DD + occasional towing... 6.2 1500 vs 6.0 2500

[i82much]

To me, both engines have more than enough power for what you want to do.  Which truck do you want to be in if someone pulls out in front of you going down a steep grade?  Which truck do you want to be in towing a long, steep grade on a hot day, watching your engine and transmission temps?  Which truck do you want to be in when you are in the middle of nowhere and there are gusting 60 mph crosswinds? 

[AdamZ71]

1 hour ago, Kyleorsini said:

I tow a 8500lb gvwr 34' Jayco with the 5.3. Bouncy and not stable until I threw on some 10ply tires and some bilstein 5100s. Tows good enough. Do I need more truck absolutely however the financial hit and rough empty miles of a heavy duty isnt worth it. If you don't have already invest in the best weight distribution hitch with sway control you can afford

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 

Yes the weight dist. Hitch I have is a good one rated for 10k lbs, and makes a big difference

when we sold the old trailer we sold it private and to someone we know. I towed it the short trip (15 min up the highway) for them and went without the weight dist as we had emptied it out completely and it was a super short trip and it was a notible difference for sure. And I’m always shopping around to add the sway control bar as well. 

Tires do make a difference for the wiggle and bounce too. I had 10 ply tires on my 2011 1500 and noticed it right away going back to p rated on my 2015 I currently have. I think whatever I end up doing I will look to go load range c or e depending on tire selection 

[AdamZ71]

18 minutes ago, i82much said:

To me, both engines have more than enough power for what you want to do.  Which truck do you want to be in if someone pulls out in front of you going down a steep grade?  Which truck do you want to be in towing a long, steep grade on a hot day, watching your engine and transmission temps?  Which truck do you want to be in when you are in the middle of nowhere and there are gusting 60 mph crosswinds? 

I’ve pulled my old trailer with my old 5.3 in 60 mph head/ side wind and was confidently planted on the road , but holding 4K rpm to maintain 50 mph this was at flat grade 

the new trailer being bigger will deffinatly ace as a bigger sail to catch the wind with though

 

when I watched the Ike gauntlet videos of the 6.0 and the 6.2 while the weight each truck was towing was different , the 6.0 was bagged right out near the top and loosing speed quickly while the 6.2 had no issue maintaining speed , while it did hunt a bit for gears it seemed to be less effected towing near max weight 

 

[i82much]

Just now, AdamZ71 said:

I’ve pulled my old trailer with my old 5.3 in 60 mph head/ side wind and was confidently planted on the road , but holding 4K rpm to maintain 50 mph this was at flat grade 

the new trailer being bigger will deffinatly ace as a bigger sail to catch the wind with though

 

when I watched the Ike gauntlet videos of the 6.0 and the 6.2 while the weight each truck was towing was different , the 6.0 was bagged right out near the top and loosing speed quickly while the 6.2 had no issue maintaining speed , while it did hunt a bit for gears it seemed to be less effected towing near max weight 

 

6.2 blows the old tech 6.0 away.  For my purposes, it didn't matter - I just wanted a safe, durable rig.  But everyone has different preferences.  I honestly get freaked out towing a travel trailer in the mountains and the 2500HD gives me peace of mind that I could never have with a 1500.  

[JimCost2014]

21 minutes ago, i82much said:

6.2 blows the old tech 6.0 away.  For my purposes, it didn't matter - I just wanted a safe, durable rig.  But everyone has different preferences.  I honestly get freaked out towing a travel trailer in the mountains and the 2500HD gives me peace of mind that I could never have with a 1500.  

Completely agree with your statement, but I have to ask, can you truly have to much too eat?

Edited January 14, 2019 by JimCost2014

[i82much]

4 minutes ago, JimCost2014 said:

Completely agree with your statement, but I have to ask, can you truly have to much too eat?

The National Guard recruiter says yes, in fact, I have had too much to eat!

[Bigmac]

17 hours ago, AdamZ71 said:

Hey guys , i know this is covered in a few other feeds but i wanted to get some more opinions , experiences and ideas specific to my situation.

currently running a 2015 double cab SLE Z71 5.3 with 6 speed and the 3:42 gearing. I love the truck but I’m looking at upgrading;

we were towing a 4900 LB (Dry 5800 lb gvw) travel trailer with it , with little issue. The trailer was 25 feet bumper to tongue. 

We sold this trailer and bought a new one just before Xmas with some sales at the dealers here. Now going to be towing a 29’ trailer (5500 lbs dry 6700 lbs gvw, 510 LB tongue weight)

while the weight is still i think somewhat manageable by my 5.3 , i think the time to go back to a crewcab may be upon me too

I drive 16 kms ( 10 miles) each way to work , and would be pulling my camper 8-10 times a season minimum, and would like to be able to get to the Rockies in the next couple of summers with the TT.

i also pull a 14’ flat deck trailer with our 2 four wheelers regularly in the summer .

im looking at either a 6.2 1500 (looking a year or 2 old with minimal kms and full options) or a 3/4 ton with the 6.0L (same year range mileage and options (SLT / AT / Denali)

 

what are your thoughts and opinions on both options? Is the 3/4 ton overkill? Will the 6.2 be a big enough difference , and help me get through the inclines for some of the trips we’d like to make in the future. 

Watching TFLTruck Ike gauntlet tests i was pretty impressed with what the 6.2 seemed to do. Vs the 6.0 ( i get the weight difference they were towing) but with my expected trailer weight never to exceed 6K range would the 6.0 be enough for me to confidently nagivage a trip to the Rockies (12-1500 kms one way from my bald prairie home)

 

love to hear what you guys have to say

 

thanks!

Left you a pm btw. 

[JimCost2014]

13 minutes ago, i82much said:

The National Guard recruiter says yes, in fact, I have had too much to eat!

Great response! Thanks for your service!

Edited January 14, 2019 by JimCost2014

[TXGREEK]

I’ve pulled my old trailer with my old 5.3 in 60 mph head/ side wind and was confidently planted on the road , but holding 4K rpm to maintain 50 mph this was at flat grade 
the new trailer being bigger will deffinatly ace as a bigger sail to catch the wind with though
 
when I watched the Ike gauntlet videos of the 6.0 and the 6.2 while the weight each truck was towing was different , the 6.0 was bagged right out near the top and loosing speed quickly while the 6.2 had no issue maintaining speed , while it did hunt a bit for gears it seemed to be less effected towing near max weight 
 

It’s not just the ability to pull, it’s the differences in handling characteristics. The 2500 is outfitted with much heavier duty suspension, brakes etc. heck, didn’t you see that tundra pull that space shuttle lol


Sent from above

[Snowcamo]

That's burning E85 not regular gas.
E85 uses more fuel per mile than regular gas

Ah ok. I was wow.

Sent from my LG-G710 using Tapatalk

[i82much]

Honestly a 6.0 is going to have to rev harder than a 6.2.  It has a smaller displacement and comes in a heavier truck.  The great thing about the 6.0 is you can run the piss out of it every day for a decade and it will keep coming back for more.  

 

I have a 6.0 2500HD.  When I get bored, I go on the Chevy website and build 6.2 half tons and drool over them.  But when I look at my paycheck and think about what really makes sense financially, I see myself driving my wife's old car as a daily when she upgrades, and keeping the 2500HD forever.  

 

 

[Kyleorsini]

BTW hello fellow pegger

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[Cpl_Punishment]

20 hours ago, AdamZ71 said:

Hey guys , i know this is covered in a few other feeds but i wanted to get some more opinions , experiences and ideas specific to my situation.

currently running a 2015 double cab SLE Z71 5.3 with 6 speed and the 3:42 gearing. I love the truck but I’m looking at upgrading;

we were towing a 4900 LB (Dry 5800 lb gvw) travel trailer with it , with little issue. The trailer was 25 feet bumper to tongue. 

We sold this trailer and bought a new one just before Xmas with some sales at the dealers here. Now going to be towing a 29’ trailer (5500 lbs dry 6700 lbs gvw, 510 LB tongue weight)

while the weight is still i think somewhat manageable by my 5.3 , i think the time to go back to a crewcab may be upon me too

I drive 16 kms ( 10 miles) each way to work , and would be pulling my camper 8-10 times a season minimum, and would like to be able to get to the Rockies in the next couple of summers with the TT.

i also pull a 14’ flat deck trailer with our 2 four wheelers regularly in the summer .

im looking at either a 6.2 1500 (looking a year or 2 old with minimal kms and full options) or a 3/4 ton with the 6.0L (same year range mileage and options (SLT / AT / Denali)

 

what are your thoughts and opinions on both options? Is the 3/4 ton overkill? Will the 6.2 be a big enough difference , and help me get through the inclines for some of the trips we’d like to make in the future. 

Watching TFLTruck Ike gauntlet tests i was pretty impressed with what the 6.2 seemed to do. Vs the 6.0 ( i get the weight difference they were towing) but with my expected trailer weight never to exceed 6K range would the 6.0 be enough for me to confidently nagivage a trip to the Rockies (12-1500 kms one way from my bald prairie home)

 

love to hear what you guys have to say

 

thanks!

I can only address one part of the answer but I've heard this generation of 6.0s in the HDs have a lot of problems so, from a reliability standpoint, you may want to go for a 1500 with the 6.2 if you don't want a Duramax.

[dieselfan1]

25 minutes ago, Cpl_Punishment said:

I can only address one part of the answer but I've heard this generation of 6.0s in the HDs have a lot of problems so, from a reliability standpoint, you may want to go for a 1500 with the 6.2 if you don't want a Duramax.

Where did you hear that from?

That's total B.S .

That 6.0 cast iron block is about as bulletproof as it gets . I've owned 2 of these myself and never had a problem and I ran the shit out out of them . They like to suck the gas though.

How many 6.2's have you seen with 250,000+  miles on them. 

I'm waiting for your answer.

Edited January 14, 2019 by dieselfan1

[Cpl_Punishment]

1 minute ago, dieselfan1 said:

Where did you hear that from?

That's total B.S .

That 6.0 cast iron block is about as bulletproof as it gets .

How many 6.2's have you seen with 250,000+  miles on them. 

I'm waiting for your answer.

My brother's company is using the HDs with the 6.0 and having a lot of issues with the engines. I don't have any more details than that. 

 

GM/ Chevy HD is also ranked as the second least reliable by Consumer Reports after the Ram HD.