intheburbs
Full Access Member
Let's review some basic trailer-towing physics.
Tongue weight - a properly-balanced trailer has about 13% of the weight on the tongue. So a 6500-lb trailer should have about 845 lbs of tongue weight, not 700 lbs. Folks usually travel with between 500 and 1000 lbs of crap added to the trailer, so now you're approaching 1000 lbs of tongue weight. Problem is, your half-ton has about 1500 lbs of payload, so now you and your passengers and gear in the truck better all weigh 500 lbs or less, combined.
Half-ton trucks are also handicapped by the weak rear semi-floater axle. Depending on year/model, the rear axle is rated to only 4000 or 4200 lbs. Throw on that trailer tongue and you'll blast right past that 4200-lb rating. So what do folks do? They use a weight-distributing hitch. This takes weight off the rear axle and transfers it back to the trailer wheels and also back to the front axle of the tow vehicle.
Now, let's come back around to that whole tongue weight thing. More tongue weight equals more stability. Less tongue weight makes you less stable and more prone to sway.
So a half-ton owner with a big trailer is caught in a catch-22. They can't have a heavy tongue because it overloads either their payload rating or rear axle rating, or both. But if they crank the bars/chains/whatever too tightly on their weight distribution system and remove too much tongue weight, they make the rig much more unstable and prone to sway, or worse.
I towed a 7,000-lb trailer with my half-ton 2001 Suburban all around the country, including the Rockies. While I wouldn't say I was white-knuckled all the time, I'll simply say it was never boring. I also broke 3 rear axles on that truck.
This is why I upgraded to a 2500 Suburban. 2100-lb payload, and a Godzilla rear axle that is rated by the manufacturer to carry over 8,000 lbs. Yes, 8,000 - that's not a typo. On my truck it's limited to 6,000 lbs because that's the weight-carrying limit of my tires. If I had dual rear wheels, I could go heavier. The trailer I now tow is 8600 lbs, and yes, it is boring to tow, even in the Rockies.
