Traded for bigger trailer and am possibly taking trip to mountains late spring. Anyone have any advice about chevy dually with duramax am currently driving f250 7.3.

In my area 2006 and early 2007 Duramax trucks with 50000 to 75000 miles on them are selling for what they were when they were new. Local dealer was selling 2007, 3500 dually 4x4, Duramax LTZ's for $33k in the fall of 2008. These trucks had $44000-$47000 sticker prices on them!!!

Bought a 2002,  GMC 2500 with Duramax brand new, still my daily driver and Hoss puller... And we just upgraded to a 3H LQ with 10' SW. That truck runs like a champ and pulls the snot out of anything we hook to it.  I wanting a new one but will wait untill all the bugs are worked out of the new ones.

CJ

In my area 2006 and early 2007 Duramax trucks with 50000 to 75000 miles on them are selling for what they were when they were new. Local dealer was selling 2007, 3500 dually 4x4, Duramax LTZ's for $33k in the fall of 2008. These trucks had $44000-$47000 sticker prices on them!!!

Appy Girl,

How does your truck do on the down-hill? I am just not getting the Allison tranny on the down-hill. I have the same year as yours '02 GMC Duramax and I red-line it on the steep down grades here in CA. Every time I have to touch the brake, it down-shifts into the lower gear and then I am red-lining!!! I have to hit the brakes on occasion on these grades. How do I keep from going to slow so that the big-rigs are not riding my a$$? I even tried taking it out of "tow- haul" but it still does the down-shift when I hit the brakes.

Jackbrat,

We just took a trip to Santa Barbara with a jaunt up and down highway 154 towards Lake Cachuma. Coming down the hill, hubby just put it in 1st gear and we poked down the 7% grade at 30 MPH, at that point if he needed to step on the brakes we are not going to down shift any lower. Who really cares if the big trucks fly by?

But yes I have had the same problem you are talking about. I just step on the accelerator a tad and get it to shift back up. But it really is easier to just shift down and mosey along... Im in no hurry when pulling livestock.

CJ

Appy Girl,

 That is what I started doing as well- In 2nd gear though. I just hate it though when the truckers ride my butt and don't go around me. They get soooo angry that I am even in "their" lane.

Paul,

The tranny shifts down too low. That is the problem. I touch the brake for it to shift down, usually it isn't enough, so I touch the brakes again and all of a sudden I am in the red RPM's. These are around curves so I can't really hit the gas to pull out of the red. I NEED to slow down.

An  '02 Duramax. Has the 1,2,3,D with the circle around it.I guess it would be a 4  speed- I guess unless the tow-haul mode is counted as a speed? Then 5? I bought it used with 45k on it. So don't have the actual sticker it came with. The manual doesn't state which it is. It is the 2500 HD 6.6L turbo diesel.short-bed,extended cab,4x4.

I haul a 2-horse GN (all aluminum) empty weight is around 4400 lbs. The deck length is only 14' , the nose is 8'. I usually only haul 1, 1200 lb. horse and myself when going camping. Not a LQ but I do carry some camping stuff. The trailer is an 2006 Monarch Classic. Never took it to a weigh scale. Will at some point but I know I am not over-loading my truck at all. The axles on the trailer are placed further back on the trailer. They are 6000 lb. axles (each)

Paul, if I understand correctly what she is experiencing is normal.  On the 01-06 (IIRC) there is a dashed "red line" at 3200-4800 rpm, aka the grade brake rpm range.  The solid red line beyond 4800 rpm is not to be entered.  The dashed red line was removed (~06) due to this type of confusion from drivers.  No bigger than her trailer is, the grade braking feature will provide more than enough slowing power....if allowed to operate properly.