Tow Vehicle Road Test

Tow Vehicle Road TestChevrolet C2500HD, 4x2, Silverado,Diesel, Extended Cab, Short BedPickupby Howard KatzThis Chevrolet truck was delivered to me in themiddle of February; I had it for a week. I wasimmediately captivated by its looks; the medium graymetallic paint was understated elegance and its stancesaid controlled power. I drove it to pick up takeoutdinner; it was an exhilarating drive. It took off like arocket from stops, accelerated quickly once moving,cornered great, followed the inside of the curveswithout drifting toward the center line, and rode stiffand smooth. I hoped it would drive as well loadedand towing a horse trailer as it did empty.Basic InformationBefore we get further into the review, let’s look atsome basic information about the truck in thefollowing table.I drove the truck approximately 200 miles onfreeways, two and four lane country roads andhighways, and dirt and gravel roads. I was quiteimpressed with it as personal transportation and as atow vehicle for trailers up to its maximum rating. Ihighly recommend it for either of these tasks.Chevy C2500HD 4x2 Silverado ExtendedCab Short BedBase Price $32,740Price as Tested $40,593Curb Weight 6,160Payload 3,040GVWR 9,200GTWR 12,000GCWR 21,200Bed length6.5 feetEngine6.6L, diesel, V8Horsepower 360Torque650 lb-ftTransmissionAllison TM 6-spdAutomaticRear Axle SizeNADifferential Gear Ratio 3.73Locking DifferentialYesRear WheelsSingleWheels16” x 6.5” PolishedAluminumLT245/75R16ETiresBridgestone BSWV-Steel Rib 265HorseWheels Volume 1 Issue 5 - Page 1

Trailer Hitch ReceiverThe truck was factory equipped with the Heavy DutyTrailering Equipment package, which includes aClass III/IV trailering hitch platform, 7-wire harness(harness includes wires for: park lamps, backuplamps, right turn, left turn, electric brake lead,battery, and ground) with independent fusedtrailering circuits mated to a 7-way sealed connector,instrument panel jumper wiring harness for electrictrailer brake controller, a 1-way sealed connector forcenter high-mounted stop/brake lamp, and a highcapacity air cleaner. The Class III/IV trailering hitchplatform requires a standard 2-inch square draw bar.The weight limits for the factory installed ClassIII/IV trailering hitch platform are shown in thefollowing table.Hitch TypeTongueWeightTrailerWeightWeight Distributing 1,500 12,000Weight Bearing 1,000 7,500Please notice that as a weight bearing hitch, thetrailering hitch platform is limited to Class IIImaximums of 1,000 pound tongue weight and 7,500pound trailer weight. You can only achieve the12,000 pound Class IV capacity in weightdistributing mode with a special weight distributingdraw bar and spring bars.Pulling PowerThe truck was equipped with the Heavy-Duty PowerPackage, which includes the Duramax 6.6L TurboDiesel, Allison TM 1000 6-speed automatictransmission, and locking heavy-duty reardifferential. The transmission’s sixth gear isoverdrive.Without a trailer connected, the 6.6L turbo dieselengine was amazing. It accelerated quickly andsmoothly; mashing down on the accelerator got anaggressive, powerful response. I could smoke thetires from a stop; it accelerated like my MustangCobra. With a loaded horse trailer connected, theengine continued to give sportscar-like accelerationand had stump-pulling power both on the flat and upsteep uphill grades.The automatic was exceptional; it shifted smoothlyand was tight in its gears, that is, it did not slip whenaccelerating and when decelerating, it slowed thetruck as you would expect from a standardtransmission. It showed its true colors while goingdown hills, holding the truck and trailer to a constantspeed on slight down hill grades in fourth and thirdgears and slowed or held the truck to safe speeds onsteep grades in second and first gears.The Allison TM transmission has a “Tow/Haul Mode”,which is initiated by depressing a button at the end ofthe gear selector and indicated by an orange light onthe dash board shaped like a trailer. Tow/Haul Modeadjusts the transmission shifting pattern to limit shiftcycling which reduces the potential for transmissionoverheating or failure due to excessive shifting.Tow/Haul Mode also increases performance andvehicle control when towing or hauling heavy loads.The most important feature of the Allison TM was itsManual Mode, indicated by an “M” on the electronicshift position indicator within the instrument panelcluster. Manual Mode allows the driver to select therange of gears appropriate for the current drivingcondition. When the gear selector is moved to placethe gear indicator light under the “M”, digits sixthrough one (6 5 4 3 2 1) will appear in the inodometer area of the dash board under thespeedometer and gear selector indicator. There is arocker switch on the gear selector with plus (+) andminus (–) marks on it. Pressing the + will move theselection up to the next higher number and pressingthe – will move the selection down to the next lowernumber. If the digit 6, 5, 4, or 3 is selected, the truckwill start from a stop in first gear and cycle throughto sixth, fifth, fourth, or third gear, respectively. Ifthe digit 2 is selected, the transmission will start andstay in second gear. This can aid moving the truckfrom a stop on slippery road surfaces. If the digit 1 isselected, the transmission will start and stay in firstgear. Both first and second gears are appropriatePage 2 - HorseWheels Volume 1 Issue 5

always easy to determine where the small yellowlight is positioned; it would have been better to havemade the indicator more prominent and easier tonotice.Bed LinerThe truck was not equipped with a bed liner, nor wasthere any protection on the tailgate. There was aplastic protection strip along the top of the tailgate.I did not find a plastic or rubber bed liner or tailgateliner as optional equipment for this truck, though I’msure they are offered. I would rather have rubbermats for the bed and tailgate liners for three reasons:1) rubber mats do not become slippery when wet; 2)rubber mats are not as thick as molded plastic; and 3)when you crawl on a rubber mat looking for things orstraightening a load, the rubber is far easier on yourknees that the molded plastic ribs.Bed LengthChevrolet C2500HD Extended Cab trucks are offeredwith long and short beds. The long bed is 8½ feetand the short bed is 6½ feet. The short bed will notcarry long cargo, such as full size plywood sheets ora tall ladder. However, for our test with a bumperpull trailer, the short bed was adequate.To pull a gooseneck trailer with a pickup truck, agooseneck hitch must be installed in the truck’s bed.For Chevrolet C2500HD with a short bed, thegooseneck hitch should be located 45-7/8 inches fromthe rear lip of the truck bed floor (tailgate end).Since the bed is 78 inches long, the gooseneck hitchwill be located approximately 32 inches from theback of the cab. For Chevrolet C2500HD with a longbed, the gooseneck hitch should be located 51-1/8inches from the rear lip of the truck bed floor(tailgate end). Since the long bed is approximately102 inches long, the gooseneck ball is approximately50-7/8 inches from the back of the cab; 19 inchesfurther back from the cab than for a short bed.For a Chevrolet C2500HD with a short bed, the noseof a towed gooseneck trailer would have to be narrowto guard against hitting the back of the cab whenmaking sharp turns. For a Chevrolet C2500HD witha long bed, the nose of a towed gooseneck trailercould be full or square and not hit the back of the cabwhen making sharp turns. Therefore, if you intend totow a square nosed gooseneck horse trailer, a longbed truck would be more appropriate for you.PayloadThe GVWR of the truck was 9,200 pounds and itscurb weight 6,160 pounds, leaving its maximumpayload as 3,040 pounds. The weight of a bumperpull trailer’s tongue, a gooseneck trailer’s nose, andthe weights of the driver, passengers, and any othercargo are payload. They all count against themaximum 3,040 payload potential.The following table shows the calculations for abumper pull trailer’s tongue weight and goosenecktrailer’s nose weight. Loaded trailer weights are for a7-foot wide, steel, 3-horse, slant load, bumper pulltrailer with a 1-foot short wall, walk-in, tackcompartment and a 7-foot wide, aluminum, 3-horse,slant load, gooseneck trailer also with a 1-foot shortwall tack compartment and each loaded with threehorses, tack, 25 gallons of water, miscellaneous tools,and other supplies.Trailer TypeLoadedTrailerWeightPercentTrailerWeightTongueor NoseWeightBumper Pull 9,000 15 1,350Gooseneck 6,500 25 1,625The following table presents the available payloadcalculation for the specified bumper pull trailer.ItemCargoWeightC2500HDMaximum Payload 3,040Tongue Wt 1,350Driver 180Three Passengers 450Less Total Cargo -1,980Available Payload 1,060HorseWheels Volume 1 Issue 5 - Page 5

For the bumper pull calculation above, the availablepayload is sufficient to carry four bales of hay (130pounds each), two sacks of grain (50 pounds each), apicnic lunch, some drinks, a couple of jackets, acouple of changes of clothes, and approximately 340pounds of other stuff.The following table presents the available payloadcalculation for a gooseneck trailer.Trailer31.0 inchesConnectedLoaded28.75 inchesTrailerThe truck and trailer connected to it were almostperfectly level without horses loaded in the trailer, asshown in the following picture.ItemCargoWeightC2500HDMaximum Payload 3,040Gooseneck Nose Wt 1,625Driver 180Three Passengers 450Less Total Cargo -2,255Available Payload 785For the gooseneck calculation above, the availablepayload is sufficient to carry four bales of hay (130pounds each), two sacks of grain (50 pounds each), apicnic lunch, some drinks, a couple of jackets, acouple of changes of clothes, and approximately 65pounds of other stuff. If you need to tow a heaviergooseneck trailer, one with living quarters, or carrymore stuff, a truck capable of carrying a heavierpayload, such as a C3500 Extended Cab with dualrear wheels, would be more appropriate for you.Driving UnloadedI drove the truck unloaded around town and on thefreeway. The truck felt solid and was responsive toincreases in throttle pressure and was completelypredictable when braking. The truck felt surprisinglight on its feet and its suspensions gave a smooth,yet solid ride.Pulling a TrailerThe following table contains the measured heightsfrom the top of the rear bumper to the ground wheneach truck was empty, when a horse trailer wasconnected to each of the trucks, and when horseswere put into the trailer.RearBumperHeightEmptyC2500HD32.5 inchesThe truck and trailer connected to it were lower at thecoupler with two horses loaded in the trailer, asshown in the following picture.The truck’s only payload was the trailer’s tongueweight. With a driver, passengers, hay, grain, andcamping equipment in the bed of the truck, its rearend would lower and its front end would rise with atleast two results:• The front end of the truck would becomelighter causing the truck’s steering to be lessexact.• The truck’s front lighting pattern would lift,potentially causing the front lights to shineinto the eyes of on-coming motorists andbecome a safety hazard.Page 6 - HorseWheels Volume 1 Issue 5

Since the truck came equipped from the factory withsingle leaf overload springs, it is recommended thatair bags with variable inflation bladders be installedto raise and adjust the height of the rear of the truck.I towed a Circle J, 3-horse, diagonal, steel andaluminum, bumper pull, horse trailer loaded with twohorses and a collection of miscellaneous tools,equipment, tack, and 25 gallons of water in the tackcompartment. The horse trailer weighed 4,960pounds empty. The trailer’s tongue weight was 600pounds when the trailer was empty. When loadedwith two horses and a collection of miscellaneoustools, equipment, and 25 gallons of water in the tackcompartment, the trailer weighed approximately7,500 pounds and its tongue weight increased tobetween 750 and 1,000 pounds. This is within themaximum trailer and tongue weight limits of thistruck for weight bearing towing; to tow more weight,a weight distributing draw bar and spring bars shouldbe used.The truck pulled the loaded horse trailer easily onpaved roads and on dirt and gravel surfaces.However, the truck spun its rear wheels on dirt and inloose gravel. If you intend to drive in loose dirt orgravel, you should consider replacing the factoryequipped tires with larger ones with a moreaggressive tread design or 4-wheel drive. If you donot want to replace the tires or purchase 4-wheeldrive, you should consider a C3500 Extended Cabtruck with dual rear wheels.The truck was equipped with the optional outside,manual folding, power adjustable, heated, blackmirrors with lighted turn indicators. The mirrorswere adequate for towing, but the higher pricedoptional outside, vertical camper, extending, withlower convex spotter glass (not heated), manualfolding, power adjustable, heated, black mirrors withlighted turn indicators would be more appropriate fortowing applications. The vertical camper mirroroption is only $25 additional. Having the convexspotter glass portion is really important when towinga trailer because it brings into view the places that arenormally in your blind spots.This truck was equipped with a heavy-duty lockingrear differential. This is strongly recommended forall trucks used for towing trailers. With a lockingdifferential, if a drive wheel looses traction andbegins spinning, power is transferred to the otherwheel and momentum may continue. Without alocking differential, if a drive wheel looses tractionand begins spinning, power is not transferred to theother wheel, momentum may stop, and the vehiclemay become stuck.A 2-wheel drive truck only has one differentiallocated in the rear axle; a 4-wheel drive truck has twodifferentials, one in the front and one in the rear axle.If a truck is to be equipped with a limited slipdifferential, the rear axle (2-wheel drive) or front andrear axles (4-wheel drive) should be so equipped, ifpossible.The Heavy Duty Trailering Equipment package’s 7-wire harness ends in a 7-pin receptacle located to theleft of the license plate below the rear bumper. The7-pin receptacle provides the following electricalcircuits:1. ground,2. electric brakes,3. tail, running, license plate lights,4. battery charge (hot wire),5. left turn and stop lights,6. right turn and stop lights, and7. auxiliary and backup lights.Because the truck is so high off the ground, the 7-pinreceptacle is not difficult to reach to connect abumper pull trailer’s wiring plug. However, insertingthe trailer’s wiring plug into the truck’s receptacle isnot easy because the of where the receptacle islocated.To connect a gooseneck trailer, an additional 7-pinreceptacle should be installed in the bed of the truck.Wiring and a receptacle is available as a factoryinstalled option.HorseWheelsHorseWheels Volume 1 Issue 5 - Page 7