New Tow Vehicle

[romap]

The times they are a changin' - for me anyway! I have traded my Titan for a new Silverado 2500 Duramax. I will be picking it up this Saturday. The new rig should be more stable and be able to pull my 25 Classic with more authority. Hopefully I won't have too much trouble getting the hitch adjusted to the new truck. i have less than a month to get it broken in enough for my first camping trip which is the weekend after Columbus Day.

Is there anything I should be aware of? This is my first diesel.

[DEITZ645]

Ron,
You will love the Duramax. We tow an '06 30' Classic with slide (lots of tongue weight) and an '87 34' Excella 1000. The Duramax runs like a demon and I have no problems on hills, there is still plenty of throttle left. I have a GMC '06 quad cab 8' bed with a cap on the bed and get around 18 MPG with no trailer and with the Airstream on the hitch it drops down from 13 - 15 MPG.

As for break in, I did nothing special. I just follow the maintenance schedule.

Have fun with it. It will have NO problem pulling a 25' Airstream.

[2airishuman]

hi ron

congrats on the new truck, this is a GREAT time to buy a diesel.

since your trailer has drum brakes the ibc should would fine, if the truck has one...

i suspect like others u will report a big difference in what is 'felt' during towing...

and will become much more relaxed with the big dog approach to draggin' a 'stream.

don't forget the photos!

cheers
2air'

[DEITZ645]

Ron,
Don't forget to change your signature...

2004 Classic 25 - The Silver Sausage
2005 Nissan Titan CC
WBCCI 2623

[romap]

Changed!

The new truck does have the IBC.

Pics will be forthcoming.

[hiker]

Congrats ... you will love your Duramax. I have found the following forum to be an interesting source for information about the Duramax

www.dieselplace.com

[dbradhstream]

Love my '08 Duramax and I'm sure you will too. Tows much better than the Avalanche I had before. You should be able to pull your 25'er up Mt. Everest if you choose to. Enjoy the new rig!

[GO Bob]

If you are new to diesels do not forget to warm the glow plugs. The Max it the quickest.
The 6 speed Ally is the best.

[DEITZ645]

Originally Posted by GO Bob

do not forget to warm the glow plugs.

When I picked mine up the sales person said "you don't have to wait for the glow plug light to go out." But having owned an older diesel where you HAD to wait for the glow plug light to go out before attmepting to start it, I have opted to wait for the light to go out on my '06. I do the same on my '06 Jetta TDI too. The couple seconds you have to wait doesn't make you late for work.

[2airishuman]

the 'warm' is almost instantaneous (milliseconds) on the newest versions of the isuzu and the powerstroke...

NO WAITING for gplugs nemore.

in fact piezoelectric injector technology is the current buzz word.

the ceramic g plugs are only active for a few seconds with these high pressure inkjet derived injectors...

cheers
2air'

[94Tri]

Although I'm a Powerstroke guy, I beleive the worst problem you will have is forgetting there is a trailer attached to your powerhouse.

[dbradhstream]

Correct regarding glow plugs - they activate before you can turn the key all the way over; virtually no delay whatsoever.

I am curious though, does anyone know if these new diesels still have to be "primed" if you run them out of fuel? And if so, how do you do that? I've been told there is a "button" or "plunger" somewhere under the hood that you press a few times to re-prime it.

[DEITZ645]

Originally Posted by dbradhstream

I am curious though, does anyone know if these new diesels still have to be "primed" if you run them out of fuel? And if so, how do you do that? I've been told there is a "button" or "plunger" somewhere under the hood that you press a few times to re-prime it.

Dbradhsrteam,
I have no trun my GMC out of fuel yet, but when I change the fuel filter there is a priming button and a vent screw on top of the filter assembly. After changing the filter you open the ven screw, push the prime button until fuel comes out of the vent screw, tighten the vent screw, and you're off and running.
I try not to let the tank get down below 1/2, that way the gas pump doesn't shut off at $75.00 when i fill it up.

[Sixty3TW4US]

Congrats, I'm jealous!!! Maby next year for me.

[SteveH]

I would like to drive one of the new Diesels and see how well it does......suppose I could rent one somewhere?

[mustang]

I am Ford guy but Its American and you are gonna love it.

Congradulations

[romap]

Thanks all for the positive responses. I can't wait for Saturday to come so I can play with my new toy. I think I might have to get a different drop hitch as the 2500 won't sag as much as the Titan did.
This is a major departure for me as it has been quite a few years since I have had anything but Nissan product. I have never had one break and I hope the Chevy can live up to that.

[yakman]

Congrats...!! You're going to love it. I've had mine for a year now.

Just find some two lane roads and get your break-in done prior to towing. I hear that's real important. I spent many days just driving around with XM radio on.

There's a Duramax forum on the web as well. Lots of good information out there.

yakman

[ZoominC6]

Ron,
Congratulations! You've purchased an awesome towing machine with a fantastic tranny for towing, especially in the hills and mountains. Study that Owner's Manual.
HAPPY TRAILS

[hshovic]

Having had a Peugeot diesel many years ago, I had not-so-fond memories of priming, glow plugs, noise, smell, and smoke....

So I got the 2500 gas. It does just fine for my 25'. Not quite the stable performance of a diesel though. And they are quieter now.

Looked at a diesel replacement, but the mileage-difference (I get 11 mpg, diesel gets 13), higher initial cost, and diesel fuel cost, didn't make sense
for me.

One fun thing is the 2500 came with a 2 1/2 inch hitch. There was a 2 inch
sleeve, which rattled, so I went to a larger hitch stinger, which also meant
a larger set of equalizers... Kind of a black hole. Might be overkill. But it'll never break!