Towing Capacity GMC 3500 Dually
 

This might seem like a stupid question, but I can not find the answer. I went in to a GMC dealer today - no answer. I searched and asked on dieseplace as well as GMC.com - no answer. I looked through my neighbors truck - still no answer.

What is the towing capacity for a 2001 - 2007 GMC 3500, Crew Cab, Duramax, Dually?

I do not need the 5th wheel capacity as my boat trailer does not have a fifth wheel. I do not need the towing capacity with a WD hitch as I don't want it. What is the towing capacity for my regular, all standard Myco trailer?

I am considering trading in my Suburban and go legal, but as of right now I cannot see it being legal with a dually 1ton. Not that it matters at all to find the capacity, but my boat and trailer weighs in dry at 11.660 lbs on the scale. This means about 14.000lbs all loaded and full of fuel and water (which I ofcourse would never pull it with..) Somebody must have ran into this problem before, and I will appreciate any and all help to guide me into getting the correct vehicle for my towing needs.

I have a '99 Chevy crew cab dually that I tow my Bullet with. Combined weight was 18,780lbs, 63' form front bumper to the end of the bunk. We towed from LI-SC last summer without any problems except stopping every 200 miles for gas. The key was stopping power. Did the EOH conversion which is a must. Hope this helps.

i put a heavy duty hitch on my 06 to tow my 343 cobalt (nearly 15 k full of fuel) i now bought an 08 and it seems to tow much better (stiffer frame?)
i believe the factory cap for the 06 was 11,500 on the ball according to the dealer they said the limiting factor was the hitch. Good Trailer brakes are the key for stopping capacity

most late model dually's have a combined weight of anywhere from 16,000 to 18,000 so when you take out the weight of a deisel truck which can be anywhere from 7,000 to 8,000lbs you are left with being able to tow about 9,000lbs. Most states will not bother you but some states are now starting to stop one tons with large trailers and checking the door sticker. Texas, Oklahoma, Calif are a few that are checking. In Texas when they see a one ton pulling a large BIG TEX trailer they stop it and if it is over than you have to disconnect and have the traile towed off the highway. Personally I think that with a personal boat you should be ok, One tons can pull the weight down the road. The problems arise when you have to make an emergency stop.

there is no one ton that is legal with 14k without a we hitch.

My Texas DPS neighbour says they are still only looking at the hot shot rigs using diesel pickups that are notorious for speeding and overloading.

They will stop any combination that looks unsafe. Dually pulling a boat that is properly connected and driving within the speed limit not likely to be stopped.

need a 450 or a 550 to be ok in those ranges... im not sure about the gm lin up for those weights.. as im a ford guy and chevys are just not cool.. right wobble?????:p

answer is....
 

14K and thats really the limit with a TD up to 07 - the new one is higher. Its not a 4500 so be real on the hills

Maybe, but only with the factory hitch. Then you have to ask the question: What flags the weight distributing requirement? The factory hitch or the rest of the truck hardware......ie. axles, suspension, etc.? All the manufacture says is a "certain lbs when properly equipped." We can easily get a bigger receiver on the truck that well exceeds the non weight distributing stock factory hitch rating.


I would get the truck and put a better hitch on it. You'll be more than fine. People pull much more weight with that set up.

Thanks for all the responses.

However, I am still wondering about the real answer - what is the max towing capacity, no fifth wheel, no WD hitch, legally with a GMC Dually 1 ton 2001-2007?

I have no problem fitting a class V (or higher) hitch on my truck, that department is just a matter of mechanics. What I am concerned about is the legal limit. I am willing to put bags on it, stiffer springs, bigger brakes etc, etc... That in itself will still not make it legal. As far as safety is concerned, I am fine with what I have now - a 1997 Suburban K2500 with High Performance brakes and a Myco with good working brakes. I am just trying to get legal and do not want a Kodiak, I might be looking at an F-450 if I can't get to the bottom of this. The new F-350 states very clearly that you can tow 15000lbs with no WD hitch, the new F-450 states 16.000, why is this info so hard to get from GM?? I realize that there is several limits that has to be met, i.e. GCWR GVWR and alike, all these are met with my set up, I just can not find anywhere that states max trailer weight for a GMC, no WD, and no 5th wheel...