I took my 2001 5.3 gas GMC Z71. And added new Heavy duty spring shocks, Added an extra leaf spring , and for new Cooper ATE 3 10 ply tires and a new trailer Curts hitch that is 2400 pound toung weight and 17000 pounds pull capacity. Along with the equalizer bars ,, I don't even know my trailer is back there , not much problem when semi's pass me , went from feeling comfortable at 60 mph to being able to be comfortable at 65-70 mph. I'm pulling 6000 pound 21RBS Avenger 27 ft. Overall RV trailer . Love it ,,. I'm also running a 4 wheel drive with the heavy 8400 pound chassey , 240 altinator, transmission cooler , 3.73 gearing with 4 speed with overdrive and tow mode ,,. Lots of pulling power for. 1500.
I did airlift HD airbags, Bilstein 5100 level kit, poly bushings on front and rear sway bars and also upgraded end links. Powerstop towing rotors, calipers and pads. On the travel trailer I added a second sway control bar. I have a 33’ Keystone Hornet Hideout (6500# dry) and a 2019 Ram 1500 Classic Crew Cab (4th gen body style) 8 speed 4x4. Almost the perfect setup for this application. Plenty of power with the 5.7 Hemi and now stops great. Used to sway a lot but bushings and extra sway bar on wd hitch took all that away. Was able to drive 60-70 mph highway from KY to Florida very comfortably.
I would love to do air bags as well as the power stop kit, at the least the power stop brake pads! Our trailers are almost same size/weight, it’s good to hear other 1/2 ton puller having a comfortable experience towing. Thanks for sharing and watching!
Instead of Airbags I went with the Roadmaster Active Suspension kit. I have a bed cap and decked system in and pull a Winnebago 28’. Set the ASK to 40% via shim kit. Improved handling immensely. Next is new Bilstein shocks and front springs.
Nice! I’ve got the same mirrors, they work good for the price. Also hooked up a Superchips F5 Flashpaq tuner to use the towing tune, works great! 2014 GMC Sierra SLE 5.3 and tow a 2016 Puma 25RS 25’ camper. Truck has a Flowmaster super 40 muffler with the stock resonator removed but would love to add a cold air intake 🙂
Luke H I would love to get a new exhaust, these trucks are too muted from the factory! I really like the mirrors as well, I wouldn’t mind the tow mirrors that come on the Max Tow package but I don’t want to try and take the door panels off... thanks for watching!!
Thanks for this video I’m looking at getting a toy hauler to put my Harley road king in camper weight is 5300 been on the fence about pulling with my 1500 would love a duramax but unfortunately out of the budget right now
Have you looked into the Sumo Springs for the travel trailer? I thought about putting them on my travel trailer to help with ride quality when pulling it. I have a add-a-leaf and Bilstein 5100’s as well as a WDH with sway control. Thought of also changing the WDH to a weight safe WDH or this one i recently came across that has a air bag built into the hitch to help with ride quality.
Patrick L; I didn’t do anything to the trailer, not sure if exactly be comfortable swapping springs just yet. I might go with a better WDH on our next trailer though, if the next one isn’t a 5er that is. Thanks for watching!
My 09 tows my 21 foot trailer fairly easy, it’s the drag I think that gets me the most but by far my biggest issue is gearing. 3k rpms in 3rd gear equals 8 mpg. I plan to put new short tube headers and dual exhaust and a cold air intake for good measure. Obviously I’ll do a tune afterward but as far as I can tell the exhaust is really the only upgrade you can make without rebuilding the engine which means you gotta do the entire running gear. If you need to tow 8000 pounds just buy the diesel cause you’re not getting it out of a gas engine no matter how many dollars you pump into it. Some folks recommended changing the gear ratio in the axles but the difference is similar but you can just put smaller tires and wheels on . Oh and to help the drag issue I recommend getting on bags but I haven’t read into what’s possible with my truck I just know the higher you are up the worse gas mileage you get. I think there’s air ram guards you can put in but I question the effectiveness.
Oh and I forgot to mention the radiator could use an upgrade. When pulling in 90 degree Arizona heat my temp gauge played in the 245 range and I want to have something that keeps it at 210 and obviously keeping the transmission cooler too helps mileage and engine life. Always good to remember that heat + friction = lower mpg
I would love to get a new exhaust system. I don’t know about headers though. What I have heard on some of the forums is they rob the down low torque but our engines really make their power around 4K. I would like to hear from someone who has made that upgrade and can compare! Thanks for watching!
That’s a good point. I know royal purple makes some good stuff. Do you know if they post a temp rating on their transmission fluids? I would be interested in seeing if it has a higher tolerance than the factory fluids! Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 I don't know that it will help those at all but reducing stress on the rest of the engine can't hurt them! I'm concerned with the lifters going out on my 16 sometime soon
@@thebadbug7026 I think its usually some stuttering, like a misfire. But I could be totally wrong. The hope is to get in there, replace it all and remove the v4 mode, before the things do get stuck and start bending valves and doing god knows what else. I do think my catch can is helping though! You should see the stuff that collects in there.... wow!
have you considered putting a lower axle gear on it? I'm not sure if it would make much difference once up to cruising speed but may make it easier to get it moving off the line.
HagerTX when I was originally looking for a truck I was hoping to find one with the max tow package which comes with a 3.73 which is a better towing gear than my 3.42 but those are hard to find in my area. You are right it would definitely help off the line. Unfortunately doing a gear change is a little above my current mechanical capabilities and too expensive for my budget. Thanks for watching!
I have 355 gears in 5.0 F150. Tows 6000lb 24 foot tt no problem. Just lock out 6th and also 5th if necessary, with added benifit of better mpg when not towing. Getting off the line is not the issue, its wind resistance. I almost never go over 63mph
Slick Willy, even with the Sway bar, WD hitch, e rated tires and helper springs there is a little sway, mostly from semi trucks and strong wind gusts. Nothing white knuckle but you can feel it. One of the reasons we chose a half ton truck was to keep from getting too big of a travel trailer since we are newbies and we still ended up with quite a long set up. Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 I am considering a similar setup. I'm looking at the Outback 260 ultra lite. its 30 ft 7k fully loaded with a 700 lb tongue weight. The 1/2 ton has 12,700 max towing with 2,120 payload. Being a 1/2 ton, its a little lightweight and short to pull a 30ft TT so I plan to use a $2000 ProPride 3P Hitch to prevent sway with weight distribution.
@ChrisONeill; as of right now nothing. My Diablo tuner has a “firm” setting that is selected but I would like to eventually add an additional external cooler. That is if I don’t trade it in for an HD. Thanks for watching!!
Im looking to do the same thing. I have a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 with 5.3l and we're towing a 26: Flagstaff that is 6800lbs dry, I also am worried about transmission temp?
We pulled out trailer which is slightly lighter to Estes Park and the outside temp was low 90’s. On the long uphills the highest the trans temp from was about 225. Got to the top and it dropped back to 210. If you have the factory cooler you should be ok. Thanks for watching!
I agree with you Ben. I had a air bag put on my 2000 F150 when I had it. my only mistake was not getting the on board compressor. But the bags made a night and day difference when towing or empty.
We really didn’t need that much truck. We only went camping a few times a year and the truck did fine. I really just wanted firm up the ride a little. Now that Chevy makes a gas motor with some power we will probably do a 1 ton and go with a 5th wheel. Thanks for watching!
I have a 2016 with the 6.5' bed. Just purchased a 30' TT with a full loaded weight of 7k. My issue I am seeing is the cargo weight limit. I'm no small man and I have a wife and 2 kids. Add in fuel, the wd hitch, and the littlest bit of cargo into the truck and I am right at the limit of the sticker... I'm disappointed in that 1618# limit! Would love to move up to a 3/4 ton but we'll see how she does this season and then maybe upgrade to a bigger truck this winter/spring.
@Lew-e; payload is a big downfall to the half tons for sure! I never weighed my trailer loaded for camp but I’m sure I was at 7K, and that would have put me right at payload limit with the family in the truck. We just sold our camper given the market right now and looking to step up to a new 3/4 or 1 ton with the gas motor!
@@thebadbug7026 There are a couple used 3/4 ton diesels for sale around me that I really want to go look at. The used market is outrageous right now, but on the flipside you also get great value on a trade. The wife just doesn't want to start the payments all over, which I totally get. I just want to be 100% safe when pulling a trailer with my family in the truck.
ProBuilt ATV according to the ol butt dyno, yep. I have it set on the 87 octane tune right now which is about 10hp according to Diablo Sport. I haven’t tried the other settings yet but I believe the 91 is supposed to add 20. Anything you can do to help out is a plus in my book!
I’ve heard a lot of people have ran this and really like them. When the time comes it will be hard to choose between those and Rancho RS9000XL’s to keep with the Rancho theme of the Z71 the truck came with. Thanks for watching and giving suggestions!
In the Silverado/Sierra forums and the rv.net forums I have read that it is one of the first things to upgrade. What are your sources as I’d like to explore why 1/2 tons shouldn’t have them. Thanks for watching & sharing!
You can upgrade the towing ability, but you can’t upgrade the stopping ability. For the safety of everyone on the road, just purchase the right truck for the job.
@Kevin Ray, actually you can upgrade and improve the stopping capability of a vehicle. Wider tires which I have on my truck, provide wider contact patches. Power Stop also makes brake pad and rotor upgrades which will improve braking capability. At the end of the day I did purchase the right truck for our use. Thanks for watching!
I took my 2001 5.3 gas GMC Z71. And added new Heavy duty spring shocks, Added an extra leaf spring , and for new Cooper ATE 3 10 ply tires and a new trailer Curts hitch that is 2400 pound toung weight and 17000 pounds pull capacity. Along with the equalizer bars ,, I don't even know my trailer is back there , not much problem when semi's pass me , went from feeling comfortable at 60 mph to being able to be comfortable at 65-70 mph. I'm pulling 6000 pound 21RBS Avenger 27 ft. Overall RV trailer . Love it ,,. I'm also running a 4 wheel drive with the heavy 8400 pound chassey , 240 altinator, transmission cooler , 3.73 gearing with 4 speed with overdrive and tow mode ,,. Lots of pulling power for. 1500.
@Terry Bialeschki, sounds like a good set up. What brand shocks are you running? I think that will be the next thing I do!
@@thebadbug7026 Hurst shocks
I did airlift HD airbags, Bilstein 5100 level kit, poly bushings on front and rear sway bars and also upgraded end links. Powerstop towing rotors, calipers and pads. On the travel trailer I added a second sway control bar. I have a 33’ Keystone Hornet Hideout (6500# dry) and a 2019 Ram 1500 Classic Crew Cab (4th gen body style) 8 speed 4x4. Almost the perfect setup for this application. Plenty of power with the 5.7 Hemi and now stops great. Used to sway a lot but bushings and extra sway bar on wd hitch took all that away. Was able to drive 60-70 mph highway from KY to Florida very comfortably.
I would love to do air bags as well as the power stop kit, at the least the power stop brake pads! Our trailers are almost same size/weight, it’s good to hear other 1/2 ton puller having a comfortable experience towing. Thanks for sharing and watching!
Instead of Airbags I went with the Roadmaster Active Suspension kit. I have a bed cap and decked system in and pull a Winnebago 28’. Set the ASK to 40% via shim kit. Improved handling immensely. Next is new Bilstein shocks and front springs.
I put hd dual clutch and a cooling fan for the transmission maybe next will be the diff , drive shaft and a turbo. Later on a air lift.
Nice! I’ve got the same mirrors, they work good for the price. Also hooked up a Superchips F5 Flashpaq tuner to use the towing tune, works great! 2014 GMC Sierra SLE 5.3 and tow a 2016 Puma 25RS 25’ camper. Truck has a Flowmaster super 40 muffler with the stock resonator removed but would love to add a cold air intake 🙂
Luke H I would love to get a new exhaust, these trucks are too muted from the factory! I really like the mirrors as well, I wouldn’t mind the tow mirrors that come on the Max Tow package but I don’t want to try and take the door panels off... thanks for watching!!
No upgraded Transmission Cooler..that's a good idea..
Thanks for this video I’m looking at getting a toy hauler to put my Harley road king in camper weight is 5300 been on the fence about pulling with my 1500 would love a duramax but unfortunately out of the budget right now
dlawson Lawson you are welcome! The half tons have come a long ways but it's hard to beat a dedicated work truck with a diesel.
Have you looked into the Sumo Springs for the travel trailer? I thought about putting them on my travel trailer to help with ride quality when pulling it. I have a add-a-leaf and Bilstein 5100’s as well as a WDH with sway control. Thought of also changing the WDH to a weight safe WDH or this one i recently came across that has a air bag built into the hitch to help with ride quality.
Patrick L; I didn’t do anything to the trailer, not sure if exactly be comfortable swapping springs just yet. I might go with a better WDH on our next trailer though, if the next one isn’t a 5er that is. Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 sumo springs don’t replace the leaf springs. They are a foam type air bag for the trailer
My 09 tows my 21 foot trailer fairly easy, it’s the drag I think that gets me the most but by far my biggest issue is gearing. 3k rpms in 3rd gear equals 8 mpg. I plan to put new short tube headers and dual exhaust and a cold air intake for good measure. Obviously I’ll do a tune afterward but as far as I can tell the exhaust is really the only upgrade you can make without rebuilding the engine which means you gotta do the entire running gear. If you need to tow 8000 pounds just buy the diesel cause you’re not getting it out of a gas engine no matter how many dollars you pump into it. Some folks recommended changing the gear ratio in the axles but the difference is similar but you can just put smaller tires and wheels on . Oh and to help the drag issue I recommend getting on bags but I haven’t read into what’s possible with my truck I just know the higher you are up the worse gas mileage you get. I think there’s air ram guards you can put in but I question the effectiveness.
Oh and I forgot to mention the radiator could use an upgrade. When pulling in 90 degree Arizona heat my temp gauge played in the 245 range and I want to have something that keeps it at 210 and obviously keeping the transmission cooler too helps mileage and engine life. Always good to remember that heat + friction = lower mpg
I would love to get a new exhaust system. I don’t know about headers though. What I have heard on some of the forums is they rob the down low torque but our engines really make their power around 4K. I would like to hear from someone who has made that upgrade and can compare! Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 it’s the long tubes that do that I believe but I’d have to double check
@@thebadbug7026 exhaust systems can be complicated but for sound, I’m not sure on power, I hear those X pipes are pretty good
Switch the engine and transmission oil out for royal purple's trans and engine oil best on market and proof to back it up.
That’s a good point. I know royal purple makes some good stuff. Do you know if they post a temp rating on their transmission fluids? I would be interested in seeing if it has a higher tolerance than the factory fluids! Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 I think you can go to theirs web site and request the info
Amsoil is better
AMSOIL!
@@blake102989 I put amsoil in my tundra this last time. So far it has been great.
Get an extra transmission cooler or add a aux cooler if doesn’t already have one. Heat is a transmission killer
Tyler Esquivel good point! It did come with the factory aux cooler but sometimes I wonder if it is enough. Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 get a bigger one. cheap insurance v replacing expensive transmission.
@@kevinheisey you are right. A little investment up front could save me some serious $$$ down the road!
Get a oil catch can will save you thousands on the long run keep that oil off the intake valves and sliding up they have a huge problem with that
I have heard that is a good mod to do just haven’t got around to it yet. Will that also help prevent the lifter failure issue? Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 I don't know that it will help those at all but reducing stress on the rest of the engine can't hurt them! I'm concerned with the lifters going out on my 16 sometime soon
@@lew-e that’s a fear of mine as well. Do you know what the warning signs are, as I don’t? Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 I think its usually some stuttering, like a misfire. But I could be totally wrong. The hope is to get in there, replace it all and remove the v4 mode, before the things do get stuck and start bending valves and doing god knows what else. I do think my catch can is helping though! You should see the stuff that collects in there.... wow!
Please post links to the mods! Thanks
Brother where u got that mirror ?
The brand is Cipa, ordered online but I forget exactly where I got them from.
have you considered putting a lower axle gear on it? I'm not sure if it would make much difference once up to cruising speed but may make it easier to get it moving off the line.
HagerTX when I was originally looking for a truck I was hoping to find one with the max tow package which comes with a 3.73 which is a better towing gear than my 3.42 but those are hard to find in my area. You are right it would definitely help off the line. Unfortunately doing a gear change is a little above my current mechanical capabilities and too expensive for my budget. Thanks for watching!
I have 355 gears in 5.0 F150. Tows 6000lb 24 foot tt no problem. Just lock out 6th and also 5th if necessary, with added benifit of better mpg when not towing. Getting off the line is not the issue, its wind resistance. I almost never go over 63mph
That's a pretty long travel trailer did you experience any sway problems?
Slick Willy, even with the Sway bar, WD hitch, e rated tires and helper springs there is a little sway, mostly from semi trucks and strong wind gusts. Nothing white knuckle but you can feel it. One of the reasons we chose a half ton truck was to keep from getting too big of a travel trailer since we are newbies and we still ended up with quite a long set up. Thanks for watching!
@@thebadbug7026 I am considering a similar setup. I'm looking at the Outback 260 ultra lite. its 30 ft 7k fully loaded with a 700 lb tongue weight. The 1/2 ton has 12,700 max towing with 2,120 payload. Being a 1/2 ton, its a little lightweight and short to pull a 30ft TT so I plan to use a $2000 ProPride 3P Hitch to prevent sway with weight distribution.
What did you do with transmission/ torque converter?
@ChrisONeill; as of right now nothing. My Diablo tuner has a “firm” setting that is selected but I would like to eventually add an additional external cooler. That is if I don’t trade it in for an HD. Thanks for watching!!
Im looking to do the same thing. I have a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 with 5.3l and we're towing a 26: Flagstaff that is 6800lbs dry, I also am worried about transmission temp?
We pulled out trailer which is slightly lighter to Estes Park and the outside temp was low 90’s. On the long uphills the highest the trans temp from was about 225. Got to the top and it dropped back to 210. If you have the factory cooler you should be ok. Thanks for watching!
Why not go with an air bag set up ?
That might be done in the near future. Thanks for watching!
I agree with you Ben. I had a air bag put on my 2000 F150 when I had it. my only mistake was not getting the on board compressor. But the bags made a night and day difference when towing or empty.
I have towed hundreds of thousands of miles. Air bags suck. They bounce way to much wear our welds break etc etc
Get the road master active suspension
I second the road master suspension. Air bags are meant to level a load and can work against a weight distribution hitch.
Start by upgrading to a 2500
We really didn’t need that much truck. We only went camping a few times a year and the truck did fine. I really just wanted firm up the ride a little. Now that Chevy makes a gas motor with some power we will probably do a 1 ton and go with a 5th wheel. Thanks for watching!
Needs borla atak exhaust.
Sam Fascione Agreed! I've always felt the exhaust note is a little bland. Are you running an Atak on your truck?
@@thebadbug7026 I'm actually running Gibson metal mulisha, look it up sounds mean! But also look up borla atak it's awesome..
Sam Fascione will do, thanks for the input!
@@thebadbug7026 anytime bro nice video
5.3 or 6.2?
Michael Carter 5.3. Wanted the 6.2 but finding one in my area isn’t easy.
I have a 2016 with the 6.5' bed. Just purchased a 30' TT with a full loaded weight of 7k. My issue I am seeing is the cargo weight limit. I'm no small man and I have a wife and 2 kids. Add in fuel, the wd hitch, and the littlest bit of cargo into the truck and I am right at the limit of the sticker... I'm disappointed in that 1618# limit! Would love to move up to a 3/4 ton but we'll see how she does this season and then maybe upgrade to a bigger truck this winter/spring.
@Lew-e; payload is a big downfall to the half tons for sure! I never weighed my trailer loaded for camp but I’m sure I was at 7K, and that would have put me right at payload limit with the family in the truck. We just sold our camper given the market right now and looking to step up to a new 3/4 or 1 ton with the gas motor!
@@thebadbug7026 There are a couple used 3/4 ton diesels for sale around me that I really want to go look at. The used market is outrageous right now, but on the flipside you also get great value on a trade. The wife just doesn't want to start the payments all over, which I totally get. I just want to be 100% safe when pulling a trailer with my family in the truck.
Did you think the tuner made a significant difference in towing power?
ProBuilt ATV according to the ol butt dyno, yep. I have it set on the 87 octane tune right now which is about 10hp according to Diablo Sport. I haven’t tried the other settings yet but I believe the 91 is supposed to add 20. Anything you can do to help out is a plus in my book!
Bilsteins!
I’ve heard a lot of people have ran this and really like them. When the time comes it will be hard to choose between those and Rancho RS9000XL’s to keep with the Rancho theme of the Z71 the truck came with. Thanks for watching and giving suggestions!
The best upgrade is to a 3/4 ton or above. Pushing a 1/2 ton will decrease it's life.
U don't know shit
Air bags
It’s not recommended to put load range e tires on a half ton truck
In the Silverado/Sierra forums and the rv.net forums I have read that it is one of the first things to upgrade. What are your sources as I’d like to explore why 1/2 tons shouldn’t have them. Thanks for watching & sharing!
the f150s come with load range E if you get the max tow or max payload , i cant remember
The
You can upgrade the towing ability, but you can’t upgrade the stopping ability. For the safety of everyone on the road, just purchase the right truck for the job.
@Kevin Ray, actually you can upgrade and improve the stopping capability of a vehicle. Wider tires which I have on my truck, provide wider contact patches. Power Stop also makes brake pad and rotor upgrades which will improve braking capability. At the end of the day I did purchase the right truck for our use. Thanks for watching!
Kevin your right on the money .