My towing fears are all behind me now
My time spent in pickup trucks has been quite limited. I’ve driven them on a few occasions but one extremely important aspect of trucking life has eluded me: towing.
This is why I jumped at the opportunity to join GMC on a program designed to help us brush up on our towing skills. In my case, these are skills that don’t even exist.
I’m starting from scratch, and that might not be so bad if I was towing something small and inconsequential. But GMC loaded up trailers with 2,200 to 2,700 kilograms of weight, thanks to a pair of Polaris RZR side-by-sides. It’s the first time I’ve towed, and it’s a doozy of a mission. Facing Your Fears Every minute I spend thinking about learning to tow is racked with nightmares of me doing something stupid and breaking something expensive. I’m afraid too tight of a turn will result in me clipping the rear bumper of the truck with the trailer, or going too wide will have me hitting a sidewalk or median with the trailer. What about if I have to deal with trailer sway? And then there’s the whole element of dealing with other motorists.
But GMC assures that the Sierra 1500 Denali is up to the task, and I won’t have to face any of these truck-related nightmares in real life. It’s packed with technology designed to make towing an easy experience. There’s a trailer brake controller and trailer sway control feature to help, along with a hill-start assist that’s automatically activated when the truck is on a 5-percent grade (or higher). Automatic grade braking is included as well, helping to slow the truck to a set speed and keep it there when traveling downhill. There’s also a transmission temperature gauge to ensure all the heavy hauling won’t cause too much stress on the vehicle.
The Sierra has some grunt of its own to match up, though. Under the hood of the truck I’m piloting is a 5.3-litre V8 rated with 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic, as well as a 4WD drivetrain, although for the purpose of all this towing, it stays in 2WD mode. The truck’s maximum trailering capability is listed at more than 4,000 kg, so it seemed like we weren’t getting too close to pushing our luck on the Sierra. The vehicle boasts a 3.42 final drive ratio, something I’m always told is very relevant to truck drivers (a lower gear ratio number results in less torque getting to the ground, increased fuel efficiency, and a lower towing capacity. A higher number results in more torque getting to the ground, increasing fuel consumption and tow capacity).
For newbies such as I who aren’t used to handling a truck and trailer, GMC has added features such as a backup camera, lane departure warning, forward collision alert and lowspeed automatic braking. Hitting the Road I let my driving partner take the first leg of our journey. I watched how he calmly handled traffic by operating slowly and smoothly. He turned through intersections with a slow calmness, trusting the truck and the traffic around him. He complained about being unable to see anything but the headlights of the Polaris in the rear-view mirror.
He made it look easy — and if he could do it, then I could, too.
I jumped into the driver’s seat after a stop at a gas station (the natural environment for V8powered trucks towing 2,700 kgs of toys) and adjusted my side mirrors so I could see to the end of the trailer, as well as have some visibility next to it. I also used the power adjustable pedals to give me better articulation of the controls.
I wheeled around the parking lot of the gas station to get a good understanding of the kind of turns I can perform, and then hit the open road. My first thought: “Where’s all the power?” The 5.3-litre V8 was making loads of noises that belied the way the truck was moving. The Sierra can also be equipped with a more powerful 6.2-litre V8, which may be a better fit when towing.
The extra weight of the trailer was clearly sapping the agility of the truck and was especially noticeable when it came time to slow down or stop. As I got a few more stops in, I became more aware of how much stopping power is needed to handle so much weight. The Sierra can also be equipped with a built-in trailer brake controller to utilize the trailer’s brakes if they are equipped, helping to shorten stopping distance and better deal with sway issues. The Verdict As we arrived at the final destination, the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah, I was far more comfortable towing than I have ever been. I managed a nice tight turn and set the trailer up perfectly for unloading. Simply put, thanks to the GMC Sierra, and a bunch of miles with a loaded trailer, I’m far less hesitant to approach a truck with a trailer. It needs a whole different mindset to driving, one where you’re rewarded for being smooth and slow, as well as focused on the way the truck is behaving with the trailer attached.