New Purchase Advice

tidewaterjoe · July 12, 2023

Greetings all and thanks in advance for the help. Im looking to purchase a 2500 and may consider a 1500 but that's a big maybe. Before making the purchase I wanted to ask experienced owners for advice on must have or nice to have specs on my purchase. The specs im wondering about relate to towing. Trailering packages, gear ratios etc. Ill be towing about 30% of the time in what is considered flat terrain. Boats, compact tractors on trailers, and the occasional run to the dump etc. Truly on the lighters side of towing but I'd prefer to air on the side of caution versus maxed out towing. Given those factors, i thought maybe even a 1500 with the baby duramax may do but perhaps id be limiting myself more than id like. So what do you all think? 1500 VS 2500. Trims? What options would you like or need to have on a truck that would do a fair bit of towing. Truly all advice and opinions would be appreciated.

Update: Sorry all. Forgot to specify....towing between 8k to 12k. No RVs....ive had enough of that lol.

Thanks

TWJ

Edited July 12, 2023 by tidewaterjoe

BuckWallace · July 12, 2023

It really depends on the weight of what you're towing. Most people look at tow capacity, but with travel trailers especially, you're going to be over payload on a half-ton before you reach tow capacity. I just moved from a half-ton Toyota Tundra, which towed our travel trailer fairly well, to a 1-ton gasser AT4.

The real issue with the Tundra (1,380 lbs payload, not counting our ~200lb canopy) was that once we were loaded up with gear in the trailer, gear in the bed, WDH, trailer tongue weight, and family in the truck we were a good chunk over payload. The truck just felt "heavy", whereas towing is no sweat all loaded up with the 1-ton. It is just much more solid.

Anyway, again, it depends how heavy the stuff you're towing is and how much gear/people you'll have along with you. When you say "lighter side of towing", that could be somewhat subjective.

KARNUT · July 12, 2023

6 hours ago, tidewaterjoe said:

Greetings all and thanks in advance for the help. Im looking to purchase a 2500 and may consider a 1500 but that's a big maybe. Before making the purchase I wanted to ask experienced owners for advice on must have or nice to have specs on my purchase. The specs im wondering about relate to towing. Trailering packages, gear ratios etc. Ill be towing about 30% of the time in what is considered flat terrain. Boats, compact tractors on trailers, and the occasional run to the dump etc. Truly on the lighters side of towing but I'd prefer to air on the side of caution versus maxed out towing. Given those factors, i thought maybe even a 1500 with the baby duramax may do but perhaps id be limiting myself more than id like. So what do you all think? 1500 VS 2500. Trims? What options would you like or need to have on a truck that would do a fair bit of towing. Truly all advice and opinions would be appreciated.

Update: Sorry all. Forgot to specify....towing between 8k to 12k. No RVs....ive had enough of that lol.

Thanks

TWJ

For 30 percent towing I go with the 1/2 ton. As far as brand. Who ever has the deals in your area. In my area it’s Ram with a decently loaded examples for 44K. About the other guys base. Followed closely by Nissan with a 10-100K warranty. The Ram dealership in my area has lifetime warranty. GM and Chevy in my area are nuts with their prices. I wouldn’t touch a diesel in your case.

Edited July 12, 2023 by KARNUT

64BAwagon · July 12, 2023

I am only speaking for the GM trucks as I have no experience specifically with Ford or Ram.

I have said for a while now that if part of the regular duties is towing I would buy the 2500 over the 1500. While many of the 1500 trucks can be equipped to be rated for weights in your range, the 2500 has that capacity easily covered. On top of that a similarly equipped Silverado 2500 vs a 1500 is very close in price. A Silverado 2500 will have as standard a 6.6 liter gas engine along with a heavier 10 spd trans, LT series tires, plus depending on the configuration will have a much heavier hitch. Part of the bonus is that the 2500 has zero cylinder deactivation garbage. With the 2500 you wont keep wondering if you bought enough truck.

Just my 2 cents from a random guy on the interwebs.

Edited July 12, 2023 by 64BAwagon

July 12, 2023

Up to 12k? 2500 for sure.

I have pulled a fully loaded travel trailer at about 8000 LBs with my 2020 1/2 ton AT4, 6.2L. The acceleration and braking are fine. I can pull that up the Eisenhower at 65-70 MPH no problem. But as others allude to, I'm tapped on payload. Family, dog, WDH, generator in the box - too much. And you certainly feel the difference in stability compared to a much heavier HD truck.

The cylinder deactivation is my concern with the 6.2L. Mine has been a splendid engine, but I know others who have had issues with it. I am out of warranty now and likely changing to a 2500.

diyer2 · July 12, 2023

Simple to me, if you want to tow 8-12k 2500.

newdude · July 12, 2023

Given your weight range, skip the 1500. 2500 would fit the bill all day long.

As far as "what I need for towing options", GM makes it really easy. 2024 HD gas is the 6.6 L8T V8 no AFM/DFM, 401hp 464tq, with the Allison 10 speed and 3.73 gears. With the L5P Duramax, 470hp 975tq, its the Allison 10 speed and 3.42 gears.

Depending on cab, box and 2wd/4wd, the 2024 gas are rated to tow between 14,500-16,000lbs, Duramax rated to tow between 14,500-20,000lbs, again, all depending on the configuration of the truck. The only exceptions to these are trucks with the factory mud tires, those are all de-rated to 12,000lbs. Also, anything that has the GVWR de-rated to 10,000lbs will have a lower payload rating and possibly towing rating.

Here's the tow chart for HD - Model Information - Online Ordering Guide (gmfleetorderguide.com)

Edited July 12, 2023 by newdude

Ubiquity · July 12, 2023

Nothing of value to add to this question that any number of other people will or already have added.

Enjoy your new truck.

Edited July 19, 2023 by 15RCLB2wdV6
Being realistic

Another JR · July 12, 2023

Towing 8 to 12 k lbs would rule out the 1500 for me, and I would be more focused on deciding if I had truck load plus trailer tongue weight situations that might call for a 3500 rather than a 2500 from a payload rating standpoint.

BuckWallace · July 12, 2023

Yes, with the weights you added you will be better-served with a 3/4 or 1 ton. I don't know if I'd ever touch a GM 1/2 ton with all the AFM stuff, but with the amount of towing you do I think an HD gasser would work well. I'll say this: I definitely didn't need a 1-ton with my current towing setup, but when I drove both the 2500 and 3500, I couldn't tell a difference in ride quality. The price difference is only $1,200 and you'll be set up if you ever decide to tow or haul anything that requires more payload.

Other than that, I think pretty much everything is equipped with what you would need to tow. If you decide to go with a 3/4 ton and don't want to spend massive amounts of money you can get a 2500 Custom with the older interior for a reasonable price (by today's standards). Otherwise you obviously have to tell yourself how nice of a truck you want, and whether the additional price is worth it!

Jettech1 · July 12, 2023

3 hours ago, newdude said:

Given your weight range, skip the 1500. 2500 would fit the bill all day long.

As far as "what I need for towing options", GM makes it really easy. 2024 HD gas is the 6.6 L8T V8 no AFM/DFM, 401hp 464tq, with the Allison 10 speed and 3.73 gears. With the L5P Duramax, 470hp 975tq, its the Allison 10 speed and 3.42 gears.

Depending on cab, box and 2wd/4wd, the 2024 gas are rated to tow between 14,500-16,000lbs, Duramax rated to tow between 14,500-20,000lbs, again, all depending on the configuration of the truck. The only exceptions to these are trucks with the factory mud tires, those are all de-rated to 12,000lbs. Also, anything that has the GVWR de-rated to 10,000lbs will have a lower payload rating and possibly towing rating.

Here's the tow chart for HD - Model Information - Online Ordering Guide (gmfleetorderguide.com)

I know this is a little off topic but how's the new L5P holding out so far? Any emission or mechanical issues starting to show up?

newdude · July 12, 2023

2 hours ago, Jettech1 said:

I know this is a little off topic but how's the new L5P holding out so far? Any emission or mechanical issues starting to show up?

Lots of DEF tanks on the early ones, 2020-2022 from that heater reprogramming recall they had. Overvoltage to the heating elements and it fails the heater and burns some of the terminals in the harness.

Local contractor had all new DPFs put on his fleet of 5 L5Ps, 2020 and 2021. GM has been doing some sort of field engineer research on DPF issues on these as well. Lots of issues out west in the Rockies areas.

Mechanical wise we've had two 2020s in that got a fuel injector each. We've rebuilt maybe 6 or 7 fuel systems on 17-19 L5Ps however for injection pumps going.

Edited July 12, 2023 by newdude

Jettech1 · July 12, 2023

1 hour ago, newdude said:

Lots of DEF tanks on the early ones, 2020-2022 from that heater reprogramming recall they had. Overvoltage to the heating elements and it fails the heater and burns some of the terminals in the harness.

Local contractor had all new DPFs put on his fleet of 5 L5Ps, 2020 and 2021. GM has been doing some sort of field engineer research on DPF issues on these as well. Lots of issues out west in the Rockies areas.

Mechanical wise we've had two 2020s in that got a fuel injector each. We've rebuilt maybe 6 or 7 fuel systems on 17-19 L5Ps however for injection pumps going.

Great information, I should have been more specific. I was really curious about the 2024's with the upgraded turbo and fuel system from what I've read. How are the 2024's doing so far? Any early red flags?

Edited July 12, 2023 by Jettech1

Tater86 · July 12, 2023

I've always been taught to go for bigger than what you currently expect to you. You never know when life will change and that 8-12K turns to 12-16K+

newdude · July 12, 2023

2 hours ago, Jettech1 said:

Great information, I should have been more specific. I was really curious about the 2024's with the upgraded turbo and fuel system from what I've read. How are the 2024's doing so far? Any early red flags?

Nothing I've seen yet. We've only sold 2 I think. The Facebook group so far there's mostly tech issues with the updated interior or trailer stuff, similar to the 2022.5+up 1/2 tons.