New Tow Vehicle Time

[sleepy]

Is anyone towing a 5.0 with a new 2022 Chev/GM pickup ?

We test drove one and like how it drove and it's trim level.
The payload is fine too at 2180.

The box height is 57" which is an inch higher than Escape suggest. But I am thinking that when the weight of the trailer, plus hitch etc. is on the truck that it will come down in height.
Escape recommends 56" for a regular axle 5.0 trailer.

Anyone with some experience with this?

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by sleepy

Is anyone towing a 5.0 with a new 2022 Chev/GM pickup ?

We test drove one and like how it drove and it's trim level.
The payload is fine too at 2180.

The box height is 57" which is an inch higher than Escape suggest. But I am thinking that when the weight of the trailer, plus hitch etc. is on the truck that it will come down in height.
Escape recommends 56" for a regular axle 5.0 trailer.

Anyone with some experience with this?

As long as you get the High lift, you'll be fine.. I think they raised it to 58" max bed height

[Rossue]

.....and the 6.2 motor. The 5.3 will be just OK and likely get worse towing mpg.

[7Gentex]

Originally Posted by sleepy

Is anyone towing a 5.0 with a new 2022 Chev/GM pickup ?.............


The payload is fine too at 2180. ............

Was that the actual payload of that specific truck?


From the tire loading / payload sticker on the driver's door frame.


If so, WOW! 1500 series?

[Doug2000]

You should be looking closely at the Chev truck before you buy one. My friend was in the dealership to visit a buddy recently, they had 6 new Silverados waiting for motors. They are having a quality issue. They are throwing lifters. Part of the cylinder deactivation design.

Check the GM truck forums.

[Rockhead]

You can’t get the max tow n 3:42 rear end with the 5.3 engine you have to go to the 6.2 for that option

[sleepy]

Originally Posted by sofmerc

As long as you get the High lift, you'll be fine.. I think they raised it to 58" max bed height

I already own a 2014 with the regular axle position.

Originally Posted by Rossue

.....and the 6.2 motor. The 5.3 will be just OK and likely get worse towing mpg.

323 vs 378. Good point.
The 323 gets 355 hp at 5600 rpm. IME. I'd seldom be running the engine at 5600 rpm. Also the truck would have a combination of uses, not just towing.

Originally Posted by 7Gentex

Was that the actual payload of that specific truck?
From the tire loading / payload sticker on the driver's door frame.
If so, WOW! 1500 series?

I haven't seen the actual door frame sticker but I'm guessing based on the few I have seen that it'll be about 1800

Originally Posted by Doug2000

You should be looking closely at the Chev truck before you buy one. My friend was in the dealership to visit a buddy recently, they had 6 new Silverados waiting for motors. They are having a quality issue. They are throwing lifters. Part of the cylinder deactivation design.
Check the GM truck forums.

I'll check that out. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Rockhead

You can’t get the max tow n 3:42 rear end with the 5.3 engine you have to go to the 6.2 for that option

I thought that the Max Tow Pkg was overkill for the weight of my trailer (4500 pounds wet).
Also the Max tow added another inch to the height of the box. Which becomes a problem for the 5.TA.

[Kingfish]

Originally Posted by Doug2000

You should be looking closely at the Chev truck before you buy one. My friend was in the dealership to visit a buddy recently, they had 6 new Silverados waiting for motors. They are having a quality issue. They are throwing lifters. Part of the cylinder deactivation design.

Check the GM truck forums.

My '08 Silverados first engine crapped out because of this problem at 170,000 miles. Replacement engine ($7,000+) lasted less than 150,000 miles. 2008 was the first year for the cylinder deactivation system.

[7Gentex]

Originally Posted by sleepy

I already own a 2014 with the regular axle position. .......................

If needed, you can add the body lift kit very easily. Just some spacer blocks between the axle and frame.

[Shiny]

We tow our 2020 5.0 with a 2018 Silverado 1500, double cab, 5.3, 6.5 ft bed length, with Z71 pkg.

We didn't know what an Escape was when we bought the truck, just took what was on the lot and on sale at end of year. Bought the truck for yard chores initially, not for towing. We then bought the trailer used along with an Andersen hitch.

Have been out with the camper ~6 times and happy with the combo but have no other experience for comparison. Our bed height is ~55" as I recall but accept that with skepticism. No issues with clearance/interference when loading, turning or driving.

I'm aware there is concern with longevity of the variable valve train but I'm also aware the truck gets good mileage because of it and the engine platform is well sorted. The truck delivers 20-23 mpg routinely on the highway without the trailer, 12.8 towing the Escape on our last outing to Durango. Our local elevation (5800') and mountains don't help the mileage. The truck is comfortable and handles well for us. We use it for more than towing and it's a nice vehicle for both recreational outings and hauling stuff from Home Depot.

Two things for you to consider:

- Transmission got hot once when we got caught behind a dump truck over McClure Pass (8700'). No crisis but without airflow (ie going SLOW) the trans cooler doesn't have much margin. A bigger cooler is not available from Chevrolet for our 2018. I am considering adding an aftermarket cooler.

- Our truck has no built-in brake controller. It didn't come with a "tow package" which would have added a factory brake controller that integrates with the ABS. We use an aftermarket controller and the truck wiring was all there so not a biggy but if possible, get a factory controller.

We don't think the rear ratio needs to be lower for the weight of the 5.0 but we do need 4WD sometimes to maneuver.

Good luck with your decisions!

Mike

[sleepy]

Originally Posted by Shiny

We tow our 2020 5.0 with a 2018 Silverado 1500, double cab, 5.3, 6.5 ft bed length, with Z71 pkg.

We didn't know what an Escape was when we bought the truck, just took what was on the lot and on sale at end of year. Bought the truck for yard chores initially, not for towing. We then bought the trailer used along with an Andersen hitch.

Have been out with the camper ~6 times and happy with the combo but have no other experience for comparison. Our bed height is ~55" as I recall but accept that with skepticism. No issues with clearance/interference when loading, turning or driving.

I'm aware there is concern with longevity of the variable valve train but I'm also aware the truck gets good mileage because of it and the engine platform is well sorted. The truck delivers 20-23 mpg routinely on the highway without the trailer, 12.8 towing the Escape on our last outing to Durango. Our local elevation (5800') and mountains don't help the mileage. The truck is comfortable and handles well for us. We use it for more than towing and it's a nice vehicle for both recreational outings and hauling stuff from Home Depot.

Two things for you to consider:

- Transmission got hot once when we got caught behind a dump truck over McClure Pass (8700'). No crisis but without airflow (ie going SLOW) the trans cooler doesn't have much margin. A bigger cooler is not available from Chevrolet for our 2018. I am considering adding an aftermarket cooler.

- Our truck has no built-in brake controller. It didn't come with a "tow package" which would have added a factory brake controller that integrates with the ABS. We use an aftermarket controller and the truck wiring was all there so not a biggy but if possible, get a factory controller.

We don't think the rear ratio needs to be lower for the weight of the 5.0 but we do need 4WD sometimes to maneuver.

Good luck with your decisions!

Mike

Thanks for the information.
We just test drove the same truck in a 2022 though with crewcab sized doors.

Could you tell me which trim level you bought?

We'd like more features but the trim level of RST only goes so far. To add more we'd need to go to a crewcab style cab. With many other features.

Usual manufacturing grouping, 'If you want that, then you'll also need to buy this"...
We want to stay with the 6.5' bed as I'm not sure about towing the 5.0 with only a 5.5' bed

[sleepy]

I phoned Trademasters this yesterday morning. Trademasters is the hitch shop near Escape trailers that has done many Escape hitch installs.

Asking them about what kind of hitch would work with the new tundra and a 5th wheel.
He phoned his suppliers and none of them had a solution yet, that would work with the new Tundra. Some said that the possible hitch was 3 months away.

I did test drive one yesterday- lots of power. Nice truck too.

The other two negatives were the HUGE size of the dashboard screen monitor, and the seats weren't as comfy as the Chev/GM.

So at this point I won't be buying a new Tundra for towing.

[Doug2000]

Originally Posted by Kingfish

My '08 Silverados first engine crapped out because of this problem at 170,000 miles. Replacement engine ($7,000+) lasted less than 150,000 miles. 2008 was the first year for the cylinder deactivation system.

My co worker was at a SuperBowl party. When he went outside his 2006 Silverado got hit by a Camry doing about 40MPH. He was pretty happy. It had 450,000km. Insurance is going to give him more than the dealership.

After researching trucks, he ordered a F150, he's been waiting a long while for it to come.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by sleepy

T...Could you tell me which trim level you bought?

We'd like more features but the trim level of RST only goes so far. To add more we'd need to go to a crewcab style cab. With many other features.

Usual manufacturing grouping, 'If you want that, then you'll also need to buy this"...
We want to stay with the 6.5' bed as I'm not sure about towing the 5.0 with only a 5.5' bed

We were drawn to the F150 at the time but the seating, visibility, and handling drew us to the Chevy. Like you, most of those available/promoted were crew cab with the short bed. This was a non-starter for us and why we ended up with the double cab.

Again, we didn't spec it, we just bought what the dealer had, but are happy with these option packages:

"LT Plus" - LT trim, power rear window, home remote, rear park assist, power pedal adjust

"All Star Edition" - power driver seat, dual zone AC, tilt/telescope, remote start, rear defroster, 110V inverter/outlet

It also has optional heated leather bench seats which have proven to be nice.

A couple neighbors have newer F150s and they are very nice vehicles.

[sleepy]

Originally Posted by Shiny

We were drawn to the F150 at the time but the seating, visibility, and handling drew us to the Chevy. Like you, most of those available/promoted were crew cab with the short bed. This was a non-starter for us and why we ended up with the double cab.

Again, we didn't spec it, we just bought what the dealer had, but are happy with these option packages:

"LT Plus" - LT trim, power rear window, home remote, rear park assist, power pedal adjust

"All Star Edition" - power driver seat, dual zone AC, tilt/telescope, remote start, rear defroster, 110V inverter/outlet

It also has optional heated leather bench seats which have proven to be nice.

A couple neighbors have newer F150s and they are very nice vehicles.

Thanks.
We are going to order one and see if the dealer can source one already in the pipeline.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by sleepy

I already own a 2014 with the regular axle position.

Originally Posted by 7Gentex

If needed, you can add the body lift kit very easily. Just some spacer blocks between the axle and frame.

The spacers are for the Torflex suspension. If you have the beam axles and leaf springs of early 5.0TA's, the springs can be moved to over the beams (from under them) to raise the trailer if required.

[TahoeJoe]

I tow mine with a 2020 Silverado, and I've got at least 15k miles towing with it, all around the country. I highly recommend the 3.0 diesel engine...tows like a dream, and I average 17 mpg while towing! Range is 400 miles. I concur that with the high lift axle option, bed height is not an issue. I did install a Roadmaster Active Suspension on the truck for good measure. Although mine is only the RST, I got it because it was one of the few I could find with the 3.73 axle ration (as part of the "Diesel Off Road" package). It had most other features I wanted except for leather, so I added Katzkin leather aftermarket. I just love this truck...what else would you like to know about it? I'm not sure what has changed since the 2020 model year...

[sleepy]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

The leaf springs of early 5.0TA's, the springs can be moved to over the beams (from under them) to raise the trailer if required.

Thanks Brian-BP. We have the leaf springs. I'd rather not change the beam. I don't want a higher unit. My storage spot is already tight to the roof, plus loading bikes on/off the back is more of a challenge.

Originally Posted by TahoeJoe

I tow mine with a 2020 Silverado, and I've got at least 15k miles towing with it, all around the country. I highly recommend the 3.0 diesel engine...tows like a dream, and I average 17 mpg while towing! Range is 400 miles. I concur that with the high lift axle option, bed height is not an issue. I did install a Roadmaster Active Suspension on the truck for good measure. Although mine is only the RST, I got it because it was one of the few I could find with the 3.73 axle ration (as part of the "Diesel Off Road" package). It had most other features I wanted except for leather, so I added Katzkin leather aftermarket. I just love this truck...what else would you like to know about it? I'm not sure what has changed since the 2020 model year...

TahoeJoe, Thanks, I have some questions:

Which box size does your truck have?
What is the payload (sticker on your truck door post)?
We are going to replace our ancient hitch. Which one do you have?
We too have looked at the RST trim line. We are considering the double cab standard bed.
And thanks for the information on the RoadMaster Active Suspension. Did you install after having towed a while ? or before? I'm wondering if the existing truck is inadequate as is.

Many Thanks for your suggestions and recommendations.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by TahoeJoe

I tow mine with a 2020 Silverado, and I've got at least 15k miles towing with it, all around the country. I highly recommend the 3.0 diesel engine...tows like a dream, and I average 17 mpg while towing! Range is 400 miles. I concur that with the high lift axle option, bed height is not an issue. I did install a Roadmaster Active Suspension on the truck for good measure. Although mine is only the RST, I got it because it was one of the few I could find with the 3.73 axle ration (as part of the "Diesel Off Road" package). It had most other features I wanted except for leather, so I added Katzkin leather aftermarket. I just love this truck...what else would you like to know about it? I'm not sure what has changed since the 2020 model year...

Do you think the active suspension made a difference/? I’m planning on installing it.

[TahoeJoe]

Originally Posted by sleepy

TahoeJoe, Thanks, I have some questions:

Which box size does your truck have?
What is the payload (sticker on your truck door post)?
We are going to replace our ancient hitch. Which one do you have?
We too have looked at the RST trim line. We are considering the double cab standard bed.
And thanks for the information on the RoadMaster Active Suspension. Did you install after having towed a while ? or before? I'm wondering if the existing truck is inadequate as is.

Many Thanks for your suggestions and recommendations.

Mine is the crew cab with short bed, and the payload is listed at 1,634. I wouldn't exactly call it inadequate, but it did squat and bounce just a little more than I liked, and the RAS fixed that. I didn't test it too long before I added that, because I've used RAS in the past on other truck/RV configurations with great success. You may also want to consider similar options such as air bags. I wouldn't worry too much about it now, I'd wait till after you get the trailer and truck configuration, test it out a bit and see what you think is needed (if anything) then. I have the Andersen Ultimate hitch with turnover ball connection (with added 4" extension), which works great but I didn't too much research into...I bought my trailer used within a day of it getting posted, and so I had to whip something up super fast to tow it away. The previous owner supplied that hitch, and so I went with that and just had the gooseneck turnover ball installed asap. You should probably also consider the rail mount option for the Andersen...