full-size pickup

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 towing capacity (2019–2026)

Fourth-generation (T1) Silverado 1500 conventional towing runs from about 6,600 lb on early 2.7L Turbo 4x4 trucks to 13,400 lb on the 2020 RST 6.2L Double Cab 4x4 with the Max Trailering Package and 20-inch wheels; since 2021 the lineup ceiling is 13,300 lb, held today by the 3.0L Duramax Double Cab 2WD with Max Trailering and 20-inch wheels. Chevrolet rates every combination by engine, cab, bed and drive, and the headline numbers always require the Max Trailering Package (NHT), which raises GCWR from 15,000 to as much as 19,000–19,100 lb and — on the big ratings — specific wheels. Chevrolet's Silverado trailering documents publish GM's standard ratings without restating the SAE J2807 test, so records here are graded as manufacturer ratings.

Rated range, 2019–2026

6,800–13,300 lb

Depends on engine, drivetrain, and packages — find your exact configuration below.

Towing capacity by configuration

Years	Engine	Config	Max tow	Payload	Grade
2023–2026	6.2L EcoTec3 V8	4x4 · Crew Cab · Max Trailering Package + 20" wheels	13,200 lb¹	2,030 lb	OEM
2023–2026	5.3L EcoTec3 V8	4x2 · Double Cab · Max Trailering Package	11,300 lb²	2,040 lb	OEM
2023–2026	6.2L EcoTec3 V8	4x4 · Crew Cab · ZR2 · Standard (ZR2)	8,800 lb¹	1,440 lb	OEM
2022	6.2L V8 with DFM (L87)	4x4 · Double Cab · RST · Max Trailering Package (NHT) + 20" wheels	13,300 lb³	1,980 lb	OEM
2022–2026	3.0L Duramax Turbo Diesel I6	4x2 · Double Cab · Max Trailering Package + 20" wheels	13,300 lb⁴	1,890 lb	OEM
2022–2026	2.7L TurboMax I4	4x2 · Regular Cab · Trailering Package (Z82)	9,500 lb⁵	2,240 lb	OEM
2021	3.0L Duramax Turbo Diesel I6 (LM2)	4x2 · Double Cab · Trailering Package (Z82)	9,500 lb⁶	1,780 lb	OEM
2021	2.7L Turbo I4 (L3B)	4x2 · Double Cab · Trailering Package (Z82)	9,300 lb⁶	2,060 lb	OEM
2020–2021	6.2L V8 with DFM (L87)	4x4 · Double Cab · RST · Max Trailering Package (NHT) + 20" wheels	13,300 lb⁷	1,990 lb	OEM
2020	3.0L Duramax Turbo Diesel I6 (LM2)	4x4 · Double Cab · Trailering Package (Z82)	9,300 lb⁸	1,770 lb	OEM
2019	6.2L V8 with DFM (L87)	4x4 · Double Cab · Max Trailering Package (NHT) · 3.42 axle	12,200 lb⁹	2,090 lb	OEM
2019–2020	5.3L V8 with DFM (L84)	4x2 · Double Cab · Max Trailering Package (NHT) · 3.42 axle	11,600 lb¹⁰	2,190 lb	OEM
2019	5.3L V8 with DFM (L84)	4x2 · Double Cab · Trailering Package (Z82) · 3.23 axle	9,900 lb¹¹	1,980 lb	OEM
2019–2020	2.7L Turbo I4 (L3B)	4x2 · Double Cab · Trailering Package (Z82) · 3.42 axle	6,800 lb¹²	2,070 lb	OEM

Ratings as published by the manufacturer for properly equipped vehicles; superscripts link to the source of each figure below.

The payload reality check

Take the 2022–2022 6.2L V8 with DFM (L87) rated at 13,300 lb with 1,980 lb of payload. Load a family (550 lb of people, 150 lb of gear) and the honest limit becomes 10,660 lb — limited by payload (tongue weight), computed the same way as our calculator.

Run your own load in the towing calculator →

Can this Silverado 1500 tow these popular trailers?

Each trailer's published GVWR (fully loaded) run through our engine against the 2022 6.2L V8 with DFM (L87) Double Cab, loaded with two adults, two kids and gear (700 lb) and a conservative tongue weight — the same math as the calculator.

Trailer	Loaded (GVWR)	Verdict
Casita Spirit 17 compact molded-fiberglass travel trailer · 17 ft	3,500 lb	Yes — 5,030 lb to spare limited by payload (tongue weight)
Grand Design Imagine XLS 17MKE light half-ton travel trailer · 21 ft 11 in	6,395 lb	Yes — 6,905 lb to spare limited by tow rating
Big Tex 70CH (18 ft) tandem-axle car hauler / utility trailer · 18 ft	7,000 lb	Yes — 1,530 lb to spare limited by payload (tongue weight)
Jayco Jay Flight SLX 263BHS family bunkhouse travel trailer · 32 ft 7 in	7,600 lb	Yes — 5,370 lb to spare limited by payload (tongue weight)
Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 25MLE larger travel trailer near half-ton limits · 29 ft 11 in	8,800 lb	Yes — 4,220 lb to spare limited by payload (tongue weight)
Grand Design Reflection 303RLS mid fifth-wheel · 32 ft 10 in	11,995 lb	No — over by 4,265 lb limited by payload (tongue weight)

Trailer weights are the manufacturers' published GVWR (linked). A “yes” here is a planning estimate for this configuration — your own truck's door-jamb payload and your trailer's real loaded weight decide it. Start from your trailer →

What owners actually tow

Real-world reports from owner communities — experiences, not ratings. Your configuration and load decide what's safe.

Payload, not the tow rating, is what pushes Silverado 1500 owners into bigger trucks — one 3.0L Duramax owner found every travel trailer his family wanted put the half-ton right at its payload limit.

An owner who traded a '23 Silverado 1500 3.0L Duramax for an HD admitted he 'wasn't really educated on payload capabilities' when trailer shopping and hit the wall long before the tow rating mattered. After roughly 15,000 miles on the half-ton he also felt the 8-speed's shift behavior was its weakest point, while the HD's 10-speed ran cooler and smoother under load.

r/Silverado thread
The 5.3L V8 will pull a 5,000 lb travel trailer coast-to-coast, but high-mileage owners treat transmission temperature — not power — as the number to watch, running about 20°F hotter when towing.

An owner with 100,000 miles on a 2019 5.3L 8-speed had towed his 5,000 lb travel trailer from San Diego to New England and back west via the Trans-Canada Highway. His transmission ran 160–180°F unloaded and roughly 20°F higher towing; after a hard tow across the Rockies he planned an early fluid change because traces of metal had shown up at the 80k-mile service.

r/Silverado thread
The community's standard sizing math for a Silverado: door-jamb payload minus passengers, cargo and hitch, divided by 0.13, sets the real max loaded trailer — then stay well under it.

A 2018 Silverado 5.3L V8 owner shopping for his first travel trailer posted his door sticker and got walked through payload-first math assuming ~13% tongue weight, with a link to the model-year Chevrolet trailering guide because the tow number changes with cab, axle and drivetrain. Experienced towers added that the door sticker gives payload, not the tow rating, and advised staying around 70–80% of whatever the calculation allows.

r/TravelTrailers thread
RVers tell Silverado owners to budget tongue weight off the trailer's GVWR — about 15% plus ~100 lb for the weight-distribution hitch — because brochure dry weights understate what the truck actually carries.

A 2016 Silverado 5.3L crew cab owner (1,990 lb payload sticker) asked about a trailer listed at 5,673 lb dry; replies budgeted ~15% of loaded weight as tongue plus the WDH itself, and one owner's CAT-scale numbers showed a 'dry' trailer crossing 6,000 lb once battery and propane were aboard. In the same thread a '21 Silverado owner towing a 6,000 lb loaded camper with a family of five called it stable through the Rockies as long as he kept speeds near 60 mph.

r/GoRVing thread

How to read these numbers

Every figure above is the manufacturer's rating for that specific configuration — engine, drivetrain, cab, and package — not a model-wide maximum. Two things still matter before you hitch up: your individual vehicle's door-jamb sticker (options change payload truck by truck), and your real load — on most trucks, payload runs out before the tow rating. Estimate your trailer's loaded weight with the trailer weight calculator, then check the full picture in the tow-match calculator.

Sources

Cross-checked per our methodology; conflicting sources resolve to the lower figure. Spotted a discrepancy with your towing guide? Send a correction — that's the email we most want.

Before you tow: confirm the ratings for your exact vehicle on the driver's door-jamb label and in the owner's manual or towing guide for its model year. Never exceed any single rating — see the disclaimer.