'22 3500HD Silverado LT CC/SB L8T First long 5th wheel travel trailer tow

[sheath]

Few more good tows.  About 688 miles in and out of the Rocky Mountains.  First from Bryce up to the Kamas, UT area, then down to Farmington, NM.   Towing heavy miles is about 2,066 out of the current 7,416 miles total on the truck.  That is about 28% of the mileage towing.  

This should be the last of the towing until around Thanksgiving... Fingers crossed.

Still really enjoying the truck, and happy with the purchase.

 

Hit two long grades where I could not get the truck to stay between 3,500 and 4,200 rpm.  They were two long frustrating climbs.  Chevrolet needs to really think about manual gear hold selection.  The truck could have pulled comfortably with a steady speed at about 3,800 rpm in L3 with the converter locked, but kept downshifting to L2 at over 5,K rpms.   Was running under a fairly light throttle in L2, but kept automatically downshifting to L2 at about 3,800 rpm.  Trans temp didn't start climbing until it downshifted.  It would accelerate and upshift to L3.  Converter would lock up, but to maintain that I had to depress the throttle to about 80%, and it would downshift again.

No need for that to happen.  Started to stress me out, because it didn't matter what speed I tried to maintain, it just wouldn't stay in L3 with lockup. 

Thankfully out of all the towing I've done so far, this is the only time it's happened.  Lasted for a total of about 20 miles (less than 1% of total towing through some big mountains).  In comparison to the total miles towed it's pretty insignificant, but it sticks in my head which is how stigmas get started.

 

Went in for first oil change.  Started to get the warning on the DIC so took it in about 3% early according to DIC.  Wanted to do an oil sample, but totally spaced it.  I'll order a kit, and keep in the truck until next time. 

Putting way more miles than I expected.  Retired life is tough... lol

 

Date

Mileage

Fuel / Maintenance

Maintenance Type

Cost

Mileage

Notes

Cost per mile

05/15/22	4632	Fuel	Partial fill 15.682 gls	$75.00	N/A	Pull from Panguich, UT to Bryce Canyon City, and travel around area
05/17/22	4785	Fuel	Final Fill 24.261 gls	$113.03	14.05	Travel around Bryce, Grand Staircase-Escalante & Zion
05/22/22	5154	Fuel	Partial Fill 15.309gls	$75.00	N/A	Travel around Bryce, Grand Staircase-Escalante & Zion
05/22/22	5154	Fuel	Final Fill 8.132	$41.47	15.74	Travel around Bryce, Grand Staircase-Escalante & Zion
05/22/22	5154	Engine Oil	Top off engine oil w/5-30	$4.85	N/A	Oil at bottom of dipstick as checked at station. No warnings on dash
05/23/22	5284	Fuel		$75.88	7.71	Towing from Bryce, UT to Filmore, UT on way to Kamas, UT
05/24/22	5490	Fuel		$110.97	8.67	Final towing to Kamas, UT from Filmmore, UT and a bit of travel around
05/30/22	5901	Fuel		$115.21	15.91	back roads around Kamas area and trip to Roosevelt, Neola & Tridell, UT
	2680	Monthly Cost		$1,210.66	11.18	Average Fuel Mileage for May	$2.21
06/01/22	6073	Fuel		$58.17	14.49	Fill up from trip to Heber, etc.
06/01/22	6261	Fuel		$97.88	9.04	Tow from Kamas to Green River, UT heading to New Mexico
06/02/22	6517	Fuel	Partial Fill 18.754 Gal	$90.00	N/A	Tow from Green River to Farmington, NM. Pump shut off at $90
06/03/22	6553	Fuel	Final fill 14.659 gal	$70.35	8.74	Final from Towing, and running around Farmington, NM
06/07/22	7027	Fuel	29.054 gals	$133.62	16.31	Drive around Farmington, and trip to Walsenburg, CO
06/08/22	7368	Service	First Oil Change	$0.00	N/A	First oil change at High Country Chevrolet, Aztec, NM.
06/09/22	7416	Fuel	Partial fill 18.004 gals	$90.00	N/A	Return from Walsenburg and travel around Farmington/Aztec, NM

 

 

 

 

 

[Another JR]

Maybe the programming is downshifting to reduce exhaust temperature for emissions or head cooling reasons?  

[sheath]

12 hours ago, Another JR said:

Maybe the programming is downshifting to reduce exhaust temperature for emissions or head cooling reasons?  

Possibly, would need to monitor O2 sensors to tell. 

Reality is less than 1% of the time pulling in heavy mountains it was a frustration.  To me, that really is amazing for a gas engine.  I wasn't expecting to be this satisfied.  Yes, it is work on hard climbs. I don't use cruise control, and slow down with the 4 ways flashing.  But compared to the previous generation it is much better.  The '24 model may bring even further improvements.

To be clear, it is in no way comparable to a diesel for confidence or relaxation when pulling big weight.

In the same situation with a diesel, I'd be sitting on cruise pulling at 65 mph, thinking about what we're having for dinner and laughing with Toby Keith when he sings about smoking weed with Willie.

[Another JR]

1 hour ago, sheath said:

Possibly, would need to monitor O2 sensors to tell. 

Reality is less than 1% of the time pulling in heavy mountains it was a frustration.  To me, that really is amazing for a gas engine.  I wasn't expecting to be this satisfied.  Yes, it is work on hard climbs. I don't use cruise control, and slow down with the 4 ways flashing.  But compared to the previous generation it is much better.  The '24 model may bring even further improvements.

To be clear, it is in no way comparable to a diesel for confidence or relaxation when pulling big weight.

In the same situation with a diesel, I'd be sitting on cruise pulling at 65 mph, thinking about what we're having for dinner and laughing with Toby Keith when he sings about smoking weed with Willie.

You are towing a very heavy load with huge frontal area. For now, during the few extra minutes those climbs take, you can think about why the gas engine is the better choice for you at all other times, and remember that, if you bought a diesel, there’s a decent chance you’d be stopped on the side if the road or in the shop waiting for parts that day instead of climbing at 70 mph. My neighbor’s 2021 Duramax has been at the dealer nearly 1/4 of the year since he took delivery, and has stranded him twice. 

[sheath]

1 hour ago, Another JR said:

You are towing a very heavy load with huge frontal area. For now, during the few extra minutes those climbs take, you can think about why the gas engine is the better choice for you at all other times, and remember that, if you bought a diesel, there’s a decent chance you’d be stopped on the side if the road or in the shop waiting for parts that day instead of climbing at 70 mph. My neighbor’s 2021 Duramax has been at the dealer nearly 1/4 of the year since he took delivery, and has stranded him twice. 

We'll, if I'd have bought diesel it would have been a Ram.  I've had good luck with the Cummins.  Parts are relatively cheap, and easy to source. 

Troubleshooting is easy. 

[the wanderer]

To be honest, I'd never purchase a new 6.6 gasser from GM until they pull their head out of their butt and give us a real transmission. The Ford 7.3/10 speed would pull your trailer like a freight train, there is no comparison between the two trucks.

[sheath]

Finally picked up a smaller ADV bike for exploring the areas we visit.  This is a KTM 390 Adventure, and weighs about 370-380-ish lbs depending on how much fuel is in the tank.  The carrier is about 50 lbs, and the front hitch is probably about 50 lbs.  So all up about 500lbs added to the front of the truck. 

This is the reason I ordered the Snow Plow/Camper package option (VYU). 

The bike sits about 12" ahead of the grill, and pretty much blocks air, so the engine driven fan has to work more. 

I plan to build a light set as is used on Snow Plows for future tows.  The bike covers the whole front end, and while headlights and signals can be seen, it really limits the angle an oncoming driver can see them.

Increasing the front tire pressure from 60 psi to 70 psi provided a stable/predictable steering response without increasing harshness over rough surfaces.

 

Seems to have dropped fuel mileage another tenth.  But with only one tow, that is more guess than calculation.  I'm guessing the drop in mileage is due mostly to the engine driven fan working more. 

 

This tow was from Farmington, NM to Roosevelt, UT.  There is a pretty serious climb between Helper, UT and Duchesne, UT on SR191.  Goes up over 9,000' elevation through Ashley National Forest, with the start and finish between 5K' and 6K' elevation.  Portions of this climb are 8%.  Even with the AC in use, engine temps remained pretty constant on the climb, but due to downshift at L2 & L1, transmission temps exceeded 240*F, before I could find a place to pull over and let it cool back down.  I only needed to stop the one time, about 2 miles from the summit.  But I was getting nervous.  I think in the future, I'll plan the trip better to stay away from dramatic climbs like this.

 

For this tow, the 5th wheel weighed in at 14,300, so it wasn't a max payload tow.  But at almost 15,000 lbs I was a bit more cautious, especially coming down from the summit in the Ashley NF.  Parts of that decline are also 8%. 

Overall though,  I'm pleasantly surprised on the trucks ability to handle the load.  It felt stable and manageable for emergency maneuvers.  That instilled confidence, and comfort.

[Carolina]

Driving too slow… my first 7% grade pull I tried running 65 and it dropped to 59 then caught a low gear to speed back up . Next time I hit it a 75 and it didn’t budge . I did climbs up to 80 . Fuel mileage dropped .5 mpg running 75 so no biggy. Same grade same trailer on my lmm was maxed out at 58 mph . My largest load is 17,468# . It does it comfortably at 75 mph 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Carolina

[sheath]

On 8/28/2022 at 10:25 PM, Carolina said:

Driving too slow… my first 7% grade pull I tried running 65 and it dropped to 59 then caught a low gear to speed back up . Next time I hit it a 75 and it didn’t budge . I did climbs up to 80 . Fuel mileage dropped .5 mpg running 75 so no biggy. Same grade same trailer on my lmm was maxed out at 58 mph . My largest load is 17,468# . It does it comfortably at 75 mph 

Possibly, but that would put "me" above the basic speed law.  Instead of being fun and relaxing the drive becomes stressful.  Just not worth it for the amount of time it is an issue. 

[GMC4Zee]

Sheath, I wonder if you went to synthetic trans fluid if it would help? It would definitely help keep the temps in check from what I have heard. I plan on changing out the diff fluid with synthetic prior to next spring towing season. Do you get any jerking when towing? I cant figure out if its truck related or just chunking. Its not too bad but just something I am looking into. 

[sheath]

On 9/2/2022 at 6:11 AM, GMC4Zee said:

Sheath, I wonder if you went to synthetic trans fluid if it would help? It would definitely help keep the temps in check from what I have heard. I plan on changing out the diff fluid with synthetic prior to next spring towing season. Do you get any jerking when towing? I cant figure out if its truck related or just chunking. Its not too bad but just something I am looking into. 

Good thoughts on the synthetic.    I've had good luck running synthetics in the past.

I will look into this.  We just bought an old broken down farm house for a project, so it may be a while before I get back to towing the 5th wheel.

 

If the air pressure in the airbag on the Goosebox is low it will get quite a bit of chucking.  I've noticed the pinbox doing a lot of work to minimize that.  But when I've paid attention and everything is set right, it is really smooth.

Very little chucking with a gooseneck trailer. 

I've not had the opportunity to pull with 5th wheel setup using this truck, but I'm betting there will be a lot of info on RV.net regarding that.  I really liked the Rota-Flex pinbox with the B&W Companion in the Dodge.  It worked hard, and did a good job of controlling chucking.