towing power

dakotakid · January 4, 2004

Hi all this is my first post. Im not trying to start a fight. Im wanting a new 3/4 ton. For those of you who are not affraid to tell it like it is. How does the 6.0, 5.7 hemi and the 6.8 v10 compare to each other. I know the chevy can tow, our company has 4 02 ext cab 2wd that pull some pretty good weight and have never had a problem with them. Im a heavy duty truck loving guy that does not care about brand wars.Thanks for your help all. You chevy guys have some real sweet trucks and have made me sit up and take notice of the

Shaners · January 5, 2004

You have to compare the 8.1L to the Ford V10 or the 6.0L to the Ford 5.4L. I'm sure that the 6.0L would outpull the 5.4L. I don't know much about the Hemi. I think it is a strong motor in a a so-so platform.

Speaking of platforms, I don't think you'll find a better chassis than the 2500HD for heavy work. The F350SD SRW would be comparable...

What do you plan on towing and how often?

04Chevy2500HD · January 5, 2004

Watch out for the Hemi with the Chrysler Tranny's. I have heard nightmare after nightmare with them.

-David

BlackSilver · January 5, 2004

Will this primarily be a 'daily driver' or will you do a lot of towing? What will you be towing? Is mileage important to you?

dakotakid · January 5, 2004

Opps i forgot. It will be a daily driver, about 10,000 a year. I will pull a 12 or 16ft open trailer for now and hope to get a enclosed before to long. We will have 3 or 4 atvs to move 300 miles round trip to Oklahoma dunes 4-5 times a year. I like the Chevy auto out of them all, but prefer the hand shaker for all trucks. As far as gas milage goes 10 to 15 is good. Dont want or need a deisel. The 2wd chevy trucks look alot better than the others. I have not decided reg or xcab. All of your info is awsome

Shaners · January 5, 2004

For reference only: I pulled a 102" wide 8.5' tall enclosed trailer weighing about 3500# from Western PA through the hilly/mountains here to DC and back. I ran about 75 MPH the whole time and got about 9.5 MPG's my first 2 tanks and 10.5 on my last tank. This is in my 6.0L 4x4 crewcab.

The truck pulled the load fine in OD with max tranny temps of about 160*. I think my MPG's would have been better had I towed the load in "3" but I really didn't want to listen to the motor turning 3k+ RPM's all day and night....

BlackSilver · January 5, 2004

I can't compare GM to Dodge, but I'm sure the GM 6.0 will handle the loads you're talking about just fine. Even in the non-HD 2500's I think it's rated to pull around 8,000#. The 8.1 would be way overkill, and much more expensive to run.

HendyPhoto · January 5, 2004

Whatever you do, dont get a Hemi.

Wingnut · January 5, 2004

He!!, the 5.3 would do everything you are describing, and get a little better mileage.

dakotakid · January 5, 2004

Thanks all. I went tonight to the GMC dealer and asked about ordering a truck, he said it would take 6-8 weeks and a $100 over invoice. Is this a good deal or no? The trailer im looking at is http://www.donahuetrailers.com/stockpkg2.html so a 2wd reg cab will fill my needs. Its only 3500 lbs empty. Thanks for your help.

JimWilson · January 6, 2004

$100 over invoice is good, depending upon what happens with the rebates. If you are still getting them then that's a good deal.

The 3500 of the empty trailer isn't a problem for any of the engines you mentioned. But what will the thing weight after you fill it up? That's the REALLY critical number, because most people don't tow an empty trailer all that often.

dakotakid · January 6, 2004

I will put 3 atvs in the trailer, so maybe 5000 lbs in all. 2 or 3 guys in the cab and riding gear, tools and coolers in the bed. You guys are great

YZRider · January 6, 2004

My 2001 5.3 4X4 Supercab with 4.10 rear ends would pull that all day up anything with no problems. I don't think you will go wrong with the 1500 or 2500 for your application. The 1500 with a 5.3 will obviously get a little better gas mileage, but both the 1500 or the 2500 with a 6.0 will exceed your expectations. If you are buying new, see if your dealer will let you hook on to your trailer and go for a test drive? The GM will ride a lot nicer than the Dodge and seems to have a better resale, as well as getting better gas mileage. The 2500 does ride nicer than the 1500 in my personal experience (both 4X4 though) Good luck.

Wingnut · January 6, 2004

[email protected] trailer is waaaaay overkill for a few quads.

Not that that's a bad thing, but I would think that there are much cheaper alternatives for an enclosed trailer.

HillHound · January 6, 2004

[email protected] trailer is waaaaay overkill for a few quads.

Not that that's a bad thing, but I would think that there are much cheaper alternatives for an enclosed trailer.

We have a 16x7ft enclosed trailer. It weighs empty about 3300lbs, so with three ATVs in it the total weight is about 5500lbs not including gear. It sounds like overkill, but I can tell you guys it's nice to have a place to lock up your machines if you have to run into town or check into a hotel on a trip. It's super easy for some a$$ to steal a part off an atv or vandalize them if they're left on an open trailer while you're not around.

The 5.3L will pull that kind of weight easily but you're starting to push the limits of the 1500 suspension with it IMO. For one thing, alot of 14x7 or 16x7 box trailers are about 8ft high and a foot or two higher than the cab. This leads to alot of wind drag and they really catch cross winds which can test the rear suspension, especially if a semi blows by you on the highway. Also, if you start adding in 3/4 passengers, extra gas, coolers, camping items and maybe even another atv in the bed you can see the weight starting to add up.

Not saying a 1500 5.3L won't do the job, just I think most guys would be alot happier towing that type of load in an enclosed trailer with a 2500 or 2500HD with any of the 3 engines GM offers in them.