Weight Distribution Bars

[Pistol Pete]

Can someone out there help decide which bars to buy.
I have a 1500 GMC 4 door pick-up w/ a 24 foot enclosed trailer, 10,000 gw

Is there a better brand of bars to buy than other brands, such as : curt, reese or draw tite.

Which set-up would you buy if you had this truck & trailer combo ???


Thx

Pistol Pete
1374-Stock

[Rich Biebel]

Pete....a 1/2 ton pickup needs all the help it can get towing a box trailer.....I have used a Reese hitch for well over 20 years on various trucks and highly recommend this setup. Buy their Cam sway control with 1000lb bars........Your truck will benefit from taking the load off the hitch and the cam sway control will eliminate any sway issues......Your truck has smallish tires/ brakes and rear springs........the bars will help a lot. Put bigger tires on the truck and make sure the brakes are good on the truck and trailer. Towing is not so much about going.....it's more about stopping!....Go with Reese.....Dual Cam Sway and the big trunion style bars.......I have all the same stuff since the late 80's when I bought my first box trailer........

P.S. I raced Freddie Krawiec........in SS/JA class runoffs at the SummerNats in about 1981 or 1982......He won.....but I was out in front a good ways down track before he drove around me......and yes I did copy the paint secheme from your car but it was pretty common back then and lots of others had similar looking paint.......

[Philip Saran]

Pete, first thing you need to do is get the tonge of the trailer weighed,
with the trailer loaded, that will give you the weight you need for the
torshion bars either 700 or 1000 lb bars is what you will end up with.

You will also need to add a set of Airbags to the trucks rear suspension
to handle the load.

I drive a 2004 F350 4x4 superduty diesel and it is fine just towing a
trailer, but when I add the 9ft-11in cab over camper it adds 2700 lbs
and I need air bags to handle the extra weight.

You can google airbags and find a ton of info and pricing.

[Lew Silverman]

Pete,

10K sounds like a lot of weight for a 1/2T pick-up. You didn't mention how the truck was equipped (engine, trans, rear axle gear ratio), but most small pick-up trucks aren't rated to haul that much weight. There are a number of websites which list the Gross Vehicle Weight and Gross Combined Weight of the various combination's, and depending on how your truck is optioned, you might want to consider a heavier-duty truck. The air-bags are a good idea, but they won't help you when you need to stop! I've been using the Reese Load Equalizing Hitch and Sway Control for years and they work very well if not overloaded.

Good Luck!

Lew

[jim powers]

pete , 1000 bars and sway control a must for what you are trying to accomplish with the 1/2/ton pick up!!

[cad]

Pete,
I have a Reese 14k/1400 tongue hitch # 63970.


I pulled my 24' Haulmark (10k gvw) with a golf cart in the front and my 68 Camaro using a 2001 Z71 with a 5.3 and 3.73s for 2 years before getting a 2500 Dodge 5.9. You should have the biggest trans cooler on the truck as possible.
I used the equalizer bars with no sway control. I had no other spring helpers. The equalizer hitch with the 1200 lb bars worked great. I only had issues with a head wind. Otherwise, put it in tow-haul and let er rip.
I got about 8.5 mpg.

Clark Doukas

[Pistol Pete]

Thanks everyone for your input.
I will certainly put the information to good use.




Pistol Pete

[Bob Mulry]

Hi,

These specs apply to a 2008 model year because that is the latest year that is posted and they should be similar to most current GM models.....

Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra, Light Duty,
Crew Cab Shortbed
Vehicle Engine Tow Limit (LB)
1500 CC Shortbed 2WD 4.8L V-8 4,600 (d)
1500 CC Shortbed 2WD 4.8L V-8 6,600 (g)
1500 CC Shortbed 2WD 5.3L V-8 6,600 (e)
1500 CC Shortbed 2WD 5.3L V-8 7,600 (g)
1500 CC Shortbed 2WD 6.0L V-8 8,700 (g)
1500 CC Shortbed 2WD 6.0L V-8 10,200 (g)**
1500 CC Shortbed 2WD 6.2L V-8 8,600 (e)*
1500 CC Shortbed 4WD 4.8L V-8 5,400 (e)
1500 CC Shortbed 4WD 4.8L V-8 7,400 (i)
1500 CC Shortbed 4WD 5.3L V-8 7,500 (g)
1500 CC Shortbed 4WD 5.3L V-8 8,500 (i)
1500 CC Shortbed 4WD 6.0L V-8 8,400 (g)
1500 CC Shortbed 4WD 6.0L V-8 10,500 (i)**
1500 CC Shortbed 4WD 6.2L V-8 8,400 (e)*
Manufacturer’s note: Shortbed models are not designed or intended to tow fifth-wheel
trailers. *Denali model. **NHT Enhanced Trailering Performance Package required.




Key To Charts
a = Automatic Transmission
a4 = Automatic Transmission, four speeds
a5 = Automatic Transmission, five speeds
a6 = Automatic Transmission, six speeds
m= Manual Transmission
I-4 2,100 (g)/3,000 (g)
b = 3.08:1 axle ratio
c = 3.21:1 axle ratio
d = 3.23:1 axle ratio
e = 3.42:1 axle ratio
f = 3.55:1 axle ratio
g = 3.73:1 axle ratio
h = 3.92:1 axle ratio
i = 4.10:1 axle ratio
j = 4.30:1 axle ratio
k = 4.44:1 axle ratio
l = 4.56:1 axle ratio
n = 4.88:1 axle ratio
o = 5.38:1 axle ratio
AWD = All-Wheel Drive
CC = Crew Cab
KC = King Cab
QC = Quad Cab
SWB= Short Wheelbase
LWB = Long Wheelbase
DRW= Dual Rear Wheels
CV = Cargo Van
PV = Passenger Van
RCC = Regular Chassis Cab
SCC = Super Chassis Cab
CCC = Crew Chassis Cab
TD = Turbodiesel
TC = Turbocharged
SC = Supercharged
NA = Not applicable, or not available
t = Towing package required.
x = Trailer brakes required.

This info is available on-line at the Trailer Life web site...

Have fun,
Bob