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What have you towed with 5.3L 3.08 gearing?


Gasser43

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I've sadly found out my truck is geared with 3.08s.  Wondering what anyone is towing with this set up, especially the weight of the tow.  It is rated for 6600 pounds.  I want to get a boat and a travel trailer down the road and wondering what weight people tow without issues?  I live in Florida so 99% of towing will be flat roads.

 

Thanks!

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5-6000lb travel trailer and diesel tank 1000 gal I think, no problems at all. I running a custom 3" side exit exhaust,  intake and tuned by Lew. I live in South western pa nuthing but hills mountains and bridges does it just fine

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Pulled my 10' utility trailer yesterday morning, single axle, no brakes, 2900# rated/500# empty.  Between trailer and loaded bed we had total of 3200# that we took to the dump.  Two passengers (me at 240#, my SIL at 205#), full tank of gas.  Ran it in Tow/Haul mode without issue. Braking was a little soft though, not bad but noticeable.  I'm due for brakes soon, looking into brake upgrade. 

 

PS. Are you sure your's has 3.08 gears?  I thought the Z71 had 3.42's by default.

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If you want to check rpo codes for diff ratio:

GU4 3.08
GU5 3.23
GU6 3.42
GT4 3.73

 

In the 2016 order guide, only the HC has standard 3.42's (presumably the 2015 was the same)

3.42 optional on all other trims with 5.3

(Z71 doesn't seem to be a factor)

 

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Just posted this in another 3.08 topic!

 

My 2016 2LT Z71 Double Cab 4x4 5.3 6 spd with 3.08 is my first real "truck." I've had smaller mini trucks like a Dakota, and a K5 once, so I never done a lot of towing with my own personal truck, just others. My truck has the trailer rating of 6,200 lbs, so definitely not the optimal towing platform "on paper." I will say this, whenever I need to trailer, the truck is no slouch. There are times just driving to and from work that I wish I had a higher gear to improve acceleration, but it absolutely isn't a deal breaker. I've hauled three cars in the piedmont of North Carolina, so some hills and some flat land, and it honestly pulls like a 3/4 ton. The truck is very smooth and acts like it likes to have a load behind it. Two of the cars were around 3,000 lbs, and the other was a 4,500 lb Mercury Marauder land yacht. The trailer I pull is every bit of 2,000 lbs empty, a 16' Hudson Equipment Trailer. I've also had 2 tons of brick chips on the trailer as well, so that would be 4 instances I've had 5,000-6,500 lbs behind the truck, and it does just fine. Don't get caught up with the hype of having to have the best of everything on the order sheet. Now, I'm not saying don't opt for a 3.42 or 3.73 truck, but if a great deal comes on a 3.08 like I got, don't be scared of the high ratio. If you occasionally pull like I do, and use the truck like a half ton is intended to be used (a homeowner/light duty truck for occasional hauling in my eyes) you'll be just fine. Hope that helps

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Thanks guys!  Yes, I was informed by the dealer it had 3.42 gears but this proved to be false based on my RPO codes.  Jay it sounds like you're putting pretty good loads on it.  I'm hoping to be able to pull a travel trailer that loaded will come out to about 5500 lbs.  I was under the impression this would strain the transmission and engine being it is only rated for 6200 lbs and such a high gearing.  I'm no engineer and wish someone would tell me I'm wrong.  You guys hauling 5-6K find even in tow mode it's constantly hunting for the right gear on the highway or does it sit in 5th gear once 60-65 mph?

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Also, sorry forgot to ask.  What are your transmission temperatures running while towing?  If I'm not mistaken it runs about 170 on the highway.  At what temperature is it a concern?

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10 hours ago, Gasser43 said:

Thanks guys!  Yes, I was informed by the dealer it had 3.42 gears but this proved to be false based on my RPO codes.  Jay it sounds like you're putting pretty good loads on it.  I'm hoping to be able to pull a travel trailer that loaded will come out to about 5500 lbs.  I was under the impression this would strain the transmission and engine being it is only rated for 6200 lbs and such a high gearing.  I'm no engineer and wish someone would tell me I'm wrong.  You guys hauling 5-6K find even in tow mode it's constantly hunting for the right gear on the highway or does it sit in 5th gear once 60-65 mph?

What did your dealer say when you challenged him/her on this?  

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Buddy of mine blew his trans on his 8.1 suburban a couple months ago. His backup vehicle is an ‘11 5.3 avalanche with 3.08’s.

 

He threw on some helper bags, an aftermarket trans cooler, and a brake controller, he now tows 12k lbs with it pretty much every day. Says he has no problems at all. Only thing he misses is the low end grunt of the 8.1, says it’s doing a much better job than he expected though.

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17 minutes ago, truckguy82 said:

Buddy of mine blew his trans on his 8.1 suburban a couple months ago. His backup vehicle is an ‘11 5.3 avalanche with 3.08’s.

 

He threw on some helper bags, an aftermarket trans cooler, and a brake controller, he now tows 12k lbs with it pretty much every day. Says he has no problems at all. Only thing he misses is the low end grunt of the 8.1, says it’s doing a much better job than he expected though.

Better get the burb fixed. 12 k with that rig is on borrowed time IMO.

:happysad:

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12 hours ago, Gasser43 said:

You guys hauling 5-6K find even in tow mode it's constantly hunting for the right gear on the highway or does it sit in 5th gear once 60-65 mph?

The tow/haul mode forces it to hold gears longer to prevent the gear hunting. This can result in higher rpms, but reduces unnecessary shifting.

 

the highway shifting is worse when going fast and hauling a tall trailer. Hopefully any small TT you may purchase will have a nice round front end to cut down on your wind resistance.

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Your truck will do fine with loads up to the rated limits.  The Fords I owned in 70's and 80's were usually 100 hp 6 cylinder motors paired with a 3.08 rear end.  I worked those trucks hard but didn't abuse them.  Your truck has over 3X the hp and you will not be disappointed especially if you stay within its load limits!  However, if I bought my truck which was falsely described as having a different gear ratio, I'd be seeking compensation or exchange.

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I have towed with 5.3 and 3.08. Around your wt just put it in 5th or even 4th the 5.3 tows  best around 2400 rpm for sure no lower than 2200. The less it shifts the cooler your trans will be    towed 24 hrs straight with my 2010 5.3 at 2500 no problems kust dont lug the motor by driving in too high a gear 

 

the 3.08 will hurt you when pulling away frim stop you will need more throttle to get up to speed  mileage wont be great but once up to speed in a gear that keeps it above 2200 it will be no different than a 3:42 at same rpm 

LS motors can handle the rpm 

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11 hours ago, Donstar said:

What did your dealer say when you challenged him/her on this?  

Called today.  I asked for someone that really knows trucks.  The salesman I spoke with agreed the trucks build is misleading, having the HD hitch, the trans HD cooler, electronic  braking adjuster.  I mentioned how the dealer published this as 9200 towing capacity and 3.42s and said he's going to talk to the "managers"  to see what he can do.  He did actually sound like he felt bad, but honestly I doubt I get any help from them, sure would be cool if they would find the same truck as mine or newer and make a great deal happen but I doubt it.  Also, I called the service department- according to them, they have never replaced the gears and wouldn't be able to change them.  Just great.

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