1500 or 2500 Silverado

You have provided not reason for not continuing to use your current truck. If it pulls fine and stops fine and handling is not a concern then what is there to gain?

If you are really concerned then consider changing out the gears for a 4.10 set. It will reduce the strain on the engine and transmission by 20% and for 2WD cost will be about $500 and roughly twice that if the truck is 4WD.

ashnic wrote:
Looking to get some feedback from some folks that are somewhat in my situation. I have a 7k 26' Aruba trailer which I currently pull with my 04 5.3L 3.73 EC Silverado. I have WD hitch setup and the truck pulls it really well, low temps, braking etc. However I know I am stretching the truck ability and do not want to damage it by over working it. So I am looking at either getting a 2011/2012 1500 which has a higher tow rating with the 6 speed tranny or a 2500 with a 6.0 combo. I know go bigger is better but I hate to buy such a large truck when it will only tow once or twice a month for 6 months out of the year. Will the newer 1500 pull 8k ok? Does anyone on here pull this kind of load? What are your experiences?

That is a tough one. IMHO, going to another 1500 probably won't buy you much. If you are stuck on GM, a 2500 would likely just be a foot longer (assuming 6.5' bed, vs 5.5' on a crew cab), and a whole lot more capable. With an 8K trailer, your tongue weight is going to be close to 1K. A 1500 probably won't leave much payload for people or other stuff. With that trailer, I would be looking for a yellow sticker payload of at least 2K.

Ashnic,

Do you know how much your trailer tongue weight is, loaded up and ready to go? What all do you carry in the bed of the truck: coolers, firewood, etc? Do you have/like truck toppers/caps for the bed? Total weight of passengers? All this add towards the allowable payload capacity of the truck.

We just traded in a '10 Chevy 1500 4x4 ccsb 5.3/6spd/3.42 combo on a '13 2500HD. Main reason- tw of about 900lbs, truck cap which was about 200lbs, we were just over the trucks gvwr, but under awr's, And my wife wanted the coolers and firewood (when we take it) out of the trailer and in the bed of the truck to make set up/teardown easier!

Old truck payload capacity was 1550lbs, new truck is 2750lbs.

As for difference towing- our maiden voyage with the new beast is this w/e! So time will tell!!!

As for how some think a 2500 is a lot bigger than a 1500, I think it has to do with the height of the vehicle! Now granted, we don't drive the 2500HD every day,only have about 900 miles since we bought it due to a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge, then Kalahari just to get some miles on the truck before this w/e camping trip. But going from my every day driver Cobalt to the truck is a huge difference!

Good luck deciding!
Chris

Either one will have enough power to move the load, the 2500 will have a small power advantage.

The big difference will be in towing stability. The 2500 will be more stable and easy to drive.

The other big difference will be in unloaded ride and fuel mileage. I own a 2500 and a few times a month drive a half ton for work and I always immediately notice how much softer the half ton rides. With my 2012 2500 chevy I get 16 or so highway and 11.5 city/mixed. 8.5 mpg towing 8k lbs.

To my way of thinking there are 2 trucks, 1/2 and 1 ton trucks. Get a 1 ton and never look back. A 3/4 ton 6.0 gas, 4.10 gears will get the same gas milage as a 1 ton with same specs..

As infrequently as you tow, I would say that you would be better off with a half-ton for a couple of reasons. First, when you are not towing, the half-ton will always be more fuel-efficient. Second, F-150, Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 all have a car-like, next-gen suspension. The 3/4-tons have a tighter, stronger suspension for increased payload. They are naturally going to be bouncier when there is no trailer on the hitch. Finally, if you've been to an RV show lately, you will notice that there is a trend to design for half-ton towing. Keystone and Forest River both have 33-foot bunk-house, rear-living room and rear kitchen models with a tounge weight under 700, and dry-weight under 7k.

I have a neighbor who is a real gear-head, and he has the 2500 version of my truck. He said he wished he got the 1500 just because of the suspension. (To be fair, he doesn't tow a TT)

It's all very subjective, but if you ask me, the HD's are for the less-than-casual-rv-er or a fiver-driver. :)

traded my 2010 sierra cc/5.3 tow package in on a 2500hd 6.0 gasser w/ 6 sod to tow my 31bhpr.
Other than towing the camper, I might drive 50 miles a week. I feel more confident in the 2500 than the 1500 towing.

Well I owned a new 04 2500HD and pulled our 5th wheel with it, then a dually to pull the same camper so I know more is better..but was not sure if a new 1500 would do the job as well with the 6 speed tranny.

If you can, rent or borrow a 250-2500 series pickup for a weekend. I rented a F-250 back when I was towing with a F-150. One weekend convinced me that 3/4 is a lot more than 1/2.

Yea..I believe I am leaning towards the 2500HD..I hate to get into a payment but if I feel safer on the road it's the only way to go..