Is it possible to change my axle ratio from 373 to 410 to increase my pulling capacity.  In my owners manual my 2000 Chevy 2500 is listed:

7.4l    373 towing capacity 8500

         410 towing capacity 10,500

Yes... You have to either change the internal gears of the differential... AND refit them to factory tolerance or replace the whole rear axle.

Plus, you'll have to reflash the computer to keep the speedometer and engine controls together.

When you wake up in the ER and find that they got your heart started again when you read the estimate sheet for changing the gear ratio in your turck, you might want to compare the "cost/benefit ratio" for a while before you decide to move ahead with this project.

Question:  Is there a problem with your truck?

Do you just want to change the ration because of something you read in the owners manul?

Have you gotten any estimates on how much this will cost?

Did you know that changing a tire size can affect the gear ratio of your truck?

Have you ever heard the old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

If your truck is equipped with a "tow mode" it unlocks the converter so you can't go into overdrive while towing.  This will affect your final drive ratio.  As well as moving the gear selector to the next lower notch while going up hill or down hill while you are watching the tack to make sure you are not over revving the engine.

deranger

I believe I would find an cold air intake, an free flowing exhaust and a "tune" for that 454 and maybe some shorter tires!! The 2000 454 exhaust was very restrictive witha  3" tail pipe, unlike the 2001's with a two into one, 3.5' tail pipe.

A 2000 Vortec 454 was rated at 290hp and 410tq.

A 2001 Vortec 496 was rated at 340hp and 455tq.

Thank you for all the replies.  My only purpose is that I want a larger trailer.  I'm looking for some way to do this and keep my good, dependable, paid for truck! It is a 4x4.

Does this seem like it's too much $ and trouble for what I want?

Years ago (maybe 1978-1980) the Frito-Lay folks bought a bunch C-30 and C-35 Chevys and GMC's, to pull tandem axle gooseneck cargo trailers. They were used as their sales delivery trucks. The trucks had 454's, Allison AT-540 5 speed automatics, they had a "hydraulic line lock" parking brake with the lever mounted on the dash next to the Allison shift lever. These trucks had 4.56 gears..... I don't know if GM built these trucks specially for Frito or if an aftermarket contractor converted them. Always thought that would have been a good truck under a horse or cattle trailer.... That was the baddest pickup on the road back then, so far as being able to tow a gooseneck. I don't remember them buying anymore after that first big fleet. Didn't take many years to weed them out. Guy I talked to the ran one on a route, said they get around 6 mpg, loaded or empty.... How much would a 20' long x 8' wide x 8' tall trailer full of "tater chips" weigh anyways?!! Any of you remember seeing these trucks? I seen a couple of the old trailers sitting on a fence row this past weekend.

Our truck has 3.73 ratios in the differentials. When we bought our larger trailer, we had difficulty pulling one hill in particular. We did some engine and exhaust upgrades as Hogtownboss suggested, and are very pleased with the results. Our open road RPM is 1850 instead of about 2100 RPM with the 4.10. I would rather have more power than a higher gear set.

Gard 

Retento, there was an old Frito C-30 and GN cargo trailer on Ebay about a year ago.  I bid on it until it exceeded my budget.  I was going to turn it into a site truck for my contracting business with racks for tools and storage bins for hardware and misc stuff.  I thought it was a great idea and the truck was definitely built heavy enough to do what I wanted.  Plus, it was set up to haul at least six people in the cab.  Two captains chairs and a bench seat all the way across the back of the cab that would seat at least four big guys.  I guess somebody wanted it worse than I did, or their budget was bigger than mine?

deranger

This last piece of info is the final nail in the coffin.

A 4x4 will require TWO differentials AND all the other changes.  Unlike a Foxtrotter, you can't have your truck doing two different gaits at the same time.  Something expensive will tear or fall off your truck.  For my money, another truck or stay with the old trailer.

The empty weight on my LQ 3h is a little over 8K empty and loaded for a weekend a little over 12K pounds.  My 2001 SuperDuty PS 6sp has 3.73 gears and it does just fine.  HogTownBoss made a good point about work trucks with 3.73 gears, a lot of it depends on how you drive, not what you drive.

deranger

OK - SOLD!!! I am a very conservative driver when hauling my horses.  There's only one really steep grade (11% I think) that I pull and that is up the hill to Circle E Guest ranch near Winchester, TN.  The only time I might have 3 horses in is for a local day ride.  Any camping trips I would only have 2 horses.

Thank you for all your thoughtful and helpful responses.