How To Determine Gooseneck Towing Capacity And Hitch Needed For A 2015 Chevy Silverado 1500

Question:

Hello! I have a 2015 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3L V8 double cab with a short bed. Can I use this to pull a goose neck horse trailer with the cone/tapered front? If so, how heavy can the trailer be, assuming 3,500 lbs max. for the horses and equipment. Also, what ball would I need? I can’t find anything published by Chevy about that model pulling a gooseneck or 5th wheel

asked by: Ann

Expert Reply:

To determine the truck's towing capacity you can contact a GM dealership with your VIN and they can look it up. You can also look in your owner's manual with your gear differential ratio to get a bit more specific gooseneck towing capacity than just doing the generic towing capacity; subtracting the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) from your gross combined weight rating (GCWR).

To know how much turning clearance you have you can measure from the center to the gooseneck coupler to the outermost corner of the trailer's nose. You'll take this measurement and run your tape measurement out to it and place it on the gooseneck ball location and turn to see if the tape hits the cab of the truck. If so we offer offset balls to help gain a bit of clearance. Most gooseneck trailers have a very slim nose and you can typically make a 90 degree turn with ease.

The gooseneck hitch ball size is 3". If you don't already have a gooseneck hitch then I recommend installing the B&W Turnoverball Underbed Gooseneck Trailer Hitch w/ Custom Installation Kit # BWGNRK1057. You can also pick up the 4" Offset Ball # BWGNXA4085 to gain a bit more turning clearance, if needed.

expert reply by: Kevin C