Educate me why GM 1 ton towing capacity is so much less

JTrac wrote:
It took a few sleepless nights to convince myself to go with Ford as a long time GMC guy. Disregarding the difference in options, there are some differences in the 15 GMC Denali dually I traded vs the Ford. The Ford is noticeably quieter and the ride is better as it handles the rough bumps a little gentler. So far the mileage is about the same. It does sit taller by an inch or so but still fits in my standard height garage door. The one thing GMC has over Ford is its independent front suspension. Ford uses a solid axle and I can feel the hard bumps in the steering. That didn't happen on the GMC. I also think the brakes on the GMC are a bit more responsive.

So I went and test drove back to back an 18 3500 Duramax Denali Dually and a 17 F350 PS Lariat Dually a couple days ago.

Thought I was test driving the Ford just to cross it off the list. Still not a huge fan of the overly angular styling found everywhere from the body panels to the badges.

But I'm willing to look past those visual features because the electronics package blew me away. Besides the interior redesign they did in 17, which would have brought them close to Denali level, the electronics package put Ford squarely over the top.

Ride wise I found the Ford to be a tad rougher, even with only 60psi in the tires. And slightly louder under throttle. And seats were not quite as well padded as the Denali.

But driver functionality superiority is real, it's not just gimmicks and gadgets. Then I sat in a Platinum with the massaging seats. And I was sold.

Looks like I'm a Ford guy on my next truck.

And it made my 04 GMC Duramax Dually feel like a toy when I got back into it. What a difference in scale.

Confused on some options online. Camper package seems to add stiffer front springs on the DRW trucks. Why stiffer fronts? Seems like it would just hurt ride.

And from what I can see, massaging seats may not be available on Lariat package?

ToddD wrote:

john&bet wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
These are reasonable responses. I for one could care less about the 30,000 lb tow rating. That’s CDL territory and somewhere I can never be in.

I didn’t know about the better ride in the GM HD trucks. I’ll have to keep that in mind when I am in the market for another HD pickup.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Just so you know 30,00# is not in any form CDL territory fro pulling an RV for personal use in any state.

But you could be required to have Class A license, the recreational equivalent of a CDL. 26,000+ lbs.

Your home state's regs supercede the state you are visiting, from what I gather, though.

Yes Todd you are right there, but your statement about a CDL is what I was refering to. In my state I need nothing extra over my standard operators license.

Plain and simple if GM could SAE rate to tow 30K they sure would.

They have more power but what is the issue???? I say they have not beefed up the Allison to handle that kind of load on a grade when they do their repeated SAE testing.

The Ford trans and RAM's AISIN can sure handle the load.

noteven...I think you missed my question to the op. if I read correctly he has an older dmax and was comparing to a new. I assume like my ford the gvwr on these trucks have gone way up since early 2000. my point was looking at my fathers 07 gmx and it has a gvwr of 10k, my ford is 14k.

1jeep wrote:
curious what the gvwr on your truck is? My father has a 2007 GMC Drw dmax and its door tag is 10k. I could never understand how it was so low, but assumed that in 2007.5 they must have changed the frame along with some other items to gain a higher rating.

10001 lbs is mentioned as a threshold GVW in the simple, clear, and straightforward commercial vehicle code(s) across the continent :)

Which then of course gets "applied" at least 1000 different ways, cause after all, weight (or mass) is related to gravity, which must be different in this state or that province or that Mexico border entry...:)

ToddD wrote:
How well does the adaptive cruise control work when hitched?

I could see that being a real nice feature on a long distance haul.

Seats: I keep reading and seeing in videos how the GM seats, especially in the Denali package, beat the Ford for support and comfort. But a massage could make up for that...

I have never used cruise while towing until this truck. The adaptive cruise is great. You can set it for how far back you want to be from the vehicle in front of you. If you get behind a slower vehicle, it keeps the distance you set and when you change lanes it goes back to the speed you set.

Just finished a 760 mile trip. I set the cruise, turned on the massaging seats and lane guidance, and then enjoyed the trip.

john&bet wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
These are reasonable responses. I for one could care less about the 30,000 lb tow rating. That’s CDL territory and somewhere I can never be in.

I didn’t know about the better ride in the GM HD trucks. I’ll have to keep that in mind when I am in the market for another HD pickup.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Just so you know 30,00# is not in any form CDL territory fro pulling an RV for personal use in any state.

But you could be required to have Class A license, the recreational equivalent of a CDL. 26,000+ lbs.

Your home state's regs supercede the state you are visiting, from what I gather, though.

jerem0621 wrote:
These are reasonable responses. I for one could care less about the 30,000 lb tow rating. That’s CDL territory and somewhere I can never be in.

I didn’t know about the better ride in the GM HD trucks. I’ll have to keep that in mind when I am in the market for another HD pickup.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Just so you know 30,00# is not in any form CDL territory fro pulling an RV for personal use in any state.

ToddD wrote:
How well does the adaptive cruise control work when hitched?

I could see that being a real nice feature on a long distance haul.

Seats: I keep reading and seeing in videos how the GM seats, especially in the Denali package, beat the Ford for support and comfort. But a massage could make up for that...

I just put the first thousand miles on the truck so haven't towed the fifth wheel yet. We have a 2K mile trip planned for later this month which should give ample opportunity to see how the adaptive cruise works while towing.

We both think the seats in the King Ranch are somewhat more comfortable and supportive than the ones in the GMC. That is very subjective, though, as the Denali seats are pretty darn good.

curious what the gvwr on your truck is? My father has a 2007 GMC Drw dmax and its door tag is 10k. I could never understand how it was so low, but assumed that in 2007.5 they must have changed the frame along with some other items to gain a higher rating.