Help figuring towing

[Barnes251]

Hi,
We have a hold on a HC 295RL which salesman said we could pull easily. I’m having second thoughts please look at my tag and tell me if it’s okay.
GWWR:
VEHICLE AND TRAILER MUST NOT EXCEED ANY OF THESE
5330 KG I 11750 LBS
GCWR:
13608 KG |30000 LBS
RGAWR:
3289 KG| 7250 LBS
CURB WEIGHT:
3788 KG | 8351 LBS
MAX PAYLOAD:
1542 KG| 3399 LBS
SAE 12807 TRAILER WEIGHT RATING (TWR) FOR VEHICLE CONFICURATIO
CONVENTIONAL TWR:
9072 KG /20000 LBS
MAX TONGUE WEIGHT:
907 KG/ 2000 LBS
GOOSENECK TWR:
9798 KG|21600LBS
MAX TONGUE WEIGHT:
1470 KG / 3240 LBS
SEE OWNER'S MANUAL ON FOR MORE INFORMATION
I’ve tried the calculators and some say yes and some say no.

[artfuldodger]

That,s a lot of numbers! Tell us what your tow vehicle is and we can tell you if it's a good match.

[Barnes251]

It’s a 2024 Chevrolet 2500 HD Duramax 4x4 LTZ it has a standard box, with the max towing package.

[jeffba]

Max payload is the number you should be most concerned with. those look like numbers out of the manual. you need teh max payload off of your door sticker

[BB_TX]

I agree with jeffba about the payload rating. The listed empty pin weight of the HC 295RL is 2,400 lbs. The payload rating in your numbers is 3,399 lbs. That leaves you a thousand pounds to load your truck. But you have to consider the hitch weight, people, and everything else you put in your truck as well as how much stuff you load in the trailer itself that adds weight to the pin. Not all of everything you load in the trailer goes to the pin. And the only way to know for sure is weigh the trailer empty and again when loaded for travel.

If those numbers are directly from the truck then you know your numbers. But if they came from a standard chart, then you have to know the exact truck configuration those numbers apply to. The numbers change based on engine, cab, bed length, etc.

[Barnes251]

These are the numbers off the door.

[Barnes251]

Here is a picture of the sticker on the door

[DutchmenSport]

I think the truck will be fine for that trailer based on the sticker numbers and pin weight of the trailer (2400 lbs). But agree with the above suggestion to have everything weighed when you get everything loaded.

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by Barnes251

It’s a 2024 Chevrolet 2500 HD Duramax 4x4 LTZ it has a standard box, with the max towing package.

I own the same setup as you. Except mine is a 2020 GMC Denali. Same trailer. Towing power is not a problem. The truck will pull a house off it's foundation. Well... almost. I've put around 5000 miles on my rig and have had zero white knuckle moments. I've done a lot of hills and curves with no issues. I know I'm slightly over tongue weight. I have an Onan mounted gen and the basement is full. I did loose 150 lbs by installing lithium batteries and I don't pack unnecessary or redundant items. I would have gone with a duelly just to have more meat on the ground but it wouldn't be able to make the turn in my driveway or fit in the carport so I opted for the 2500. The same reason I went with the 295. At the end of the day it's your decision and what you're comfortable with. I've been towing for 40 plus years so I'm good with my decision.

[Barnes251]

Thank you!

[432bartman]

Your trailer GVWR is 14,300 lbs., and you have a 1000 lb. margin on the pinweight. You're totally fine with that truck and setup. But I'm sure someone here will say you need a dually.

[MandK]

All salesmen say that.
I can see why you are having second thoughts. You’ve probably been doing the math.

The published pin weight (meaningless) of my 3121 is 2350#. 50# less than yours based on what is posted above. Makes sense I guess, iirc the 295 has a big bedroom slide and a little less cantilever length behind the axles.
The real empty pin weight shown below on the the first Cat scale ticket is 2720 but it includes the 142# B&W Companion that that wasn’t in the truck on the way to pick up our new trailer, so real empty pin weight (full propane, 2 batteries) is 2578#
Our truck weight on the way to get the trailer was 8800#. That’s myself, wife, toolbox etc, our normal stuff, almost full fuel. No firewood, no portable generator, no gas can, no barbecue propane cyl, no blocking, no tonneau cover at the time, etc. etc. You get the point.
Your curb weight (includes fuel) you say is 8351#, must be close to our curb weight I would think.
The second ticket is after picking up the trailer. Everything in the truck is the same except for having had burned off maybe 8 gallons of diesel fuel. Weight of the truck- 11520#.
That’s only 230# less than your gvwr and our trailer’s empty.
The bottom ticket is us going camping. Ignore the trailer weight (trailer axles), our trailer is heavier, just look at the truck seeing as how i think our truck curb weights are close to the same and pin weights are most likely close too. 12400#. You can see on the bottom ticket that when we go camping, our loaded trailer weight comes in right about your gvwr on your trailer. 23400-9000 (weight of our truck when we are camping).
You won’t know these things until you scale, but you can’t get your real pin weight loaded until you buy the trailer, but go fill your truck tank up and take the wife/family for a ride to the cat scale. That would be the determining factor for me. Also consider if you are a weekender or going to be pulling a lot, might help you decide. Good luck.

[Barnes251]

Originally Posted by MandK

All salesmen say that.
I can see why you are having second thoughts. You’ve probably been doing the math.

The published pin weight (meaningless) of my 3121 is 2350#. 50# less than yours based on what is posted above. Makes sense I guess, iirc the 295 has a big bedroom slide and a little less cantilever length behind the axles.
The real empty pin weight shown below on the the first Cat scale ticket is 2720 but it includes the 142# B&W Companion that that wasn’t in the truck on the way to pick up our new trailer, so real empty pin weight (full propane, 2 batteries) is 2578#
Our truck weight on the way to get the trailer was 8800#. That’s myself, wife, toolbox etc, our normal stuff, almost full fuel. No firewood, no portable generator, no gas can, no barbecue propane cyl, no blocking, no tonneau cover at the time, etc. etc. You get the point.
Your curb weight (includes fuel) you say is 8351#, must be close to our curb weight I would think.
The second ticket is after picking up the trailer. Everything in the truck is the same except for having had burned off maybe 8 gallons of diesel fuel. Weight of the truck- 11520#.
That’s only 230# less than your gvwr and our trailer’s empty.
The bottom ticket is us going camping. Ignore the trailer weight (trailer axles), our trailer is heavier, just look at the truck seeing as how i think our truck curb weights are close to the same and pin weights are most likely close too. 12400#. You can see on the bottom ticket that when we go camping, our loaded trailer weight comes in right about your gvwr on your trailer. 23400-9000 (weight of our truck when we are camping).
You won’t know these things until you scale, but you can’t get your real pin weight loaded until you buy the trailer, but go fill your truck tank up and take the wife/family for a ride to the cat scale. That would be the determining factor for me. Also consider if you are a weekender or going to be pulling a lot, might help you decide. Good luck.

Thank you for sharing this. We actually decided on a lighter RV, 2000 lbs. lighter with a much smaller pin weight of 1900 lbs.. We ended up going with a full size Cougar, it’s a cool unit so hopefully we made a good choice. We are both sad we didn’t feel comfortable with the weight of the 295rl but maybe next time we will get a Montana.

[Cat320]

Originally Posted by Barnes251

Here is a picture of the sticker on the door

Look for the Tire and Loading Information sticker on the driver's door post. It will tell you your max cargo capacity.

[Lee-CI]

We don't have the same model MHC, but maybe this will be real life food for thought. We camp for two weeks out of nearly every six weeks, so we head out fully loaded each trip with empty tanks. Our advertised pin weight is listed as 2,265. We stopped at Cat scales this trip and have a pin weight of exactly 3,500 lbs. Suggest looking at advertised numbers for both the 295RL and the door sticker on your truck with a pessimistic eye. We traded off our 2500 six months after owning our 331RL. Like stated - food for thought.

Edit: Just saw where you decided on a Cougar instead. Good luck and happy camping

[seasure1]

I have the same setup as Tony and for the first time towed extensively in the mountains of Pa. Like Tony said you could pull a house. Set the cruise control on 68 and just cruised along.

Good Luck with the Cougar, it is a quality RV

[77cruiser]

Pulled my 331 over 1/2 way around the world with a 04 2500 GMC. No issues.

[dfb]

The truck has a tow rating of 23000 lbs.. The RV weight is much less.. Here is what to watch.. GVWR of the Truck.. and GRAWR. // Best if buying tell the dealer you want to take it to the scales. Get All the Weights.. Then You know for sure..If the Truck weighs 9000 lbs with you and all in it and your GVWR is 11000 lbs... YOU can only add 2000 lbs.. If the hitch weight is 2500 you will be over by 500.