Hmmm

This really worries me as i was looking at the 2.8 or 3.6 to tow with on a future camper purchase....

I have been reading over under the non-diesel side and many people with 3.6s have reported it being similar or better than previous full-size trucks they previously towed with... curious what could be causing your difference...

Did you use the Exhaust Brake at?

 

I had it in tow mode which activates the exhaust break on the down side of the passes. The exhaust break worked as expected and def was a plus. It just felt like the camper was pushing me down the pass instead of all being one unit.

Maybe my expectations were too high with this truck. I was hoping for the best if both worlds tow capabilities and good fuel economy.

 

When did the term "camper" start applying to travel trailers? I use the term camper to mean something that sits on top of the bed.

Also, could someone explain how the Exhaust Brake is supposed to work. I've yet to tow, but turning on tow/haul mode, which is supposed to activate the exhaust brake, seems to do little or nothing when going down a steep hill.

 

I don't own a 2.8L yet, but when I was test driving them the chevy guy told me you had to press the button to turn it on. I used it while we were just test driving and found it nice to not have to press the brakes, would help with braking while towing greatly... especially on mountains.

In regards how it works, the actuator on the turbo closes the fins on the exhaust side, applying pressure on the engine due to lack of space for the exhaust to exit the turbo, turning the engine into a brake. It is mostly used in Semi's to prevent a runaway in the mountains on trucks from brakes overheating, but it became mainstream due to benefits it created and recently been finding its way onto the smaller diesel pickups.

 

It was a windy day and were you towing that much weight over 60 mph? Sorry but I can't blame the truck. Which version of the truck do you have?

 

Why can’t I blame the truck? My Cummins pulled at 80 and didn’t blink, wind or not. Yes yes this is a MUCH smaller truck, the point wasn’t even the flats, it was the passes when I had the pedal floored and it could maybe hit 50-55mph.

I’ve read al these post where guys are saying these trucks pull like the second coming and I’m saying I just don’t see where the excitement came from.

If this is too much weight then what’s the cut off? 80% tow capacity? 70% 50% I’m saying I would hate hate to tow any kinda long journey with what I have setup, maybe car haulers with low profile would be a better pull but I tow what I have and so far not a fan.

Also I have a 17 GMC Canyon 2.8l slt 4x4 crew cab

 

Goodspike, what year and package truck do you have maybe i can point you to it off a truck like yours.

 

2019 Colorado LT AWD crewcab.

 

Has anyone ever towed with a Canyon/Colorado over Teton Pass? I went through there once in a motor-home and my wife will never let me go through there again.

 

Yeah, no way your expectations of it pulling like a 2500 with Cummings diesel power was going to compare...it handles a camper like that, but it's not going to do it like a 2500. Add in high winds and you pulling a kite, it's not going to be anything insane. I do fully agree that some on here paint a painfully wrong expectation of what it's like pulling a 30' 8,000# camper through the Rockies. These trucks do fine for what they are, I'm thrilled with mine, but you are correct in assuming you're at a max for feeling great about working these trucks with a camper at 5-6,000#.

 

Let me once again point out I’m not comparing them side by side, yes the dodge is 3 times what these put out but I’m also not dragging around 12k in weight.

Maybe another tow in better conditions will change my mind but as anyone who pulls knows, the weather can be crappy one hour to the next. I guess my expectations were too high from all the “I towed 9k up a 15% incline and got 20mpg” posts that are all over these forums. I know dropping down in truck would have trade offs.

 

I have a 17 foot fiberglass Casita camper. Dry weight is 1900 pounds. My ZR2 Diesel pulls it great, but I can tell it's back there. Flooring it on a long flat straight topped out at about 87 MPH. Trailer brakes help a lot on the downhill. I get about 18-20 mpg. I wouldn't want to pull any more than that for a long distance. So, yeah I'd say 50% of the tow rating if you want to tell people "Pulls it like it's not even there" without lying.

 

Damn the extremes... you're right, there's the group that says you can tow a 9,000# 30' toy hauler through the Rockies safely with the Colorado (...you can't...) and then those who bitch the Colorado tops out at 90mph when towing a friggin 2,000# boat. Well, towing is what it is, you're going to drop in mpgs and should slow down. Looking at these trucks on the lot you can tell they're not made for heavy duty towing use, but are capable of a good amount of work.

 

Damn the extremes... you're right, there's the group that says you can tow a 9,000# 30' toy hauler through the Rockies safely with the Colorado (...you can't...)

Maybe up in Canada, Hwy 3/95. That's a pretty tame way through the Rockies. But I wouldn't want to go either direction (up or down) on the Teton Pass I mentioned earlier with 9,000 pounds behind.

 

I'm not joining this discussion until the OP gets the trailer weighed. I've seen many "unloaded" trailer exceed their weight rating. Dry weight is often misleading because it dosen't include things like filled propane tanks and optional equipment. Also take into consideration that a 20mph wind effectively lowers your speed by that amount unless your truck has the engine of a 3/4 to overcome it. Make it a 30mph wind you'd be lucky to hit 50.

 

Is the trailer 7, 8 or bigger foot wide?
What is the frontal area of the trailler?


These 2 things also impact greatly on the performance of a truck probably more than the weight itself.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, despite the claim that it can pull 7600lbs-- this truck barely handles my 6000lb (fully loaded) toy hauler, and it's often floored to maintain 65 on small inclines. Up any kind of hill or mountain pass, or a stiff headwind, I'm at 50-55, again floored. I also experienced severe crosswind crossing Montana recently, so much so that they had detours and there were semis overturned. A proper sway control hitch is critical and yes, you have to slow down because wind, passing vehicles, etc does wiggle the trailer. It's a full-time job, towing, and can be exhausting. This is not a 'set the cruise control and play with my phone' setup, you need 100% focus.

More importantly, weight is less of a factor than drag. My trailer is 11.3 feet tall, 8.5 feet wide and has a bunch of stuff on the roof (AC, antennae, vents) that further create drag. You can probably down 8000lbs to the local dump at 35mph, but any kind of weight, combined with highway speed really emphasizes the difference between a Colorado and a 2500 pickup.

This is a light-duty truck that can pull and park in normal spaces, but it's still only 180hp. I'd love it if they could fit a 3.0 liter in there, or if it wouldn't void my warranty to modify the engine/emissions to squeeze another 20 hp, but these are not valid options.

 

More importantly, weight is less of a factor than drag.

Excellent point, particularly in wind. But if the complaint is inability to go X miles per hour on flat the issue is more likely wind resistance than weight.

 

All I can add is I am more than impressed with towing 6k travel trailer, 8 ft wide , 11 ft tall , 23 ft length. Here in B.C there is nothing but hills and steep mtn passes. I tow at 55 mph, which is the speed limit here because of the curvy mtn roads.
Coming from several 3/4 and 1 ton Duramax trucks and one 6.7 Cummins I know that there is absolutely no comparison, and did not expect there to be. But after over 3 years of towing with this 2.8l I am still impressed how it handles going up and down mtn passes. This is a 2.8l 4 banger, with half the power of the Cummins and Duramax, and half the capacity, so ya it should feel like half the truck compared to the 3/4 and 1 tons. The 2.8 l in my CCLB does feel about the same as a half ton though, very capable for its size.

 

I would say add one of the Tunes to the truck and see what happens,,I belive they would help with alot of the issues with this platform..50ft lbs more of torque will make a great differance and the added trans tune might help the shifting. Just my two cents..

 

I’ve had it weighed and it was 4915 with only propane and a few odds and ins inside, this trip the only difference was 30 gallons of water and some small food items.

We readjusted the hitch and got it within a 1/4” ride on the front fender. Head home there was wind and I couldn’t safely do more than 45mph on the interstate.

Now I’m not getting into an argument over “only drive as fast as the road allows”, 35mph under the speed limit is a hazard. I was being passed by semis, other trucks pulling way bigger TT and even a RV towing an escalade.

Wind happens, and maybe sunny out this wouldn’t have been as big of an issue but is seems these truck (in my setup anyways) are a sunny day/no wind kinda puller. I hate to think what would have happen if there was rain or anything else on the road. I guess it’s time for a smaller TT or a stand-alone tow rig

 

Are you using any kind of sway control system?

 

I just bought and pulled a 5500 pound 26 ft TT about 350 miles through Ohio and Kentucky. I can run up to 70 with no problem. Yes, hills and running behind certain semis ( large car haulers are particularly bad) causes some tuberlance and you can feel it. I do slow down for hills and try to avoid certain trucks that seem to blow me around a little. Overall I was very impressed for the size and was pretty relaxed.

I do think having the right WD and Sway setup makes all the difference. These are not large trucks and don't have same suspension like bigger pickups designed mostly for towing.

I got to the dealer lot and I installed Reese Strait Line Hitch with High Performance Dual Cam Sway Control. It was painful install because of the way dual cams mount, but got it done and I don't regret it. E-trailer said "it's the only hitch that we carry that stops sway before it starts." I'm true believer because it was rock solid. I thinks best thing until you can get until you get in the Propride/Hensley range.

Though your mileage may very if your use to a full size HD pickup. You might not even need WD or sway for my TT.

 

Remember it's only ~180HP, and that only goes so far. Torque gets it moving, but ultimately HP is the measure of how fast you can do work. So if your trailer is like a parachute, or if the hill is really steep and you're hauling a lot of weight, then 180HP just might not be enough for what you're expecting.

 

If you went from a 3/4 ton with a Cummins, you can only be super disappointed, trying to Tow with a 2.8L. Not anywhere near the same thing. Once you have had a Cummins, the 2.8L Duramax is a JOKE.

 

Comparing any HD diesel to a mid size diesel is a joke period. Like comparing a 1 ton to a 3 ton .

As far as the 2.8l being a joke, hardly. It is the class leading mid size pick up ,period. No other truck in this class can tow as much, or get anywhere near the fuel economy. If you want to tow, but want a small truck for a daily driver while achieving class leading fuel economy, the Dmax 2.8 is top dog so far.

 

I've posted this photo before but for the benefit of the new people and this discussion, here it is again. I tow two trailers at the same time with my Canyon SLT Duramax. One trailer has a car in it as well as tools and more. The bed and back seat areas are fully loaded as well. Both trailers are on standard ball hitches. I can tell it's there as I drive my little road train but there are no issues at all. Rock stable. The mighty Duramax pulls it all and still gets 20 mpg. Colour me impressed!

 

There is not much point in revving the 2.8 past 2,500 RPM. It does not go fast with it's wee horsepower numbers, but it will go, working well within it's modest parameters in the 1,800 to 2,200 RPM range where the torque is. I am blown away by the big diesels when I see them pulling huge 5th wheels at 80 mph - saw plenty of those in Utah during a recent outing. Our truck is not remotely like that - it simply does not have the horsepower, it is a kiddie toy in comparison to those monsters.

My Canyon (which does have a GDE tune) pulled a 4,500 pound TT nicely, but it sure was not going to accelerate hard or go "fast" even with the trans and engine enhancement. 65 mph in 5th was the order of the day - trying to go faster feels like beating a tired horse. Throttle back and let it work at it's pace and the truck does fine. I don't need too big of trailer, as it is just me and my wife. Something in the 4K weight range is enough for us, as is the truck for that kind of duty. If going bigger on the trailer, I would go with a bigger truck for sure.

For daily driving and occasional towing of a trailer that does not push the truck's max tow rating too hard, the 2.8 does OK and returns outstanding fuel economy. The 2.8 is not a beast, it is a frugal power train that can easily tow a decent amount of weight compared to any of it's peers in the mid size class. Our trucks really can't be fairly compared to full size trucks though, they are different animals. The fact that one would even reasonably compare the twins to a bigger truck does say nice things about the capability of the twins, but in the end, they are not big trucks, they are mid sized trucks.

 

I recently towed a car trailer with a fairly heavy car for 500 miles. Went through a few hills, slight grades. Never felt like I wasn't in control or lacked the power necessary to get through traffic. RPM's were always in the 1800 to 2100 so it was optimum.

My combo was close to 6k, but it was very aerodynamic compared to what the OP was towing. I probably would opt for a FS truck if towing a camper over 5K more than once a year.

 

Your problem was mainly the wind (especially the fuel mileage, you should see about 15 mpg average towing 5,000# at <65 mph), but the Colorado's narrower track will make trailer towing in the wind more sporty than towing with a full size truck. I agree with others here that if it is windy/gusty going fast with a tow isn't a great idea no matter what you're driving.

I had no trouble with a 5,000# trailer and a full cab and bed going 65 up a 6% interstate grade.

'19 2.8L Z71 4x4 CCLB.

 

I’ve towed my 21’ center console boat and my 66 Nova up 95 from NC to Maryland a few times. 18-20 mpg with both around 65-70. Keep it right around 2k rpm and she’ll pull. I traded my 15’ Silverado 5.3 for my Canyon. I’ll take the canyon towing on the highway all day. I got 8-9 mpg towing the boat and all the truck did was downshift.

 

My towing/trip report from MN to Alberta Canada (Jasper/Banff)

https://www.coloradofans.com/forums...m/407055-16-diesel-14-icefish-trailer-head-canada-2600m-round-trip-journey.html

How: 2016 GMC Canyon Diesel All Terrain + 14’ fish house (with 3’ v)
Best MPG: Minnesota on the way home, averaged 13.5mpg
Worst MPG: North Dakota, averaged 9-10mpg!
Driving Impression: Felt fully confident driving the rig, it had plenty of power for being a 4 cylinder engine. Wife even drove the truck / trailer combo over many hours and she felt comfortable the entire time. Even though i've gone thru TWO turbo's I still dont think there is another capable truck out there that gets the MPG's that this thing gets!
Trailer Stats: 24' in total length, 4200-4500 lbs fully loaded, the trailer sits 10 feet tall. It basically turns it into a beluga whale. The V nose on the trailer helps but wind resistance is a serious thing! Heavy winds did not impact the trailer in any way.

I felt comfortable and in control for most of the trip.. and started white knuckling once the snow/ice storm hit on the day we left!

 

OP, you never gave length, width, or height of your trailer. That info is just as important if not more so than weight on a Travel Trailer, especially in windy and or hilly conditions. You are pulling a sail behind you and if it was really windy that can make a huge difference.

I personally have experience towing an open utility trailer with a crew SXS and it tows that beautifully loaded with gear about 3600 pounds. Even up mountain grades it does fine. I also have pulled the same SXS and camping gear with a 20ft enclosed car hauler which was closer to 4500 pounds and that definitely felt like it was working but I would not say it struggled at all. Now I have a 21 ft toy hauler dry weight 3600 pounds and will be pulling that with the SXS when camping and hunting. I haven't pulled it loaded up yet, only empty so I cannot report how it does but I searched long and hard for a toy hauler that would not overload my truck when its loaded with gear, water, and the SXS. I plan to keep the total weight no more than 6500.

I have been extremely happy with my truck and I get great fuel economy when towing but anyone who says they get 20 mpg towing 9K pounds going up a grade is flat out lying. By the way, I have been here since before the twins were brought back to the market and I do not recall anyone on here making such a claim.