Q: towing 2004 Sunline 264SR with 2010 Chevy Silverado 1500

[willdennis]

Hi all,

Wy wife and I saw a super nice, clean 2004 264SR at a dealer last Friday. We are total newb's to trailering / towing, so we took the sales guy's word on his showing us TT's that he said our truck (a 2010 Chevy Silverado 1500 with the 5.3L V8, Z71 suspension and trailering pkg with 3.42 axle ratio) could tow. We really liked the layout of the Sunline over anything else we saw that day, and I have heard that the Sunline brand is high quality, and it was offered at a price we could afford. So, we went ahead the next day and put a deposit on it, because we didn't want it to get away from us. In the meantime, since my wife and I are inveterate researchers, we tried to quickly learn all we could about towing safely and what our truck could handle towing.

Here are the relevant numbers from the owner's manual for my truck's configuration:

Curb weight 5445 lbs
Max trlr weight 9500
GCWR 15000
GWVR 7000
Max payload 1721
GAWR (rear&front) 3950
Max tongue weight 1100

I did post a similar question to this one on RV.net (apologies for the cross-post for those of you who frequent both places) and a member here advised me to get my truck weighed with the appropriate passengers and gear in it to see what capacity is left over for the hitch weight. So I did that yesterday, and the truck came in at 6,400 lbs. So the difference between that and GWVR is only 600 lbs. I have seen from the Sunline hitch weight chart of this site, as well as a few ppl's comments posted on the thread at RV.net, that the loaded hitch weight would be around 1,100 lbs. for this trailer. So that means that it's too heavy for my truck?? All the other weight param's look OK to me except this one... Can you please advise me whether or not I should get this TT or not?

Was really hoping to join your ranks here.... We shall see.

Thanks all,
Will

[kanyonkitty]

Hi Will,

Glad to see you over here.

Some of the guys here will be able to explain more "weight" stuff to you than I did.

OH, when you said you put "camping stuff" in the truck bed, is this stuff that might/could be put in the trailer, not sure that would help much, but it just might.

A few of the guys will be along shortly I'm sure and they will give you great info to keep your family & rig safe.

Fortunately, the members in this group think "safety", and will tell you "honest" info.

Kitty

[Steve Collins]

The '04 264SR is GVWR'ed at 8,600#. While the truck is rated to pull 9,500#, the hitch weight issue is working against you.

8,600# trailer GVWR plus 7,000# truck GVWR brings you over the CGWR by 600#.

You are right on the edge if you need to carry lots of gear and liquids in your holding tanks or travel at higher altitudes which greatly decreases the abilities of the truck.

Most folks with trailers at or above 7,000# GVWR are using 2500 or 3500 trucks. Heavier suspensions, higher CGWR, and more all mean a safer and better towing situation.

If you read back through some the threads in the Towing and Tow Vehicles section, you'll quickly see that it is typical for sales folks to ignore the gross weight of a trailer and try to convince you that your truck will safely pull a heavy trailer. You will also notice that almost all of us are towing trailers like the 264SR with 2500's or 3500's. Many of us started with 1500 series trucks and moved up because of the exact issues that are discussed here.

One other thing is working against you. The low gear ratio (3.42) is not good for trailering. The higher the number, the better off you'll be. 3.53 at a minimum and preferably 3.73 or even 3.93 are much better. 4.10's are ideal, but cut into fuel mileage quite a bit.

I just met a guy last week who is in a very similar situation. He was looking at a trailer similar to the 264SR. The salesman was good enough to point out that my friend would not be happy pulling it with a 1/2 ton Tundra. I felt that was good advice coming from an RV salesman. He ended up buying a lighter trailer from that dealership.

I think you are in exactly the same situation. IMHO, you would be happier and safer with a lighter trailer or a beefier truck.

[MACK C-85]

I started similarly. We bought a T-276SR, same weight ranges as the 264. We had a Dodge 1500, 5.2 V8, Off-Road Pkg. that truck will pull just about anything, just don't ask it to do it fast. We knew the 276 was what we really wanted, and knew we would eventually need to upgrade the truck. So, we went ahead bought the trailer we wanted and babied (lightly loaded, slower speeds, etc) the truck for about 18 months. Then we found a used Dodge 2500 Cummins Diesel, it is MUCH happier pulling the trailer. We never had any issues with the 1500, in fact, I still have it and would not hesitate to tow the 276 with it if necessary.

Mack

[GoodoleBob]

Hi Will,

I want to commend you on doing the research first and providing a lot of good data for those who can assess it and help you make good choices.

The right tow vehicle can make all the difference in the world for an enjoyable towing experience or a scary trip each time out.

I'm towing a 2499 Sunline, which is a stage lighter that the model your researching at 7000 LBS GVWR. I use a Dodge 2500 series truck with a diesel motor. This makes towing it a dream, and I can often tell where I'm very glad of this trucks towing capability verses something less equal.

Stay tuned to the realities of the numbers...very worth it in the long run.

Bob

[luvrque]

Originally Posted by willdennis

Hi all,
our truck (a 2010 Chevy Silverado 1500 with the 5.3L V8, Z71 suspension and trailering pkg with 3.42 axle ratio)

Here are the relevant numbers from the owner's manual for my truck's configuration:

Curb weight 5445 lbs
Max trlr weight 9500
GCWR 15000
GWVR 7000
Max payload 1721
GAWR (rear&front) 3950
Max tongue weight 1100
Can you please advise me whether or not I should get this TT or not?
Was really hoping to join your ranks here.... We shall see.

Thanks all,
Will

Hi Will,

I agree 100% with all Steve had to say. To repeat a 3.42 axle ratio is not good for towing unless you were towing a TT half the weight of the 2004 264SR you are looking at and even then a 3.73 would be better.
With that TV/TT combo you are right at the edge. I & many others here like to have 20% or more extra weight capacity.
You have a 2010 truck so,I would think you are NOT looking to upgrade.
So I think you would be much better off getting a much lighter TT ....IMHO
I guess if you were not going on any long trips & without many hills, it would do till you upgrade your TV. Again having a NEW 2010 truck I don't think you are looking to do that.
Good Luck with what ever you decide.

[campin'dude]

We are on our 3rd season towing a 2007 T-276SR (similar size/weight as 264SR) with an 2002 F-150 Supercrew Lariat 4X4 FX4 with the 5.4L engine. Our truck had the 3.55 factory gears and I didn't even try towing with that setup. I had the truck upgraded to 4.10s which cost me $1400 for parts & labor plus another $200 for a Hypertech programmer to recalibrate the speedo. It also allowed me to firm up the transmission shifts.

I am very happy with the combo... The unloaded gas mileage of the truck has actually increased about 1 mpg since it just locks into O/D and never downshifts for small hills. I am also very happy with how it tows even through the mountains of PA and NY (I had to get down to 45 mph on the steepest one). It won't win any races but cruises along easily, is very stable with the 1.2K/12K Reese dual-cam setup and seems to stop just fine. The hitch weight does not seem to be an issue... with the hitch properly configured the back end squats just a tiny bit.

I wouldn't hesitate to tow that trailer with a newer truck like yours if you have your gears swapped. Make sure you use good parts and find a reputable shop that has experience in doing that kind of work. But, if you are not willing to upgrade the gears because of cost or warranty concerns then you are probably better off looking at a lighter trailer. Just my 2 cents...
　

[willdennis]

Thanks to everyone who posted their honest opinions here. We have come to the conclusion (sniff) that this TT is too much for our truck to handle. But, saftey first, especially with a new baby boy riding in the cab...

I found a neat TT Weight Calculator on RV Camping & RV Lifestyle - Changin' Gears, it's at Travel Trailer Weight Calculator - sure wish I knew about this before we went out trailer shopping... When I plugged my numbers into it, it has me at a max 5,300 lb TT with a max 800 lb tongue weight. Which is about what you folks (and the folks on RV.net) have suggested.

So, I won't be a Sunliner at this point... It's too bad, that 264SR was a beauty. If anyone's interested, I can direct you to where it's at. Any suggestions on what I should be looking at within my weight range?

Thanks again all,

Will

[264SRinPA]

I wouldn't take that weight calculator to seriously. I tried it and it said my F-250 diesel can only tow a 7200# trailer. And only 5800# with a safety margin.

As Kitty asked, what all did you have in the bed of your truck when you weighed it? Everything we need stays in the trailer except toys and firewood. And we are still at 7500#

[willdennis]

Originally Posted by 264SRinPA

As Kitty asked, what all did you have in the bed of your truck when you weighed it? Everything we need stays in the trailer except toys and firewood. And we are still at 7500#

We had about 200 lbs of camping stuff. We also have the ARE cap on the bed, so that's about 200 lbs, give or take. I'd think I'd want to carry a certain amt of stuff in the bed (firewood, generator, coolers, some water, baby things, etc.) as we have windoors on the cap and it's easy to get things in/out of the bed, even if we can't fully open the rear hatch. Thanks, Will

[rebellious78]

We have a 2006 264-SR and our first truck was an 06 F-350 5.4 triton V8 with the 3.73. It handled the Sunny great, but to us the motor was a little on the small side going up mountains, but not a struggle at all. Our tongue weight fully loaded was 1100 pounds. This was without fresh water in the tank. ( we usually never tow with a full tank of water btw). Safety is key. There is several other Sunlines ( you can't beat the quality and workmanship) that would be perfect for your truck.
We now have a 2011 F-250 6.7 PSD and tows the 264-SR much easier.
Good luck and welcome to the forum!!!

[willdennis]

So I've been looking on Craigslist, and there's quite a few Sunline Solaris TT's out there for sale. So maybe I could join the club after all I've been mainly concentrating on the 200[x] models (where x = 2,3,4 in what I've found so far) and there's a bunch from 2000 back into the 90's also available. Any years better than others? (I'm assuming materials and construction techniques improved each year...) The weights on the Solaris line are much more in line with my truck's cap'y than the SR series...

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by willdennis

So I've been looking on Craigslist, and there's quite a few Sunline Solaris TT's out there for sale. So maybe I could join the club after all I've been mainly concentrating on the 200[x] models (where x = 2,3,4 in what I've found so far) and there's a bunch from 2000 back into the 90's also available. Any years better than others? (I'm assuming materials and construction techniques improved each year...) The weights on the Solaris line are much more in line with my truck's cap'y than the SR series...

I heard a long time ago that the fabrics in the 2001-2003's weren't very durable as they had to replace quite a few. I've yet to see a lot that were replaced, unless they had the same fabric left over still.

You could probably look at the Low Profile SR models from the early '00's, they don't way as much and the smaller frontal area is where you'd really benefit. I don't remember the weights off the top of my head though to know if they'd be a good match though. Go check out the T-270SR, T-300SR, and T-295SR from 1998 through about 2001-2002.

Jon

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by willdennis

So I've been looking on Craigslist, and there's quite a few Sunline Solaris TT's out there for sale. So maybe I could join the club after all I've been mainly concentrating on the 200[x] models (where x = 2,3,4 in what I've found so far) and there's a bunch from 2000 back into the 90's also available. Any years better than others? (I'm assuming materials and construction techniques improved each year...) The weights on the Solaris line are much more in line with my truck's cap'y than the SR series...

They are all nice. However the 2004 model year and forward did have some upgrades.

The HW heater was an Atwood upgrade. The 2003's worked just as good however the control boards and the electric portion was upgraded.

The power convertor was upgrade to 60 amp in many cases over the prior 45 amp.

The fresh water hold tank grew in size on many of the models.

Cargo hole doors became larger on many models.

2004 also marked a year when they changed the from Oak to Maple. Both are very nice it is just the model year the Maple Shaker cabinet look came.

Some of the 2004's and forward has torsion spring suspension in place of the leaf springs.

A battery disconnect switch appeared on the A frame header so you do not have to unhook the battery wires.

Again all this things where just a progression of the next generation. The prior 2004 units where very good I just mention this as if you find a floor plan you like and you find a 2003 and a 2004 you can find these differences.

Good luck. If you find a good Sunline in good shape, (well cared for) they are still far better then many new brands.

John