Tow Vehicle

[lncoop]

Okay. Strictly speaking this is not boat related, but it kind of is and I know from previous threads there are some knowledgeable brains to be picked. My current TV and daily driver is a 2005 GMC 1500 Sierra Z71. I like the Sierra fine, but I'm always on the lookout for a 3/4 ton that makes sense. Plus, the airbag light has come on and I suspect the repair bill will be more than the sales tax I might pay on another one. I've run across a Chevy 2500 4x4 with 84K miles vs my 95K. It's a 6.0 gas burner. That's really all I know until I go check it out, but I'm wondering; is there anything in particular I should look for in a truck like this? I've never had a 3/4 ton before so I'm not sure what to expect or how to proceed. I'll have a mechanic go through it if I decide to pull the trigger of course, but I'd just appreciate any input anyone has on this particular model. Enlighten me, truck gurus.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Tow Vehicle

6.0 is a decent motor but gets pretty crappy milage. 12-14 MPG unloaded

Any particular reason for wanting a 3/4 ton, the 2 boats in your sig are pretty light. Unless you go diesel you can generally get the same motors in a 1/2 ton without all the extra weight.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Tow Vehicle

The 1500 pulls the barge okay, but it does quite a bit of searching even on level ground. Also, I do a lot of weekend warrioring that involves towing stuff like firewood. My plan is to take my wife's car as my daily driver once it's paid off at the end of the year, so I'm not overly concerned about mileage.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Tow Vehicle

Love the 6.0 its essentially what ever engine you have now with more displacement.
I dont know of anything to look for, nothing particularly wrong with them.
Good trucks but as stated all that 1500, 2500 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton nomenclature is outdated and really states very little about a trucks load carrying capabilities.
For instance you can get a 1500HD from Chevy and compared to a non HD 2500 the 1500HD is going to have heavier duty axles, a better axle ratio for towing, probably a tow package which is a 7 pin trailer plug, receiver hitch, aux. trans cooler, possibly the same transmission and motor specs as the 2500 or possibly better. Of course the 2500HD is better yet but I mean all those 1/2 ton trucks are way heavier than the trucks of old that some of seemed to be prit near only capable of hauling a half ton of payload.
The old Chevy trucks with rear coil springs seemed to be the worst, now I guess Dodge uses coil in the rear of some.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Tow Vehicle

Okay, I had the same question as oldjeep. A half-ton is easier to live with day in and day out. I only 'upgraded' because of the boat. The 3/4 ton rides a lot stiffer and is generally more ponderous to maneuver in close quarters.

My .02

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Tow Vehicle

The old Chevy trucks with rear coil springs seemed to be the worst, now I guess Dodge uses coil in the rear of some.

As the owner of one of those dodges (09 crewcab 1500) I can tell you that the coils in the back are really nice - even when towing 6K


But back to the 3/4 ton chev - their transmissions have a decent reputation, motor should last a good long time. I'd have no reservations about it as long as it was maintained before you got it.

The hunting in your current truck is more likely due to the 700r4 than it is your pontoon being too much for the truck itself.

 

[carey965]

Re: Tow Vehicle

to start with do you use the tow haul function when towing? i know it can be a dumb question but i used to work for onstar and 90% of the owners of 1500 trucks had no idea what that button was on the end of their shifter cause they would always call in with indicator lights on

secondly one thing you can try when starting your truck dont just throw the key in a crank it right over, put the key in turn to run wait a sec or 2 then start the truck, the computers that operate the air bag system can be finickey and that could be why you have the airbag light on.

and as far as buying a new truck any domestic brand truck will last for you they all have good strong motors and trannys (the 6.0 is more or less bulletproof and parts are cheap if anything does go) that will hold up with you need, personally i would not eve touch a new tundra with a 10ft poll after seeing how most of them handle even the smallest load

 

[642mx]

Re: Tow Vehicle

secondly one thing you can try when starting your truck dont just throw the key in a crank it right over, put the key in turn to run wait a sec or 2 then start the truck, the computers that operate the air bag system can be finickey and that could be why you have the airbag light on.

Incorrect. The airbag circuitry needs less than 1/2 the time it takes to crank over the engine to find faults.

His problem is most likely in the seat sensor that seems to fail on a lot of GM's. If it is, its about a $250 fix.

personally i would not eve touch a new tundra with a 10ft poll after seeing how most of them handle even the smallest load

More incorrect info...lol. I own one, (actually I've owned everything but a Dodge) and the Gen II Tundra is more 3/4 ton than 1/2 ton. Most Tundra owners would agree. What brought the Tundra up anyway? I thought this was about GM's? Nobody likes trolls

 

[lncoop]

Re: Tow Vehicle

Yes, I use the Tow/Haul button whenever, well, towing or hauling. 642, thanks for the heads up. Only replacing the seat sensor would truly be a Godsend. At this point the service history on this truck is the length of a book. New cat, new SRO coil, new horn contacts, new amp and complete overhaul of stereo wiring because it was picking up a squeal from somewhere, various squeaks and rattles isolated and fixed, and now the airbag light is on and the driver door lock doesn't respond to the remote. CEL came on last month but I reset it and have driven several thousand miles since, including several hour long trips towing the barge and it hasn't returned. Never experienced any impact on performance so I won't worry about that one for now. Occasionally I'll experience a little slippage when taking off from a dead stop. I'm only at 95k miles, but I went ahead and had them perform a tranny flush and fill and filter replacement and was told they didn't find any issues. Even though I've been frustrated with the truck I give the dealership five stars.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Tow Vehicle

pretty crappy milage. 12-14 MPG unloaded

Id take that,,, My 02 F250 gets 12 on its best day unloaded.

 

[Doernuth]

Re: Tow Vehicle

So the airbag light is on. Maybe the airbag wont go off. Having been hit in the face by an airbag I can say that might be a good thing.

I have a Chevy k2500, its an 89 with a 350. I can say don't tow in Overdrive. it shifts way too often and will burn up a tranny, dont ask how I know that.

It is much stiffer that a 1/2 ton, but I use only as a TV and Work truck, it also has a snow plow on it.

Make sure vehicle is rated for weight you tow and is properly equipped to tow. Tow packages are an option for a reason. Also consider the terrain you tow in, if hilly go bigger on the truck, brakes take a beating going down hill.

Also make sure the receiver is up to the task. Do not use a bumper to tow a boat, they are not designed for that.

BTW what is wrong w/ the tundra? The GF's dad has one to pull his horse trailer and loves it? Just curious....

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Tow Vehicle

Id take that,,, My 02 F250 gets 12 on its best day unloaded.

I'm spoiled, my 09 CC Hemi Ram gets 20-21 hwy unloaded

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Tow Vehicle

What engine and gears are in your Z71? We have a Trailblazer with the 5.3 and a 3.73 gear in it and we have no problem at all towing our 21ft Bowrider. My Dad's Lincoln Navigator MK LT struggles to find a gear, and is horrible trying to get on the highway.

You can have your computer flashed at a performance shop, or pick up a handheld to help it keep a gear when towing. THey have a tow option. My buddy has a Grand Cherokee that was absolutely horrible trying to tow my boat, but he bought a handheld and used the tow option. It still doesnt tow as well as my Trailblazer, but way better than before. I doubt you need a 2500, I think you just need to have your it reprogrammed. Check out companies like Superchips for handhelds. That is who my buddy bought his from.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Tow Vehicle

Couple of things. I have an 03, Chevy 2500HD with the 8.1L - previously had an 02 Chevy 2500HD with 6.0L (sold when we built a new house, then later picked up the 03).

The 6.0l are notorious for snapping exhaust manifold bolts. The 8.1l motors don't snap the bolts (as they went to studs), instead the manifolds themselves crack between the ports. This problem isn't unique to GM, Fords and Dodges have had the same issues - just not as prevalent as the GM's.

Another issue - if the 2500HD is 02 - 04, you WILL have frame/chassis rust issues. GM went to a different supplier for the underbody paint and it sucks. My truck has 52K miles on it, and I have already replaced brake lines, gas lines, rear diff cover, power steering pump, and several other parts due to rusting out. Just something to be aware of.

As mentioned above, the 6.0l will get about 12 - 14 mpg, and is only available in 4.10 gears. The 8.1 will get 10 - 12, and is available with 3.73 or 4.10 (little difference in mpg). The only benefit of the 8.1 is it gets you the Allison Transmission (jury is still out on this for me, I have an intermittent "shift range" error code popping up).

The 6.0L feels snappier than the 8.1L, but a month ago, I hooked up my trailer with tractor on it (9000 lbs combined weight) to my truck and a friends truck for back to back runs. The 8.1 is much stronger when towing a load.

If you have any other specific questions about the 2500 HD, let me know. With the problems I've had with it, I'd still take another over most anything. I use it hard at times (plow hard and have towed over 14,000 lbs with it before) and it is still running - albeit with more problems than I would expect at under normal use and 50K miles.

 

[jkust]

Re: Tow Vehicle

What engine and gears are in your Z71? We have a Trailblazer with the 5.3 and a 3.73 gear in it and we have no problem at all towing our 21ft Bowrider. My Dad's Lincoln Navigator MK LT struggles to find a gear, and is horrible trying to get on the highway.

You can have your computer flashed at a performance shop, or pick up a handheld to help it keep a gear when towing. THey have a tow option. My buddy has a Grand Cherokee that was absolutely horrible trying to tow my boat, but he bought a handheld and used the tow option. It still doesnt tow as well as my Trailblazer, but way better than before. I doubt you need a 2500, I think you just need to have your it reprogrammed. Check out companies like Superchips for handhelds. That is who my buddy bought his from.

I have the Buick Rainier with the 5.3liter /3.73 differential and the useful locking rear differential. A Rainier is the Luxury version of the Trailblazer mentioned above. I tow my 4000lb Chaparral/trailer rig with no problems but the mileage towing and not towing varies very little. 14.2mpg our last vacation towing the boat with 4 passengers and a weeks of supplies and gets an average of a hair over 15 mixed city and town driving completely empty. The GMT360 which is what all trailblazer lookalikes are called have heavy torque management built into them. If you get into my wife's Rainier which is much smaller than a truck but has the same engine, it won't feel as torquey due to the PCM and the possible effects of damage on the lighter architecture than a full blown truck. A popular site to get your PCM reflashed is PCMFORLESS.com. You will remove the heavy torque management among other things at the expense of your transmission and drivetrain. There is no tow/haul feature on any GMT360's and I understand it is not even a possibility even though it is old news on most trucks.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Tow Vehicle

duckhunter, I have never seen a GM rust unless it was from the northeast. I have owned several of them without issue, both the 5.3 and the 6.0 and the only problem I ever encountered was on a 2500 you get a slight clunk when you first take off. Its just the driveshaft settling and is normal and doesnt hurt anything or get any worse, even at over 200k. We have absolutely no rust issues here in Florida. The OP is from AZ, so I seriously doubt he will have rust issues. LOL.

jkust, What I was getting at was that his 1500 Z71 should be fine towing, and I have had my Trailblazer "flashed" by a professional tuner on a dyno. It has been that way for over 60k now without issue, and the truck is pushing 90k, so if done correctly, you should not have any issues with your transmission.

A professional tuner can also custom load a handheld for you too. That way you can swap tunes for gas mileage and for towing.

Ours gets in the area of 21mpg on the highway, averages about 17.3 around town, drops to about 14ish when I am towing. Ours is an EXT as well, so it is on the longer wheelbase than the Ranier. Its a shame they stopped making them. Looks like the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the only medium SUV that can tow over 7k now. Damn Shame, we like the TB.

 

[Adam Shickley]

Re: Tow Vehicle

I have a 5.4 L Ford expedition and towed both the signature boats. I average about 10 MPG loaded. Might help you think about what you want.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Tow Vehicle

Actually, I'm in Arkansas, not Arizona. Very common mix up. Don't think I have to worry too much about rust issues here either, though. I have the 5.3 engine, and I think the gears are 4.10 but I'm not positive. What do you think ballpark cost would be to have it flashed? Never thought about that.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Tow Vehicle

A full blown tune on a dyno costs about $350 depending on if they own their own dyno, or you have to rent one. You can get one of the premade handhelds like Superchips or the like for about the same or maybe a bit more. There are sites out there, and I apologize I cant remember them off the top of my head, that will custom tune your PCM if you ship it to them. I have heard of the PCMforless too, as mentioned. If you can find a tuner in your area, that is the best way to go. They can customize it for whatever you want.

I meant Arkansas. I have relatives that live near Little Rock, so I even know better. LOL

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Tow Vehicle

Check out LS1tech and try to find one in your area. I know it is a car site, but your engine is an LS based engine, so it is about the same for tuning. http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/