Brummie99

Mine seems to retain the tow/haul mode at fuel stops but not the trailer.

I have my 5th wheel trailer configured in the trailering app but most of the time (not always), it will default to the guest trailer so I have to remember to manually change it to my trailer for it to record my trip correctly. This happens every time I hook up and often just stopping for gas or lunch break. Is there a way to have it default to my trailer every time?

Thanks for the reply. No adaptive cruise on my truck.

Title is self explanatory. We are currently in the Smokey Mountains and I have been using the exhaust brake extensively on steep hills (with and without towing). Curious as to whether the brake lights are working in tandem with the exhaust brake. I had a diesel-pusher RV years ago and confirmed that did operate the brake lights with exhaust (PAC) brake.

One of the reasons I bought my diesel dually was to future-proof. It is more than enough truck for my current rig but if I choose to upgrade my fifth wheel in the future (very likely), I know the truck will be plenty capable of hauling anything I choose to get. I have a 25k hitch in the bed which should handle anything I'm likely to throw at it. Jettech wants to ensure his truck will be comfortable when he is retired and travelling cross-country. He said he can afford the upgrade now. I say go for it. If you want a bigger trailer in the future, no truck worries.

Not apples to apples, but... We have a 14k lb fifth wheel. At the time we bought it, I had a 2016 Sierra 2500 with the 6.0 motor. We only towed it a couple of times with that rig and it was not a great experience. Even a small incline would have it shifting down to 4th or 3rd and the resultant high RPMs. Was averaging 6mpg. This was in Florida, so no big hills. We were definitely overloaded on the truck payload (and rear axle). Airbags helped but was never happy with it. I was a couple of years from retirement and made the decision to get a diesel dually. We factory ordered one in 2021 and waited... and waited. After a year of waiting, I found a low-mileage Silverado diesel dually LTZ at Carmax. Pulled the trigger and bought it. We've just started a 6-month roadtrip and couldn't be happier. I'm averaging 10mpg with the trailer. 16mpg lifetime mpg. Currently in East Tennessee, near Gatlinburg and it's handled everything asked of it with ease. The exhaust brake is awesome. We lost trailer brakes heading for Lake Guntersville in Alabama and drove the last 8 miles without trailer brakes including some steep downhills. The exhaust brake worked great. Downside is using a 26ft long wide truck as a daily driver but you get used to it real quick. Get the big truck. You'll never be thinking "If only???"

Replaced all 4 brake assemblies. The first one was completely trashed with burned wires and zero brake lining. Second one the magnet was partially melted. The other 2 looked OK but replaced them anyway. Also replaced the breakaway switch. Drove 60 miles to our next campground with no issues.

*** Update *** The mobile tech was a no-show, so I checked it out myself and found 1 wheel shorted. The others tested seemed OK on the multimeter. Ordered 2 replacement magnets (so i'd have a spare). Tried installing it this morning but when I removed the hub, the remnants of the brake material fell out and the wires leading to the magnet were completely fried.. Didn't bother checking the others. So, now I have 4 complete new brake assemblies coming tomorrow.

I have a short on the brake circuit on the trailer. Possibly a bad magnet. I have a mobile RV tech coming on Friday.

Thanks for the responses. I haven't had a chance to look any closer. Will be checking again tomorrow. The trailer is 4 years old but has been towed less than 1,000 miles in that time (including 300 yesterday). We're based in Florida, so not a major rust area. I will probably replace the breakaway switch anyway but still curious about the black device.

To add to the above... Ran the trailer diags in the trailer app and that shows a problem with the electric brakes.

Took the first major trip of the season yesterday (about 300 miles) towing a 5th wheel. Trip was uneventful until about 5 miles from destination when I had to take a sharp (about 120 degrees) right turn. As I made the turn, I heard a pop from the rear of the truck and immediately got the message to check trailer connections. I pulled over and checked. removed and reseated trailer connector and could smell an electrical burning smell. As we were only 5 miles to go, I proceeded anyway (dumb, I know). When we arrived, the connection box in the kingpin was warm to the touch and can still smell burning. I removed the cover from the kingpin connection box and the wires were still hot but don't see anything visibly burned. This morning, I'm trying to troubleshoot. When the trailer is connected, the trailer app shows it connected and all connections are OK. Lighting test works. The only problem now is no trailer brakes. The truck doesn't recognize there is a trailer with brakes attached. No light on the trailer slider/switch. Although when the trailer is connected, I get the message "trailer brake gain restored". The 30A fuse #84 for the trailer brake is good. I suspect the "pop" may have been the trailer breakaway connector getting pulled out. Not sure but it was disconnected when we got to site. Below is a picture of the wiring box on the 5th wheel. No sign of burning. Any idea what the device is at the top-left with 2 studs? It has 12V on both sides with or without the truck connected. Any ideas where to go next? TIA

I concur with this assessment. I had a 40ft 10,000lb TT that I pulled with a 2016 Sierra 2500 with the 6.0 gas motor. Towing (in Florida), I was getting 6mpg. When we upgraded to a 14klb 5er, I knew I wanted a diesel. I now have a 3500 Duramax dually and couldn't be happier. The towing experience is night and day. Have only done 1 significant trip so far but was getting 11mpg and a much more relaxed driving experience. The fuel level anxiety with the gas is significant.

I installed this a few weeks ago on my 42ft fifth wheel. I've since done one 400-mile round trip with the camper. I knew that the stock 60ft cable would be too short, so ordered a 70ft cable. Didn't realize it would be coming from China, but it arrived in 4-5 days. Shipping charge was about $40. I bought the articulating mount but ended up not using it. I made a box from the PVC boxes noted in the original post and mounted it directly to the back of the camper at about eye-height using 3M double-sided tape. I then ran the cable straight down, securing it with hot-glue and ran it under the camper in some split conduit. There were convenient holes down the length of the chassis to thread it through, so didn't need to tie it to anything. At the front, I ran it round the edge molding (again using hot-glue) to the pin box, then taped to the electrical umbilical. When all done, I have maybe 4-5ft spare coiled up in the pin box. It does seem very temperamental about how it's connected. Each time I hitched up and then connected the cables, it would not be recognized. I would turn it off, reconnect and then it would sometimes work. I will try Mark Ulm's sequence next time. When it does work, I can echo @glbrail's comment that it is very high quality but very wide-angle (objects in the display are much closer than they appear). If you connect it to the internal trailer camera connector, it appears like a fish-eye display but that display is dismissed after several seconds. When using the external camera connection, it will keep that on the display while driving. I think the biggest benefit when rolling down the highway is knowing when you have cleared a slower vehicle you have passed. Overall, it cost me around $200. Very worthwhile investment.

There should be a label on the bottom corner of the glass with the tint level (transparency %). In this example, Transparency of 70% equates to 30% tint.

I bought the Weigh-Safe 180 hitch with 2.5" shank and 8" drop. I have a second slider so It works with 1 7/8, 2 inch and 2 5/16. With the 2 5/16 ball, it's rated at 18,500 pounds. runs about $400 all in. The last hitch you'll ever buy.

I did a drive-by and saw it on their lot. Checking their website today, looks like it's already sold. Although the one I have is 2 years older, it is better equipped. Over the one I ordered, it has navigation, alloys, blind spot warning, running boards, heated rear seats, not to mention heated/cooled seats and heated steering wheel that actually work. The only regret is that this one doesn't have wireless carplay. I don't think I've seen or heard of anyone that has actually got their "later retrofit" yet.

So the original truck, ordered last September and built in February, finally showed up at the dealership.

The dealer refunded my deposit. Here is the beast.

Tint removed. Problem solved.

Finally ran out of patience. Found a 2020 truck almost identical to the one on order. Same color, same trim but with some extras that mine doesn't have, including working heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel and heated rear seats. Also, has parking sensors, blind spot monitors etc. Picked it up on Saturday. Now, to try and get my deposit back.

What is compounding the issue is the previous owner had aftermarket tint installed on driver and passenger windows and what appears to be almost limo tint on the rear window making the interior very dark. I think I will need to get the tint removed. Not confident doing it myself for fear of damaging the heating elements.

Just bought a 2020 Silverado 3500HD LTZ. The backlighting for all switches/buttons is very dim unless I have the headlights on. In regular daytime running, It's difficult to see/read the switches. This includes dash switches, door controls and steering wheel controls. If I turn on the side or headlights, they are illuminated and can be adjusted using the brightness controls. Turn the lights off or switch to auto and the backlighting turns off (or extremely dim). Any ideas? I can't find any setting to change it. TIA

Fingers crossed for you. My dealer told me something similar... In March.

Good luck! My '22 Silverado LTZ dually was built in February and still awaiting shipment.