Absolutely, when I was younger I never had the need to use it, but as I got older and got bigger trailers, they came standard with brakes. I tried to do a search and there was not much out there explaining how to use them so essentially I learned by trial and error. It wasn't until I got my CDL, before I truly understood this. One thing I don't think I mentioned in the video is once you set them.... if the trailer weight changes by a fair amount (loaded / unloaded) you will want to re adjust the setting (more weight will need more power and vice versa). Glad I could help, if you have any other questions let me know, thanks for watching.
@@rockyaev8287 Why would you use a ZR2 for towing when its not designed for that? It's soul purpose is for serious off-roading. Much like one wouldn't buy a Raptor thinking its built for serious towing.
If u want the max towing capacity (7600lbs*) but still have great offroading abilities... The best combo to get would be a 4WD Colorado/Canyon with the Z71 package and Duramax engine....you get a strong Z71 suspension made to handle the max towing weight and to handle any rough offroading terrain, most important of all you get the much needed and very useful G80 rear locker....not to mention the added under carriage protection shields for various drivetrain components....Pair it with the baby Duramax and you get the best of both worlds, Power and Effrciency....the most torque of any midsize truck and the best MPG of any truck....the extra cherry on top is you get all of that for much less then what a Zr2 or Bison will cost you.....you get alot more for less.....Sure the Zr2/Bison will go faster thru the dirt trails but nonetheless your Z71 will still get you there.....
Jayson Larochelle the zr2 has manually selectable front and rear lockers. The z71 just has the rear G80 which is an automatic function. So sometimes it won’t lock the rear until it’s too late. That’s what’s great about selectable lockers is that you can lock them up before you get into trouble.
Yeah you just need to take that front lip off or else it’s going to get torn up the second you try to approach a rocky climb. I’m really looking into a diesel Colorado for my next truck. My heart really wants a zr2 but my brain is telling me z71 because I would actually put it to work and the thought of having to replace those shocks kind of spooks me. Plus the off roading I do isn’t anything crazy. No rock climbing or desert running mostly because I don’t have any of that stuff where I live. Just limited to trails and fire roads etc. I’m also considering a ranger fx4. The turbo 4 is a strong engine too and it has a good towing capacity. Also is better equipped off road than the z71 from factory. Another plus with the ranger is that I would be worried sick that my wife would drive the diesel Colorado and fill it up with gas at some point. 😂
@Mike Zona you are absolutely correct lockers are expensive, thats one of the coolest parts about the capabilities of a stock ZR2, you have the capabilities right off jump street! And I can assure you they are well worth it!
Ryan Rupcich thanks for the comment, absolutely.....make sure you subscribe we are currently working on another towing related video along with a few other subscribers request.
Pretty good video overall. There are a couple of points I’d like to point out though. The first one is that most Bison and ZR2 owners didn’t buy them with towing in mind, if that was the aim, they should of went with the Z71 that is equiped with a properly sorted suspension for that job. I do have a 2016 Z71 Duramax that I lifted using the Rancho 4” kit that didn’t change its towing and handling capability. 2nd is the exhaust brake. In mine you have to turn it on by pushing the button. Mine only works when tow mode is also selected and only when decelerating, not when braking or below 25mph. It isn’t fantastic by any means, but it works. I mostly tow toys up to 2500lbs, but have towed a 5500lb full size truck on a trailer over 400 miles through our Alaska mountain ranges quite nicely, though I’d of liked a lot more power! It struggled climbing hard 15% grade pulls. The one quirk I really don’t like is the throttle delay! There’s a couple of design issues that bug me also, like the mirrors, the door sills that are easily scratched and the rubber seal gets easily damaged, sliding out of the hard side bolster seats (I’m thinking those will break down and fabric wear quickly) and it’s lack of skid plates!
Absolutely, you are correct on the towing information. This particular truck was not designed to be a puller, and that is not our intentions for the truck....however we are happy to be able to pull the boat if we wanted to. To the best of my knowledge anytime you do any modifications to the ride hight it changes your towing capabilities. It changes your center of gravity, along with many other things. The baby max is pretty strong so it will pull the load fairly well however the geometry for the rest of the truck is limited. As far as the exhaust brake, it does work......and I had the button pushed.....its just super weak lol. Im glad to hear it does well pulling up there in Ak. I wish I could go back for a while...spent a few months in Anchorage in 2012. And last but not least, the turbo lag is bad! The only way I have found to fix that is by deleting the emissions, doing a solid tune, adding a cold air intake lol. Over all we are happy with the truck, no matter what you buy you will find flaws in it....this one has few enough that we are satisfied :) Thanks for the comment for sure, stay tuned for next weekend, gonna drop a follow up towing video.
Jacob Sebastien you are absolutely correct, if you look at 2:48 you can tell they are crossed (at some point in time they may not be because we hooked, unhooked, hooked, unhooked several times for video purposes) it is state law for them to be crossed because in the event of the hitch breaking it will give you some control of the trailer. Good eye 😎
I Have 2016 Colorado ZR 1 4wd diesel Long bed. Have it 4 years now. Been pulling 5,500 lbs Camper all over the country with no problem. I pull at 60 to 65 mph with easy. Getting 13.5 to 15 MPG pulling depending on wind. Sweat truck.
Dennis Santi that’s awesome glad to hear that you’ve had that good of results while towing. We haven’t towed much more than the boat to the lake....or this trailer for the videos so I have no idea what the fuel mileage is...but this sounds fair. I’ve had some say they tow 6500 plus in the mountains and get 21 mpg but I do not believe their numbers! My travel trailer is too much to even try to pull with rocky.....I would be white knuckleing it for sure if I tried lol glad your happy.
Thanks for the info on the trailer brake setup. If you need additional towing capacity, I went with the Colorado Z71 Diesel at 7600 lb. Yes, towing mirrors would be a great option.
George Hoy yeah towing was not the main job for this truck.....but we wanted something that could do some towing. I've got a 3/4 ton truck that is my tow vehicle. But I will honestly say I was disappointed when I found out that the ZR2 towing capacity was 2600 pounds less than the rest of the lineup.
Yeah I have seen some running around that look like the ones on the full sized trucks....but in my opinion I don't like the way they look on the Colorado, I am actually looking for the mirrors that have the cameras in them to give me a 360 deg field of view.@@gvsukids
The Colorados and Canyons have a standalone trans cooler unless something has changed since 2016. I don't think I have ever seen above 200 degrees on the transmission towing my 5000 lb boat in the hills.
Can't find my previous comments, but I did promise to let you know how the tow went a Hellwig rear sway bar. I didn't really notice much. I notice the sway bar more around the city. If you aren't offroading, it's probably the best upgrade a person can do. It probably helps with towing, but I'm convinced at this point this truck can not handle a 26' (30' overall) RV. All of the weights work out except we're pushing the hitch weight limit so the GVWR is getting close. It'll do it, it just isn't fun doing it. Especially with a cross wind. No bueno with a cross wind. The diesel pulls the weight no problem so a 30' 7000lb loaded flat desk or something would work, but a 30' 6200lb RV sucks. We're actually going tomorrow to look at a smaller RV (22' - 25' overall) with almost 300lbs less hitch weight and is 1000lbs lighter. Doing a test tow with it so who knows. May need to go smaller yet. I also learned something about wheel base ratios with RVs that makes some sense. Take your wheelbase and divide by 5. That's probably the max length of RV you can tow COMFORTABLY. You can tow any length you want, but a tow you would do every day and feel happy about doing it just needs something shorter. That formula matches up with where we're at with RVs after real world trial and error!
suzukichopper this is awesome information! We just finished a follow up video to this one, but goes in depth on the numbers.....I plan on dropping in on the 22nd of this month....only reason to wait is we are trying to get on a schedule again.....but tomorrow go to our Facebook page "RockyAEV" I will post a spreadsheet that I made specifically for towing...you can use any vehicle just need the weights to plug in. Thanks so much for your input...it literally backs up my findings / feelings on towing specs
This is just my personal opinion. If you don’t want a full-size truck and can settle for a midsize. If you like to go off-roading or hunting and pull loads that are not over 6000 pounds, you really only have two choices, either of Tacoma TRD pro for the ZR2 Colorado........... both of these small trucks have pros and cons. But both are very capable for the size that they are you just have to choose which one you would rather have............... I have a 2017 Tacoma TRD off-road and I really like it, but if I decide to get rid of it I’m strongly considering the Colorado ZR2 with the diesel........... but either way if you’re looking at an off-road midsize truck those are your two best choices.............. just my opinion.
ruger 1911 absolutely! You hit the nail on the head. We wanted a midsize because I have a full sized truck....so towing on a regular is not needed.....but on an occasion it's great to have the option. Both the TRD and the ZR2 are great, as you said, one outshines the other in some areas, while the other outshines in others......so pick and choose what you can or can not live with. All that being said there were three things that caught our attention over the TRD.... 1) front and rear lockers are factory 2) a diesel...... 3) all of the AEV items that came stock on the Bison I know, I know, I know....we paid for all of that....but what's cool is as long as we don't modify stuff it's all covered under warranty! Unlike when you start doing all kinds of mods (that look cool and I love!) then when something breaks....the dealer won't touch it and it hurts the wallet.
Hello Rocky! First timer here with a 👍! Now I’m in my second Colorado, the first as a Z71,4x4, V6 Ext Cab, that was fine till we retired and needed only one vehicle and the Ext Cab just didn’t work. But we have a 22” Travel Trailer that weighs 4,000 lbs gvw. That’s is no problem at all to get around with. But we needed four full doors. So we looked for another truck, either a half ton or mid size. We both loved the new Gladiator, but too expensive with squirrelly brakes and steering. The new Ranger was nice except the brakes. But we ended up with a new Colorado Crew Cab, 4x4, V6 in W/T trim this time as the only thing missing I mind is the headlights are different. But it’s got every option available, plus dealer installed ZR2 AEV Skid Plates all for 34k! That does a fantastic job, yeas the mirrors are short, but the brakes, even with my single axle trailer work great! Plus plenty of power with the gas V6. Mileage is fine at 17-20 City depends on how traffic is moving and 22-26 highway depending on speeds, a best of 30 mpg at 45 mph!
K. R. V. Awesome to hear all of the good info. Glad you stopped by, hope you stick around for future videos! We love to hear from other owners and get their opinion and suggestions.
have you ever heard of permatex adhesive,, amazon has it,, excellent stuff, i'm going to reinforce my plug housing on the spare tire side of the bumper ,, it's like a silicone glue,, but better, i may even gently pry the trailer side out just a smidge and force a bead around it and the bumper face to help, i use black permatex, it'll also help keep water and debris out to prolong the plugs life
I think most manufacturers underrate towing abilities. My VW Touareg is only rated to tow 7700 lbs but I've pushed it over 8000 lbs and I hardly notice anything back there and it feels like i can still tow more, plus I have auto leveling air suspension so no squat. 7700 lbs is probably just a safe rating so they don't have to deal with warranty claims. I wouldn't be surprised if Colorados could tow alot more without issue.
Simon Strother agreed, and that’s what I have said...I believe it can do it physically...just not legally lol thanks for watching and for the comment 😎
I agree, any towing with any substantial weight I should have a sway bar installed....the only reason I don't on this setup is because I only was towing this trailer to see how it would do. I have a 3/4 ton that is dedicated to pulling my heavy stuff. But I completely agree with your statement.
My Canyon is a diesel with Stabilitrak. Maybe the truck you have is not eqipped like mine. Either way, page 5 of the pink, owners manual suppliment. Part No. 2017Col_Can SUP. Under the 'Trailer Sway Control (TSC)' section. "If the vehicle is towing a trailer and the TSC detects that sway is increasing, the vehicle brakes are selectively applied at each wheel, to help reduce excessive trailer sway. If the vehicle is equipped with the Integrated Trailer Brake Control (ITCB) system, and the trailer has the electric actuated brake system, Stabilitrak may also apply the trailer brakes"
malibustigs 😎 that’s awesome! I am planning on doing a video soon going over a few things specifically from the manual...I will be adding this to the list! Thanks for the information!
Great video. Very informative. Obviously if you wanted the best towing set up you'd get the ZR1/Duramax. But it's good to see a vid on the ZR2/Bison just to see what it's capabilities and limitations are.
gwandana absolutely our thoughts. This thing was not designed for towing, just a by product of its design. It does well, but there are far better variations if your goal is towing. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching.
@@rockyaev8287 Hope you keep doing more in depth vids on the Bison/Duramax. Would like to see how the suspension performs under max payload in offroad, overland conditions, and what the long term durability of the Duramax is like.
Rocky AEV checkout Clearview mirriors for Colorado 2014 -2019. They’re an after market version that look like the foldable type that come on the Silverado 2500’s and above.
George S thanks for the info! I checked those out (had another viewer mention them) and if I was towing regularly I would defiantly get a set....but since this is primarily my wife's truck she does not give the approval lol
I had a 17' hated the towing capabilities of it. Def more of an off-road play toy truck than anything else. Carries light amount of work tools and stuff, but like you said it's the braking. I would def upgrade the braking and the suspension if I wanted to keep it and tow more but it was not worth it to me. Just got a bigger truck for towing and working and it was solved. Kept the Jeep to play with off-road. Done. Done. Dot. Com
J Smith thanks for the comment, yeah everyone has different opinions...and I agree with yours, it’s excellent for what it was built for....and the fact that it can tow is a bonus....but if I needed to tow regularly and this was my only tow vehicle...I would have to upgrade to something that was built for it. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
Eduardo Boom heck yeah! Congratulations! We have two videos about to come out (one this weekend if I can finish editing it) and one about a week later when I can get it edited.....the second video is out doing some climbing and playing....probably gonna do another video specifically about how to use the 4x4 options....like the do's and don'ts
jingorat that's exactly it, the way the AEV bumper is made, it leaves a lot of "slop" in the plug.....I have an idea of how to fix it.....just trying to locate the correct parts to make it work.....gonna try it, and if it works then show everyone what I did.....just not before in case it's a massive fail lol
Jason Panozzo I believe that! Once they released pictures and the concept truck people went crazy.....then Chevy saw 💰💰 and said make it happen lol. Overall we are pleased, just have some minor complaints.
Cesar Lopez actually I did not forget to use the tow haul mode, that’s how the exhaust brake is engaged. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
wingnutt50gh yes, I had "activated" the tow haul switch......and from what I read that activates the exhaust break......I never felt it really kick in, but I am used to a "big truck" and when the exhaust break kicks in on it you really feel it.
Yes its the "tow haul / exhaust brake", chevy combined the two....you can't turn one on without the other......after several more tests towing I still have not felt the exhaust break kick in......got one more place to go to try it, hopefully its a long enough hill for it to engage!@@gvsukids
I would refer you to the owners manual, however to my knowledge that weight alone is under the max, but you must take into account the weight of the trailer.
Cool deal, that's one of my main points I'm trying to hit on....teach some things that some might not know....and maybe be educated by some viewers on things if I don't know. Thanks for the feedback for sure 😎
malibustigs I have never heard of this....if it does that’s awesome...I will have to look into it and see if I can find something in writing. Thanks for watching and the comment
Rocky AEV you guys have some great videos and information. I just started a ZR2 Bison owners group on facebook. Feel free to come over and join and promote your videos. I'm sure your information would be super helpful to some of the members.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you, been super busy. Your exactly right, I did not get actual tongue weights, I also did not ensure that the trailer was as level as possible (I left it set up for my work truck). I have been working on an update to this video that will go over all of this info and correct any operator faults so that I can ensure that it is as perfect as possible to get the most true pull. Great question, thanks for asking.
Your trailer sway is because your trailer isn't level. Brakes locked on one axle because the trailer wasn't level. Try it again after leveling the trailer.
Dan F absolutely, we did a follow up video and covered this. Check it out and let me know if we answered that question well enough? Thanks for the comment.
Great video and thanks for talking about the trailer brake! I have the ZR2 with V6 Gas. I am looking at towing a 5000 lb Camper Trailer. Have you tried using Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution with Sway Control? I've never used one but seems that would help a lot with the ZR2 suspension at highway speed?
N White I have used them before, and they work great....just don't go cheap, if you want the best tow.....also keep in mind how you load your trailer effects your tow (heavy down low, and more towards the trailer axles is best)...I have seen a tow hitch that has a built in scale in it, I would recommend spending the extra money for that just to help with knowing how much tongue weight you have. If you stay in the 5k lb range, you should do just fine.
N White - I'm in the exact same boat...2017 Gas ZR2 and buying a 5000lb camper with equalizer WD hitch. I'll know how it does on Saturday when we pick it up. Did you end up doing this too?
I would have thought that between the proportional braking and the exhaust brake, stopping wouldn't be an issue. I recently purchased a diesel colorado and just assumed that the engineers at Chevy would have the braking issue covered, go figure.
It does "meh"....for the size of the vehicle and what you are supposed to tow its good enough. However I absolutely love my big turbo exhaust brake on my 6.7 cummins......and kinda hoped that the turbo on this mini max would have been bigger......but if they went bigger then there would have been more turbo lag, less of just about anything as far as performance......unless they added a supercharger along with the turbo 😜 Over all IMO it does well, especially since we don't tow much with this guy....thats where the 6.7 cummins comes in lol.
Do you think the Colorado Z71 V6 would have handled better or differently than the ZR2. Deciding which truck to buy for towing a 4000 lb RV across US and Canada.
tclarke971 that's a great question. First thing I would ask is....what is your main purpose for the truck? Off road driving, or on road? Both can pull well the only difference is one is set up more for off road driving. If you plan on pulling at a trailer when loaded at 4K....either will pull it. I've been doing some testing and pulling a couple different trailers to see how it handles. Yesterday I pulled a large pontoon that weighs in at 3,480 lbs. and it pulled perfectly. I'm trying to get more information so that I can do a two or three part video covering everything I have experienced. If all goes well I should have the first part in the series up,landed in 2 weeks
Man I know...I really though we would be further along.....but I can't complain, I am learning a lot about having a TH-cam Channel, and having a blast doing it....maybe one day we will be a big channel lol did you watch our Diode Dynamic video? Theres some good info in there.....especially towards the end ;) ;) ;)
D E that's a great question.....and without saying too much because that's coming up in a video very soon....... (trying to stick to a weekly video drop)...... but so far I can not complain 😎
Kenneth goodson I have not heard this yet, but have a good source for information that I will definitely ask....if they do discontinue it I wonder what the reasons would be...and how or why to do the change....is it numbers, or reliability? 🤔 I’m gonna do a little digging and see.
Yes it does, that’s the primary way to use the trailer brakes….however in the event your trailer starts swinging back and forth you don’t want to use the vehicle brakes…it can cause you to loose control, rather apply the trailer brakes alone and you in most cases will stop the swinging without loosing the steer ability (this is usually caused by over loading the tongue weight)
@@rockyaev8287 or loading the trailer with too much load weight behind the axle, easy example, backing a car on a car trailer not far enough forward. 22 year OTR Driver. 2019 Z2R
Yes we plan on it, I am currently researching as much as possible to get the best / safest programmer. I would love to do a full delete but terrified of the laws and getting busted. So we will keep it "stock". Plus we don't want to do anything that will mess with the warranty. If we do not find a good tune that keeps us in warranty, then we will hold off and just try and do some other upgrades.....it all depends on what we can find to match our needs :)
I have been looking into an AFE intake, but have heard some negative issues with any aftermarket intakes...so once I find out more then absolutely on the intake. Exhaust I doubt it unless the tuner we decide to go with needs it. The wife really likes how quiet it is. I wish Gale Banks would come out with a kit for it.....because he is a master at getting the most out of the vehicle without compromising the factory settings. Do you have any suggestions? I will definitely look into it if you do.@@jessitaylor4170
@@rockyaev8287 If you are serious about tuning you will be disappointed to find out that any tune will void your warranty. I am tuned by Jason Hacker. 100% best customer service and great tuning. I've had my truck tuned by him for the past 15000 miles and zero issues. I also have a full exhaust and with the muffler is only slightly louder than stock.
kal1fornia 😭 that’s good to know, I’ve been asking some of the better tuners both close to home and from far away....and they come highly recommend but when I ask about warranty stuff I get nothing back.....I know the difference in how a truck performs because my ram is deleted and tuned and it runs like a beast! I just don’t want to loose the warranty and I don’t want to run the chance of where the emissions are going....if I can stay clean and get power....that’s what I want haha...but I am definitely searching😎
TFlorida1 good question....but I am using the exhaust brake. To me I do not feel like it actually holds the vehicles speed. Others have said they can feel it, and it holds their towed item well....but I can not say that is true for me. It’s a tiny turbo so there is not much it can do....would like to put a larger one on haha
Im in Central Texas (Temple, Belton, Killeen) we picked up this guy from Don Ringler in Temple. As far as cutting a deal....no but it was because we chose something that was in super high demand....and for 2019 I think they were only going to release 200 of the Bison's. I will say that this particular dealer has been the absolute best dealer I have ever dealt with, and firmly believe that if we would have been looking for a Z71 or a regular ZR2 we could have done some dealing for a "better" price. We did get a few discounts / savings that knocked off a thousand or so....but nothing to really brag about. Why do I say they have been the best? Everything from my salesman (Kyle H.), to the finance department, to the service department.....at no point in time were we pressured, lied too, treated like cattle etc. I have spoken to several others and they feel the same way about this particular dealer. (I am comparing them to a local dodge dealer where I bought my work truck and it was a complete disaster, and I brought them a check! I will never return to that dealer for ANYTHING!) So if you are in the area or if it is a short drive check them out, find Kyle tell him I sent ya, they truly are awesome!
BowTied69 I'm getting close to dropping a follow up video on this....I don't have the numbers in front of me so I won't lie....but stay tuned for that video.....I've put a lot of research in the next towing video...because there has been a ton of questions between here and Facebook.
May be dumb question..but what if you have a surge brake. I have a 20' but. Trailer and boat is about 4600lb. Only tow 2 times a year and launch it on the weekends. Love the zr2 but may look at the regular deisel.
Only dumb question is the one that is not asked :) ........ Im not real sure what your question is so forgive me if I don't answer what your asking.....A surge brake does not rely on any voltage output. (if the trailer does not have electric brakes then the controller on the dash will not send any power/voltage to the trailer other than lights). The way a surge brake setup works is when the vehicle begins to slow, the weight of the trailer pushes against the tow vehicle...the faster you stop the more the trailer pushes....and the more it pushes against the tow vehicle its essentially like pressing the brake peddle with your foot...it adds more braking power to the trailer. My stance on pulling with the ZR2 is that most people who need to tow heavy regularly don't even consider this truck. However those who "want" a truck but don't "need" a giant that can pull 30K down the road.....this is perfect. It is very capable, and if you ensure that you are giving yourself plenty following distance to react if there is an emergency, then there is no problem with towing at 4600lb occasionally. Remember that the towing capacity for the Z71 is 7,600 lb the only difference in the Z71 and the ZR2 is the lift......the lift makes the vehicle handle differently with a heavy load on it.
Ashton Cz there are many things that go in that answer. 1) If the weight was at or just around 5k 2) If the trailer was properly loaded so the tongue weight was correct. 3) Breaks set for the weight. I would have no problem doing it....the truck has power.... but in my opinion if you plan on towing daily at the max weight I would step up to a full sized truck. It has good pulling power, or torque... and can physically do the work....but on a regular, I feel like a better option is a full sized truck.
@@rockyaev8287 thanks for replying. I really love and want one of these trucks but I'd be towing a camaro to the track a couple times every summer. That's the only concern I have nn getting a zr2 or bison. I've explored the idea of getting a z71 and just lifting it for the offroad capability I want and then considered a full size but I just really like the size of these trucks.
Do you know the weight of the trailer? Is is an open car hauler or an enclosed trailer? What is the weight of the Camaro? There have been a few questions on towing since I made this video...so I am going to do a follow up video and see if I can answer more questions in detail. I will incorporate some of your questions on the video and try and answer them specifically. @@ashtonmax
@@rockyaev8287 that's awesome man! Glad to see your tailoring stuff based on comments and suggestions. I'm going to subscribe for that reason! The camaro weights approx 3300lbs and the trailer 2200lbs. Which is a decent amount over the 5k rating unfortunately.
Take this with a grain of salt but I believe the majority of the lowered towing capacity on the ZR2 is due to the different front fascia not allowing the transmission cooler enough airflow. According to some forums, you can add an aftermarket trans cooler and get closer to 7k pound capacity.
KEM ROBERT man your awful nice....i would have guessed that if I added that we would have busted scales! 🤣 .......but your right, we did a follow up video going a little more in depth about weights and mention that everything goes into account....passengers included. Thanks for watching
This was very helpful, man thank you! Love the truck too! I am thinking of buying the GMC Canyon or the Frontier then buying a Yamaha 21' jet boat. The boat with trailer weight is about 4200lb and the Canyon can tow about 7000lb while the Frontier is at about 6300lb. Think I will be okay towing a boat the lake that is about 6-8 hours away?
Absolutely if you get one configured correctly....what I mean by that, is not the ZR2 version.....it’s great....but not built for towing (it can, and does pretty good, but wouldn’t force it daily). If you go with the diesel, Z71 or something like that you can get the max tow rating...and then you will be perfectly fine. At 4200 lbs the ZR2 can pull it but it does not leave you with much on payload, so if it’s just one or two people inside the truck (people add to the payload) then you should stay under the max weight......hope this helps, we love ours and it has done everything we wanted it for.
Overall I'm pretty impressed with the Colorado/canyon lineup Has almost everything I want and nothing I really don't want I'm actually selling two of my cars to by a ZR2 And I have an 18' 3520 pound toy hauler (empty) that I plan on pulling I really want the capabilities and styling of the ZR2 but safe towing is the most important My question is what is it exactly that makes the tow rating so low compared to the other models
So there are multiple factors that go into the lower rating. But in short its the lift.....I am in the process of making another towing video that goes over everything that I have found about the towing specs.....and its not what most of us believed to be true.....I don't know your timeline on buying but if you can hold off just a couple weeks till I finish the video....I may answer a ton of your questions with hard facts....
Go to 49 seconds in the video, it shows the towing rating for the ZR2 and Bison directly from the manual....they both are 5000 pounds....the other versions (Canyon, Colorado, Z71 etc) that have the diesel those are 7,700.@@jedironin380
Dean Ainsworth that's a great idea. We have been super busy the past few weeks, but I think I can film something this week and try to get it posted....might take two weeks but I'll definitely do one on it.
daniel espinoza haha yeah I didn't even know I did that until my son was laughing at me haha I say it all the time but I don't math, and I don't English well 🤣🤣🤣
I have a 2017 tacoma v6 that I tow my boat with. Approximate weight is 3800lbs. I feel like engine is working hard to tow the boat. Would diesel colorado be much of an upgrade or would I just be better off going with a full size pickup?
Marshen Fishing that's a great question, and I would say if your going to stay around 4-5k lbs the diesel Colorado would be a "beast" for you....it does so much better than I thought it would towing our 25' pontoon and it's somewhere around that weight. This truck can pull more than 5k physically....but if it's a daily thing to pull at max capacity I would step up to a larger truck. So long answer but IMHO you would be very happy pulling 3,800 with the Colorado diesel.
Dead Pixels954 yes, transmission never got “hot” but keep in mind we don’t have big hills to truly test it....but it does well for our applications with zero issues thus far. We are still happy with everything this truck can do.
N 3 I am absolutely comfortable as long as I don't have someone sitting behind me.....and if they are the must be a smaller person or neither will be comfortable lol. We did a car seat video that shows how the space is a little better. And unfortunately yes it does use DEF .....really wish that would fall off the truck....but can't afford the fines that would follow lol
Two questions for you, my first question is does the zr2 bison have a tow mode/button like the silverado do? My second question is,I've read online that the zr2 diesel bison can tow 7600 lbs, is that correct?
Jaxx Skeliton yes the tow haul is standard in all of the models both gas and diesel, however in addition to the tow haul on the diesel, there is an exhaust brake...the exhaust brake automatically comes on when the tow haul button is depressed. No the Bison can not legally tow 7,600 pounds, The regular ZR2 can not legally tow 7,600 pounds either. We did a follow up towing video where we talk a little more about the weights, check that one out and see if it answers your questions more in depth. Thanks for the comment.
Michael Stone absolutely would, if we were going to tow around 3k up to 5k. But if I were towing say 60% or more of the time I would have opted for the Z71 package. We did a fuel mileage video not to long ago check it out.
The legal answer is "No". The 7,500 pounds is over the manufacture maximum trailer weight which is set at 5,000 pounds for the ZR2 versions of the Colorado. If you had a variant of the Colorado such as the Z71 then the answer would be probably.......meaning the weight is at the maximum for the vehicle to tow, but there are multiple other factors that need to be investigated such as tongue weight, payload weight, etc
What was the tongue weight? That will change the dynamics of how it pulls dramatically. Also sway bars but I see you've already commented on that. Nice explanation of the trailer brakes.
I am not 100% sure, its a good question....I have been wondering this same thing ever since we made the video and had a few questions....so I just purchased a tongue weight scale....so I will do a follow up soon on that. Also after looking at the video a few more times I noticed that the trailer slightly slopes towards the truck once it is connected (this is because the hitch is set for my normal tow vehicle and I did not take the time to adjust for a shorter tow vehicle). This all plays a role in how it pulls.....so long answer is the above....short answer is looks like I need to do a follow up and answer these questions that we all have been asking lol. Thanks for the input for sure.
@@rockyaev8287 That would be awesome to know. Do you own this? I would like to see how a car seat fairs in the back of one of these. Forward facing. Lol
Well between my wife and the bank yes "I" own it hahah.....tell ya what I will ask around and see if I can come up with a car seat to throw in the back seat to see how it goes.......we can test it out for a long legged person (Im 6'1") and a shorter person (wife is .....under 5'5"....not gonna say how far though lol)@@EGGINFOOLS
@@rockyaev8287 That would be awesome! Thanks. I'm 5'6" and my wife is 5'5". Our 3 girls are small. 2 booster seats and a forward facing. I'm really really really trying to convince myself they all fit. I know the boosters will. 😅
EGGINFOOLS haha I got ya....so I made a few requests and got some seats to borrow....I think I have one booster and two carriers.....so when I pick them up in a couple days we will shoot a video to post...but it probably won't be ready for about 10 days
I can’t give an honest answer because we truly don’t tow with it, I have a bigger diesel that I use for that. Plus there are to many variables to consider, weight, height, length etc. but I would expect to see numbers in the 12 mpg towing at max weight and a low profile trailer….but I have no numbers to back that statement.
Doc Holliday haha well I wish I could say that.....I had a "friend" do the editing and upload....he said it would be good....he said people would like it....I think this was all just a smoke screen lol it's cool it gives it caricature lol
Im not 100% sure I know what your talking about.....where do I need to add it? I know that the payload numbers take away from your tongue weight and towing capabilities.....but not 100% sure what you're saying. Can you give me a little more information? Also I did a follow up video that may answer that question / statement ....maybe lol thanks for the comment.
@@rockyaev8287 Yes i am talking about the GCWR the total of all cargo, passengers stuff in the trailer etc. lots of owners forget that number. thanks for the reply.
That’s crazy, we were trying to get a black one but at the time there was only one built and the dealer wanted way over MSRP to release it! But with that being said we absolutely love the white, my Ram is white and it’s great for the summers in Texas...and it hides the dirt way more than a dark color....man I hope you can find one and snag it up for sure 🇺🇸🤞🏽
@@rockyaev8287 yeah bud I like the white or some other color than black...the black hides the custom AEV trim. I like black on black but I'm not a huge fan of it on this truck. The other corset really highlight what makes this truck unique. If I have to buy black I'll probably wrap it. Thanks for the vids!
Its funny that you say that about wrapping it....we said the exact same thing! But I know thus far we are super happy with it and don't plan on doing a color change.@@ArkhonXIX
Flaxen Saxon haha your good.....good catch though 😎🇺🇸 yeah we hooked up several times for video angles....I'm sure at some point part of the video they weren't crossed, but before we hit the road they were...... your absolutely right they are supposed to be crossed.
AtomicToastCat really? You have the AEV bumper and yours is tight? 🤔🤔🤔 I need to investigate more and see what's broken or not installed correctly on ours!
@@rockyaev8287 also your the first person on TH-cam to complain about brakes. I 100 percent agree with you this truck stops like crap with a tralier. It's actually really sketchy if you ask me but everyone on Instagram says there rigs stop fine but that's hard to belive
Nick Murdoch actually the lift is the reason for the tow rating drop. The two inch lift, & three and a half inch higher track is the cause. The other reasons is the redesign of the spring and dampener rates. This all changes the capabilities that the truck can handle "safely". Physically it can do more..... just not safely. It changes the angles of the drivetrain, center of gravity etc.
Rocky AEV but mostly that front bumper and engine cooling. I definitely wouldn’t want to tow much more than 5000 pounds with a midsize truck anyway. Keep posting videos really liking the bison.
Nick Murdoch from what I have seen there were so many restrictions put on AEV by Chevy about the design of the bumpers, that it took them a couple years to get it approved. That was one of the tests that they had to pass......the holes on the front of the bumper could not restrict the air flow. Even the way the winch mount was designed it had to be in a way that it did not cover the inlet at all. The rest of the front end is wide open to allow air flow. If you have any information on the bumper causing cooling problems send me a link I would gladly read up, and do a follow up video talking about it and testing things. It's so new we really don't know what problems or if there will be any with the add on stuff. The only issue with cooling I have seen or heard of comes from the transmission skid plate, but that is an extra add on that we do not have. I agree on the towing heavy regularly......it's just not designed for that....but having a truck that can occasionally put the boat in the water and still play on the rocks 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
Rocky AEV yes they were specific in the bumper design requirements to avoid cooling issues. This is not just the bison but with the regular Zr2 as well. Yes the truck is a little higher but it is also a little wider. The multimatics are designed for the truck to get airborne so I highly doubt they are a limiting factor in tow rating. The Zr2 also has a more reinforced frame than the regular Colorado. The truck doesn’t have cooling issues. I like that you said “safely” because the trucks lower tow rating is probably more of a factor of safety than anything. I’m not sure if I like the fender flares on the bison or the regular Zr2 better, I haven’t seen a bison in person yet but I really like the Zr2 flares.
Nick Murdoch yes sir, that's the key...safely....I truly think it will pull much more but to keep my butt out of a mess I am only going to tow within the manufacturing recommendations and talk about that on camera.....😜 I really liked the ZR2 but when we saw them side by side...in our opinion the Bison was the golden ticket haha
Braking is an issue!l? If you bought the diesel it engine it should have come with purchasing the exhaust break. Mine did. Just use the exhaust break and you won’t have braking issues when towing.
@@rockyaev8287 I agree on steep grades at high speeds it works alright, but actually stopping, the engine brake seems to turn off when you get around 35 or 40 mph
Cody Vance gosh I am behind schedule....but I have a video that I'm trying to finish so I can drop it that covers so much in this subject....yeah it works.....just not very strongly
all the exhaust brake does is adjust the turbo vanes. with the tiny little turbo our 2.8s have, the exhaust brake isnt doing much of anything at all. It does help, but its marginally above a gimmick. at best its good for grade braking fro those in the hilly regions
Blazinfire97 you are 100% correct.....I am used to larger vehicles that brake hard with the exhaust brake....it does "work"but barely noticeable......and you have to be watching the RPM's to see it!
Garci96b 🤔 I still have not felt it really kick in.....maybe it is and I just can't tell.. I wish I knew someone else who has a diesel that I could ride with and see how theirs acts.....I just can't feel it
The exhaust brake is designed primarily to hold your speed on a grade, where you can use the load as a constant, steady RPM. I’ve used mine 17 GMC Canyon LWB 2.8 LST, in the mountains of British Columbia 29ft travel trailer grossing slightly under 12.000 lbs. if you drive sensibly and don’t come off the top doing 65 mph it will do the job it’s intended to do all day long. The person earlier who commented about the 2.8’s not having enough power on a 15% grade is missing the point like a lot of people who have misconceptions about the abilities of this truck. I say take it for what it is, and enjoy it. If you feel compelled to tinker with it, to see what it will do to entertain you, that’s your business. I like to do more with less, and I think this is a great little truck for someone who wants to go on extended road trips without robbing all the banks along the way to finance it. These little trucks aren’t cheap to buy, and I’ll guarantee you they’re not cheap to fix either, so don’t f with it.
@@georgerenton965 I agree with what you said for sure. I am not modifying anything on either one of our trucks again (other than simple stock for stock upgrades) I have heavily modified things before and it was great.....for a while, until things started breaking. Your right about driving sensible....thats kind of my point about a lot of the things I have said "I feel like it will pull more, just not stop it", take that for what its worth. By no means am I suggesting to pull more than the truck is rated for, for several reasons...I don't want someone coming back and saying well Eric said I could lol, two, you will void any warranty you have if they find out the reason your snapping U-Joints at a 15,000 mile interval haha. But if someone who knew they were overloaded was gentle on the accelerator and tripled their following distance I believe this truck would be perfect for most weekenders. Only thing is....I must advocate for staying within the manufacture weight specs for towing so that I do not lead others into trouble 😉 Thanks for the comment for sure
Oxy Moron calling that "little " jet ski puller a Bison? great marketing chevy more like " the Angry Fawn! would be a more fitting name. LOL cute little truck though, almost as much tow capacity as a jeep rubicon LOL Bison! hahahahaa!!
Scott wads ouch...you hurt Rocky's feelings! He's a strong little truck 😜 I'm currently working on a new video that breaks down towing capacities and hard numbers....I'm gonna make some viewers mad, some sad....stick around for that one, I was quite surprised what I found.
your name 🤔 good to know, glad to hear that you like it...but I do agree about the turbo lag....we want to wake it up but don't want to mess with warranty things
jkwo2007 thanks for the comment, yeah it’s really important and many people I’m afraid don’t know how to stop excessive trailer sway properly...hopefully this little bit of info will help someone in the future
The z71 is a lot better than the zr2 for towing as stated in the beginning of this video and I can verify that as an owner. The Duramax will start to pull better around 16k- 20k miles at least for me and it was noticeable difference.
No worries, yeah a surge brake is different.....the way a surge brake works is on the hitch of the trailer you will have a sliding section, as you apply more braking power from the tow vehicle the trailer will press against the tow vehicle... when it presses against the tow vehicle it will slide that section on the trailer and then engage the trailer brakes. The harder the tow vehicle stops / slows the more pressure that is applied to the surge brake...the more trailer brakes are applied. Electric brakes simply take the electrical signal produced directly from the vehicle brake position and send a signal to the trailer. Thats how you can adjust the braking power to the trailer. Give it more gain and it will have more breaking power, less gain equals less brake. Hope this helps 😎
Eduardo Boom no, it's lakeview baptist in belton....how did you help during Katrina? I was part of a strike team when Harvey hit Houston a couple years ago.
I was with Team rubicon a veteran non profit disaster response team I did muck outs and mold remidiation to 20 plus homes in the Beaumont area loved it there will be returning soon maybe star both our bisons in a video lol
Eduardo Boom jump over to Facebook and pm us....we can definitely try and make it happen! Stay tuned we have a video of someone else's Bison coming up soon, plus a video of us out doing some light wheeling 😎
I never understood how the trailer brakes worked on my Z71 diesel until you just showed that. Thank you
Absolutely, when I was younger I never had the need to use it, but as I got older and got bigger trailers, they came standard with brakes. I tried to do a search and there was not much out there explaining how to use them so essentially I learned by trial and error. It wasn't until I got my CDL, before I truly understood this. One thing I don't think I mentioned in the video is once you set them.... if the trailer weight changes by a fair amount (loaded / unloaded) you will want to re adjust the setting (more weight will need more power and vice versa). Glad I could help, if you have any other questions let me know, thanks for watching.
For real that trailer brake tutorial was great. Never knew how that stuff worked.
Thanks glad it was helpful 😎
It’s explained in the user manual that comes with your truck.
@@rockyaev8287
Why would you use a ZR2 for towing when its not designed for that? It's soul purpose is for serious off-roading. Much like one wouldn't buy a Raptor thinking its built for serious towing.
Just watching how you setup the trailer brakes was worth watching this video! Thank you! I had no idea how to use that option in my ZR2 Bison.
awesome, glad it was helpful.
Ive had my 2017 Colorado Duramax for a few years now and never understood how to setup the trailer brakes until now. Thanks for the video!
Absolutely glad it was helpful
That is one sick back up camera 🎥 bro🤙🏽🤙🏽
If u want the max towing capacity (7600lbs*) but still have great offroading abilities... The best combo to get would be a 4WD Colorado/Canyon with the Z71 package and Duramax engine....you get a strong Z71 suspension made to handle the max towing weight and to handle any rough offroading terrain, most important of all you get the much needed and very useful G80 rear locker....not to mention the added under carriage protection shields for various drivetrain components....Pair it with the baby Duramax and you get the best of both worlds, Power and Effrciency....the most torque of any midsize truck and the best MPG of any truck....the extra cherry on top is you get all of that for much less then what a Zr2 or Bison will cost you.....you get alot more for less.....Sure the Zr2/Bison will go faster thru the dirt trails but nonetheless your Z71 will still get you there.....
Jorge Lopez the zr2 doesn’t include the g80 locker?
@@MrTacoJay has tlk abt z71
Jorge Lopez
If you looking for max towing capability, exclude the 4x4 drivetrain setup.
Jayson Larochelle the zr2 has manually selectable front and rear lockers. The z71 just has the rear G80 which is an automatic function. So sometimes it won’t lock the rear until it’s too late. That’s what’s great about selectable lockers is that you can lock them up before you get into trouble.
Yeah you just need to take that front lip off or else it’s going to get torn up the second you try to approach a rocky climb. I’m really looking into a diesel Colorado for my next truck. My heart really wants a zr2 but my brain is telling me z71 because I would actually put it to work and the thought of having to replace those shocks kind of spooks me. Plus the off roading I do isn’t anything crazy. No rock climbing or desert running mostly because I don’t have any of that stuff where I live. Just limited to trails and fire roads etc. I’m also considering a ranger fx4. The turbo 4 is a strong engine too and it has a good towing capacity. Also is better equipped off road than the z71 from factory. Another plus with the ranger is that I would be worried sick that my wife would drive the diesel Colorado and fill it up with gas at some point. 😂
My favorite thing on the ZR2 is Front an Rear Lockers 💪
Agreed, having that standard on the ZR2 platform it really helps set it apart from the competition
@Mike Zona you are absolutely correct lockers are expensive, thats one of the coolest parts about the capabilities of a stock ZR2, you have the capabilities right off jump street! And I can assure you they are well worth it!
It’s huge!!!
And the diesel!
Beautiful truck and very impressive.
Brandon Blair thanks! We truly love it!
Great info! Great vid! Thanks for going through the setup for the trailer break 👍
Ryan Rupcich thanks for the comment, absolutely.....make sure you subscribe we are currently working on another towing related video along with a few other subscribers request.
Pretty good video overall. There are a couple of points I’d like to point out though. The first one is that most Bison and ZR2 owners didn’t buy them with towing in mind, if that was the aim, they should of went with the Z71 that is equiped with a properly sorted suspension for that job. I do have a 2016 Z71 Duramax that I lifted using the Rancho 4” kit that didn’t change its towing and handling capability.
2nd is the exhaust brake. In mine you have to turn it on by pushing the button. Mine only works when tow mode is also selected and only when decelerating, not when braking or below 25mph. It isn’t fantastic by any means, but it works.
I mostly tow toys up to 2500lbs, but have towed a 5500lb full size truck on a trailer over 400 miles through our Alaska mountain ranges quite nicely, though I’d of liked a lot more power! It struggled climbing hard 15% grade pulls. The one quirk I really don’t like is the throttle delay! There’s a couple of design issues that bug me also, like the mirrors, the door sills that are easily scratched and the rubber seal gets easily damaged, sliding out of the hard side bolster seats (I’m thinking those will break down and fabric wear quickly) and it’s lack of skid plates!
Absolutely, you are correct on the towing information. This particular truck was not designed to be a puller, and that is not our intentions for the truck....however we are happy to be able to pull the boat if we wanted to. To the best of my knowledge anytime you do any modifications to the ride hight it changes your towing capabilities. It changes your center of gravity, along with many other things. The baby max is pretty strong so it will pull the load fairly well however the geometry for the rest of the truck is limited. As far as the exhaust brake, it does work......and I had the button pushed.....its just super weak lol. Im glad to hear it does well pulling up there in Ak. I wish I could go back for a while...spent a few months in Anchorage in 2012. And last but not least, the turbo lag is bad! The only way I have found to fix that is by deleting the emissions, doing a solid tune, adding a cold air intake lol. Over all we are happy with the truck, no matter what you buy you will find flaws in it....this one has few enough that we are satisfied :) Thanks for the comment for sure, stay tuned for next weekend, gonna drop a follow up towing video.
Nice Truck'" You supposed to cross your chains that away if trailer tounge unhooks the cross pattern will craddle the tounge
Jacob Sebastien you are absolutely correct, if you look at 2:48 you can tell they are crossed (at some point in time they may not be because we hooked, unhooked, hooked, unhooked several times for video purposes) it is state law for them to be crossed because in the event of the hitch breaking it will give you some control of the trailer. Good eye 😎
I’ve towed a lot. Never knew that though. Good to know and it makes sense.
I Have 2016 Colorado ZR 1 4wd diesel Long bed. Have it 4 years now. Been pulling 5,500 lbs Camper all over the country with no problem. I pull at 60 to 65 mph with easy. Getting 13.5 to 15 MPG pulling depending on wind. Sweat truck.
Dennis Santi that’s awesome glad to hear that you’ve had that good of results while towing. We haven’t towed much more than the boat to the lake....or this trailer for the videos so I have no idea what the fuel mileage is...but this sounds fair. I’ve had some say they tow 6500 plus in the mountains and get 21 mpg but I do not believe their numbers! My travel trailer is too much to even try to pull with rocky.....I would be white knuckleing it for sure if I tried lol glad your happy.
I towed 8000 lbs with my truck and it had no problem. hells ya man
cody schmidt did you pull with a ZR2 or one of the other versions? It's a strong little truck for sure
zr2 go check out my instgram code_miester
Thanks for the info on setting up the trailer brakes! I’ve got an ‘18 ZR2. That helped
Also great tip on using trailer brake to reduce sway
Thanks for the info on the trailer brake setup. If you need additional towing capacity, I went with the Colorado Z71 Diesel at 7600 lb. Yes, towing mirrors would be a great option.
George Hoy yeah towing was not the main job for this truck.....but we wanted something that could do some towing. I've got a 3/4 ton truck that is my tow vehicle. But I will honestly say I was disappointed when I found out that the ZR2 towing capacity was 2600 pounds less than the rest of the lineup.
I’ve seen Chevy had mirrors installed on Colorado’s
Yeah I have seen some running around that look like the ones on the full sized trucks....but in my opinion I don't like the way they look on the Colorado, I am actually looking for the mirrors that have the cameras in them to give me a 360 deg field of view.@@gvsukids
I've towed 7200 with my 2022 gas Z71 4x4 with no issue. I do run a sway hitch. It really shocked me.
A dedicated transmission cooler should have been stock on ZR2.
The Colorados and Canyons have a standalone trans cooler unless something has changed since 2016. I don't think I have ever seen above 200 degrees on the transmission towing my 5000 lb boat in the hills.
@@danwood4478 I have 16 Colorado and I tow 5000 lbs the truck burns 22 l per 100 km is this similar to yours?
@@chrisolbrycht9858 Yes, That converts out to about 10.7 mpg. I'm averaging anywhere do 10.5 to 13 mpg. Not bad.
Can't find my previous comments, but I did promise to let you know how the tow went a Hellwig rear sway bar. I didn't really notice much. I notice the sway bar more around the city. If you aren't offroading, it's probably the best upgrade a person can do. It probably helps with towing, but I'm convinced at this point this truck can not handle a 26' (30' overall) RV. All of the weights work out except we're pushing the hitch weight limit so the GVWR is getting close. It'll do it, it just isn't fun doing it. Especially with a cross wind. No bueno with a cross wind. The diesel pulls the weight no problem so a 30' 7000lb loaded flat desk or something would work, but a 30' 6200lb RV sucks. We're actually going tomorrow to look at a smaller RV (22' - 25' overall) with almost 300lbs less hitch weight and is 1000lbs lighter. Doing a test tow with it so who knows. May need to go smaller yet.
I also learned something about wheel base ratios with RVs that makes some sense. Take your wheelbase and divide by 5. That's probably the max length of RV you can tow COMFORTABLY. You can tow any length you want, but a tow you would do every day and feel happy about doing it just needs something shorter. That formula matches up with where we're at with RVs after real world trial and error!
suzukichopper this is awesome information! We just finished a follow up video to this one, but goes in depth on the numbers.....I plan on dropping in on the 22nd of this month....only reason to wait is we are trying to get on a schedule again.....but tomorrow go to our Facebook page "RockyAEV" I will post a spreadsheet that I made specifically for towing...you can use any vehicle just need the weights to plug in. Thanks so much for your input...it literally backs up my findings / feelings on towing specs
This is just my personal opinion. If you don’t want a full-size truck and can settle for a midsize. If you like to go off-roading or hunting and pull loads that are not over 6000 pounds, you really only have two choices, either of Tacoma TRD pro for the ZR2 Colorado........... both of these small trucks have pros and cons. But both are very capable for the size that they are you just have to choose which one you would rather have............... I have a 2017 Tacoma TRD off-road and I really like it, but if I decide to get rid of it I’m strongly considering the Colorado ZR2 with the diesel........... but either way if you’re looking at an off-road midsize truck those are your two best choices.............. just my opinion.
ruger 1911 absolutely! You hit the nail on the head. We wanted a midsize because I have a full sized truck....so towing on a regular is not needed.....but on an occasion it's great to have the option. Both the TRD and the ZR2 are great, as you said, one outshines the other in some areas, while the other outshines in others......so pick and choose what you can or can not live with.
All that being said there were three things that caught our attention over the TRD....
1) front and rear lockers are factory
2) a diesel......
3) all of the AEV items that came stock on the Bison
I know, I know, I know....we paid for all of that....but what's cool is as long as we don't modify stuff it's all covered under warranty! Unlike when you start doing all kinds of mods (that look cool and I love!) then when something breaks....the dealer won't touch it and it hurts the wallet.
Hello Rocky! First timer here with a 👍! Now I’m in my second Colorado, the first as a Z71,4x4, V6 Ext Cab, that was fine till we retired and needed only one vehicle and the Ext Cab just didn’t work. But we have a 22” Travel Trailer that weighs 4,000 lbs gvw. That’s is no problem at all to get around with. But we needed four full doors. So we looked for another truck, either a half ton or mid size. We both loved the new Gladiator, but too expensive with squirrelly brakes and steering. The new Ranger was nice except the brakes. But we ended up with a new Colorado Crew Cab, 4x4, V6 in W/T trim this time as the only thing missing I mind is the headlights are different. But it’s got every option available, plus dealer installed ZR2 AEV Skid Plates all for 34k! That does a fantastic job, yeas the mirrors are short, but the brakes, even with my single axle trailer work great! Plus plenty of power with the gas V6. Mileage is fine at 17-20 City depends on how traffic is moving and 22-26 highway depending on speeds, a best of 30 mpg at 45 mph!
K. R. V. Awesome to hear all of the good info. Glad you stopped by, hope you stick around for future videos! We love to hear from other owners and get their opinion and suggestions.
have you ever heard of permatex adhesive,, amazon has it,, excellent stuff, i'm going to reinforce my plug housing on the spare tire side of the bumper ,, it's like a silicone glue,, but better, i may even gently pry the trailer side out just a smidge and force a bead around it and the bumper face to help, i use black permatex, it'll also help keep water and debris out to prolong the plugs life
I think most manufacturers underrate towing abilities. My VW Touareg is only rated to tow 7700 lbs but I've pushed it over 8000 lbs and I hardly notice anything back there and it feels like i can still tow more, plus I have auto leveling air suspension so no squat. 7700 lbs is probably just a safe rating so they don't have to deal with warranty claims. I wouldn't be surprised if Colorados could tow alot more without issue.
Simon Strother agreed, and that’s what I have said...I believe it can do it physically...just not legally lol thanks for watching and for the comment 😎
With any trailer over 2000 lbs, you should be using anti sway, might solve the issue you comment to. Did not appear any was setup on your video
I agree, any towing with any substantial weight I should have a sway bar installed....the only reason I don't on this setup is because I only was towing this trailer to see how it would do. I have a 3/4 ton that is dedicated to pulling my heavy stuff. But I completely agree with your statement.
@@rockyaev8287
What make of 3/4 ton truck?
Travelin' Ted 2018 Ram 2500 with the 6.7 Cummins and the G56 transmission.
Great video. Thank you.
Absolutely, thanks for watching
Clear View makes a great pair of tow-mirrors for the Colorado. I tow an 18’ Travel Trailer and it was like day and night to the stock Mirrors.
Great video/awesome information! 👊🏼
Thanks for watching
My Canyon is a diesel with Stabilitrak. Maybe the truck you have is not eqipped like mine. Either way, page 5 of the pink, owners manual suppliment. Part No. 2017Col_Can SUP. Under the 'Trailer Sway Control (TSC)' section.
"If the vehicle is towing a trailer and the TSC detects that sway is increasing, the vehicle brakes are selectively applied at each wheel, to help reduce excessive trailer sway. If the vehicle is equipped with the Integrated Trailer Brake Control (ITCB) system, and the trailer has the electric actuated brake system, Stabilitrak may also apply the trailer brakes"
malibustigs 😎 that’s awesome! I am planning on doing a video soon going over a few things specifically from the manual...I will be adding this to the list! Thanks for the information!
Great video. Very informative. Obviously if you wanted the best towing set up you'd get the ZR1/Duramax. But it's good to see a vid on the ZR2/Bison just to see what it's capabilities and limitations are.
gwandana absolutely our thoughts. This thing was not designed for towing, just a by product of its design. It does well, but there are far better variations if your goal is towing. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching.
@@rockyaev8287 Hope you keep doing more in depth vids on the Bison/Duramax. Would like to see how the suspension performs under max payload in offroad, overland conditions, and what the long term durability of the Duramax is like.
gwandana 🤔 great suggestion. I have reached out to a friend.....gonna see if we can make that happen!
Love my Colorado diesel
Amazing fuel mileage
Very informative video. Thank you !
Awesome, glad you got some good information out of it, thanks for watching.
Rocky AEV checkout Clearview mirriors for Colorado 2014 -2019. They’re an after market version that look like the foldable type that come on the Silverado 2500’s and above.
George S thanks for the info! I checked those out (had another viewer mention them) and if I was towing regularly I would defiantly get a set....but since this is primarily my wife's truck she does not give the approval lol
Rocky AEV lol I know what you mean 😂
I meant to say happy wife, happy life
I had a 17' hated the towing capabilities of it. Def more of an off-road play toy truck than anything else. Carries light amount of work tools and stuff, but like you said it's the braking. I would def upgrade the braking and the suspension if I wanted to keep it and tow more but it was not worth it to me. Just got a bigger truck for towing and working and it was solved. Kept the Jeep to play with off-road. Done. Done. Dot. Com
J Smith thanks for the comment, yeah everyone has different opinions...and I agree with yours, it’s excellent for what it was built for....and the fact that it can tow is a bonus....but if I needed to tow regularly and this was my only tow vehicle...I would have to upgrade to something that was built for it. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
Awesome video by the way brother getting mine delivered in two days
Eduardo Boom heck yeah! Congratulations! We have two videos about to come out (one this weekend if I can finish editing it) and one about a week later when I can get it edited.....the second video is out doing some climbing and playing....probably gonna do another video specifically about how to use the 4x4 options....like the do's and don'ts
wow your trailer plug in is super loose. My ZR2 isn't like that at all. Maybe its just the Bison rear bumper?
jingorat that's exactly it, the way the AEV bumper is made, it leaves a lot of "slop" in the plug.....I have an idea of how to fix it.....just trying to locate the correct parts to make it work.....gonna try it, and if it works then show everyone what I did.....just not before in case it's a massive fail lol
Aev needed more time with this project. I called them and found out
Jason Panozzo I believe that! Once they released pictures and the concept truck people went crazy.....then Chevy saw 💰💰 and said make it happen lol. Overall we are pleased, just have some minor complaints.
You forgot to use the towing mode in the transmission. Standard in the zr2.
Cesar Lopez actually I did not forget to use the tow haul mode, that’s how the exhaust brake is engaged. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
Were you using the exhaust brake/tow haul mode?
wingnutt50gh yes, I had "activated" the tow haul switch......and from what I read that activates the exhaust break......I never felt it really kick in, but I am used to a "big truck" and when the exhaust break kicks in on it you really feel it.
Rocky AEV I thought there is a switch for the brake under the hvac controls
Yes its the "tow haul / exhaust brake", chevy combined the two....you can't turn one on without the other......after several more tests towing I still have not felt the exhaust break kick in......got one more place to go to try it, hopefully its a long enough hill for it to engage!@@gvsukids
The TFL towing video shows the exhaust brake working flawlessly on that big ass Hill in Colorado ..
How will a 2018 Chevy Colorado Z71 tow a 8x17 ice castle. The ice castle only weights 4200 lbs dry
I would refer you to the owners manual, however to my knowledge that weight alone is under the max, but you must take into account the weight of the trailer.
Wow nice video and truck
Winfred Fuller thanks for the comment, thanks for watching.
Good job!
I learned a few things
Cool deal, that's one of my main points I'm trying to hit on....teach some things that some might not know....and maybe be educated by some viewers on things if I don't know. Thanks for the feedback for sure 😎
Maybe the ZR2 is different than my 2016 Canyon. But the trailer brakes will apply automatically as soon as the truck detects trailer sway.
malibustigs I have never heard of this....if it does that’s awesome...I will have to look into it and see if I can find something in writing. Thanks for watching and the comment
Rocky AEV you guys have some great videos and information. I just started a ZR2 Bison owners group on facebook. Feel free to come over and join and promote your videos. I'm sure your information would be super helpful to some of the members.
Heck yeah! Thanks for the invite. I will jump over and join.
What was the tongue weight.thats a big part of sway too.no mention of that.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you, been super busy. Your exactly right, I did not get actual tongue weights, I also did not ensure that the trailer was as level as possible (I left it set up for my work truck). I have been working on an update to this video that will go over all of this info and correct any operator faults so that I can ensure that it is as perfect as possible to get the most true pull. Great question, thanks for asking.
Your trailer sway is because your trailer isn't level. Brakes locked on one axle because the trailer wasn't level. Try it again after leveling the trailer.
Dan F absolutely, we did a follow up video and covered this. Check it out and let me know if we answered that question well enough? Thanks for the comment.
Great video and thanks for talking about the trailer brake! I have the ZR2 with V6 Gas. I am looking at towing a 5000 lb Camper Trailer. Have you tried using Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution with Sway Control? I've never used one but seems that would help a lot with the ZR2 suspension at highway speed?
N White I have used them before, and they work great....just don't go cheap, if you want the best tow.....also keep in mind how you load your trailer effects your tow (heavy down low, and more towards the trailer axles is best)...I have seen a tow hitch that has a built in scale in it, I would recommend spending the extra money for that just to help with knowing how much tongue weight you have. If you stay in the 5k lb range, you should do just fine.
N White - I'm in the exact same boat...2017 Gas ZR2 and buying a 5000lb camper with equalizer WD hitch. I'll know how it does on Saturday when we pick it up. Did you end up doing this too?
Nice video. Very informative.
jk632 jk632 thanks for the comment, that's one of our main goals...put out some good information 😎
Is it a visual illusion or is his front bumper out of whack ? 4.00
Eric haha never caught that before....just an illusion because it’s straight...but looks all kinds of jacked up there haha
My trailer light plugs are not loose at all. 🤷♂️. Should get that looked at.
Christopher Leech you have a Bison? 🤔 hummmmm I guess I do need to have it looked at 🤷🏼♂️
I would have thought that between the proportional braking and the exhaust brake, stopping wouldn't be an issue. I recently purchased a diesel colorado and just assumed that the engineers at Chevy would have the braking issue covered, go figure.
It does "meh"....for the size of the vehicle and what you are supposed to tow its good enough. However I absolutely love my big turbo exhaust brake on my 6.7 cummins......and kinda hoped that the turbo on this mini max would have been bigger......but if they went bigger then there would have been more turbo lag, less of just about anything as far as performance......unless they added a supercharger along with the turbo 😜 Over all IMO it does well, especially since we don't tow much with this guy....thats where the 6.7 cummins comes in lol.
There's no problem braking. I towed 4800lbs with no problem.
Do you think the Colorado Z71 V6 would have handled better or differently than the ZR2. Deciding which truck to buy for towing a 4000 lb RV across US and Canada.
tclarke971 that's a great question. First thing I would ask is....what is your main purpose for the truck? Off road driving, or on road? Both can pull well the only difference is one is set up more for off road driving. If you plan on pulling at a trailer when loaded at 4K....either will pull it. I've been doing some testing and pulling a couple different trailers to see how it handles. Yesterday I pulled a large pontoon that weighs in at 3,480 lbs. and it pulled perfectly. I'm trying to get more information so that I can do a two or three part video covering everything I have experienced. If all goes well I should have the first part in the series up,landed in 2 weeks
@@rockyaev8287 Thank you, great answer. Looking forward to the new video.
Crazy 11k views but only 200 subs. I’ve seen Chevy hd mirrors on Colorado’s
Man I know...I really though we would be further along.....but I can't complain, I am learning a lot about having a TH-cam Channel, and having a blast doing it....maybe one day we will be a big channel lol did you watch our Diode Dynamic video? Theres some good info in there.....especially towards the end ;) ;) ;)
How are the seats for extended periods of driving??
D E that's a great question.....and without saying too much because that's coming up in a video very soon....... (trying to stick to a weekly video drop)...... but so far I can not complain 😎
I have a 2018 diesel ZR2. Just got back from my third trip to Death Valley from NorCal. It's actually pretty comfortable for a 450 ride.
Very good. I do 45,000 miles a year in my Canyon All Terrain. The seats are great!
Like the little duramax diesel, heard they are discontinuing the I-4 diesel and going 4banger twin turbo next year ?
Kenneth goodson I have not heard this yet, but have a good source for information that I will definitely ask....if they do discontinue it I wonder what the reasons would be...and how or why to do the change....is it numbers, or reliability? 🤔 I’m gonna do a little digging and see.
but,, doesn't pressing the brake pedal activate the trailer brakes too ?
Yes it does, that’s the primary way to use the trailer brakes….however in the event your trailer starts swinging back and forth you don’t want to use the vehicle brakes…it can cause you to loose control, rather apply the trailer brakes alone and you in most cases will stop the swinging without loosing the steer ability (this is usually caused by over loading the tongue weight)
@@rockyaev8287 or loading the trailer with too much load weight behind the axle, easy example, backing a car on a car trailer not far enough forward. 22 year OTR Driver. 2019 Z2R
@@ronmckenna7903 you are 100% correct! Proper tongue weight is extremely important!
Will you be doing any performance upgrades are it?
Yes we plan on it, I am currently researching as much as possible to get the best / safest programmer. I would love to do a full delete but terrified of the laws and getting busted. So we will keep it "stock". Plus we don't want to do anything that will mess with the warranty. If we do not find a good tune that keeps us in warranty, then we will hold off and just try and do some other upgrades.....it all depends on what we can find to match our needs :)
@@rockyaev8287 what about cold air intake or exhaust system
I have been looking into an AFE intake, but have heard some negative issues with any aftermarket intakes...so once I find out more then absolutely on the intake. Exhaust I doubt it unless the tuner we decide to go with needs it. The wife really likes how quiet it is. I wish Gale Banks would come out with a kit for it.....because he is a master at getting the most out of the vehicle without compromising the factory settings. Do you have any suggestions? I will definitely look into it if you do.@@jessitaylor4170
@@rockyaev8287 If you are serious about tuning you will be disappointed to find out that any tune will void your warranty. I am tuned by Jason Hacker. 100% best customer service and great tuning. I've had my truck tuned by him for the past 15000 miles and zero issues. I also have a full exhaust and with the muffler is only slightly louder than stock.
kal1fornia 😭 that’s good to know, I’ve been asking some of the better tuners both close to home and from far away....and they come highly recommend but when I ask about warranty stuff I get nothing back.....I know the difference in how a truck performs because my ram is deleted and tuned and it runs like a beast! I just don’t want to loose the warranty and I don’t want to run the chance of where the emissions are going....if I can stay clean and get power....that’s what I want haha...but I am definitely searching😎
Breaking isn’t the greatest while towing? Why aren’t you using the diesel exhaust break that comes standard when you buy the Diesel engine option?
TFlorida1 good question....but I am using the exhaust brake. To me I do not feel like it actually holds the vehicles speed. Others have said they can feel it, and it holds their towed item well....but I can not say that is true for me. It’s a tiny turbo so there is not much it can do....would like to put a larger one on haha
I from Texas too. Where did ya get your ZR2 and did they cut ya deal? Its time to update my ride...
Im in Central Texas (Temple, Belton, Killeen) we picked up this guy from Don Ringler in Temple.
As far as cutting a deal....no but it was because we chose something that was in super high demand....and for 2019 I think they were only going to release 200 of the Bison's.
I will say that this particular dealer has been the absolute best dealer I have ever dealt with, and firmly believe that if we would have been looking for a Z71 or a regular ZR2 we could have done some dealing for a "better" price. We did get a few discounts / savings that knocked off a thousand or so....but nothing to really brag about.
Why do I say they have been the best? Everything from my salesman (Kyle H.), to the finance department, to the service department.....at no point in time were we pressured, lied too, treated like cattle etc. I have spoken to several others and they feel the same way about this particular dealer. (I am comparing them to a local dodge dealer where I bought my work truck and it was a complete disaster, and I brought them a check! I will never return to that dealer for ANYTHING!)
So if you are in the area or if it is a short drive check them out, find Kyle tell him I sent ya, they truly are awesome!
Good vid. How much tongue weight did that trailer have? It didn't look like it squatted much, 1-2"? Sub'd
BowTied69 I'm getting close to dropping a follow up video on this....I don't have the numbers in front of me so I won't lie....but stay tuned for that video.....I've put a lot of research in the next towing video...because there has been a ton of questions between here and Facebook.
May be dumb question..but what if you have a surge brake. I have a 20' but. Trailer and boat is about 4600lb. Only tow 2 times a year and launch it on the weekends. Love the zr2 but may look at the regular deisel.
Only dumb question is the one that is not asked :) ........ Im not real sure what your question is so forgive me if I don't answer what your asking.....A surge brake does not rely on any voltage output. (if the trailer does not have electric brakes then the controller on the dash will not send any power/voltage to the trailer other than lights). The way a surge brake setup works is when the vehicle begins to slow, the weight of the trailer pushes against the tow vehicle...the faster you stop the more the trailer pushes....and the more it pushes against the tow vehicle its essentially like pressing the brake peddle with your foot...it adds more braking power to the trailer. My stance on pulling with the ZR2 is that most people who need to tow heavy regularly don't even consider this truck. However those who "want" a truck but don't "need" a giant that can pull 30K down the road.....this is perfect. It is very capable, and if you ensure that you are giving yourself plenty following distance to react if there is an emergency, then there is no problem with towing at 4600lb occasionally. Remember that the towing capacity for the Z71 is 7,600 lb the only difference in the Z71 and the ZR2 is the lift......the lift makes the vehicle handle differently with a heavy load on it.
Assuming it was rigged with a sway bar how would you feel towing a car on a car trailer with this truck?
Ashton Cz there are many things that go in that answer.
1) If the weight was at or just around 5k
2) If the trailer was properly loaded so the tongue weight was correct.
3) Breaks set for the weight.
I would have no problem doing it....the truck has power....
but in my opinion if you plan on towing daily at the max weight I would step up to a full sized truck. It has good pulling power, or torque... and can physically do the work....but on a regular, I feel like a better option is a full sized truck.
@@rockyaev8287 thanks for replying.
I really love and want one of these trucks but I'd be towing a camaro to the track a couple times every summer. That's the only concern I have nn getting a zr2 or bison. I've explored the idea of getting a z71 and just lifting it for the offroad capability I want and then considered a full size but I just really like the size of these trucks.
Do you know the weight of the trailer? Is is an open car hauler or an enclosed trailer? What is the weight of the Camaro? There have been a few questions on towing since I made this video...so I am going to do a follow up video and see if I can answer more questions in detail. I will incorporate some of your questions on the video and try and answer them specifically. @@ashtonmax
@@rockyaev8287 that's awesome man! Glad to see your tailoring stuff based on comments and suggestions. I'm going to subscribe for that reason!
The camaro weights approx 3300lbs and the trailer 2200lbs. Which is a decent amount over the 5k rating unfortunately.
Take this with a grain of salt but I believe the majority of the lowered towing capacity on the ZR2 is due to the different front fascia not allowing the transmission cooler enough airflow. According to some forums, you can add an aftermarket trans cooler and get closer to 7k pound capacity.
He forgot to add the weight of the driver and it appears after you do that it'll be right at Max! 🤣
KEM ROBERT man your awful nice....i would have guessed that if I added that we would have busted scales! 🤣 .......but your right, we did a follow up video going a little more in depth about weights and mention that everything goes into account....passengers included. Thanks for watching
How did you get the stock wheels to fit that lift? You running spacers?
KrazyTommyGunn Hughes everything is stock on the truck. When AEV has the new fender flairs in stock I plan on buying them and going up to 35’s
This was very helpful, man thank you! Love the truck too! I am thinking of buying the GMC Canyon or the Frontier then buying a Yamaha 21' jet boat. The boat with trailer weight is about 4200lb and the Canyon can tow about 7000lb while the Frontier is at about 6300lb. Think I will be okay towing a boat the lake that is about 6-8 hours away?
Absolutely if you get one configured correctly....what I mean by that, is not the ZR2 version.....it’s great....but not built for towing (it can, and does pretty good, but wouldn’t force it daily). If you go with the diesel, Z71 or something like that you can get the max tow rating...and then you will be perfectly fine. At 4200 lbs the ZR2 can pull it but it does not leave you with much on payload, so if it’s just one or two people inside the truck (people add to the payload) then you should stay under the max weight......hope this helps, we love ours and it has done everything we wanted it for.
Rocky AEV thank you for the well informed reply
Overall I'm pretty impressed with the Colorado/canyon lineup
Has almost everything I want and nothing I really don't want
I'm actually selling two of my cars to by a ZR2
And I have an 18' 3520 pound toy hauler (empty) that I plan on pulling
I really want the capabilities and styling of the ZR2 but safe towing is the most important
My question is what is it exactly that makes the tow rating so low compared to the other models
So there are multiple factors that go into the lower rating. But in short its the lift.....I am in the process of making another towing video that goes over everything that I have found about the towing specs.....and its not what most of us believed to be true.....I don't know your timeline on buying but if you can hold off just a couple weeks till I finish the video....I may answer a ton of your questions with hard facts....
If towing is very important, I think you should get the ZR2 instead of the Bison.
jedironin380 I'm not worried about towing, I have a tow rig....plus the Bison is a ZR2...they have the exact same tow rating
@@rockyaev8287 The charts he showed at the beginning list the Bison at 5000 lbs. towing, the regular ZR2 is 7700 lbs. ;)
Go to 49 seconds in the video, it shows the towing rating for the ZR2 and Bison directly from the manual....they both are 5000 pounds....the other versions (Canyon, Colorado, Z71 etc) that have the diesel those are 7,700.@@jedironin380
Can I ask you to do a demo on using the 4WD? Mine is just a WT with lots of goodies added and does not have auto 4WD. Thank you.
Dean Ainsworth that's a great idea. We have been super busy the past few weeks, but I think I can film something this week and try to get it posted....might take two weeks but I'll definitely do one on it.
Lol I noticed that at the end of the video u said when we post a new vehicle not video lol
daniel espinoza haha yeah I didn't even know I did that until my son was laughing at me haha I say it all the time but I don't math, and I don't English well 🤣🤣🤣
Lol 😂
It's a good thing he's cute lol
I have a 2017 tacoma v6 that I tow my boat with. Approximate weight is 3800lbs. I feel like engine is working hard to tow the boat. Would diesel colorado be much of an upgrade or would I just be better off going with a full size pickup?
Marshen Fishing that's a great question, and I would say if your going to stay around 4-5k lbs the diesel Colorado would be a "beast" for you....it does so much better than I thought it would towing our 25' pontoon and it's somewhere around that weight. This truck can pull more than 5k physically....but if it's a daily thing to pull at max capacity I would step up to a larger truck. So long answer but IMHO you would be very happy pulling 3,800 with the Colorado diesel.
Seems like that truck pulls good'
Jacob Sebastien yes sir, it does well so long as you stay under the manufacture recommendations
Trans temp was normal?
Dead Pixels954 yes, transmission never got “hot” but keep in mind we don’t have big hills to truly test it....but it does well for our applications with zero issues thus far. We are still happy with everything this truck can do.
Good Video
aaron bulkley thanks for watching and the comment.
I'm looking at the zr2.. you and I are almost the same size...
How do you fit in the truck?
Also, does it use DEF fluid?
N 3 I am absolutely comfortable as long as I don't have someone sitting behind me.....and if they are the must be a smaller person or neither will be comfortable lol. We did a car seat video that shows how the space is a little better. And unfortunately yes it does use DEF .....really wish that would fall off the truck....but can't afford the fines that would follow lol
@@rockyaev8287 thanks. The timing belt ,instead of a chain, pushed me to look harder at the V6. DEF is just a pain..
Two questions for you, my first question is does the zr2 bison have a tow mode/button like the silverado do? My second question is,I've read online that the zr2 diesel bison can tow 7600 lbs, is that correct?
Jaxx Skeliton yes the tow haul is standard in all of the models both gas and diesel, however in addition to the tow haul on the diesel, there is an exhaust brake...the exhaust brake automatically comes on when the tow haul button is depressed.
No the Bison can not legally tow 7,600 pounds,
The regular ZR2 can not legally tow 7,600 pounds either.
We did a follow up towing video where we talk a little more about the weights, check that one out and see if it answers your questions more in depth. Thanks for the comment.
@@rockyaev8287 Would love to see the exhaust brake tested. Save the brakes heating a bit.
The Diesel has an exahust break to increase stopping power did you try it with that activated ?
Eric Perez yes, I never felt it engage.....at least never noticed it, I will be doing more testing soon to see if I notice it
Jammin little tune!
drumtwo4seven it's catchy lol....gotta stick to the copyright free stuff so I don't get myself into trouble
Would you buy this truck if you were only going to tow light loads? What was your gas mileage?
Michael Stone absolutely would, if we were going to tow around 3k up to 5k. But if I were towing say 60% or more of the time I would have opted for the Z71 package. We did a fuel mileage video not to long ago check it out.
I have a bumper pull camper. Will this truck pull it as the camper weight is 7,500 lbs.
The legal answer is "No". The 7,500 pounds is over the manufacture maximum trailer weight which is set at 5,000 pounds for the ZR2 versions of the Colorado. If you had a variant of the Colorado such as the Z71 then the answer would be probably.......meaning the weight is at the maximum for the vehicle to tow, but there are multiple other factors that need to be investigated such as tongue weight, payload weight, etc
What was the tongue weight? That will change the dynamics of how it pulls dramatically. Also sway bars but I see you've already commented on that. Nice explanation of the trailer brakes.
I am not 100% sure, its a good question....I have been wondering this same thing ever since we made the video and had a few questions....so I just purchased a tongue weight scale....so I will do a follow up soon on that. Also after looking at the video a few more times I noticed that the trailer slightly slopes towards the truck once it is connected (this is because the hitch is set for my normal tow vehicle and I did not take the time to adjust for a shorter tow vehicle). This all plays a role in how it pulls.....so long answer is the above....short answer is looks like I need to do a follow up and answer these questions that we all have been asking lol. Thanks for the input for sure.
@@rockyaev8287 That would be awesome to know. Do you own this? I would like to see how a car seat fairs in the back of one of these. Forward facing. Lol
Well between my wife and the bank yes "I" own it hahah.....tell ya what I will ask around and see if I can come up with a car seat to throw in the back seat to see how it goes.......we can test it out for a long legged person (Im 6'1") and a shorter person (wife is .....under 5'5"....not gonna say how far though lol)@@EGGINFOOLS
@@rockyaev8287 That would be awesome! Thanks. I'm 5'6" and my wife is 5'5". Our 3 girls are small. 2 booster seats and a forward facing. I'm really really really trying to convince myself they all fit. I know the boosters will. 😅
EGGINFOOLS haha I got ya....so I made a few requests and got some seats to borrow....I think I have one booster and two carriers.....so when I pick them up in a couple days we will shoot a video to post...but it probably won't be ready for about 10 days
MPG while towing?
I can’t give an honest answer because we truly don’t tow with it, I have a bigger diesel that I use for that. Plus there are to many variables to consider, weight, height, length etc. but I would expect to see numbers in the 12 mpg towing at max weight and a low profile trailer….but I have no numbers to back that statement.
Informative, thanks! But what's with the piano music? My first guess is you lost a bet.
Doc Holliday haha well I wish I could say that.....I had a "friend" do the editing and upload....he said it would be good....he said people would like it....I think this was all just a smoke screen lol it's cool it gives it caricature lol
You need to also add your total payload to that number
Im not 100% sure I know what your talking about.....where do I need to add it?
I know that the payload numbers take away from your tongue weight and towing capabilities.....but not 100% sure what you're saying. Can you give me a little more information? Also I did a follow up video that may answer that question / statement ....maybe lol thanks for the comment.
@@rockyaev8287 Yes i am talking about the GCWR the total of all cargo, passengers stuff in the trailer etc. lots of owners forget that number. thanks for the reply.
@@williamfrancis402 Absolutely, I am about 99% sure I hit on that on the second video....I tried to answer as many questions as possible 😎
Fighting like a mother to get a white Bison. Only 3 in Ohio and all are black :(
That’s crazy, we were trying to get a black one but at the time there was only one built and the dealer wanted way over MSRP to release it! But with that being said we absolutely love the white, my Ram is white and it’s great for the summers in Texas...and it hides the dirt way more than a dark color....man I hope you can find one and snag it up for sure 🇺🇸🤞🏽
@@rockyaev8287 yeah bud I like the white or some other color than black...the black hides the custom AEV trim. I like black on black but I'm not a huge fan of it on this truck. The other corset really highlight what makes this truck unique. If I have to buy black I'll probably wrap it. Thanks for the vids!
I would love to have one in that Satin Steel!
Jessi Taylor got one coming in Satin Steel, gas, ext. cab. No kids , so I’d rather have the long box.
Its funny that you say that about wrapping it....we said the exact same thing! But I know thus far we are super happy with it and don't plan on doing a color change.@@ArkhonXIX
You are supposed to cross the trailer chains like an x
Edit just saw your response to a comment like mine 👍
Flaxen Saxon haha your good.....good catch though 😎🇺🇸 yeah we hooked up several times for video angles....I'm sure at some point part of the video they weren't crossed, but before we hit the road they were...... your absolutely right they are supposed to be crossed.
@@rockyaev8287 good video thanks for the upload!
Oh Shit Marcus Luttrell owns the same truck as Me?????
Camia haha well no....but thanks lol
Is gas better efficient than?
Frankie Mendoza I don't have one to test, but going off of the numbers....since the diesel has more torque it "should" perform better for towing.
My housing isnt that loose that's crazy
AtomicToastCat really? You have the AEV bumper and yours is tight? 🤔🤔🤔 I need to investigate more and see what's broken or not installed correctly on ours!
@@rockyaev8287 no I don't have a bison just a canyon
@@rockyaev8287 also your the first person on TH-cam to complain about brakes. I 100 percent agree with you this truck stops like crap with a tralier. It's actually really sketchy if you ask me but everyone on Instagram says there rigs stop fine but that's hard to belive
Only reason for the zr2 ‘s lower tow rating is engine cooling.
Nick Murdoch actually the lift is the reason for the tow rating drop. The two inch lift, & three and a half inch higher track is the cause. The other reasons is the redesign of the spring and dampener rates. This all changes the capabilities that the truck can handle "safely". Physically it can do more..... just not safely. It changes the angles of the drivetrain, center of gravity etc.
Rocky AEV but mostly that front bumper and engine cooling. I definitely wouldn’t want to tow much more than 5000 pounds with a midsize truck anyway. Keep posting videos really liking the bison.
Nick Murdoch from what I have seen there were so many restrictions put on AEV by Chevy about the design of the bumpers, that it took them a couple years to get it approved. That was one of the tests that they had to pass......the holes on the front of the bumper could not restrict the air flow. Even the way the winch mount was designed it had to be in a way that it did not cover the inlet at all. The rest of the front end is wide open to allow air flow. If you have any information on the bumper causing cooling problems send me a link I would gladly read up, and do a follow up video talking about it and testing things. It's so new we really don't know what problems or if there will be any with the add on stuff. The only issue with cooling I have seen or heard of comes from the transmission skid plate, but that is an extra add on that we do not have. I agree on the towing heavy regularly......it's just not designed for that....but having a truck that can occasionally put the boat in the water and still play on the rocks 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
Rocky AEV yes they were specific in the bumper design requirements to avoid cooling issues. This is not just the bison but with the regular Zr2 as well. Yes the truck is a little higher but it is also a little wider. The multimatics are designed for the truck to get airborne so I highly doubt they are a limiting factor in tow rating. The Zr2 also has a more reinforced frame than the regular Colorado. The truck doesn’t have cooling issues. I like that you said “safely” because the trucks lower tow rating is probably more of a factor of safety than anything. I’m not sure if I like the fender flares on the bison or the regular Zr2 better, I haven’t seen a bison in person yet but I really like the Zr2 flares.
Nick Murdoch yes sir, that's the key...safely....I truly think it will pull much more but to keep my butt out of a mess I am only going to tow within the manufacturing recommendations and talk about that on camera.....😜 I really liked the ZR2 but when we saw them side by side...in our opinion the Bison was the golden ticket haha
Your connector was loose as hell mine isnt that loose at all lol
AtomicToastCat yeah it was pretty bad! I adjusted the clips on the back and it’s better but still not super tight like I want it.
Braking is an issue!l?
If you bought the diesel it engine it should have come with purchasing the exhaust break. Mine did. Just use the exhaust break and you won’t have braking issues when towing.
TFlorida1 it did come with an exhaust break, thus far I have not been impressed with how well it works, for me it's not aggressive enough.
@@rockyaev8287 I agree on steep grades at high speeds it works alright, but actually stopping, the engine brake seems to turn off when you get around 35 or 40 mph
Cody Vance gosh I am behind schedule....but I have a video that I'm trying to finish so I can drop it that covers so much in this subject....yeah it works.....just not very strongly
all the exhaust brake does is adjust the turbo vanes. with the tiny little turbo our 2.8s have, the exhaust brake isnt doing much of anything at all. It does help, but its marginally above a gimmick. at best its good for grade braking fro those in the hilly regions
Blazinfire97 you are 100% correct.....I am used to larger vehicles that brake hard with the exhaust brake....it does "work"but barely noticeable......and you have to be watching the RPM's to see it!
I tried my exhaust break when not towing and it felt like it smoothed out the braking more than anything else.
Garci96b 🤔 I still have not felt it really kick in.....maybe it is and I just can't tell.. I wish I knew someone else who has a diesel that I could ride with and see how theirs acts.....I just can't feel it
The exhaust brake is designed primarily to hold your speed on a grade, where you can use the load as a constant, steady RPM. I’ve used mine 17 GMC Canyon
LWB 2.8 LST, in the mountains of British Columbia 29ft travel trailer grossing slightly under 12.000 lbs. if you drive sensibly and don’t come off the top doing
65 mph it will do the job it’s intended to do all day long. The person earlier who commented about the 2.8’s not having enough power on a 15% grade is
missing the point like a lot of people who have misconceptions about the abilities of this truck. I say take it for what it is, and enjoy it. If you feel compelled
to tinker with it, to see what it will do to entertain you, that’s your business. I like to do more with less, and I think this is a great little truck for someone
who wants to go on extended road trips without robbing all the banks along the way to finance it. These little trucks aren’t cheap to buy, and I’ll guarantee
you they’re not cheap to fix either, so don’t f with it.
@@georgerenton965 I agree with what you said for sure. I am not modifying anything on either one of our trucks again (other than simple stock for stock upgrades) I have heavily modified things before and it was great.....for a while, until things started breaking. Your right about driving sensible....thats kind of my point about a lot of the things I have said "I feel like it will pull more, just not stop it", take that for what its worth. By no means am I suggesting to pull more than the truck is rated for, for several reasons...I don't want someone coming back and saying well Eric said I could lol, two, you will void any warranty you have if they find out the reason your snapping U-Joints at a 15,000 mile interval haha. But if someone who knew they were overloaded was gentle on the accelerator and tripled their following distance I believe this truck would be perfect for most weekenders. Only thing is....I must advocate for staying within the manufacture weight specs for towing so that I do not lead others into trouble 😉 Thanks for the comment for sure
GM Products are junk dude.
Todd bob thanks for the comment, even though I disagree....I am curious why you feel that way.
Oxy Moron calling that "little " jet ski puller a Bison? great marketing chevy more like " the Angry Fawn! would be a more fitting name. LOL cute little truck though, almost as much tow capacity as a jeep rubicon LOL Bison! hahahahaa!!
Scott wads ouch...you hurt Rocky's feelings! He's a strong little truck 😜 I'm currently working on a new video that breaks down towing capacities and hard numbers....I'm gonna make some viewers mad, some sad....stick around for that one, I was quite surprised what I found.
The colorado no good the engine
You don't like the mini max? Whats your reasons? Just curious....thanks for the comment
your name 🤔 good to know, glad to hear that you like it...but I do agree about the turbo lag....we want to wake it up but don't want to mess with warranty things
Did you turn on the exhaust brake?
"Familiarize yourself first with the controller location and operation before you hit the road." A crucial and life-saving advice here. Thanks.
jkwo2007 thanks for the comment, yeah it’s really important and many people I’m afraid don’t know how to stop excessive trailer sway properly...hopefully this little bit of info will help someone in the future
if you want to tow, don't get a ZR2. Get a 2WD. The ZR2 is not intended for towing.
opjoipopikopp[pl[p[ yep, this is not my primary tow vehicle, but it's nice to pull a boat if you want or need too
The z71 is a lot better than the zr2 for towing as stated in the beginning of this video and I can verify that as an owner. The Duramax will start to pull better around 16k- 20k miles at least for me and it was noticeable difference.
Awesome, thanks for the input. We love our ZR2, been a great purchase for us.
Needed this in a pinch before hauling something. Excellent review man thanks!!
Absolutely! Glad it was helpful, thanks for watching.
Sorry for my ignorance but is a surge brake different from a trailer brake? I have a surge on mine
No worries, yeah a surge brake is different.....the way a surge brake works is on the hitch of the trailer you will have a sliding section, as you apply more braking power from the tow vehicle the trailer will press against the tow vehicle... when it presses against the tow vehicle it will slide that section on the trailer and then engage the trailer brakes.
The harder the tow vehicle stops / slows the more pressure that is applied to the surge brake...the more trailer brakes are applied.
Electric brakes simply take the electrical signal produced directly from the vehicle brake position and send a signal to the trailer. Thats how you can adjust the braking power to the trailer. Give it more gain and it will have more breaking power, less gain equals less brake.
Hope this helps 😎
Rocky AEV
Awesome info. Thanks!
dominionn09 absolutely 😎
Is that cavalry baptist church In Beaumont I was there with team rubicon helping out during Katrina
Eduardo Boom no, it's lakeview baptist in belton....how did you help during Katrina? I was part of a strike team when Harvey hit Houston a couple years ago.
th-cam.com/video/1qUuqi4iEGA/w-d-xo.html
I was with Team rubicon a veteran non profit disaster response team I did muck outs and mold remidiation to 20 plus homes in the Beaumont area loved it there will be returning soon maybe star both our bisons in a video lol
Eduardo Boom jump over to Facebook and pm us....we can definitely try and make it happen! Stay tuned we have a video of someone else's Bison coming up soon, plus a video of us out doing some light wheeling 😎
Good to know