Jump to content

Towing question

SuperDuper
 Share

Recommended Posts

SuperDuper Enthusiast

SuperDuper

Posted
Posted

I just picked up a new 2021 gas 2500 Sierra from Laura Buick gmc. I already screwed the pooch with the recommended break in on my drive home as I live about 400 miles away. Did a lot of 70mph driving. Did have some slower speeds mixed in, but 70 was the majority of it.
 

Anyways, reading the manual now I see it mentions not exceeding 50mph for the first 500 miles of towing. What’s the reasoning for this?  I’m asking as I have trip coming up where I plan to tow a pontoon for about 375 miles one way. Normal driving it would take around 6 hours, so at 50 mph it will take most of a day to get there. I know break in is a hot topic with a variety of advice, so would just like to hear everyone’s thoughts. Thanks!

nards444 Senior Enthusiast

nards444

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, SuperDuper said:

I just picked up a new 2021 gas 2500 Sierra from Laura Buick gmc. I already screwed the pooch with the recommended break in on my drive home as I live about 400 miles away. Did a lot of 70mph driving. Did have some slower speeds mixed in, but 70 was the majority of it.
 

Anyways, reading the manual now I see it mentions not exceeding 50mph for the first 500 miles of towing. What’s the reasoning for this?  I’m asking as I have trip coming up where I plan to tow a pontoon for about 375 miles one way. Normal driving it would take around 6 hours, so at 50 mph it will take most of a day to get there. I know break in is a hot topic with a variety of advice, so would just like to hear everyone’s thoughts. Thanks!

 

I dont know how much I believe in this break in stuff.  I mean I understand giving it a few miles after purchase,  double check fluids etc.  Either way drive about an hour or so a night after a few nights youll be at 500 miles.

03 Cobra Enthusiast

03 Cobra

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, SuperDuper said:

I just picked up a new 2021 gas 2500 Sierra from Laura Buick gmc. I already screwed the pooch with the recommended break in on my drive home as I live about 400 miles away. Did a lot of 70mph driving. Did have some slower speeds mixed in, but 70 was the majority of it.
 

Anyways, reading the manual now I see it mentions not exceeding 50mph for the first 500 miles of towing. What’s the reasoning for this?  I’m asking as I have trip coming up where I plan to tow a pontoon for about 375 miles one way. Normal driving it would take around 6 hours, so at 50 mph it will take most of a day to get there. I know break in is a hot topic with a variety of advice, so would just like to hear everyone’s thoughts. Thanks!

 

When they write the requirements for towing break in they have to consider someone towing at max capacity of the truck.  Your pontoon is a few thousand pounds at most I would guess and from the truck's perspective it won't even know it's towing anything.  If it was a 16k pound fifth wheel it might be different.  I'd drive it and be proud!

garagerog Enthusiast

garagerog

Posted
Posted (edited)

SuperDuper, you're fine, after all it's not like you're breaking in a new motor like Finnegan and Freiburger would. The towing restrictions probably have as much to do with bedding the brakes and breaking in the differential gears as much as the motor.

Edited by garagerog
Heavyduty SEO New Member

Heavyduty SEO

Posted
Posted
On 7/27/2021 at 8:53 AM, SuperDuper said:

I just picked up a new 2021 gas 2500 Sierra from Laura Buick gmc. I already screwed the pooch with the recommended break in on my drive home as I live about 400 miles away. Did a lot of 70mph driving. Did have some slower speeds mixed in, but 70 was the majority of it.
 

Anyways, reading the manual now I see it mentions not exceeding 50mph for the first 500 miles of towing. What’s the reasoning for this?  I’m asking as I have trip coming up where I plan to tow a pontoon for about 375 miles one way. Normal driving it would take around 6 hours, so at 50 mph it will take most of a day to get there. I know break in is a hot topic with a variety of advice, so would just like to hear everyone’s thoughts. Thanks!

first you need to read the manual you know when buy a new vehicle there are some restrictions for using it like not to over speed the vehicle and not top tow to much weight for at least first 500 to 1000 mph but nothing to worry about it just maintain it and do service on time

newdude Senior Enthusiast

newdude

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 7/26/2021 at 11:53 PM, SuperDuper said:

I just picked up a new 2021 gas 2500 Sierra from Laura Buick gmc. I already screwed the pooch with the recommended break in on my drive home as I live about 400 miles away. Did a lot of 70mph driving. Did have some slower speeds mixed in, but 70 was the majority of it.
 

Anyways, reading the manual now I see it mentions not exceeding 50mph for the first 500 miles of towing. What’s the reasoning for this?  I’m asking as I have trip coming up where I plan to tow a pontoon for about 375 miles one way. Normal driving it would take around 6 hours, so at 50 mph it will take most of a day to get there. I know break in is a hot topic with a variety of advice, so would just like to hear everyone’s thoughts. Thanks!

 

 

Real simple.  The 500mi deal comes from the axle supplier AAM.  AAM calls for a 500mi break in of the ring and pinions.  When new, they produce a LOT of heat.  Towing would compound that break in heat quite a bit hence no towing and their recommended speed no to exceed.  GM applies this procedure to the break in of the truck in the manual.

 

AAM also calls for a fluid change at the 500mi mark to remove the stressed fluid from the break in.  But of course, GM doesn't make any mention of that.    

Edited by newdude
KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

I guess vehicles like people are more sensitive theses days. Since the seventies I average a new truck every 2-3 years. Usually I buy one just before a long trip. Averaging 50-60K miles a year, trips come often. Half to one tons gas or diesel, stock or modified. They all had weight in them or pulled loads. In other words they worked for a living. I had one failure, a manufacturer defect. I live 20 minutes from a major highway so I guess that was the break in. Being in business and dealing with 100s of customers this was the rule not the exception. Of course they mostly drove Fords some Rams. I was the outlier driving GMs. My personal vehicle got the same treatment. Bought usually before vacation. If you have the time for the so called break in period, it can’t hurt. I don’t many who do. Never heard it making a difference. 

SuperDuper Enthusiast

SuperDuper

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks everyone for the replies so far.  I'm feeling a little better about not having a bunch of towing miles on my truck before my trip.  I plan to put it on my lift prior to leaving and checking the rear diff fluid and throwing some lucas gear oil in there if it has the room for it.  On a side note, out of curiosity how many members on here actually adhered to the recommendations in the manual for standard truck break in and towing break in?

Random Enthusiast

Random

Posted
Posted

My manual did not have anything in regards to a towing break-in period. It just states "Do not tow trailer during break-in". So for the first 500 miles no towing.

 

Purchased my truck before camping season started, so didn't really run into needing to worry about not towing during break-in. I tried to take back roads when I could to keep my speed below the 55 mph recommendation, but that rarely worked out the way I planned. Did "okay" at keeping it within the limits, but I didn't bend over backwards trying to meet the recommendations.

Njmurvin Enthusiast

Njmurvin

Posted
Posted

My truck had 150 miles on it when I took delivery (was moved from another dealership). I had to drive about 300 miles r/t to a Camping World to get my Andersen hitch. Trying to keep the truck under 60mph on I5 was a real challenge. Another 50 miles or so driving around town before my first tow to Big Bear, CA. No problems at all pulling my 12K 5th wheel up the mountain. More importantly, the EB worked beautifully on the way down once I got the hang of using the brake to engage it.

Grjfer Enthusiast

Grjfer

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, Heavyduty SEO said:

first you need to read the manual you know when buy a new vehicle there are some restrictions for using it like not to over speed the vehicle and not top tow to much weight for at least first 500 to 1000 mph but nothing to worry about it just maintain it and do service on time

How many Fleet buyers do you think adhere to the break-in? Contractors and repair businesses buy these new and turn them over to their Crews and off they go. Some with utility boxes loaded with tools and supplies, others towing land scape trailers or trailers loaded with building supplies. Pretty sure they are stressing the 500 mile "break in". 

  • Like 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    250.4k
    Total Topics
    2.7m
    Total Posts

  • Member Statistics

    342,863
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    Bulldogger
    Newest Member
    Bulldogger
    Joined

  • Who's Online   3 Members, 1 Anonymous, 728 Guests (See full list)

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • KARNUT
      Gas Prices

      By KARNUT · Posted

      I figured you would know about it.
    • Grumpy Bear
      Gas Prices

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      It added a cost layer to an already limited production supply. True that. 
    • Grumpy Bear
      Gas Prices

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      Swap costs and supply/demand balance. When a barrel comes out of the ground the entire range of products are present but not all at the same percentage.    Breakdown of Refined Products The following table summarizes the approximate output from a standard 42-gallon barrel of crude oil: Product Type Gallons per Barrel Percentage of Total Gasoline 20 gallons 45% Diesel Fuel 9 gallons 21% Other Products 13 gallons 31%   Most of that diesel figure is 'straight run' or cut from the barrel. Gasoline 'cut from the barrel runs 0 to 20% at the crude. So in the crude unit there is more diesel the gasoline, usually.  The full refining experience however gives the tabled values. Ego there is half the diesel than gasoline after the 'first crack' That could be an FCC unit, or Isomax or....   Those units take heavy products and break the big ones into little ones. Those numbers are harder to get hold of but directionally it ends up the same.    Really light products are very profitable. Ethylene and Propylene to name two. Those are cracked from slightly heavier feeds like NG and Propane and Ethane. The cracker harshness determines the feed for distillation. Those feeds come from less profitable products like diesel and gasoline.    So...there is a swap cost. How much market is there TODAY and what crude am I running TODAY..... what is my process capable of always.    There is this as well. The USA uses allot more gasoline than it does diesel so in the cracker the process is tilted to gasoline production which....limits supply of diesel. OTR uses the most and it has different requirements than automotive and agricultural.  Limiting auto products.    You are correct however. It is less refined, just less of it. Allot less. 
    • Grumpy Bear
      Transmission Temperature Hitting 220s

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      Most thermostatically controlled ATF systems use a 'wax' pill just like the one in your water thermostat. They work on the expansion volume of the wax and the pill is constructed in such a way as to limit the travel to remain within that range. This means it has an opening temperature often called the 'cracking temperature' and a fully open temperature. For whatever reason oil is designated by it's fully open temperature and water by it's cracking temperature.    Between the two it the "Regulating Temperature" The entire range is about 20 F from closed to open. In your example the lower limit, opening point of 145 F then has a fully open temp of 165 F and a throttling temperature of 155 F.    Thing is, the throttling temperature needs two things to work properly. Enough system load high enough to reach the minimum and a heat sink (cooler/exchanger) large enough to prevent any load applied from exceeding the fully open temperature.    If your system exceeds the fully open temperature it is screaming MORE COOLER.    Here is the silly part of the whole thermostat system where the oil is cooled/heated by the radiator. Nothing is flowing to that system until the oil temperature reaches the cracking temperature unless it is equipped with a minimum flow bypass orifice or a bypass built into the seating surface of the plunger. That system meant to get it up to temp quicker isn't doing a thing until WORK drives if from ambient to cracking temp. One a cold winter day, like zero F, it may never get hotter than about 110 F. Sometimes not even that.    People forget or are young enough to not know that until this millennia transmissions were cooled by the radiator cold tank alone and without a thermostat at all.  In the 50's they weren't even cooled. OEMs learn everything the hard way.    When an OEM tells you the trans "Works best" between 175 F and 220 F it means works best for THEM. The transmission thermostat is fuel play. If you watch you trans temps like I do you will learn that it may take a hundred miles if you are not towing and not driving more than say 55-60 mph on a zero F day to even reach 120 F and it might sit there all day if it's colder. Yet if functions perfectly over about 100 F. It may need to get a bit warmer for the fuel and spark maps to go without an multiplier.    Worry more about too hot. Use a cooler large enough to put that thermostat in range.         
    • KARNUT
      Gas Prices

      By KARNUT · Posted

      Around 2008 if memory serves they took sulfur out. That was when diesel went up. 

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...