Looking to sell my 97 350 Ford as I have 178000 miles on it an running into some maintenance issues. I have found a 03 Chevy 2500 Duramax that I really like. Will it safely pull my 3 horse Sundowner w/6 ft LQ? What are some truck preferences out there?
Posted 2006-08-11 7:26 PM (#46421 - in reply to #46415) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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it will most certainly handle your trailer safely, leagally may be another matter. the dmax is rated to tow 15,000+, some people will have you believe 3/4 ton diesels cant tow that because of the low GVWR. depending on your state laws and license requirements, the GVWR may or may not matter. in SC the GVWR does not apply, only axle weights, i wont comment on my surrounding states as i do not reside there, but i have yet to speak to a law enforcement official who was interested in the GVWR. the 2500HD has 3000+ pounds of avaliable "mechanical" payload on the rear axle.......
and of course youll have responses from people afraid of the max tow rating, aka "safe working load".
Posted 2006-08-12 6:20 AM (#46446 - in reply to #46415) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Originally written by jenaa11 on 2006-08-11 3:52 PM
Looking to sell my 97 350 Ford as I have 178000 miles on it an running into some maintenance issues. I have found a 03 Chevy 2500 Duramax that I really like. Will it safely pull my 3 horse Sundowner w/6 ft LQ? What are some truck preferences out there?
Hi .. Welcome to the forum...
If your Ford 350 is a dually, you won't like the Chevy 3/4 ton truck since you're down sizing. The duals are a lot more stable and weight capable
Posted 2006-08-12 11:07 AM (#46457 - in reply to #46455) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Originally written by jenaa11 on 2006-08-12 9:40 AM
It is a 4x4. I believe my trailer is around between 8-10 thousand pounds unloaded. Add three horses at 1000 each so somewhere around 13000.
Jen ... Dually or dual's refer to two rear wheels on each side of the truck. Ford has been calling both single rear wheel and Dual rear wheel trucks "350"
Without opening a flame war salvo... a single rear wheel is a 3/4 ton truck no matter what it's labeled.
4x4 is when the front wheels are driven. Both 3/4 and one ton trucks are built in that configuration by the big three.
Posted 2006-08-12 8:36 PM (#46479 - in reply to #46477) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Originally written by SLICKRNSNOT on 2006-08-12 8:19 PM
It will pull it but will it stop it ?
no it cant stop it, the trailer has brakes to take care of that. and before this turns into "bigger truck, bigger brakes" nonsense......i hope none of you that think that ONLY the trucks brakes can rapidly/effectively stop a heavy trailer get the chance, or dare i say experience, to find out otherwise.
Posted 2006-08-13 4:12 PM (#46502 - in reply to #46477) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Of course it will stop it, or I wouldn't consider hooking it up. Been pullling and stopping these rigs for 45 years. I'm well aware of what works and what doesn't!!
Posted 2006-08-14 8:37 AM (#46534 - in reply to #46502) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Originally written by nanny on 2006-08-13 4:12 PM
Of course it will stop it, or I wouldn't consider hooking it up. Been pullling and stopping these rigs for 45 years. I'm well aware of what works and what doesn't!!
Well excuse me......
In that case I would follow this persons advise and get whatever they recomend !!!
Heck what if the trailer brakes fail or the wires pull out......that doesent matter cause like they say thats what the trailer brakes are for.....if they work.
So load er up to the max and rip on down the hiway cause you don't have to stop anyway.No need for a bigger truck...don't need no stinkin bigger brakes....heck you can get by with a short bed Toyota according to these folks. Don't pay no attention to Me just buy the truck and pull the trailer untill you find out for yourself that it will or won't pull it ...stop it...turn it....or what ever.
45 years!!!!! whoooo hoooooo !!!! lets celebrate I willl apologize for My ignorance.
Posted 2006-08-14 10:27 AM (#46551 - in reply to #46479) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Originally written by chadsalt on 2006-08-12 8:36 PM
Originally written by SLICKRNSNOT on 2006-08-12 8:19 PM
It will pull it but will it stop it ?
no it cant stop it, the trailer has brakes to take care of that. and before this turns into "bigger truck, bigger brakes" nonsense......i hope none of you that think that ONLY the trucks brakes can rapidly/effectively stop a heavy trailer get the chance, or dare i say experience, to find out otherwis.
Thats why I upgraded from a 3/4 ton shortbed to a 1 Ton dually for My new trailer.The 3/4 ton would not stop the trailer with only the truck brakes (tried it)
The 1 ton Dually will (tried it)
Remember the rule if it can fail it will.
I keep My trailer brakes maintained and they work great ...but what if ?????
Bigger is better when it comes to towing rigs.
Just My tried and proved position.
1 Ton Ford Dually Diesel 4:10 crew cab long bed.
Trails West 10x15 with slide and angled mid tack 3 horse gooseneck.
Posted 2006-08-14 2:54 PM (#46580 - in reply to #46551) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Originally written by SLICKRNSNOT on 2006-08-14 11:27 AM
Thats why I upgraded from a 3/4 ton shortbed to a 1 Ton dually for My new trailer.The 3/4 ton would not stop the trailer with only the truck brakes (tried it)
The 1 ton Dually will (tried it)
Remember the rule if it can fail it will.
I keep My trailer brakes maintained and they work great ...but what if ?????
Bigger is better when it comes to towing rigs.
Just My tried and proved position.
1 Ton Ford Dually Diesel 4:10 crew cab long bed.
Trails West 10x15 with slide and angled mid tack 3 horse gooseneck.
wow, from a 3/4 that would not stop it to a 1 ton that will. how about those majic duallys? boy if its not 1/2 vs 3/4ton its 3/4 vs 1 ton......why did you stop at a 1 ton? why not a 1 1/2 ton? even my little trailblazer will stop my little 2h bumper pull (at max tow rating)without the trailer brakes....what was wrong with your 3/4 ton?
Posted 2006-08-14 3:11 PM (#46583 - in reply to #46415) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO didn't we wake up on the wrong side of the ice chest !!!!
Nuthin was wrong with the 3/4 ton it was a great truck !! it just lacked three things, 1.it was a short bed. 2.It was not a long bed. 3. It didn't have dual wheels.Which I believe is a great benefit for towing large trailers.
The one ton also has a totaly different brake system than the 3/4 ton.The transmission also is different than my old truck.
Yes I do have a BIGGER TRUCK IN MIND.
I am working on the specs now.
It apparently really bothers you when someone brings up the word BIGGER one can only imagine that this only reminds you of a part of your anatomy that is also inadequate for the job.
Ya gotta quit listening to that song "it's allrite to be little bitty" cause sometimes it's not.
So if it's your assumtion that it's allrite to tow a great big trailer with a 1/2 ton Toyota or Chevy Luv then go for it BIG boy.......Woops I said big again.....sorry did't mean to bring up old problems....just makin small talk....HE HE
Posted 2006-08-14 4:36 PM (#46590 - in reply to #46583) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Originally written by SLICKRNSNOT on 2006-08-14 4:11 PM
WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO didn't we wake up on the wrong side of the ice chest !!!!
Nuthin was wrong with the 3/4 ton it was a great truck !! it just lacked three things, 1.it was a short bed. 2.It was not a long bed. 3. It didn't have dual wheels.Which I believe is a great benefit for towing large trailers.
The one ton also has a totaly different brake system than the 3/4 ton.The transmission also is different than my old truck.
Yes I do have a BIGGER TRUCK IN MIND.
I am working on the specs now.
It apparently really bothers you when someone brings up the word BIGGER one can only imagine that this only reminds you of a part of your anatomy that is also inadequate for the job.
Ya gotta quit listening to that song "it's allrite to be little bitty" cause sometimes it's not.
So if it's your assumtion that it's allrite to tow a great big trailer with a 1/2 ton Toyota or Chevy Luv then go for it BIG boy.......Woops I said big again.....sorry did't mean to bring up old problems....just makin small talk....HE HE
if you note my sig, i have no problem with bigger. a dmax is a little bit of overkill for a 6000# 2h....is it not? for that matter when i purchased the dmax the runner up was a 99 f450 (9 foot flatbed, 7.3PS, 6spd, leather, it was nice), but that guy was a little too proud of it.
i simply responded to your novice statement "It will pull it but will it stop it ?". that is a common misconception i typically try to correct to help the people new to trailering. bigger is sometimes nice, but not usually necessary. its all to easy to hide behind "safety" as opposed to education.
Posted 2006-08-14 7:10 PM (#46601 - in reply to #46590) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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Yea I understand...although I am no Novice.I haved Pulled enough trailers over the Years to know what I am talking about.If a person only drives on flat land then it is not a real concern.However if you pull over mountains and down the other side then you come to appreciate the brakes.As a lawenforcement officer I have seen My share of wrecks that could have been prevented by proper equipment.Ie brakes.
The good part about this forum is the multitude of ideas that are out there.
It's like they say opinons are like as.....holes everyone has one HE HE.
The main thing we all can agree on is do it Safely. There is a thread on here about a person who lost controll of his trailer and blew out some tires.
Remember safety first. On that I think we all can agree. Well maybe..no no...well yea..I think...no no.
Posted 2006-08-15 10:50 PM (#46701 - in reply to #46415) Subject: RE: Chevy 2500 Duramax tow capacity
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I just sold a 2003 Duramax. It was a shortbed, 2WD. I pulled a 5 horse 4-star with a living quarters and had no problem pulling or stopping. When I needed extra help I just used the tow haul and it would help with the stopping ie, in town etc. I also would like to add I traveled with others who drove new dodges, and fords and could pass them on hills while they were still trying to grab gears. I loved that truck and bought a 2006 duramax, however I did get a long bed just for the short turns. I love it also because it has an automatic 6 speed but you can also manually shift if you need to help with the braking. Just returned from the mountains and that was nice to have. I would also like to add the mileage is impressive. I did not buy a dually because I drive this truck all the time and didn't want to have to deal with trying to park etc. all the time with a dually.
Note: the only reason I sold the 2003 is because I had racked up 98,000 and needed to trade before I reached the 100,000 mile mark because of trade-in value. I drove several dodges before trading and the front seats are awful. Sometimes comfort is worth more than the cheaper price. Also my daughter has a dodge and we pull with it all the time too and it just doesn't have the power that the duramax does but the dodge is about 4-5000 dollars cheaper.