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BillTex · 02-03-2011, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat Conway

BillTex has summed it up completely. Also, you don't have to spend all that much for a duramax. Our 2007 Sierra Classic was $31,000 new (end of year discount). It is the work truck model and I really like it.

Agreed. IIRC we paid a $2800 premium for the DA, versus a 8.1l BB gasser, which was available at that time (06).

xrvr · 02-03-2011, 02:55 PM

New trucks with the new trannys are good with the 373 gear. My 5.3, 4 speed needed the 410 gears to do the job for my 25ft safari. zz

xrvr · 02-03-2011, 02:57 PM

Another note is one only has so much cargo capacity with the 1500, go with the 2500 if if your bed weight is going to be nore than about 1300 pounds.

JFScheck · 02-03-2011, 09:29 PM

If you can afford it - F-250 or 2500 Diesel...

That was easy = next question please...

sldflyfish · 02-10-2011, 07:19 PM

I took delivery of an F350 King Ranch diesel last fall and love it. We towed our 27' FB Flying Cloud from Oregon to Arizona in January and hardly knew it was there. The truck got 19.5 mpg without the trailer on the way up and 13.6 with the trailer on the way back.

Its a great truck.

Troutbum

jndduncan1 · 02-10-2011, 07:54 PM

I do love our 2005 2500 Duramax. Have trouble free 150,000 miles pulling trailers & 5th wheels. Currently looking buy a late model Classic 30' AS, which should be an easy pull for our truck.

I would expect a 1500 truck should handle a 25' AS quite nicely.

patrick p · 02-10-2011, 07:55 PM

ALP6783... I have a 2006 GMC Sierra with the Max Towing Pkg. which includes the 6.0 engine and 4.10 gears. It is a crew cab 4x4. I tow a 30 ft Classic and it does a really good job. We took a trip 5500 mile trip summer of 2010 which took us in through Colorado, Teton State Park, Yellowstone State Park, and Glacier State Park. We averaged 11 mpg towing. Around town mileage in Tyler, Texas (hilly) is 12-13. On the highway loaded 17-18 mpg. I also towed a 25 ft. Safari and it was almost an overkill. You will have no problems at all even in the mountains with that truck and trailer combo. Good luck.

TIMEMACHINE · 02-11-2011, 12:29 AM

The original poster's question is common, however, the answers are not. I have a 25FB and loaded it is about 7000 lbs and a tongue weight near 1000 lbs.

I have towed it with a 2005 Ford F250 Crew Cab Long bed 4X4 diesel, and 2008 Dodge Power Wagon 2500 Quad Cab Short bed 4X4 with the Hemi gasser and now a 2011 GMC Denali 2500HD Crew Cab Sort Bed 4X4 Duramax Allison.

I looked at all of the 1/2 tons, but most had very low carrying capacity, many under 1500 lbs, and with 1000 lb tongue weight, that only left 500 lbs for passengers and stuff, not enough for any real excursion. So for my Airstream, I ruled out the 1/2 tons. Some of the new 1/2 tons gassers do have plenty of power to tow up to 10,000 pounds, just not the load capacity.

All of my 3/4 tons towed well, with the Dodge lagging on big hills and reving higher than would seem prudent, although the motor did it with no problem. The Ford being heaviest seemed to be in control in any weather or condition. The new GMC Duramax/Allison is a monster, it is a tow beast, as is the new Fords with the 6.7. The new Dodge Cummins is not quite as powerful, but still a great tow machine. Don't forget that 3/4 tons have bigger brakes and beefier suspensions

I discount all of the discussion about purchase cost, maintenance cost, resale value and the such, my opinion is simply based on capability. I ended up with a 3/4 ton diesel because my experience proved to me it was the safest and most comfortable tow vehicle that can handle any Airstream easily with plenty of margin. As for the around town drivability, the new diesels with the new suspensions are much improved even over last years. Of course the 1/2 tons still have a better ride.

I will repeat what a few others have said, bottom line get what you want and enjoy.

DreamStreamr · 02-12-2011, 07:33 PM

Seventy thousand miles, over forty-five thousand of them towing a 6,500 pound CCD 25, we have loved our 2500HD GAS totally and completely. I agree with previous poster about needing 2500 for net carrying capacity in truck. We aren't at the truck's max weight but would have exceeded the 1500s carrying capacity and probably GCWR too.

Our experience on ride quality is apparently far better than others' with the 2500. Maybe/probably because we have so much gear in the bed of truck all the time, our ride is sprung just ride whether towing or not.

Diesel? Not necessarily the best choice. Just dont need it for any trailer 30 feet or less. We have seen higher prices pretty consistently over past five years for diesel fuel. Add premium first cost for diesel engine/tranny and higher maintenance costs, and the payback requires many more miles than we expect to drive. Further, the new gas engine/tranny/rear end combinations provide fine towing power for these mid-sized trailers. Although not Allison, the new trucks are available with another of GM's six speed tranny. And we haven't had any occasion when more torque than the new gas engines generate was necessary.

Any of the trucks mentioned by previous posters would certainly work for the trailer you describe. Try them out, price the options you want. Buy the want you want.

regards, Jim http://dreamstreamr.com

Jerryb1973 · 02-17-2011, 03:52 PM

I was 2 days away from buying a 2011 Chevy 1500, 5.3 with 3.42. the load ratings show it would pull just fine, but left me with only about 250 pounds of payload available. Gross weight of the truck, passengers, fuel, etc is 7000. Curb weight left 1500 pounds for 2 passengers (400 pounds) +fuel (200 pounds) + tongue weight (650 pounds), meaning that I could only carry 250 pounds in the bed. so, how do people carry an 4 wheeler or other gear and not be overloaded??

xrvr · 02-17-2011, 05:30 PM

They are overloaded and either do not know or do not care. zz

BillTex · 02-17-2011, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerryb1973

I was 2 days away from buying a 2011 Chevy 1500, 5.3 with 3.42. the load ratings show it would pull just fine, but left me with only about 250 pounds of payload available. Gross weight of the truck, passengers, fuel, etc is 7000. Curb weight left 1500 pounds for 2 passengers (400 pounds) +fuel (200 pounds) + tongue weight (650 pounds), meaning that I could only carry 250 pounds in the bed. so, how do people carry an 4 wheeler or other gear and not be overloaded??

See thread title...

Jerryb1973 · 02-18-2011, 07:53 AM

I think I am on-topic----am I not? I am new to the site, so dont be so blunt without an explanation. what does "see thread title" mean

My question after my initial statement would be: If my simple calculations are correct, then a half ton is not practical if you intend to carry anything in the bed--toolbox, bikes, camping gear that totals over 200 pounds. I conclude that a 3/4 ton is the way to go. I would like suggestions from other 1/2 ton users about how they overcome this delima.

Thanks for responses

TouringDan · 02-18-2011, 08:16 AM

I am very thankful for the education I have received from this forum. I towed my 31ft Excella for years thinking that I was within the towing specs for my 93 3/4 ton Chevy van because my loaded trailer weighed less than the max trailer weight specified by GM. Fortunately, I did not tow that much, and knew that even though I was towing less than the weight that GM specified that I could tow, that I knew down deep that I really was overloaded based on the inadequate acceleration and braking capability. Beacause of this I drove very conservatively, drove defensively and scared sometimes (thanks to my many miles on a motorcycle) and never had any major problems (plus I was just plain lucky).

J2807 will level the playing field about the max trailer towing weight, but also more education is needed, so that trailer owners look at the truck gvwr and the max trailer towing weight. I believe that the TV gvwr or the rear axle gvwr will usually be exceeded before the max trailer weight is exceeded.

Dan

BillTex · 02-18-2011, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerryb1973

I think I am on-topic----am I not? I am new to the site, so dont be so blunt without an explanation. what does "see thread title" mean

It means; the answer you seek is in the thread title...grasshopper!

TouringDan · 02-18-2011, 08:51 AM

Jerry

Welcome to the forum. I believe he meant the title of the original thread being something like " 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton TV".

You are asking a very good question. I believe the response can be quite involved. I think that a lot of 1/2 ton TV owners are towing overloaded per the specs and are not aware of this. Having said this let me also say that I am an engineer and engineers design for the worst case conditions and then apply a safety factor. So even though a 1/2 ton TV is overloaded per the specs (7000 lb gvwr), he is probably not towing at the design conditions, ie. towing down or up a winding mountain road at the speed limit at 100 degrees and a road surface that may have lots of pot holes. Ask the design engineer if he would be more comfortable driving the tow vehicle at the design conditions right at the gvwr or on a smooth highway at 80 degrees going 5-10 mph under the speed limit and over the gvwr by 10% (700 lbs). I know my answer.

Dan

TouringDan · 02-18-2011, 09:00 AM

Jerry

Since you are in the process of buying a new truck are now educated about the limitations of a 1/2 truck you can buy whatever you believe is the best truck for you. However I don't think that I would go for the 5.3 motor with a 3.42 rear end. I don't think this would provide enough power and torque. I would probably opt for the 6.2L and the 6 speed tranny and a rear end ratio over 4.0. Now with this engine/trans combination, the jump to a 3/4 ton classification may cost very little extra. I would give this serious consideration.

Dan

DreamStreamr · 02-18-2011, 09:28 AM

Good advice, Dan. What one is able to do is often NOT what one should do. I hesitated to open this can of worms but, when Can-Am or some other very capable and experienced tow set-up dealer prepares a small tow vehicle for a big trailer (in apparent contradiction of the tow vehicle manufacturer's GCWR rating) the decision is interesting and perhaps a bit challenging.

regards, Jim http://dreamstreamr.com

jwgreen · 02-18-2011, 10:17 AM

Within the last 2 years, the Escapees club advised all of their members who tow trailers to use a minimum of 3/4 ton, 250 or 2500 in manufacturer designations, truck. Why? Because towing a trailer with an overloaded tow vehicle may get you between "a rock and a hard place" if you ever have an accident and file a claim with your insurance carrier. More insurance companies now look at the manufacturers' tow ratings of the tow vehicle and may adjust your claiim payout if you were towing overloaded. My personal tow vehicle is a 2005 Dodge 3500 Ram dually with the Cummins diesel and 4.10 rear axle ratio for my 34 ft. trailer. This is admitedly overkill, however, for 4 years I was a vendor and regularly had 1500 lbs. of cargo in the back of the truck. I also recommend the use of tire pressure monitoring systems on the truck and trailer to avoid the possibility of a tire blowout on either unit. I have 80K+ miles on the truck, and get 13 mpg when towing and 17 mpg solo. My biggest problem (?) is finding a suitable parking spot for the truck in parking lots...not really a problem. In your case, a 2500/250 truck would be adequate.

jwgreen · 02-18-2011, 10:25 AM

I didn't see this mentioned in this thread, however, there are many satisfied customers of the Hensley hitch. It's pricey, $3K+, but many Hensley customers are very satisfied and wouldn't tow their Airstream trailer without one. I personally don't use it as my truck weight (8K lbs.+) and the trailer weight (9K lbs.+) are very close. Besides, the dual rear wheels give the truck greater stability and little, if any, movement when passed by 18 wheelers. Don't be misled by the Canadian dealer who shows videos of towing an Airstream trailer with passenger cars, some even front wheel drive, that are grossly overloaded. He's using the Hensley hitch but the cars are still overloaded and my previous comment about insurance claims is also valid here.