The 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 can tow up to 13,300 pounds, and a 22- to 24-foot travel trailer weighing 5,000 to 7,000 pounds loaded is a useful size to shop for if your truck can carry the hitch weight and passengers. A 7,000-pound camper typically puts about 700 to 1,050 pounds down on the hitch. Chevrolet reaches the 13,300-pound maximum with a two-wheel-drive Double Cab, standard bed, 3.0-liter Duramax diesel, Max Trailering Package and 20-inch wheels.
By Allen Tillery Auto Chevrolet
Key Numbers
- A 13,300-pound rating requires the right Duramax Double Cab, with Max Trailering and 20-inch wheels.
- For the 5,000-pound example, set aside 500 to 750 pounds of carrying capacity for the tongue.
- At the upper end of the normal hitch-weight range, a 7,000-pound camper can put 1,050 pounds on the ball.
- Start with 1,500 pounds of carrying capacity and subtract 1,050 at the hitch. That leaves 450 for everyone in the cab, the hardware and gear.
How much tongue weight does a 5,000- to 7,000-pound camper put on the truck?
Expect roughly 500 to 750 pounds on the ball from a 5,000-pound camper and 700 to 1,050 from a 7,000-pound camper. That comes from Chevrolet’s 10% to 15% guideline for conventional trailers. The trailer maker may specify a target, and the truck and hitch each have a rated limit.
For a family towing from Benton or Bryant on Interstate 30, every pound on the hitch uses some of the same carrying allowance as people, hitch hardware and anything in the bed. The 2026 Silverado specifications show the cab and bed choices. The tire and loading sticker on the driver’s door gives the allowance for the specific truck.
How does a 7,000-pound camper use up payload?
A 1,500-pound carrying allowance leaves just 450 pounds after a camper puts 1,050 pounds on the hitch. If the people in the cab weigh 400 pounds altogether, only 50 pounds remain for hitch hardware and everything in the bed. That is how a truck can run out of room to carry weight before it reaches its trailer rating.
Moving gear inside the camper can change how hard it presses on the truck. Before a trip toward Malvern or Arkadelphia, a tongue scale can give you the load on the ball and a truck scale can show what each axle carries. Those readings matter when passengers and gear leave only a small margin on the door sticker.
Which Silverado 1500 gets the highest tow rating?
Look for the two-wheel-drive Duramax Double Cab with the standard bed, Max Trailering and 20-inch wheels for Chevrolet’s top rating. The 2026 Chevrolet Trailering Guide breaks the ratings down by engine, cab, bed and drive type. A Crew Cab may give the family more room and carry a different tow rating. The Silverado 1500 inventory identifies each truck by cab and equipment.
Traffic backing up on Highway 70 into Hot Springs can put the truck and trailer brakes to work together. The owner’s manual lists the conventional hitch limits and trailer-brake equipment. The Silverado maintenance schedule includes brake and tire inspections that Chevrolet service can do before a towing season.
What does a 22- to 24-foot camper actually weigh?
A 22-foot 4-inch Rockwood lists 4,493 pounds unloaded and room for 1,344 pounds of cargo, or 5,837 pounds together. One 23-foot 10-inch layout lists 5,132 pounds unloaded and room for 1,662 pounds of cargo, or 6,794 pounds together. Both are in the loaded range above, and both can weigh several hundred pounds more on the road than they do on the lot.
Fully loaded, the 5,837-pound and 6,794-pound Rockwoods both land in the 5,000- to 7,000-pound range. The label on the camper gives its maximum loaded weight. The combined passenger, bed and hitch load still has to fit the Silverado’s carrying limit.
Should I use the camper’s dry weight or its weight packed for a trip?
Use the weight of the camper with water, batteries, propane and gear on board. The truck also carries the weight on the ball, the hitch hardware and everyone in the cab. The Silverado towing page gives model ratings, and the trailering label gives the limit for that particular cab, engine and equipment.
A 22- to 24-foot floor plan can give a family the space it wants and fit a campsite at Lake Hamilton. Campers of that length can weigh very different amounts once packed. The weight on the lot is a starting figure, and the trailer’s loaded weight is the one to use for the trip.
Silverado camper towing FAQs
Where do I find the rating for my particular Silverado?
The trailering label on the truck gives the limits for its cab, engine, drivetrain and equipment. A different cab or drive type can have a different rating even with the same Duramax engine.
Should I use dry camper weight or loaded camper weight?
For shopping, the trailer’s maximum loaded weight gives you a figure to plan around. Once you own it, a scale reading with your water, propane, batteries and trip gear gives you the weight for that drive.
Can a hitch that spreads out the weight raise my tow rating?
A weight-distributing hitch shifts some load among the truck and trailer axles. The truck's weight limits still apply, and the hitch has its own rating.
Is a 7,000-pound trailer always 700 pounds on the hitch?
It is about 700 pounds at the low end of Chevrolet’s conventional-trailer guideline and can be 350 pounds higher at the upper end. The actual reading can move when you shift gear inside the camper.
Is the towing rating the only limit that matters?
The truck has a trailer limit, a carrying limit and axle limits. The hitch also has limits. A truck can be within its trailer rating and still carry too much weight on the rear axle.
Contact Allen Tillery Chevrolet in Hot Springs with the camper's loaded weight and the number of people who will ride in the truck. The showroom hours are listed for your trip from Benton or Malvern.
