TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Technical Discussions > Towing and Hitching
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-10-2007, 03:53 PM   #1
grakin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2619 Behind V6 Silverado - and Altitude

I'm considering a Trailmanor - the smallest one, the 2619 (with A/C). I'm a little worried that it's still more trailer than I'll feel comfortable pulling. I want to know if my fears are well founded or not.

I have a 2003 Silverado 1500 with the small engine - V6 4.3L. It's got the 3.42 axle. I'm not worried at all about staying under weight limits of the truck - the truck can pull 4900 according to the manual, I don't think GCWR is going to be an issue, and I travel light (seriously - usually it will just be myself, no passengers, empty water tanks, etc). I do tent camping now and I do that with one tent and one (largish) bag.

I live at high altitude, about 7500 above sea level. So I know my truck is not running as well as it would at sea level. I also know that I can climb any hill in fifth gear in my small Ford Focus anywhere east of the Rockies - but I can't do that around here - not because the hills are steep, but because there is no air for the engine. So I'm most interested in experiences at high altitude, as I think driving this rig at sea level (or even a couple thousand feet) will be like driving a sports car compared to what I'm used to - that's sure how my Focus feels with it's puny engine.

I'm not worried about safety on this - I have no doubt with the right hitch, brake controller, etc, that the rig will be stable and able to be stopped. I also have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in pickup trucks, so I know they don't drive like a car, nor do I expect them to. That said, I have done very little towing, so that's a new area which will take some practice. Of course if someone thinks I'm wrong, let me know. I'd rather have someone disagree with me then end up dead!

Basically, when I go up some of the hills around here, am I going to be going up them at 20 MPH with black smoke belching behind my truck, or am I going to be able to make up the hills at a comfortable speed (50+ MPH)?

I also do a lot of trips east - I'm assuming that I shouldn't have any problem keeping 65 or so on the flat areas east of the Rockies (slower when conditions dictate, of course).

So, should I just ditch the idea of pulling a TM with this vehicle, or am I more scared than I should be? I of course plan on talking to some dealers about this, but I also think they might have a tad bit of vested interest in overselling my tow vehicle!
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2007, 04:45 PM   #2
rtry9a
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Id think gearing would be your biggest concern- 7500 ft is not a big deal if your TV is tuned (leaned out fuel mixture) correctly.

FWIW, I routinely pull a 3027 with a 4.0l V-6 Explorer- it has a 5-speed tranny and 4.1 axles and does quite well around here, 5000-9000 ft. I dont really notice the trailer much. Just lock out overdrive (going up and down mtns), shift down, when needed, to avoid lugging the engine. I try to stay around the speed limit in mountainous areas, no more than 65-70 on flat roads.

If your engine performance bothers you a lot at high altitude, consider a supercharger (not a turbocharger- they can easily overheat engine while pulling) upgrade to add more air/fuel to your engine.
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2007, 06:31 PM   #3
Freedom
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

We tow a 2619 with a GMC Jimmy with the same engine you're talking about. We average around 15 MPG while towing - our last trip was from Washington (State) to Virginia, South Carolina, back to the TM factory in Tennessee, and through Denver and over the mountains through th Eisenhower tunnel. 9515 miles in all - the worst place was Lookout Pass on the Idaho Montana border and we topped that at around 40. Do you have the "Tow-Haul" button on your truck? We always use that when we tow because it keeps your transmission from overheating. If you don't mind a few 40 mph pulls, you should be fine with the Silverado. We almost always tow with the cruise control set at about 65 and rarely have to turn it off. Do you have an automatic - the tow capabilities on the automatic are higher than on the stick shift. Good luck!
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2007, 06:37 PM   #4
grakin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Responses to a couple of posts...

My understanding of the 2003 V6 4.3L engine was that the fuel mixture is computer controlled, and using the O2 sensor the engine will automatically lean the fuel for you as you gain altitude. Of course leaning the fuel means less fuel which means less bang which means less torque (but it runs well which it would not do if it was not leaned). I remember adjusting carburetors, and hope that time is past now, but if I'm wrong I'd love to know it so I could do some tuning on the truck.

As for the transmission, yes it's an auto, and it does have the tow/haul button on it. I'm glad I went for the auto at least - that's one of the few things I did right with this truck!

If I could manage 15 MPH, I'd be thrilled. That wouldn't be much less than I get now.
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2007, 07:10 PM   #5
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

GRAKIN -

You have a good, realistic attitude, and that's refreshing. No expectations here that a Ford Focus will pull a 3326 over the Himalayas!

IMHO, everything that has been said above is good. If you have an transmission cooler beyond the basic OEM cooler, that is a plus. If you don't, you might consider adding one. Cheap insurance.

To add another real-world data point:

We tow with an Explorer, 4.6L V-8, 5 speed automatic. It seems to start feeling the altitude at about 7000-8000 feet. By 10-11K, it is really gasping. The western approach to the Eishower Tunnel was not fun.

On the other hand, we probably travel a good deal heavier than you describe. First, there are two of us. Then, on our cross-country twice-a-year migrations, we load up the way-back of the Explorer pretty full. And we have a 2720 SL, which starts (dry weight) at 200 pounds heavier than a 2619, and again we carry quite a bit of stuff in it when we are migrating. On the other hand, we do have a 3.73 rear end ratio.

The conditions you describe sound do-able. You won't go charging up the mountains like a Maserati, but you won't be pulled over in the slow lane belching black smoke, either. At the highest of your planned altitudes, you might not maintain 50 mph, but 40 ought to be an easy go.

Part of it depends on how hard you are willing to flog the engine/drive train. On tough grades with the trailer behind, I often just lock the gear shift in 3rd (out of 5 gears) and keep the pedal at 4000 RPM, even though red-line is 6000. I could go faster by letting the revs climb to 5000+, and accepting a constant stream of 4-3-4-3 shifts. But I'm real conservative about that stuff.

Let us know what you experience. More data is always useful to future owners.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2007, 08:36 PM   #6
PopBeavers
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Well, my 6.0 engine statistics won't help you, but I can say that when I weighed my TM 2720 it was 3380 pounds on the TM axle. I did not weigh the tongue, but would guess total weight at not more than 4,000 pounds. I had it loaded with every piece of camping gear I own and full of water, 40 + 6 gallons. I have no doubt that your 2619 will weigh less than 4,000 pounds as long as you don't have a rock collection.

It sounds like you will do fine.

fwiw, the very best mpg I have ever gotten in my crew cab was 15.5, running at 60-65 mph and no passengers or cargo. My nominal fuel consumption when empty is 13.5 and when I take DW and the TM I get between 9.5 and 11.5, depending on how I drive. Friday night is a little rushed and going up into the Sierras. Sundays coming home is more leisurely and downhill. Thus the difference.
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2007, 08:25 PM   #7
grakin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Okay, I bought the 2619 from the Car Show in Colorado Springs. I'll take delivery of it next week, and then we'll see how it goes. I'm just using a standard hitch on the vehicle, no weight distribution or anti-sway, but I think with the weights, wheelbases, balance points, etc, involved, I won't need any either.

It's going to be a bit heavier than I planned - a couple of extra options that will probably make things a bit nicer. But I'm a bit more at ease about towing it back home next week than I was before I posted this. Thanks everyone for the help - I'm looking forward to using this thing a lot!
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2007, 09:26 PM   #8
cali camping
Senior Member
 
cali camping's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Lake Oswego, OR (near Portland)
Posts: 153
Default

Will somebody help me out with the "DH" and "DW" use? I know it is husband and wife, but the "D"is for...?
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Chip & Kat Carter
Lake Oswego, OR

2007 2720SD, Dual 80 watt solar panels, flat screen LCD TV mounted on side wall, 210 Ah AGM Battery, Link 10, Dual Honda 2000EUi's
Cadillac Escalade EXT, Prodigy
cali camping is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2007, 10:06 PM   #9
BrianS
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

D=Dear
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2007, 09:49 AM   #10
cali camping
Senior Member
 
cali camping's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Lake Oswego, OR (near Portland)
Posts: 153
Default

As usual the group had the answer! Thanks!
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Chip & Kat Carter
Lake Oswego, OR

2007 2720SD, Dual 80 watt solar panels, flat screen LCD TV mounted on side wall, 210 Ah AGM Battery, Link 10, Dual Honda 2000EUi's
Cadillac Escalade EXT, Prodigy
cali camping is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:46 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.