Post up pics, weights, trailer info (make, model, etc), and your hitch/WDH setup if at all possible!
What are you towing with your 3rd gen?
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DieselDrax
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Thanks im doing my research. I plan to retire in May of 2027 and will get a Colorado Trail Boss that year or the next pending a 3rd gen refresh. I live in south Louisiana where it is about 90F to 105F and up to about 110F to 115F heat index, the land is SUUUUUPER flat but i intend to tow a custom made 21ft to 27ft toy hauler weighing about 4,500ibs dry and about 5,000 to 6,5000ibs loaded and plan to travel the country going EVERYWHERE so heat/cold and elevation will be a problem because i plan to tow about a week and stay about 1 week then move on and try to do that about 4 times a year. And yes i know "if you tow that heavy and tow that much and you tow in the mountains then you should get a full sized truck but i think im good with the Colorado Trail Boss as i also want to do some medium difficulty offroading and it should be able to do both at the lowest price and i prefer the looks and size of the mid sized truck
I have the Airlift airbag kit #59533 installed last spring. When not towing, with only 5 lbs air, it rides really smooth. I put in 20 lbs during towing which can easily be done with a bicycle pump. I would not recommend an air filling station at a gas station though. While the truck could handle the trailer hitch weight, this was more of a c.y.a. in some of the recreation sites with bad, bumpy roads.
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My first time towing w/ my '23 Colorado Z71. 1900# Appalachian car trailer w/ 2 skids of Enviro-Bricks at 2060# per skid. Approximately 6020# total. Got 11.7 mpg over 150 miles (half of that with an unloaded trailer). You could definitely tell there was a load being pulled, but the truck handled it fine. Most of the mileage was on narrow 2 lane hilly country roads, with maybe 30% of the mileage on more highly traveled flatter 2 lane roads.
--EDIT--
Corrected weights.
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--EDIT--
Corrected weights.
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265 Posts
Congratulations on your retirement.I’ve been retired for 5years let me tell you it’s the best job in the world. I just put Timbren on my truck it’s a game changer,truck handling is way better towing.
Congrats on the retirement. I hope to join you in May of 2027. Then I hope to join the 3rd gen family with a Colorado Trail Boss and then I plan to start towing a 25' custom toy hauler and travel the country, riding my motorcycle most days and chillin by a fire pit with some food and bourbon most nights at a RV park or off grid.
131.36 in according to Chevys site is the wheel base measurement so in the video he said 110/20. If you have 110" of wheelbase then you can safely tow 20ft of trailer. And for every 4 inches beyond that you can tow 1ft more so we have 5 more sets of 4 inches beyond 110" so we should be able to tow 5 more feet over 20ft so a total of 25ft is what this guy in the video is saying should be your max trailer length. Thanks.
very sharp looking canyon!Crestliner Storm 1600. Boat / Trailer loaded with all my gear maybe 2k so yeah, I could tow it with a civic but it just looks so much better with a Canyon.
View attachment 448694
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265 Posts
Picked up the camper today. The technician put my WDH on and it actually towed great. Was very happy with the way it road. It was kinda windy out and i could feel it a little bit but nothing bad. Trip was about a half hour, half highway and half city
I didn't have the bracket for the anti-sway bar so ill have to add that later.
Overall the truck handled like a champ.
For the first time ever, my was wasn't nervous towing something and she always gets nervous lol.
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I didn't have the bracket for the anti-sway bar so ill have to add that later.
Overall the truck handled like a champ.
For the first time ever, my was wasn't nervous towing something and she always gets nervous lol.
How do find the Timbrens with the weight distribution hitch? Any problems? Thinking about buying some as opposed to airbags and just wondered how they work together. Saw a few negative responses about them but no real information. Thanks.
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265 Posts
I wouldn't think you need both. I have no squat with WDH 💁
No problem at all. I didn’t want to deal with air bags.When you don’t have weight on the truck it rides just fine.
Thanks
thats my thought. The 3rd gens don't need air bags or weight distribution with anti-sway hitches but it would 100% help when windy, going up and down hills/mountains or passing/getting passed by 18 wheelers. And the air bags would also help with keeping the nose down when towing close to or over the tow rating especially if you have a front lift/level kit.
with air bags couldn't you inflate them to help with bed squat and front tire lift and when not towing couldn't you just take all the air out and go back to a factory suspension ride? I don't know thats why I'm asking. I am doing my research on possible heavy towing setups for a Colorado Trail Boss which I will probably add a 2" front lift/level kit so I can fit 285/75/17 (33.8") all terrain tires without trimming or rubbing. So I don't want my front tires to come off or almost come off the ground while towing 5,500ibs to 6,500ibs. Like I said just doing my research so any info is appreciated.
With my truck I tow a trailer 4,900 lbs dry. I did get a lot of porpoising like you said.Then I put Timbern on what a huge difference the truck rides so much better in all fashion.Just overall better.Yes I do have WDH also.
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Wow, that's great information. I'll definitely look up Timbern. We were just getting ready to sell the camper, because my old body just can't handle towing it!
Thanks,
Thanks,
In line with the porpoising comments
This involved my 2nd Gen Canyon. I towed a Saturn Vue 250 miles on a 2 wheel car dolly from U-Haul and then my 2009 Wrangler on return trip. The Vue towed like crap and bounced around a good bit while the newer Wrangler with a better suspension rode much smoother.
Some may be able to extrapolate some ideas on improving towing performance from this observation.
This involved my 2nd Gen Canyon. I towed a Saturn Vue 250 miles on a 2 wheel car dolly from U-Haul and then my 2009 Wrangler on return trip. The Vue towed like crap and bounced around a good bit while the newer Wrangler with a better suspension rode much smoother.
Some may be able to extrapolate some ideas on improving towing performance from this observation.
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