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Old 09-07-2005, 05:51 PM   #1
terryjones1
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Default Towing with new Chevrolet Silverado 5.3

We recently arrived back home from a 8000 + mile trip to the East Coast.

Before we left, We purchased a new 2005 5.3 liter Chevrolet 1500 Silverado Quad Cab Truck and "shell". We then ordered a new 2006 TM2720, and picked it up in San Antonio, Texas on our trip.

We did not use, nor did we need, an equalizer hitch. The Trailmanor was a dream to tow with the Chevy. We had no problems. Gasoline milage, on the highway, towing, ranged from 16 - 1/2 to 19 - 1/2 mpg. Most of the time it was 17 - 1/2 mpg. We kept the truck under 60 mph. The only engine modifications that I made was to install a new "K & N" air filter. I am some what surprised, and am very happy with the towing milage.

The gas milage, on the highway, was from 22 mpg to 23 - 1/2 mpg on the trip from home (near Sacramento) to San Antonio. We kept the truck under 70 mph. This was, of course, without the trailer.
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Old 09-07-2005, 05:58 PM   #2
Windbreaker
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Thank you for conforming what I keep trying to tell folks, get a truck that was built to do things like this and you will be happy. A full sized truck will do the towing job best.

Glad you enjoyed your trip, sounds like a dream trip, but boy that is a lot of miles.
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Old 09-07-2005, 07:37 PM   #3
PopBeavers
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I tow my 2720 with a 2002 Silverado 6.0L crew cab. I only get around 11 mpg towing, which is not much of a penalty considering I get at best 13.5 mpg empty. I needed a vehicle large enough to seat 4-5 adults and carry 6 mountain bike. This is the smallest full crew cab I could find.

I'm a little surprised you went to Texas to buy a new 2720. I bought my new 2005 2720 from Dinuba RV in Rio Vista, which is only 50 miles from Sacramento. You must have gotten a very steep discount to drive all that way.
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Old 09-07-2005, 09:09 PM   #4
terryjones1
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Default Towing with Silverado

Quote:
Originally Posted by PopBeavers
I tow my 2720 with a 2002 Silverado 6.0L crew cab. I only get around 11 mpg towing, which is not much of a penalty considering I get at best 13.5 mpg empty. I needed a vehicle large enough to seat 4-5 adults and carry 6 mountain bike. This is the smallest full crew cab I could find.

I'm a little surprised you went to Texas to buy a new 2720. I bought my new 2005 2720 from Dinuba RV in Rio Vista, which is only 50 miles from Sacramento. You must have gotten a very steep discount to drive all that way.
The 5.3 liter V8 that is in my Silverado Crew cab has plenty of power for towing the Trailmanor, and all the junk that I put in the back of the Truck. The truck also has a "shell". I suspect a reason that I get such good milage is because I have around a 3.2 to 1 rear axle ratio (I think that yours is around 4.1 to 1). Keeping my speed under 60 mph also helps. I do not know how much the "K & N" filter contributes to lower milage. The larger engine will, of course, tend to use more gas.

The Texas dealer gave me a real good price. He made it worth my while to drive to Texas. Dealers, close to home, would not come close.
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Old 09-08-2005, 10:26 AM   #5
terryjones1
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Default Towing with Silverado

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Originally Posted by Texas_Camper
How about a trip report... where you went, where you stayed, what you did...things that went right,,,,and wrong,,,,,what you learned... pass that on, it will help many new TMers... and us older ones too...
We started out on our trip from our home near Sacramento. We used "bidding for travel" and Price Line for reserving hotel rooms (This is an inexpensive way to travel and stay in good hotels). We stopped (stayed overnight) in Bakersfield, Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Fort Stockton, and stayed several days in San Antonio waiting for the trailer to be delivered from the factory. We really enjoyed visiting the "River Walk" area. It was very pretty with lots of restaurants.

We finally picked up our trailer and headed for Branson, Missouri. We stayed in Branson for several days and saw three shows.

After that, we went to our daughter's home in Berwyn, Pa (near Philadelphia). We stayed at there house for 9 days. Our trailer was parked out front, closed up. We had a nice visit with her, her husband, and the grand kids. We went camping with them for a couple of days. All six of us fit in the trailer. We, also, spent a day in New York City.

After that visit, we headed West. We visited Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks for a week. We saw tons of Bison, lots of Elk, & a Grizzley & her cub. We then headed to the Oregon Coast. We stayed at Coos Bay for five days. It was nice and cool. We then went to the Rogue River area for several days. Then we drove home.

Except for the places mentioned above, we stayed in places along the way only one night. We would travel from 200 + to 300 + miles per day. We payed anywhere from $43 to free for camping.

Towing the Trailmanor with the Silverado was super easy. It took awhile to get used to setting up & taking down the trailer so often. I would prefer that we were able to access things in the trailer when we were traveling.

I appreciated the electric tongue jack. It made it easy to connect, disconnect, and level the trailer. First, I would ensure that the trailer was not too far out of level from side to side (If it was, I would put blocks under the wheel of the low side). I would then place wheel chauks at the wheels. Then, I would disconnect, & level the trailer from back to front using the tongue jack. I would use an 18DCV drill & 1/4 " allen wrench on the rear scissor jacks to level the trailer side to side. I installed stick on levels to help with leveling. I would then re-level front to back, and set the front scissor jacks. Using this technique, ensures that you start with a level trailer.

Opening the trailer, and setting up the inside is the easy part.

Every thing worked properly in the trailer.
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Old 09-08-2005, 12:47 PM   #6
fcatwo
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I agree with Leon on leaving the TM hitched for one-night stops. We carry enough blocks to raise our truck's rear wheels a couple of inches as well as one side of the TM. You can lift the rear of the TV another inch or so with the tongue jack if needed. We've never had a trailer decide to travel on it's own but I've seen it happen and it's a dangerous situation.

On your spectacular fuel economy: We had a 92 Chevy 5.7 light-3/4, 3.73 to 1, with a HD 5sp stick shift that got similar numbers but most don't. Our 05 Toyota Tundra does 19&14 on it's best days. Keep that truck until the wheels fall off and don't let a mechanic touch it unless it stops running.
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Old 09-12-2005, 05:14 PM   #7
PopBeavers
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas_Camper
Chocking the wheels BEFORE unhitching is critical... Don't ask me how I know this...
Leon,

I think I *KNOW* how you know this. I *KNOW* it for the same reason.
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