear suspension. the new ones are much larger in every way. that with a w/d set up correctly made towing our camper fairly good.

how do you like the timberems. i been thinking of putting them on my tundra?

[rhatfield]

Hello: I tow my ST29SS with a Quad Cab Dually long bed 1999 I have a 454 engine: I have always towed with a work horse and they have never let me down.



My opinion and it is just that my opinion the 1500 would pull the camper with no major concerns as long as you are not talking climbing the mountains.



I do not know how much reserve power you would have, I can tell my truck is working as we pulled out to Glacier Mountain and Yellow Stone area:



I realize everyone is trying to save on gas and by no means do I save any money on gas but I get there with no issues.



Good luck to you hope everything works out the way you hope it does.

[hondavalk]

I have the ST29SS that tows well with my 5.7L tundra

[8iron]

I have the ST29SS that I pulled with an 08'f150 screw. Once I loaded the truck with family of 4 and all the stuff that goes with it, the tongue weight of the loaded trailer put me over payload and RAWR. If we packed really lite and no water we could do it but that got to be a bit tiresome... for us anyways.

[mnsunset]

No one wants to admit they are over loading the tow rating of their units. I suggest if you have a concern to load the unit and tv up and head to the scales to get an accurate weight. Then you know. Remember the tow vehicle weight has to include full fuel tanks, a 25 gallon tank full adds over 200 lbs alone.

I see all the time units on the road that are way under rated for what they are pulling.
IMO there is a big BIG difference between can something pull it and should it pull it.

Lastly, an officer friend of mine pointed out that if you are in doubt, and think you may be overloading a tv then likely you are. And in knowing this, you may be open to even more liability if something were to happen in an accident.

[tri5ford]

Your "dry weight" is just that and does include your options. There should be a sticker, usually inside a cabinet door, with a hand written weight of your camper, weighed as it left the factory.

Gary