2008 CHEVROLET SILVERADO Owners Manual

Notice:Overloading your vehicle may cause
damage. Repairs would not be covered by your
warranty. Do not overload your vehicle.
Using heavier suspension components to get
added durability might not change your weight
ratings. Ask your dealer to help you load your
vehicle the right way.
If you put things inside your vehicle — like
suitcases, tools, packages, or anything
else — they go as fast as the vehicle goes. If you
have to stop or turn quickly, or if there is a
crash, they will keep going.
{CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can
strike and injure people in a sudden stop
or turn, or in a crash.
Put things in the cargo area of your
vehicle. Try to spread the weight
evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like
suitcases, inside the vehicle so that
some of them are above the tops of
the seats.
Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint in your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Do not leave a seat folded down
unless you need to.
There is also important loading information for
off-road driving in this manual. See “Loading Your
Vehicle for Off-Road Driving“ underOff-Road
Driving on page 4-12.
4-41

Two-Tiered Loading
Depending on the model of your pick-up, you can
create an upper load platform by positioning
two or four 2 inches (5 cm) by 6 inches (15 cm)
wooden planks across the width of the pickup box.
The planks must be inserted in the pickup box
depressions. The length of the planks must allow
for at least a 3/4 inch (2 cm) bearing surface
on each end of the plank.
When using this upper load platform, be sure the
load is securely tied down to prevent it from
shifting. The load’s center of gravity should be
positioned in a zone over the rear axle. The zone
is located in the area between the front of each
wheel well and the rear of each wheel well.
The center of gravity height must not extend above
the top of the pickup box areboard.
Any load that extends beyond the vehicle’s
taillamp area must be properly marked according
to local laws and regulations.
Remember not to exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR) of the front or rear axle.Add-On Equipment
When you carry removable items, you may need
to put a limit on how many people you carry
inside your vehicle. Be sure to weigh your vehicle
before you buy and install the new equipment.
Notice:Overloading your vehicle may cause
damage. Repairs would not be covered by your
warranty. Do not overload your vehicle.
Remember not to exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR) of the front or rear axle.
* Equipment Maximum Weight
Ladder Rack and
Cargo750 lbs (340 kg)
Cross Toolbox and
Cargo400 lbs (181 kg)
Side Boxes and Cargo 250 lbs per side
(113 kg per side)
* The combined weight for all rail-mounted
equipment should not exceed 1,000 lbs (454 kg).
4-42

Adding a Snow Plow or Similar
Equipment
Before installing a snow plow on your vehicle, here are
some things you will need to know:
Notice:If your vehicle does not have the snow plow
prep package, adding a plow can damage your
vehicle, and the repairs would not be covered by
warranty. Unless your vehicle was built to carry a
snow plow, do not add one to your vehicle. If your
vehicle has the snow plow prep package, called RPO
VYU, then the payload your vehicle can carry will be
reduced when a snow plow is installed. Your vehicle
can be damaged if either the front or rear axle ratings
or the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) are exceeded.
Some vehicles are built with a special snow plow prep
package, called RPO VYU. If your vehicle has this
option, you can add a plow to it, provided certain
weights, such as the weights on the vehicle’s axles and
the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), are not exceeded.The plow your vehicle can carry depends on many
things, such as:
The options your vehicle came with, and the weight
of those options.
The weight and number of passengers you intend
to carry.
The weight of items you have added to your
vehicle, like a tool box or truck cap.
The total weight of any additional cargo you intend
to carry.
Say, for example, you have a 700 lb (318 kg) snow plow.
The total weight of all occupants and cargo inside the cab
should not exceed 300 lb (135 kg). This means that you
may only be able to carry one passenger. But, even this
may be too much if you have got other equipment already
adding to the weight of your vehicle.
4-43

Here are some guidelines for safely carrying a snow
plow on your vehicle:
Make sure the weight on the front and rear axles
does not exceed the axle rating for each.
For the front axle, if more cargo or passengers
must be carried, appropriate counter ballast must be
installed rear of the rear axle. Counter ballast
must be properly secured so it will not move during
driving.
Follow the snow plow manufacturer’s
recommendations regarding rear ballast. Rear
ballast may be required to ensure a proper front and
rear weight distribution ratio, even though the
actual weight at the front axle may be less than the
front axle rating.
The snow plow manufacturer or installer can assist
you in determining the amount of rear ballast
required, to help make sure your snowplow/vehicle
combination does not exceed the GVW rating,
the front and rear axle ratings, and the front and
rear weight distribution ratio.
The total vehicle must not exceed the GVW rating.Front axle reserve capacity is the difference between
your front Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) and
the front axle weight of your vehicle with full fuel and
passengers. Basically, it is the amount of weight you can
add to your front axle before reaching your front GAWR.
The front axle reserve capacity for your vehicle can
be found in the lower right corner of the Certication/Tire
label, as shown.
United States
Canada
4-44

In order to calculate the amount of weight any front
accessory, such as a snow plow, is adding to the front
axle, use the following formula:
(W x (A + W.B.)) /W.B.= Weight the accessory is adding
to the front axle.
Where:
W = Weight of added accessory
A = Distance that the accessory is in front of the
front axle
W.B. = Vehicle WheelbaseFor example, adding a 700 lb (318 kg) snow plow
actually adds more than 700 lbs (318 kg) to the
front axle. Using the formula, if the snow plow is
4 ft (122 cm) in front of the front axle and the wheel
base is 10 ft (305 cm), then:
W = 700 lb (318 kg)
A = 4 ft (122 cm)
W.B. = 10 ft (305 cm)
(W x (A + W.B.))/W.B. = (700 x (4 + 10))/10 =
980 lbs (445 kg)
So, if your truck’s front axle reserve capacity is more
than 980 lbs (445 kg), you could add the snow plow
without exceeding the front GAWR.
4-45

You can add heavier equipment on the front of the vehicle
if you compensate for it by carrying fewer passengers,
less cargo, or by positioning cargo towards the rear.
This has the effect of reducing the load on the front.
However, the front GAWR, rear GAWR, and the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) must never be exceeded.
{CAUTION:
On some vehicles that have certain front
mounted equipment, such as a snow plow, it
may be possible to load the front axle to the
front gross axle weight rating (GAWR) but not
have enough weight on the rear axle to have
proper braking performance. If your brakes can
not work properly, you could have a crash.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
To help your brakes work properly when a
snow plow is installed, always follow the
snow plow manufacturer or installer’s
recommendation for rear ballast to ensure a
proper front and rear weight distribution ratio,
even though the actual front weight may be
less than the front GAWR, and the total vehicle
weight is less than the gross vehicle weight
rating (GVWR). Maintaining a proper front and
rear weight distribution ratio is necessary to
provide proper braking performance.
Total vehicle reserve capacity is the difference between
your GVWR and the weight of your truck with full fuel
and passengers. It is the amount of weight you can
add to your vehicle before reaching your GVWR.
4-46

Keep in mind that reserve capacity numbers are
intended as a guide when selecting the amount of
equipment or cargo your truck can carry. If you
are unsure of your vehicle’s front, rear, or total weight,
go to a weigh station and weigh your vehicle. Your
dealer/retailer can also help you with this.
The total vehicle reserve capacity for your vehicle can
be found in the lower right corner of the Certication/Tire
label as shown previously.
See your dealer/retailer for additional advice and
information about using a snow plow on your vehicle.
Also, seeLoading Your Vehicle on page 4-36.
Emergency Roof Lamp Provisions
Vehicles with the RPO VYU snow plow prep package
also have an emergency roof lamp provision package,
RPO TRW. Wiring for the emergency roof lamp is
provided above the overhead console. SeeAuxiliary
Roof Mounted Lamp on page 3-20for switch location.
Truck-Camper Loading Information
A vehicle specic Truck-Camper Loading
information label is attached to the inside of your
vehicle’s glove box. This label will tell you if
your vehicle can carry a slide-in camper, how
much of a load your vehicle can carry, and how to
correctly spread out the load. Also, it will help
you match the right slide-in camper to your vehicle.
When you carry a slide-in camper, the total
cargo load of your vehicle is the weight of the
camper, plus the following:
Everything else added to the camper after it
left the factory
Everything in the camper
All the people inside
The Cargo Weight Rating (CWR) is the maximum
weight of the load your vehicle can carry. It does not
include the weight of the people inside. But, you
can gure about 150 lbs (68 kg) for each seat.
The total cargo load must not be more than your
vehicle’s CWR.
4-47

Refer to the Truck-Camper Loading Information
label in the glove box for dimensions A and B
as shown in the following illustration.
Use the rear edge of the load oor for
measurement purposes. The recommended
location for the cargo center of gravity is at point
C for the CWR. It is the point where the mass of a
body is concentrated and, if suspended at that
point, would balance the front and rear.Here is an example of proper truck and camper
match:
A.Camper Center of Gravity
B.Recommended Center of Gravity Location Zone
When the truck is used to carry a slide-in camper,
the total cargo load of the truck consists of the
manufacturer’s camper weight gure, the weight of
installed additional camper equipment not
included in the manufacturer’s camper weight
gure, the weight of camper cargo, and the weight
of passengers in the camper. The total cargo
load should not exceed the truck’s cargo weight
rating and the camper’s center of gravity (A)
should fall within the truck’s recommended center
of gravity zone (B) when installed.
4-48