Is max trailer worth cost

Truknoob · March 15, 2018

Thanks for the insight Michigan

KMGZ400 · March 15, 2018

23 hours ago, Truknoob said:

KMGZ400 you advised you've towed with the 6.2 non max, was that a decent distance or just flat road down street? I'd like to travel to camping areas, beaches, and national parks all over the country. Maybe a few weeks or a week out of the year.

I towed all over with it, I've never towed with a 6.2 and it exceeded my expectations power wise, i live in a very hilly area as well and put the truck through its paces with a few WOT runs. I would totally get airbags for the rear if I was towing frequently as it was it bouncy even with the trailer loaded perfectly.

sorry if it was posted before, but does the max tow have better brakes then a non max tow? I would foresee that being a good reason to get a max tow. the GMT900's max tow was a must since non max tow 1500's had drum brakes...

Truknoob · March 15, 2018

32 minutes ago, KMGZ400 said:

I towed all over with it, I've never towed with a 6.2 and it exceeded my expectations power wise, i live in a very hilly area as well and put the truck through its paces with a few WOT runs. I would totally get airbags for the rear if I was towing frequently as it was it bouncy even with the trailer loaded perfectly.

sorry if it was posted before, but does the max tow have better brakes then a non max tow? I would foresee that being a good reason to get a max tow. the GMT900's max tow was a must since non max tow 1500's had drum brakes...

I think max tow just has mirrows, 3.42 diff gear and stiffer suspension.

Cowpie · March 16, 2018

For towing anything over 6000 lb, I prefer the 2500. The 6.2 has the power, for sure, but there is more to towing than the engine and diff ratio. The 2500 has substantially better overall build. The comparison of yanking around a 7000 lb travel trailer in a 25 mph cross wind with a 1500 compared to a 2500 is night and day difference. It is one thing to go straight down a road with no wind or dodging road debris or pot holes, but that is not reality most times.

As a daily driver, a 2500 wouldn't be the greatest. But then, i never use a pickup as a daily driver or grocery getter. That is what my 12 year old Cadillac is for. Why settle for 14 mpg when I can get 26 mpg and ride in comfort and quiet. And getting the 6.2L, while it might get better mpg than my 2500, the cost per mile for fuel will probably be a wash. I can fill up my 2500 for $1.60 a gallon on E85. it averages about 11 mpg for all miles on the stuff, for about 14.5 cents a mile fuel cost. Premium in my area is going for $3 a gallon. A 1500 with the 6.2L would have to average... for all miles, city, highway, hauling, etc.... over 21 mpg to gain an edge in cost per mile on fuel. Doable in the right hands, but still no appreciable advantage. And given that a decent spec'd 2500 with far more capability can be had for less money than a 1500 with the 6.2 in it, well, you do the math. And no matter how much you package up the 1500 6.2L, it still will have far less towing and hauling capability than a base 2500.

While the 6.2 max tow might have a little over 2K payload, my 2500 with two people on board, full of fuel, and a couple hundred pounds of tools and such in the back still has about 2400 lb of payload available. And it will tow 13,500 lb.

It is those, among many, reasons that for towing 7000 lb or more, I would opt for a 2500. And my 2015 2500 double cab, 6.5' bed, LT, Z71, 6.0L with 4.10 diffs, snow plow prep, tow package with integrated controller, heated seats and some other stuff I could do without, and a Line-X bed liner job, Auto Armor 7 year paint protection and rust prevention package, and Raptor running boards thrown in by the dealer, I drove it brand new off the lot for $38K.

Truknoob · March 16, 2018

Interesting, never really thought about 2500. The 1500 is well over 38k right now.

FreeAmerican · March 16, 2018

I agree with Cowpie on this. I was talked into the 1500 will do it. And then traded up to a 2500. I'm pulling a 32 foot, 7500 lb travel trailer and we tow it a good bit from end of march to Oct / Nov. And we venture out on longer trips a couple of times a year too.

If you are towing 7000 lb + and or towing a lot, I would really suggest moving to a 2500. It made a huge difference as Cowpie pointed out. Because it is a much more capable platform for towing, when you get where you are going, you will not be as worn out, the entire towing experience is so much more pleasant. You still know something is hooked to your truck, but barely.

To those who dislike the looks of the GM tow mirrors, they are not for looks. Honestly some of the best towing mirrors I have used. A lot of mirror surface area, the bottom wide angle mirror is in just the right spot.

So if your tow is on the lighter side (say 5000lb or so) or shorter (length, surface area, other factors impact too), or you only tow local or just 1 or two trips a year, then a 1500 would do the trick. My 1500 was a 5.2 /3.42 and did a great job starting and even stopping my trailer, it was all those other factors that a max tow is not going to fix that pushed me to a 2500.

FreeAmerican · March 16, 2018

3 hours ago, Truknoob said:

Interesting, never really thought about 2500. The 1500 is well over 38k right now.

Unless you add diesel to the option list, you can usually find a 2500 discounted to not far off 1500 prices. You just have to shop a little harder.

michigan2500hd · March 17, 2018

For towing anything over 6000 lb, I prefer the 2500. The 6.2 has the power, for sure, but there is more to towing than the engine and diff ratio. The 2500 has substantially better overall build. The comparison of yanking around a 7000 lb travel trailer in a 25 mph cross wind with a 1500 compared to a 2500 is night and day difference. It is one thing to go straight down a road with no wind or dodging road debris or pot holes, but that is not reality most times.

As a daily driver, a 2500 wouldn't be the greatest. But then, i never use a pickup as a daily driver or grocery getter. That is what my 12 year old Cadillac is for. Why settle for 14 mpg when I can get 26 mpg and ride in comfort and quiet. And getting the 6.2L, while it might get better mpg than my 2500, the cost per mile for fuel will probably be a wash. I can fill up my 2500 for $1.60 a gallon on E85. it averages about 11 mpg for all miles on the stuff, for about 14.5 cents a mile fuel cost. Premium in my area is going for $3 a gallon. A 1500 with the 6.2L would have to average... for all miles, city, highway, hauling, etc.... over 21 mpg to gain an edge in cost per mile on fuel. Doable in the right hands, but still no appreciable advantage. And given that a decent spec'd 2500 with far more capability can be had for less money than a 1500 with the 6.2 in it, well, you do the math. And no matter how much you package up the 1500 6.2L, it still will have far less towing and hauling capability than a base 2500.

While the 6.2 max tow might have a little over 2K payload, my 2500 with two people on board, full of fuel, and a couple hundred pounds of tools and such in the back still has about 2400 lb of payload available. And it will tow 13,500 lb.

It is those, among many, reasons that for towing 7000 lb or more, I would opt for a 2500. And my 2015 2500 double cab, 6.5' bed, LT, Z71, 6.0L with 4.10 diffs, snow plow prep, tow package with integrated controller, heated seats and some other stuff I could do without, and a Line-X bed liner job, Auto Armor 7 year paint protection and rust prevention package, and Raptor running boards thrown in by the dealer, I drove it brand new off the lot for $38K.

I agree. Sometimes I wish I had bought a 2500. Although I haven't had the occasion yet that my max tow 6.2 won't handle the 2500 is built sturdier. I swear my max tow rides about the same too. If I didn't feel the "need" for a quick truck I probably would have ended up with a 6.0 2500. The diesel is ridiculously priced so that's unfortunately not a option.

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Jon A · March 18, 2018

On 3/14/2018 at 5:54 PM, Truknoob said:

Okay I was referring to the ratio of gears, the 3.23 and the 3.42 but I suppose that's more of a gas mileage thing under tow benefit.

Yes, two different things: The physical size of the gears and the ratio of the gears, one has nothing to do with the other.

All 6.2's get the larger 9.76" gears which will add some strength and durability. 5.3's get 9.5" gears standard but with the NHT option get the bigger 9.76". Though the durability difference probably isn't something you'll ever notice unless you're towing 10K+ fairly often as the 9.5" is a pretty beefy axle for a 1/2 ton, historically speaking.

Both the 5.3 and 6.2 get a different ratio when the NHT option is selected. The ratio difference is small, but will help the truck feel like it has a bit more power, especially up hills and be helpful in keeping the temps in check. How much of a help depends a bit on the truck--a 5.3 with a 6 speed, really, really, really needs gears. A 6.2 less so and with the 8-speed both engines do better with the standard ratio. So looking at a 6.2 8-speed as you are, the ratio difference isn't that big a deal.

Cowpie · March 23, 2018

Yeah, once one starts trying to take a 1500 into 2500 territory via 6.2, max tow, etc., the price easily starts exceeding what one can get a well equipped 2500 for. And factor in that the 6.0 will do pretty well on regular fuel or even E85 as opposed to the 6.2 needing a minimum of mid grade gas and really calls for premium if towing, and the cost spreads are even further pronounced. And as an added icing on the cake, the 6.0 has nothing to do with that AFM nonsense and is still port injected, so buildup on valves is less an issue compared to the DI motors. Each person has to weigh the differences and make their own choice.

Jon A · March 25, 2018

I would never recommend somebody choose between a 1500 and 2500 based upon price. Both are available in stripped down versions that provide good value, decked out versions with insane stickers and everything in between. They're different trucks.

If you have a bunch of screws that need to be tightened, you go to the hardware store to pick up a screw driver but walk out with a hammer instead because it was on sale, you are not likely to be happy with your purchase even if it was "a good deal" or "a more capable tool for the money."

They are different trucks. One is better at doing a long list of things than the other. The other is better at doing a long list of different things than the first. The user needs to go through those lists and decide which of those things the truck being good at is most important to him.

Way too often advice on the internet amounts to suggesting a hammer as the better tool for every user, regardless of the user's ratio of screws to nails in their daily life.

Truknoob · March 25, 2018

Thanks for eveyones input, I ended up going with the 6.2 1500. It just worked for me as a daily driver better. Thanks again for the input and am happy to be apart of the gm family and apart of this forum site.