Posted by Traveler on July 13, 01 at 11:16:34:
In Reply to: Re: truck and camper size posted by JJ on July 13, 01 at 11:04:39:
There have been a lot of 1500 owners who point out they should have been OK with their loads on this forum.
I think one contributor to the problem is the way GM specifies the max trailer load. I'd have to go back and read the fine pring but from what I recall the weight of cargo inside and on top of the truck and the weight of passengers beyond two, has to be subtracted from the max trailer capacity. Then there is the under-estimation of how much weight is from items loaded into the trailer. Finally it's good to leave a 10% margin between the actual weight and the rating.
Another problem is the cooling of the 8.5" diff isn't adequate with a trailer. One solution is the synthetic oil, but even that won't work if the bow-wave of air from the trailer creates a low-flow spot where the diff sits. This is difficult to determine. Adding a trans temp gauge with another sensor in the diff and a selectr switch would be good insurance for all folks who tow.