Post Your Tow Rig!

[fuzzy]

Originally Posted by xj_man_646

That is surprisingly low for a newer truck, IMO. My 2005 GMC regularly gets 15+ with remote start idle time, mostly city driving.

When the 5.7 Hemi first came out, one of the jokes was that it made small block HP, but got big block MPG . Admittedly, I do not have any seat time in a newer 5.7 truck, only newer EcoDiesels. We were typically seeing 26-29 MPG empty and 18-20 MPG loaded down with those trucks, on the highway.

FWIW, depending on the year of the vehicle, you can trust the cluster MPG calculation. One of the manufacturers was in trouble some years ago for inaccuracy related to the vehicle-displayed MPG calculation, and they're required to maintain a certain level of accuracy now (with OEM components and tuning, anyway).

My 00 silverado does well to pull 14's in the summer mixed driving sometimes pulling a boat, I put the remote start on and now I struggle to get much above 12's and often worse. But summer gas came in and I picked back up a mpg or 2, and I've shortened the remote start time.

But my poor truck only really goes to work and back 6 mile round trip so it runs just long enough to get warmed up only to be shut off.

I plan to get a scangaugeII next check so I can have a trans temp gauge and all the pid data from the brain.

[Kurt]

Truck did great towing to Moab and back. My trailer on the other hand....needs a re-wire. Barely getting any braking out of it, which was noticeable coming down Deadman pass outside Pendleton, OR (7 miles of 6% grade). I replaced the brakes on the back axle and added them to the front....still the same. So I think its probably a bad ground, so I've decided to just do fresh wiring and decking.

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by Kurt

Truck did great towing to Moab and back. My trailer on the other hand....needs a re-wire. Barely getting any braking out of it, which was noticeable coming down Deadman pass outside Pendleton, OR (7 miles of 6% grade). I replaced the brakes on the back axle and added them to the front....still the same. So I think its probably a bad ground, so I've decided to just do fresh wiring and decking.

[IMG]https://kdfabworks.3dcartstores.com/assets/images/photos/IMG_4489.jpg[IMG]

maybe the Ford just can't handle that much weight

[bbaCJ8]

Originally Posted by wrath

I bought a larger camper (not any heavier, I don't think, but it's 4' longer at 31') and it's like 9" taller. Old camper pulled at 11.5-14.5mpg depending on speed. New camper doesn't appear to be any worse, but it is more aerodynamic even though the parachute is higher in the air. Haven't been able to tow it far enough to be certain yet. It's funny when it goes into 4 cylinder mode when in town and makes it sound like some ****box car with a fart cannon trying to hold too high of gear.

Friend has a camper that is the same size as ours and pulls it with a GMT900 Tahoe (forget year, 2008 maybe?) with a 4L65e in it. Ate a transmission and gets 9mpg regardless of speed.

Kind of would like a Duramax for towing a camper because even with air bags, giant brakes, Duratracs, and giant front and rear sway bars it is a bit irritating to tow something that tall in a heavy crosswind. However, I think we'll end up with a Super C motorhome before long so it won't be necessary.

Yeah aero and wind suck with big campers. We recently bought my in-laws 31ft camper, but I've towed it quite a few times with different trucks before it was ours. It comes in right around 8k lb loaded for a trip, not light but not awful, but the aero is what kills it. Feels more like 12k if you try to go 70mph....might as well be pulling a billboard. Most of the newer campers have decentish front surfaces, this one does not. My 2005 6.0L Silverado will drag it wherever I need to, but trying to maintain highway speeds is annoying. 4th bogs on the slightest incline and 3rd revs annoyingly high for cruising. Gonna try towing with my wife's 09 Tahoe this year. Added brake controller, rear helper bags, and trans cooler, plus the camper is set up with weight distribution and sway control. Power isn't much different than my truck, more room and comfort for 2 kids and 2 dogs in back, and I'm hoping it'll be a lot easier to find the sweet spot with the 6L80E than with my truck's 4L80E. I'm also hopeful that the SUV body helps the camper cut through the air a bit easier compared to the truck, but we'll see. If it sucks on the first trip then we'll go back to using my truck. I still expect single digit MPG, but hopefully not quite as deep into the singles.

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

maybe the Ford just can't handle that much weight

I think you misread my post, Ford did great and pulled awesome, the trailer brakes sucked and the FORD did the majority of the work and make the 2,100 mile trip just fine.

[champ]

Pulled the jeep back home on the new truck setup. Added bags to the truck to prevent it from 'barking at the moon' after the level. The taller/wider tires and difference in aero definitely made an impact on mpg and perceived power.

Granted, I'm using a (much) heavier trailer this round, but I only pulled 9.5mpg whereas it was getting 11.5mpg before mods. Probably had a headwind as the storm rolled in, but meh... it still pulls decent for a half ton and the bags took out a bunch of the unsettledness you would get over the bigger bumps in the road.

[xj_man_646]

Is that a 5.3 truck? I really like those wheels. I'm itching to upgrade my DD...struggling to decide what kind of truck I want (read: makes sense).

[champ]

Yep, 5.3/6spd truck.

https://www.methodracewheels.com/col...ts/nv-machined

[xj_man_646]

How does it do towing the type of load pictured?

Do you run tow / haul mode and let the trans do the work, or manually select a gear?
Does manual mode lock the gear you desire, or is that simply the highest gear it will enter?

How many miles on your truck and have you had any maintenance issues?

Practicality has me leaning toward a newer 5.3 GMC 1500. I have no complaints about my 2005 GMC 1500, so why not? Of course I would love nothing more than a Cummins, but that is unnecessary at this stage I think.

[champ]

It did a lot better before I messed with it.

Tow/Haul in either D or M5. Set the cruise and let it eat. It'll sit in 5th until it slows 2mph from set speed and then downshift to 4th on the hills. Every now and then it shifts to 3rd; it never hit 3rd when the truck was stock FWIW. The hills around here aren't what you think of for typical midwest; we're in the driftless area so the terrain resembles the Appalachian foothills.

I'll throw it down into M5 to keep it from doing this weird thing where it won't down shift until it scrubs 5mph with the cruise set in D. It's only done it one trip, so take that with a grain of salt. I would recommend a WD hitch with loads 5-6K and above. The hitch is rated for 7K conventional and up to 9,300 (or whatever the max rating is) with WD. I think the rear springs are too soft for much over 600lbs of tongue weight. Hitting large bumps and swooping changes in the road are unsettling. Bags fixed most of that feeling, but a WD hitch would be ideal to get that weight up front.

The truck is a cream puff and has 10K on it in 2 years. No mechanical issues, but it has been to the dealer for dash rattles (that I fixed myself ) and it needs to go back in for some quirky infotainment bits and the front bumper cover has decided to change its shade of white to more of a cream.

Overall, I'm happy with it. Stock MPG was fantastic @ 17mpg city and 20-21mpg highway. It's the quietest vehicle I've ever been in or owned - spooky quiet. The ride is car-like. Transmission/Engine programming logic leaves much to be desired in town. Understandably, GM has it setup for emissions, torque management/drivetrain preservation, and emissions. If you drive it 'how the truck wants to be driven' it'll return the mileage I mentioned. If you drive one, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

If I had to do it all over again, I would at least test drive a comparable Ram with the Hemi and 8spd. What kills me on the Ram is the lack of payload. If you start running the numbers on Ram, you're maxed out on payload before you come close to max tow rating.

Ford? Too much $$$ for no added value.

[xj_man_646]

Good to know. Thank you! I should go test drive a couple...I would also be curious to know how the GM 8 speed drives.

[Cobound]

Originally Posted by champ

It did a lot better before I messed with it.

Truer words have never been spoken

Originally Posted by champ

If I had to do it all over again, I would at least test drive a comparable Ram with the Hemi and 8spd. What kills me on the Ram is the lack of payload. If you start running the numbers on Ram, you're maxed out on payload before you come close to max tow rating.

Love my Ram 8 speed, absolutely love it. Longest I've ever kept a daily driver. However, I don't trailer much with it. Ironic, cuz when I bought it I had big plans, and since I've had my junk towed by others

The little I've done, it's been great. Oh, and I didn't even test drive a Chevy or Ford after I first put my foot down in this one...likely won't.

[xj_man_646]

Originally Posted by champ

If I had to do it all over again, I would at least test drive a comparable Ram with the Hemi and 8spd. What kills me on the Ram is the lack of payload. If you start running the numbers on Ram, you're maxed out on payload before you come close to max tow rating.

I've been thinking about this...you understand that payload (related to GVWR) and tow rating (related to GCWR) are very different...correct? You can max out a vehicle's tow rating before you even start to add toward its payload capacity (depending how you load the trailer).

Looking online, I am only seeing a ~600# difference in payload in the Ram vs GMC 1500 trucks

[bbaCJ8]

New tow rig?

Originally Posted by xj_man_646

How does it do towing the type of load pictured?

Do you run tow / haul mode and let the trans do the work, or manually select a gear?
Does manual mode lock the gear you desire, or is that simply the highest gear it will enter?

How many miles on your truck and have you had any maintenance issues?

Practicality has me leaning toward a newer 5.3 GMC 1500. I have no complaints about my 2005 GMC 1500, so why not? Of course I would love nothing more than a Cummins, but that is unnecessary at this stage I think.

That load would likely be a piece of cake for any properly equipped half ton. Towing our sail of a camper that weighs about 8k lb loaded worked the hell out of my wife's 5.3 Tahoe.

[champ]

Originally Posted by xj_man_646

I've been thinking about this...you understand that payload (related to GVWR) and tow rating (related to GCWR) are very different...correct? You can max out a vehicle's tow rating before you even start to add toward its payload capacity (depending how you load the trailer).

Looking online, I am only seeing a ~600# difference in payload in the Ram vs GMC 1500 trucks

If you stick by the industry standard of 10% tongue weight for a tag trailer, then a 7000lb trailer will be 700lbs of payload capacity used up. Add 200lb driver, tools, passenger, etc. and its maxed out fast.

Granted, this isn't a problem unique to Ram as all half tons require the owner to mindful of their capacities. Ram just seems to exacerbate this.

Some days I rather had just stuck with the Duramax or bought a gas 3/4. For as much as I drive a truck in a year, the fuel economy differences would be moot.

[champ]

Originally Posted by wrath

Doesn't that thing have 3.08 cogs in it? I had 3.42s in my 6.0L/6L80e half ton and those were marginal. Can't imagine 3.08s, bigger tires, and a 5.toofew.

6.2L, 8L90e, 3.42s, 275x55R20 Duratracs, rear sway bar set to its stiffest setting, removed rear lift block, and 80psi in the bags tows my 31' lead parachute of a camper just fine, even without trailer brakes (was a bit of an oh **** moment when they quit working). I quit using the weight distributing hitch and trailer anti sway device when I got the Duratracs. Before when I had soft sidewall tires it needed it. Someday when I quit adding **** to the trailer I'll weigh it.

Have towed just over 13k with it using a bumper pull with a backhoe on it... it was no worse than my Uncle's 2015 2500HD gasser. Would not want to do it all the time though, the brakes definitely aren't meant to get rid of that much heat all the time.

Luckily it has the 3.42's. I can't imagine having the 3.08's - slug city. I do wonder what the max tow package with 3.73's and stiffer springs would be like.

The 6.2/8spd combo would be nice, but the requirement for the LTZ/SLT package plus the added cost of the 6.2 made it just as expensive as a more capable 3/4ton.

[champ]

Originally Posted by wrath

<snip>
Surprised you got a truck with 3.42s unless it was a Z71.



The gasser 2500HD feels slow... because it is. </snip>

It's a Z71, just debaged.


And yes... holy Christ on a cracker the 2015+ 2500's are slower than the line moving out of hell. I test drove one and immediately dismissed it as an option. I don't know why GM neutered them so badly since the same 6.0/6L90 combo in the GMT900 and 6.0/4L80 combo GTM800 trucks weren't bad. Not good, but not bad.

[nblehm]

I eye ball newer sierras. I'm totally convinced after towing my j10 back from moab with a ram 1500, I'd never have a need for a diesel truck. I really like that ram, but would probably default to a GMC just because I like GM drivetrains better. Wonder what kind of actual milage a 6.2 sierra gets.

[nblehm]

Nice. That's pretty good. I dont like duratracs anyway so I dont have to worry about that

[xj_man_646]

Wrath, do you exclusively fill up with premium with the 6.2? Or do you run lower octane fuel until you need to start utilizing the power (towing, etc)? That is my hang up with a 6.2 truck...I don't want to need premium fuel.

I love my Duratracs . Now I just need to get my 4wd actuator fixed on the front diff...can't get the mf'er out of the tube.