And The Winner is... 2500HD 6.0L

Cowpie · April 24, 2015

Well, the Golden Hitch Awards were handed out recently by The Fast Lane Truck. Among the winers, in the gas engine 3/4 ton class, the Chevy Silverado 2500HD took the award. Beating the 6.4L Ram up the Ike Gauntlet test pull by well over a minute.

http://www.tfltruck.com/2015/04/selection-process-2015-chevy-silverado-2500-hd-6-0l-wins-gold-hitch-award-video/

sahls01gmc · April 24, 2015

That confirms it...my next truck will be another 2500 with 6.0!

Cowpie · April 25, 2015

I got my 2015 2500HD 6.0 before all this came out, and even without the Ike Gauntlet test and award, I was very pleased with the pickup. This is just the icing on the cake.

MikeNH · May 2, 2015

Interesting. Should make people stop complaining about the 6.0 being underpowered compared to Ford and Ram.

Cowpie · May 5, 2015

I think, more than anything, that it shows that numbers on a glossy brochure and such do not always mean great things in the real world. The Ram 6.4L ( 60 more hp and 50 more lb torque ) and 8 speed should have chewed up the 6.0L 6 speed, but the reverse was what happened. Overall component design and how components are matched to take advantage of each other really tells the story. They complained in the Ike Gauntlet videos that the 6 speed shifts took the motor out of optimum RPM band more than they would have liked. What they failed to understand, and would have if they took the time to dig a little bit, is that the L96 6.0L is designed to reach 90% of available torque at 2000 RPM. The torque curve is very gradual from there on up to the max torque at 4200 RPM. There is quite an RPM spread where most of the usable torque is available.

j-ten-ner · May 5, 2015

Congrats to the Silverado.

But honestly I'd prefer the truck with the "gear hold feature".

What gains me a minute to get faster up the hill?

I could not drive so many hills to make up for having the truck for at least one day in a tranny shop.

Since my truck has the GM 6-speed I know what they're talking about with the gear hunting. And my truck is empty and I don't tow.

so long

j-ten-ner

SILVER SLED · May 5, 2015

I would have thought the 6.4 Ram would do better than the 6.0 Chevy. But after reading the comments on the electronic limitations of the 6.4 I can see why. Kinda like the new ZO6 getting wooped on the hwy by a Challanger Hellcat video. Once the ZO6 warms up, the computer cuts alot of power.

Jon A · May 10, 2015

I hate to be a downer, but in my opinion all the gas HD's have been left behind in recent years--by the big diesels on one side which, despite the new EPA handcuffs, have become monstrous, and by much more capable 1/2 tons on the other side. I was thinking the new 6.4 Hemi would raise the bar, but man, that thing was pathetic!

The Chevy 6.0 did better, but that's not really saying much. ~40-somthing MPH most of the way up and having to downshift all the way into FIRST GEAR to crawl up to the top at 20-something MPH is not "getting the job done" in my opinion. Any time you lack the power to quickly pass a fast-moving jogger, you really shouldn't be pulling that much weight up that hill. If I had to tow that much weight in the mountains more than a couple times in the life of the vehicle, it would be with a Duramax, Cummins or Powerstroke.

Much less weight than that and some of the better equiped 1/2 tons get the job done well. For many things you need the payload of a 3/4 ton, I just hope they catch up to the 1/2 tons with their engine choices soon.

becker87 · May 10, 2015

I hate to be a downer, but in my opinion all the gas HD's have been left behind in recent years--by the big diesels on one side which, despite the new EPA handcuffs, have become monstrous, and by much more capable 1/2 tons on the other side. I was thinking the new 6.4 Hemi would raise the bar, but man, that thing was pathetic!

The Chevy 6.0 did better, but that's not really saying much. ~40-somthing MPH most of the way up and having to downshift all the way into FIRST GEAR to crawl up to the top at 20-something MPH is not "getting the job done" in my opinion. Any time you lack the power to quickly pass a fast-moving jogger, you really shouldn't be pulling that much weight up that hill. If I had to tow that much weight in the mountains more than a couple times in the life of the vehicle, it would be with a Duramax, Cummins or Powerstroke.

Much less weight than that and some of the better equiped 1/2 tons get the job done well. For many things you need the payload of a 3/4 ton, I just hope they catch up to the 1/2 tons with their engine choices soon.

I agree completely with this. In the near future when I will upgrade to a 2500 I don't want to get a gas engine for the reasons that you stated. Diesels in the past few years have received so much work and technology and the gas HD engines haven't received anything. If I am going to spend 50 grand on a truck, I want the technology it deserves, which in turn gives me the power, MPG and drive ability we deserve in a 2500

pcf · May 10, 2015

I going to disagree. A lot of it is having the right tool for the job. A big engine doesn't equate to a big chassis. Just because some engineers run out to Davis Dam and come up with some good looking numbers, doesn't mean that the truck will have a decent service life moving those kind of numbers.

Gas 3/4 tons have a lot going for them, especially as fleet and service vehicles where they are towing and hauling moderate weights day in and day out. Towing heavy weight through the mountains is prime territory for a forced induction engine. No kidding a naturally aspirated 3/4 ton gas truck loaded to the max is going to have problems. TFLT does an unrealistic towing test and common sense goes out the window. Take that same gas truck, hook up a 5,000lb landscape trailer in the summer, and a plow and salt dog in the winter, and you'll have a truck with a decent service life and low cost of ownership, especially compared to a 1/2 ton or a newer diesel 3/4 ton. A 1/2 ton chassis isn't going to hold up to as well as a 3/4 ton chassis in hard use, a 6.0 Vortec isn't going to compare to a 6.6 Duramax, it's having the right engine and chassis for the job.

Cowpie · May 10, 2015

I really didn't need diesel for what I mostly do, which is primarily hauling with only little bit of towing. I already go thru over 20,000 gallons of diesel a year with my other stuff, so I had no motivation to get another diesel when I actually could do fine with gas. And I didn't want to play guinea pig with the newer gas motors that have no where near the long track record of the L96 6.0L. But if one truly has need of the diesel, it makes sense.

becker87 · May 11, 2015

I going to disagree. A lot of it is having the right tool for the job. A big engine doesn't equate to a big chassis. Just because some engineers run out to Davis Dam and come up with some good looking numbers, doesn't mean that the truck will have a decent service life moving those kind of numbers.

Gas 3/4 tons have a lot going for them, especially as fleet and service vehicles where they are towing and hauling moderate weights day in and day out. Towing heavy weight through the mountains is prime territory for a forced induction engine. No kidding a naturally aspirated 3/4 ton gas truck loaded to the max is going to have problems. TFLT does an unrealistic towing test and common sense goes out the window. Take that same gas truck, hook up a 5,000lb landscape trailer in the summer, and a plow and salt dog in the winter, and you'll have a truck with a decent service life and low cost of ownership, especially compared to a 1/2 ton or a newer diesel 3/4 ton. A 1/2 ton chassis isn't going to hold up to as well as a 3/4 ton chassis in hard use, a 6.0 Vortec isn't going to compare to a 6.6 Duramax, it's having the right engine and chassis for the job.

I see where you are coming from, makes sense. And your right, the 6.0 does great most of the time. I have two '07 in my work fleet, do just fine towing a skidsteer in town, but as soon as you get up to highway speeds forget about maintaining any kind of descent speed, also manage around 7 mpg. Even driving empty on interstate leaves much to be desired. Now i realize this is an 07 and not the newer 6.0 in a 3500 dually, but not much has changed over the years.

Cowpie · May 11, 2015

Well it all depends on where one is towing outside of town, what one considers a "decent" speed, and the terrain one is doing that in. Each person has a different situation. For me, a decent speed is 55-60 mph. Why? Because most of what i do involves rural two lane curvy rolling hill highways. You do 65 or more on many of those roads, especially pulling a trailer, and you are going to be a statistic. I rarely hit the four lane freeway kind of roads more than a couple of times a month. Did a roughly 300+ mile road trip this weekend going to a family event and except for about 30 miles, all of it was two lane 55-60 mph state highways. And the highest elevation in my state is around 1500 feet. If I was towing stuff cross the country on interstates including mountain regions frequently, yeah, the gasser would not be the best ticket.

But there are many, and I do mean many, commercial operations that are ditching diesel for gas. A lot of the farmer's coop setups out here in fly over country farming areas have been dumping diesel powered 2500 and 3500 pickups for gassers for the last few years. And those folks are pulling double and triple 500+ gallon tank trailers of anhydrous ammonia to and from farm fields, including yanking them around on soft tilled crop land. And haul a lot of agriculture related products like feed and seed in those pickups also. Well, I fit more in line with that scenario than the snowbird crowd that moves their 5th wheel super RV to Arizona for the winter each year. I don't own and have no intention of owning such an RV trailer. Not even interested.

And if we are all truly honest here, we all know that there are many folks who get a diesel powered pickup as a fashion statement and not out of serious need. I drive commercial truck to the tune of and average 135,000 miles a year and see a lot of pickups running up and down the highways. I have even taken number counts over periods of time across several states and have noticed the vast majority of the working commercial 2500/3500 pickups, except for the RV haulers that are towing RV's from plants to dealers, are gas engine equipped. Most of the private diesel powered pickups I have seen do not even have a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch in the bed ( yes, being in a semi truck I can see into those pickup beds as they go by ), and look like they rarely, if ever, tow anything.

pcf · May 11, 2015

There's also quite a few folks that have figured out that if they are going to run a diesel on the farm, a used 2006 or older class 6 or 7 truck is much more economically and reliable than running a diesel pickup. Most of those trucks will have an engine that puts out quite a bit less power than what the big three are putting into the new pickups, but they have a chassis that will hold up heavy work, they're easier to service and have much longer service intervals.

becker87 · May 12, 2015

So...moral of the story.....both engines are great, both will get the job done. It is just a matter of how you want to get the job done and how much you want to spend, or have to spend.