2024 Silverado 2500 HD with the 6.6 Gas (L8T) Engine

[64BAwagon]

Just for grins I looked at the price of a crew cab 1500 vs a crew cab 2500 (longer box then the 1500) and the price difference is not much. If you were looking to use the truck for towing anything beyond 4000# I would definitely say get the 2500. The mileage is pretty similar and the towing experience is markedly better with the 2500. Add to that the larger box with its better payload and the LT tires vs the P rated on the 1500. The big plus is the 6.6L gas engine which has no cylinder deactivation garbage, that alone would be the deal breaker for me. 

I think most folks underestimate the weight of all their stuff in a trailer. I have scaled ours (we have had several) and it typically adds up to well over 1000# loaded up for a trip, thats with no water on board. 

We have had a number of trailers

27ft TT no slides (1500)

32ft TT 2 slides (2500)

36ft TT 3 slides (over 10K dry) (2500)

29ft TT single slide (1500)

35ft Fifth wheel 3 slides (current) (3500)

I have logged well over 20k miles with these trailers. 

[Tommy Palliser]

Pulling my toy hauler, a Grand Design 21G which is a 27 foot trailer. I get about 8 to 8.5 mph driving 68 to 70 mph on the interstate. With a good head wind, it drops to around 6.5 mpg.  Slow down to 60 mph and get about 9. Been in the hills of central Alabama with it and never felt underpowered. Unloaded it will push close to 19. In town it drops to about 12.

[ChrisG-2019]

Really wondering how the 10 speed with the gas engine will affect fuel economy.   Appreciate the info of what you are getting as far as fuel economy. 

[nards444]

23 hours ago, 64BAwagon said:

Just for grins I looked at the price of a crew cab 1500 vs a crew cab 2500 (longer box then the 1500) and the price difference is not much. If you were looking to use the truck for towing anything beyond 4000# I would definitely say get the 2500. The mileage is pretty similar and the towing experience is markedly better with the 2500. Add to that the larger box with its better payload and the LT tires vs the P rated on the 1500. The big plus is the 6.6L gas engine which has no cylinder deactivation garbage, that alone would be the deal breaker for me. 

I think most folks underestimate the weight of all their stuff in a trailer. I have scaled ours (we have had several) and it typically adds up to well over 1000# loaded up for a trip, thats with no water on board. 

We have had a number of trailers

27ft TT no slides (1500)

32ft TT 2 slides (2500)

36ft TT 3 slides (over 10K dry) (2500)

29ft TT single slide (1500)

35ft Fifth wheel 3 slides (current) (3500)

I have logged well over 20k miles with these trailers. 

 

yeah same mentality I kind of had.  depending on the model it can actually be less.  But there are a few things to consider.  While the 10k for a half ton rating isnt true,  Id give a half ton more credit then 4k of towing, realistically these things are very capable of handling 6-8k.  realistically after hauling with both a half ton and a 3/4 gas under 4-5k  I have never really noticed a difference.  Some other considerations is the 3/4 is bigger and is harder to park and takes up more room in a garage and does not ride as well.   Also keep in mind that half ton is getting about 30% better gas mileage.  

 

 

[Another JR]

It’s subjective, but I tend to agree with the 4-5k max for my half ton and older light 3/4 ton trucks. While the newer 1/2 ton trucks have good pulling power, the suspensions and tires are still much more flexible (including laterally) and the truck weight is lower. I by far prefer to tow loads above 4 k with my 3500. One of the primary subjective differences for me aside from feeling more in control is I feel like I’m beating the heck out of the transmissions on my 1/2 ton and old 3/4 ton when towing 5000 - 6000 lbs (I live in the hilly PNW), whereas my 2021 3500 seems to just mechanically say “thanks for giving me something to do” when I pull 6-8k. 

Edited March 22, 2023 by Another JR
Clarification

[asilverblazer]

6 hours ago, nards444 said:

Id give a half ton more credit then 4k of towing, realistically these things are very capable of handling 6-8k.

1/2 Ton is for sure plenty suited for more than 4k. 

 

Weight was never the issue, wind was.

[ChrisG-2019]

My 1500 has a 11.3K tow rating and my toy hauler is about 8K loaded and it pulls OK, but on long drives it can be a little fatiguing. My wife has this idea of hooking the camper and driving across the country when we retire which might possibly kill me.   Have had multiple friends jump from 1500 to 2500 (Ram & Chevy) and they said the towing experience is a lot better.  Besides that, I really do like the new 2500 HD's.

[64BAwagon]

We had a 2600RB Grand design for a couple of years and we towed it with a 2018 Silverado double cab 4wd and a 5.3L 

The only reason we towed it with a 1500 is because we had sold our previous trailer and gotten a screaming lease deal on the 1500. (our son was selling Chevys at the time) We bough the 2600RB knowing that it was just about the top end of what that truck could easily handle. I know that the numbers worked on it but towing travel trailers is always a different ball game than towing a car on a trailer or other low drag, low side profile trailer. The P rated tires on the 1500 were a limiting factor and honestly the mileage for me was virtually the same as my 3500 when towing. Our  trip back from FL last year we got almost 11mpg hand calculated on the trip through GA due to a favorable tailwind from the South, the worst I got on that trip was 9 in Ohio where we always run into a lot of side winds. 

Yeah the 2500/3500 are bigger trucks and unloaded the mileage takes a hit but if youre going to tow an RV you have to be willing to step up. I have an old friend that drove a trailblazer with an enclosed 21ft utility trailer that they camped in. I kept telling him he didnt have enough truck but he swore the numbers worked and that "we are only going a couple hundred miles from home"  Her came back from vacation one year and explained that he had rolled his trailer and laid the Trailblazer on its side almost totaling it. The trailer was a complete loss. He was a good enough friend that I never told him that I told him so. 

[Jettech1]

26 minutes ago, 64BAwagon said:

He was a good enough friend that I never told him that I told him so. 

You're a good man.  Never a reason for that kind of nonsense.  Saying that will only come back to you in total reverse and probably in a bad way.  Kindness and biting the tongue always wins!

[XY74]

Wondering about highway towing with this engine.  Let's say towing a 9000 lb travel trailer along at 65-70 and you come up to a hill, how much RPM gain does it want in the form of a downshift?  How much of a hill does it take to call for a downshift?  Would the 10 speed allow less of an RPM increase?

[Jettech1]

9 minutes ago, XY74 said:

Wondering about highway towing with this engine.  Let's say towing a 9000 lb travel trailer along at 65-70 and you come up to a hill, how much RPM gain does it want in the form of a downshift?  How much of a hill does it take to call for a downshift?  Would the 10 speed allow less of an RPM increase?

We tow our 8k lb camper.  Your questions are kind of hard to answer because it's all about the grade and how will the 10 speed be better or worse.  All I can say is that the engine does amazing along with the 6 speed.  The 10 speed I can only assume will do better on those steep grades.  That is totally a TBD with new owners sharing their personal experiences...

[Leonardo Willi]

All this trailer pulling has me busting up because I just have to share this story about my brother in-law. He's a 12yr Marine vet with a can-do mentality and a good dude.

 He lives in Orlando, we're in Ohio. They bought their first new trailer camper up here in Ohio and drove up to tow it home. He hooked this 24' bumper hitch type to one of those Blazer 2's - the unibody job with a 4.3. When they were loaded up to go home, bumper almost dragging, I couldn't control myself and had to go hide I was laughing so hard. First of all, I couldn't believe the place let him hook to it knowing where he was going. Second, I couldn't believe he actually thought this through.

 Long story short (and it's hilarious) A week later and 2 transmissions later they made it home.

 Today, he's got a Cummins Ram with an even bigger 5th wheel...Eventually he got it right. the same guy who had to hire a wrecker and divers to pull his Blazer and boat still attached out of Okeechobee pissing off everyone wanting to use the ramp for 2 days. 

[64BAwagon]

14 hours ago, Jettech1 said:

You're a good man.  Never a reason for that kind of nonsense.  Saying that will only come back to you in total reverse and probably in a bad way.  Kindness and biting the tongue always wins!

Thats funny that you mention that, I am not known for biting my tongue, I am one of those people who usually tells it like it is. I had known this guy for many years and worked with him for at least 15 of those years, he even worked for me on side work occasionally. Sometimes not saying anything says just as much. Not a skill I have always possesed 

[nards444]

19 hours ago, ChrisG-2019 said:

My 1500 has a 11.3K tow rating and my toy hauler is about 8K loaded and it pulls OK, but on long drives it can be a little fatiguing. My wife has this idea of hooking the camper and driving across the country when we retire which might possibly kill me.   Have had multiple friends jump from 1500 to 2500 (Ram & Chevy) and they said the towing experience is a lot better.  Besides that, I really do like the new 2500 HD's.

 

 

The issue with tow ratings is the manufactures arent standard and they really dont make any sense.  By spec most half tons really are only around 7-9k lbs in reality,  nothing is over 10k lbs.  Payload is your limiting factor in the whole equation and just about in every scenario you will bust payload before you get to 10k lbs on anything.  

[diyer2]

I call a spade a spade. Sorry.

I can't bite my tongue, He's a 12yr Marine vet with a can-do mentality and a good dude.

What does this have to do with being DUMB.