For more information, see "Towing a Trailer" in your owner manual Index.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a trailer are all important. And, it can also depend on any special equipment that you have on your vehicle.
Use the charts following to determine how much your vehicle can weigh, based upon your vehicle model and options.
Maximum trailer weight is calculated assuming the driver and one passenger are in the tow vehicle and it has all the required trailering equipment. The weight of additional optional equipment, passengers and cargo in the tow vehicle must be subtracted from the maximum trailer weight.
Above the 5,000 lbs (2 268 kg) trailer rating, the handling/trailering suspension is required on C-1500 models and the handling/trailering or off-road suspension is required on K-1500 models.
C-1500 Extended Cab Short Box (2WD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Vehicle | Axle Ratio | Maximum Trailer Weight | GCWR |
5300 V8 | 3.23 3.73 | 6,700 lbs (3 039 kg) 7,700 lbs (3 493 kg) | 12,000 lbs (5 443 kg) 13,000 lbs (5 897 kg) |
Hybrid vehicles are neither designed nor intended to tow fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailers. | |||
K-1500 Extended Cab Short Box (4WD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Vehicle | Axle Ratio | Maximum Trailer Weight | GCWR |
5300 V8 | 3.42 3.73 | 7,400 lbs (3 357 kg) 7,400 lbs (3 356 kg) | 13,000 lbs (5 897 kg) 13,000 lbs (5 897 kg) |
Hybrid vehicles are neither designed nor intended to tow fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailers. | |||
The Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) is the total allowable weight of the completely loaded vehicle and trailer including any passengers, cargo, equipment and conversions. The GCWR for your vehicle should not be exceeded.
Trailer Brakes
If you are towing a trailer that is equipped with trailer brakes and you manually apply the trailer brakes while driving slower than 13 mph (21 km/h), your vehicle may go into auto stop mode even if you are not pressing on the vehicle's brakes. Using the trailer brake system manually can make your hybrid vehicle perform as if you are using the brake pedal in the vehicle. The trailer brake operation check will still work. If you manually apply the trailer brakes for an extended period of time, the SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM DIC message will come on. The message will go off after the trailer brakes have been released. No other action is necessary. For more information, see "Trailer Brakes" in the owner manual Index.
