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  1. #1
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    18 Sierra towing 2800BH vs 2400BH

    Hi everyone,
    First post. I’m looking at buying a 2800BH or a 2400BH but seeing if I can safely pull it with our tow vehicle.
    I have a 2018 Sierra 1500 crew cab short box 4x4 with a 5.3L w/ AFM 6 speed transmission.
    Tow rating is 9100lbs
    3.42 gears
    Occupant weights in vehicle would be around 600 lbs
    GVWR 7200lbs
    GAWR FRT 3950lbs
    GAWR RR 3950lbs
    GCWR - 15000 lbs
    Max tongue load is 910 lbs (dealer says)
    Sticker on hitch says max tongue load is 1200 lbs
    Combined weight of occupants and cargo cannot exceed 1601 lbs
    I plan on using a Equalizer weight distribution hitch.

    2800BH Specs

    UVW 6091 lbs
    Hitch weight 575 lbs
    GVWR 7595 lbs

    2400BH Specs

    UVW 5595 lbs
    Hitch weight 505 lbs
    GVWR 7495 lbs

    Would I be able to tow these safely? Thanks for your help.
    Last edited by Wheelieover; 05-31-2018 at 12:41 PM.

  2. #2
    Site Sponsor jw^2 family's Avatar
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    Wheelieover,

    The brief answer is that there are probably a lot of 2400BH and 2800BH trailers being pulled by trucks similar to yours.

    Your off to a good start gathering numbers to crunch. Here are the numbers that I would pay attention to -

    1. Trailer weight - This is the easy one that you've already got the numbers for: Your truck is rated for a trailer up to 9,100-lbs. which is greater than the GVWR of either the 2400BH or the 2800BH.

    2. Combined weight - You'll want to find your truck's Gross Combined Weight Rating. This is usually listed in the truck manufacturer's towing guide. A shortcut to check whether you're within this rating is to add your truck's GVWR with the trailer's GVWR. As long as your truck's GCWR is greater than this sum, then you're okay. This shortcut method actually builds in a factor of safety because part of the trailer's gross vehicle weight will be tongue weight that is actually carried in the truck's gross weight.

    3. Truck hitch weight - You'll want to find your truck's hitch receiver weight rating. There's usually a sticker on the hitch receiver that lists the hitch weight ratings (usually two ratings; one of hitch carrying and one for weight-distributing). Since you've already mentioned the Equal-i-zer hitch, you'll want to pay attention to the weight-distributing hitch rating. Hitch weight is typically calculated as the trailer tongue weight plus the weight of any cargo carried in the truck bed behind the truck's rear axle (including the weight of the hitch itself). For estimating the trailer tongue weight, ignore the unloaded tongue weights advertised by Grand Design. Instead, take the trailer's GVWR and follow the convention of the tongue weight being between 10% to 15% of the trailer weight. So if you picked 12.5%, you'd be looking at an estimated maximum tongue weight of 937-lbs. for the 2400BH or 949-lbs. for the 2800BH. For our 2018 2800BH we're seeing a hitch weight of about 1,000-lbs. when the trailer is fully loaded ready-for-camping. Besides checking against your truck's rating, you can also use this estimate method to determine which hitch to go with. We're using the 1,200-lbs./12,000-lbs. Equal-i-zer hitch to pull our 2800BH.

    4. Truck payload weight - This is probably the limiting factor for most half-ton trucks. You've already got the 1,601-lbs. rating from the sticker on your truck, and you've already estimated the weight of occupants. Now just add the estimated weight of an cargo that will be carried in your truck plus the estimated hitch weight described above. For example 600-lbs. of occupants plus 949-lbs. estimated tongue weight would leave you 52-lbs. of capacity to stay within your truck's payload rating. Factor in the weight of the Equal-i-zer hitch and your right at your truck's maximum payload.

    All of these weight estimates can be confirmed by a few trips across the nearest CAT Scale before and after you take delivery of your trailer. That will also allow you to check actual axle weights vs. your truck's front and rear axle ratings, and help you figure out whether your weight distributing hitch is dialed in correctly.
    Last edited by jw^2 family; 12-08-2018 at 09:51 AM. Reason: Correction about where to find GCWR
    Joe & Joy + children
    2018 Imagine 2800BH
    2022 F250 Crew Cab 4x4 Tremor, 7.3L V8
    Equal-i-zer 1,200/12,000 lb. hitch


  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper Skirugger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jw^2 family View Post
    4. Truck payload weight - This is probably the limiting factor for most half-ton trucks.
    JW^2,

    You hit the nail right on the head, for us anyway. We really liked the 2800bh and were luckily also looking at the tow vehicle at the same time. Payload, Payload, Payload! I know what kind of campers we are (me and 3 girls) and I knew I would be maxing out an F-150 with the 2800bh, so we went with an F-250 and I’m already wishing we would have just bought a 350. I was surprised when picking our 2800bh, how very different the dry weights were on the trailers. We weren’t even close to the website #’s. Our hitch weight ended up being about 1100lbs. I love the truck, and the trailer, and I’m confident a 1/2 ton will pull it, but for us, we wanted to be able to bring bikes, kayaks, surf boards, grill, scooters, extra tools, a big pop-up canopy, hoses, bags, coolers, etc etc. and the occasional friend, so we went bigger on the tow vehicle for the 2800.

    Just our two cents, hope it helps!

    -Jim-
    Jim

    2017 F-250 6.7L Fx4 Lariat Long Bed Crew Cab “Daisy”
    using Blue Ox Swaypro 1500S towing
    2018 Imagine 2800BH “River”
    ReTrax MX Pro Tonneau
    70” Thule Rack System
    MORryde CRE 3000
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    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  4. #4
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    Wheelieover,

    I towed our 2017 2800BH for a year with our F150 (2015 tow package 3.5 eco) with a payload of 1561 and while it did pull, it was not enjoyable. Having never towed anything in my life before I didn't know what the experience should be like so I thought it was fine. I was wrong, we had a lot of sway issues and were probably overloaded. The first ride home from the RV dealer we bought it from was a little nerve racking and I did not feel like I could safely exceed 55 mph. According to the dealer everything was setup correctly with sway bars and such but it still never felt steady. The 2800 is pretty long and with almost every vehicle (Semi to small car) passing us I would feel movement and be pushed around. After a year and some other issues with ford we decided to upgrade and are now using a 2017 Titan XD and it makes a huge difference. The weight and payload of the tow vehicle is very important. I now have 2204 payload and towing is much easier, I very rarely feel sway now and hardly every get pushed around. I can even drive the speed limit (65-70) if i want.

    A half ton will tow the 2800 but it will be a much easier drive in a larger truck. Here is a good simple calculator I found that helped me out:

    http://towingplanner.com/Calculators...ayloadEstimate

    Good luck,

    Frank

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    Thanks for all the answers and information! The biggest part is I would like the trailer to tow comfortably. So it might look like we have to pass on the 2800BH and the 2400BH might be a better option for this tow vehicle? Or do you think the 2400BH might be stretching it too?

    Also just found out
    GCWR - 15000 lbs
    Max tongue load is 910 lbs
    Last edited by Wheelieover; 05-30-2018 at 10:57 AM.

  6. #6
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    Dealer said Max tongue is 910 lbs
    But found the sticker on the hitch saying 1200 lbs
    Don’t know witch to follow? Sticker says that tow vehicle rating maybe less, which it is at 9100 lbs

  7. #7
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    Wheelieover,

    I usually trust stickers over what the dealer says, they don't always know what they are talking about and mostly want to make a sale. Depending on where you live you might be able to find local RV service shop and see if they can answer your questions. I would do some research and look for one with positive reviews. For the first year we did everything thru the dealer we purchased from, it was a total nightmare. They were always busy, would not return phone calls, would take weeks to schedule an appointment and sometimes need multiple followups to fix things. It got to the point where my wife was ready to "sell the damn thing" but then it dawned on us, why are we going to the dealer, we don't take our car back to the dealer, we use our trusted mechanic. Turned out there was a great shop right down the street from where we store our RV. Now we go to them first and so far have had positive experiences.

    Frank

  8. #8
    Site Sponsor jw^2 family's Avatar
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    Wheelieover,

    I agree with Frank; follow actual ratings posted on your vehicle rather than possibly arbitrary numbers that your dealer might not even understand. It sounds like your dealer is just telling you 10% X max. trailer weight of 9,100-lbs. = 910-lbs. for trailer tongue weight. Maybe the dealer doesn't understand the conventional relationship between trailer tongue weight and trailer gross weight, so he's just figuring 10% of the trailer gross weight rating.

    Here's a link to GMC's Trailering Guide for the 2017 model year (I couldn't find the 2018 model year):

    http://www.gmc.com/content/dam/gmc/n...ring-guide.pdf

    On page 17 it lists the ratings for various configurations of the Sierra 1500 which match the 9,100-lbs. you indicated in your original post. The note at the lower right corner of that page says "Trailer tongue weight should be 10 percent to 15 percent of total loaded trailer weight. For 1500 Series models, trailer tongue weight should be up to 1200 lbs."

    It would seem to me that the three constraints implied by all the information from GMC are 1) trailer gross weight should not exceed 9,100-lbs.; 2) trailer tongue weight should not exceed 1,200-lbs.; and 3) trailer tongue weight should be in the range of 10% to 15% of trailer gross weight without exceeding either of the first two constraints. I would understand all of that to mean that if the trailer tongue weight is only 10% of the trailer gross weight, then the trailer gross weight is the limiting factor (max trailer gross weight = 9,100-lbs. even though corresponding trailer tongue weight might only be 910-lbs.). Conversely, if the trailer tongue weight is 15% of the trailer gross weight, then the trailer tongue weight is the limiting factor (max trailer tongue weight = 1,200-lbs. even though corresponding trailer gross weight might only be 8,000-lbs.).

    It would be interesting to know what your dealer's explanation is for his max. trailer tongue weight of 910-lbs.
    Joe & Joy + children
    2018 Imagine 2800BH
    2022 F250 Crew Cab 4x4 Tremor, 7.3L V8
    Equal-i-zer 1,200/12,000 lb. hitch


  9. #9
    New Member logroller's Avatar
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    Final verdict and your tow numbers/trailer?

    Quote Originally Posted by jw^2 family View Post
    Wheelieover,

    The brief answer is that there are probably a lot of 2400BH and 2800BH trailers being pulled by trucks similar to yours.

    Your off to a good start gathering numbers to crunch. Here are the numbers that I would pay attention to -

    1. Trailer weight - This is the easy one that you've already got the numbers for: Your truck is rated for a trailer up to 9,100-lbs. which is greater than the GVWR of either the 2400BH or the 2800BH.

    2. Combined weight - You'll want to find your truck's Gross Combined Weight Rating. This is usually listed on the same sticker that lists your truck's GVWR and GAWRs. A shortcut to check whether you're within this rating is to add your truck's GVWR with the trailer's GVWR. As long as your truck's GCWR is greater than this sum, then you're okay. This shortcut method actually builds in a factor of safety because part of the trailer's gross vehicle weight will be tongue weight that is actually carried in the truck's gross weight.

    3. Truck hitch weight - You'll want to find your truck's hitch receiver weight rating. There's usually a sticker on the hitch receiver that lists the hitch weight ratings (usually two ratings; one of hitch carrying and one for weight-distributing). Since you've already mentioned the Equal-i-zer hitch, you'll want to pay attention to the weight-distributing hitch rating. Hitch weight is typically calculated as the trailer tongue weight plus the weight of any cargo carried in the truck bed behind the truck's rear axle (including the weight of the hitch itself). For estimating the trailer tongue weight, ignore the unloaded tongue weights advertised by Grand Design. Instead, take the trailer's GVWR and follow the convention of the tongue weight being between 10% to 15% of the trailer weight. So if you picked 12.5%, you'd be looking at an estimated maximum tongue weight of 937-lbs. for the 2400BH or 949-lbs. for the 2800BH. For our 2018 2800BH we're seeing a hitch weight of about 1,000-lbs. when the trailer is fully loaded ready-for-camping. Besides checking against your truck's rating, you can also use this estimate method to determine which hitch to go with. We're using the 1,200-lbs./12,000-lbs. Equal-i-zer hitch to pull our 2800BH.

    4. Truck payload weight - This is probably the limiting factor for most half-ton trucks. You've already got the 1,601-lbs. rating from the sticker on your truck, and you've already estimated the weight of occupants. Now just add the estimated weight of an cargo that will be carried in your truck plus the estimated hitch weight described above. For example 600-lbs. of occupants plus 949-lbs. estimated tongue weight would leave you 52-lbs. of capacity to stay within your truck's payload rating. Factor in the weight of the Equal-i-zer hitch and your right at your truck's maximum payload.

    All of these weight estimates can be confirmed by a few trips across the nearest CAT Scale before and after you take delivery of your trailer. That will also allow you to check actual axle weights vs. your truck's front and rear axle ratings, and help you figure out whether your weight distributing hitch is dialed in correctly.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wheelieover View Post
    Hi everyone,
    First post. I’m looking at buying a 2800BH or a 2400BH but seeing if I can safely pull it with our tow vehicle.
    I have a 2018 Sierra 1500 crew cab short box 4x4 with a 5.3L w/ AFM 6 speed transmission.
    Tow rating is 9100lbs
    3.42 gears
    Occupant weights in vehicle would be around 600 lbs
    GVWR 7200lbs
    GAWR FRT 3950lbs
    GAWR RR 3950lbs
    GCWR - 15000 lbs
    Max tongue load is 910 lbs (dealer says)
    Sticker on hitch says max tongue load is 1200 lbs
    Combined weight of occupants and cargo cannot exceed 1601 lbs
    I plan on using a Equalizer weight distribution hitch.

    2800BH Specs

    UVW 6091 lbs
    Hitch weight 575 lbs
    GVWR 7595 lbs

    2400BH Specs

    UVW 5595 lbs
    Hitch weight 505 lbs
    GVWR 7495 lbs

    Would I be able to tow these safely? Thanks for your help.
    The short answer is yes. There is another thread where a member is pulling the 2800 with the same truck with no issues. I pull an Imagine 2600RB at times with a with a full tank of water on top of other stuff and it pulls great. Todays' direct injected engines pull nicely with more low end torque where you will be towing at 60 mph at 2K RPM in 5th gear for a 6 speed.
    MidwestCamper

    Jim & Dawn
    Near Milford, Michigan
    2017 Imagine 2600RB
    2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Double Cab 4x4

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