Hi all, I am a perteptual lurker on the forums, but have gained valuable insight from those who frequently post on here. For that, I thank you.We currently have a 27 foot TT weighing in at 6700 dry. I am pulling it with an 08 Silverado z71 with a 5.3. I will be upgrading the truck next year and I am interested in hauling a golf cart in the bed along with towing the TT. Golf cart weight is about 1100 lbs.I would make to take it all over the US, through the mountains 2 or 3 times a year and still be able to move at about 65-70 mph to make good time. Is it crazy to think I can do this safely with a 6.0 gas 2500 HD? Or should I step it up to the 6.6 duramax?Any and all thoughts and suggestions are welcome.Happy traveling,Grub

Get a 2500, gas or diesel is the big question. Gasser will be about 8K cheaper.

I towed my new 2005 Flagstaff 8528RESS 5th wheel for about 250 miles which did pretty good. The salesman of course said I would not have any problems towing this baby.... Then I got brave and started a trip from VA to Gatlinburg TN on I81 which has a couple of long grade mtn passes on it... Made it up the mtn pass just fine but coming down the other side was a death grip on the steering wheel. I was sweating bullets before I got control again.It was just not enough truck to handle the weight of the trailer which was listed as 8800lbs...Now if I grew up pulling trailers I probably would not have any problems at all but this was all very new to me towing something this large behind my F150 class truck...I turned around and had to go through the same thing again to get back home and thats when I parked it in my back yard next to the woods where it still sets today. When i traded trucks later I never moved the fifth hitch over to the new 2010 truck...It is now our get-away trailer setup here at the house. Grandkids love it when they came show up for overnites here.Please make good judgement choices here... I still see the F150 truck towing similar trailers on the road but didn't work out for me. I chickened up pretty quick.Roy Ken

When you go down your first steep mountain pass make sure to have your dash cam on, should make for good watching.The information is out there, all you have to do is let it in.

3/4 ton gas or 1- ton diesel. I do not think a 3/4 ton diesel will hae enough payload for 1100 pounds of TW and 1100 pounds of golf cart, plus people in the cab.

In short it's time to step up. In addition to going diesel you also need to upgrade to a 3500 vs. the 2500 for the additional payload cost is minimal to go from 2500 to 3500.If we avoid the payload issue and focus on the motor the 6.0 will get you there however you have performance expectations as well which means Duramax

Towing with Silverado...am I delusional? | Good Sam Community

christopherglen
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
The gas is enough to move the trailer at a decent speed. I would be looking at the 3500 for payload VS the 2500 for comfort. You will not have to much trouble running 65 on the flats, less uphill - but the downhill can be exciting. Diesels have exhaust brakes that gas motors can only dream of. If you are thinking of upgrading in a few years to a 5er or TH I would be thinking dually at the moment. Far overkill for what you plan on doing, but no upgrade needed later. If you are going the dually route, may as well do the diesel while you are at it - makes dragging large heavy trailers up and down mountains far nicer - and much lower stress doing it.
Dave_H_M
Explorer II
Mar 06, 2016
Grub, you cannot post a question like that on a forum like this with all the diesel folks just lurking.

look up the data on the gasser.

i tow my current 10K fifth wheel with the 6.2 Ford F250. I switched from diesel to gas and will never look back.

Do the homework, make your decision and don't go by a few boisterous folks on the internet - including me. :h
CKNSLS
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
eichacsj wrote:
27 foot TT your half ton will do that. A 2500 and 3500 is the same drive train so you should do a 1 ton. But gas would easily handle that, unless you are looking for an excuse to buy a diesel then you get to spend 8k more.

If you want a diesel get one, but a 27 foot TT wouldn't be the reason :-)

As a a Silverado (half-ton) owner I am saying that his DRY WEIGHT is about 1,000 pounds more than it should be.

He doesn't have enough truck-or too much trailer.
Grub32
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
Dave H M wrote:
Grub, you cannot post a question like that on a forum like this with all the diesel folks just lurking.

look up the data on the gasser.

i tow my current 10K fifth wheel with the 6.2 Ford F250. I switched from diesel to gas and will never look back.

Do the homework, make your decision and don't go by a few boisterous folks on the internet - including me. :h

I appreciate your experiences. I am trying to learn before making my final decision. Ultimately, I am only considering a silverado. For a number of reasons. You are part of my HW. I am not going to trust all of what I hear or read on the internet. I am also not going to trust everything that a salesman tells me either.

Grub
Grub32
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
CKNSLS wrote:
eichacsj wrote:
27 foot TT your half ton will do that. A 2500 and 3500 is the same drive train so you should do a 1 ton. But gas would easily handle that, unless you are looking for an excuse to buy a diesel then you get to spend 8k more.

If you want a diesel get one, but a 27 foot TT wouldn't be the reason :-)

As a a Silverado (half-ton) owner I am saying that his DRY WEIGHT is about 1,000 pounds more than it should be.

He doesn't have enough truck-or too much trailer.

Thanks, I bought my TT after verifying that my truck could pull 9K pounds. Also with the recommendation of someone who pulls with silverados on a daily basis. I understand that that not all 1/2 tons are equal and not all silverados are either. Also, it pulls it just fine currently. Just want more for the golf cart.

Grub
CKNSLS
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
Grub32 wrote:
CKNSLS wrote:
eichacsj wrote:
27 foot TT your half ton will do that. A 2500 and 3500 is the same drive train so you should do a 1 ton. But gas would easily handle that, unless you are looking for an excuse to buy a diesel then you get to spend 8k more.

If you want a diesel get one, but a 27 foot TT wouldn't be the reason :-)

As a a Silverado (half-ton) owner I am saying that his DRY WEIGHT is about 1,000 pounds more than it should be.

He doesn't have enough truck-or too much trailer.

Thanks, I bought my TT after verifying that my truck could pull 9K pounds. Also with the recommendation of someone who pulls with silverados on a daily basis. I understand that that not all 1/2 tons are equal and not all silverados are either. Also, it pulls it just fine currently. Just want more for the golf cart.

Grub

Let's stop here. Are you aware where payload comes in? Most half-ton will reach payload capacity before maximum tow capacity. Look on your yellow and white sticker inside the driver's door jam. Underneath the tire sizes it will say something as follows- "The maximum cargo and passengers should not exceed XXXX. Tell us what that is.
IDoMyOwnStunts
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
CKNSLS wrote:
Grub32 wrote:
CKNSLS wrote:
eichacsj wrote:
27 foot TT your half ton will do that. A 2500 and 3500 is the same drive train so you should do a 1 ton. But gas would easily handle that, unless you are looking for an excuse to buy a diesel then you get to spend 8k more.

If you want a diesel get one, but a 27 foot TT wouldn't be the reason :-)

As a a Silverado (half-ton) owner I am saying that his DRY WEIGHT is about 1,000 pounds more than it should be.

He doesn't have enough truck-or too much trailer.

Thanks, I bought my TT after verifying that my truck could pull 9K pounds. Also with the recommendation of someone who pulls with silverados on a daily basis. I understand that that not all 1/2 tons are equal and not all silverados are either. Also, it pulls it just fine currently. Just want more for the golf cart.

Grub

Let's stop here. Are you aware where payload comes in? Most half-ton will reach payload capacity before maximum tow capacity. Look on your yellow and white sticker inside the driver's door jam. Underneath the tire sizes it will say something as follows- "The maximum cargo and passengers should not exceed XXXX. Tell us what that is.

He's asking about upgrading to either a 2500 or 3500 BEFORE he gets the golf cart. This isn't about half-tons.
nomad_297
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
APT wrote:
3/4 ton gas or 1- ton diesel. I do not think a 3/4 ton diesel will hae enough payload for 1100 pounds of TW and 1100 pounds of golf cart, plus people in the cab.

This is exactly what I am thinking. Dropping that big, heavy Duramax under the hood sure takes away from available payload. 2500HD gas or 3500HD gas or diesel.

Bruce
nomad_297
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
christopherglenn wrote:
I would be looking at the 3500 for payload VS the 2500 for comfort.

You will get the exact same comfort from the 3500HD as you will the 2500HD. I know. I own both.

Bruce
mowermech
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
Grub32 wrote:
Thanks for the feedback. I want to take the cart only to move around the campground with kids. I am not opposed to going 3500 with a diesel, actually I am leaning that direction. I think the extra cost of the diesel will pay for itself in the long run and if we upgrade our TT when our kids get older and bigger we will have the flexibility to do so.

Regards,

Grub

Personally, I would find a good used Ram 3500 single wheel, Cummins powered. But, that's just me.
However, the golf cart idea concerns me, because I have encountered campgrounds where anything using the roadways must be street legal and licensed. If your car isn't street legal, and doesn't have a license plate, it will have to stay on the truck!
Just something to think about...

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