2020 Chevy 2500/3500 trucks

Not hijacking or GM vs Ford reply here, but in Ford's case (prior to '20 models), a F250 was 10,000 GVW and F350 was 11,5000 GVW both SRW, With current coach and our old '15 F350 SRW, I was over on trucks GVW, tires and rear axle. Although truck did tow it fine, I didn't care for the tire aspect. Figured rest of truck would be okay knowing Ford tested it w/ a LOT more weight than I'd ever tow. Some said to put different tires on, but wasn't too keen on that. Deciding on FL for summer vaykay was the deciding factor in getting a DRW. As much as I love it for towing the 5er, don't really love the DRW in snow, but have to play the cards I'm dealt. Don't see a SRW in near future that will safely tow/carry a 5er w/ 4,000 pin and combo of 25000. Perhaps I'm wrong, if so, please advise.

Not even close to true. The difference between a 3/4 and 1 ton truck when it comes to actual ratings is just as vast as the difference between a SRW and DRW 1 ton

Not when we look at those mfg website specs from GM...Dodge/Ram...Ford I mentioned above. You either agree with them or disagree.

Agree a one ton srw and one ton drw is nite and day different but in most cases a 3/4 ton and one ton srw have the same mechanical specs/ratings.
Check out those mechanical specs and you too will see how the same or close to the same the 3/4 ton and one ton srw are.
In many cases the only difference is the door tag GVWR placard such as Fords F250 with the heavy service package/camper package has the same uprated suspension/same truck/ as F350 srw.

Thanks all for your assistance.

The quote from Edmunds was definitely referring to the DRW. A 3500 DRW Diesel is way overkill for what I do. On the other hand, this will probably be my last truck. I'm pushing 70 and if I keep a new truck 15 years, like I have in the past, I'll probably be past the 3 AM departure times, changing brakes in the parking lot, etc, etc.

In looking around the parking lot when we race, I see everything from a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a little diesel pulling an aluminum open trailer up to guys with Class 8 toterhomes pulling 53 foot trailers. The majority of us are in between with 2500/3500 trucks and enclosed tag trailers.

My wife and I do go a lot. 20 weekends a year minimum and as many as 40 plus weekends some years. Most of our travel is in the Midwest, so mostly flat land, but we have been coast to coast, and from Brainerd, MN to New Orleans. I've done the Ike and many of the passes in Colorado and Utah.

JIMNLIN wrote:

Generally 3/4 and one ton SRW trucks in the same brand/year models can have the same load carrying potential....tow ratings.
This is why we look at Fleet Ford specs website...or GMs ordering guide website...or Dodge/Rams Body Builders website that tells us the same or difference in certain year models for that brand.

Not even close to true. The difference between a 3/4 and 1 ton truck when it comes to actual ratings is just as vast as the difference between a SRW and DRW 1 ton.

rjstractor wrote:
I suspect that those major differences referred to in the article referred to the 3500HD dually. It still boggles my mind why all 3 OEMs have a 250/2500, a 350/3500 SRW and a 350/3500 dually. The physical differences between the SRW trucks are minimal (the exception being the Ram rear suspension), while the differences between the 350/3500 SRW and DRW trucks are more significant.

Yet you see a lot more 3/4 ton trucks out there because people perceive a difference even if it's not that drastic. I have and only would consider buying a 1 ton because the most important variable--payload--is the difference, and payload facilitates all the fun things that brought us to this forum. For someone with a modest sized travel trailer upgrading from an overloaded 1/2 ton, a 3/4 ton truck is a drastic improvement. For those of us who wish to trailer heavy, especially with a 5th wheel, or carry a truck camper, a 3/4 ton truck is not even close. If they stopped offering 3/4 ton trucks, the people who wanted to upgrade to the heavier duty drivetrain but don't need the payload will just buy a 1/2 ton truck instead, which really would be a disservice to those people. A 1/2 ton truck is the modern station wagon.

I suspect that those major differences referred to in the article referred to the 3500HD dually. It still boggles my mind why all 3 OEMs have a 250/2500, a 350/3500 SRW and a 350/3500 dually. The physical differences between the SRW trucks are minimal (the exception being the Ram rear suspension), while the differences between the 350/3500 SRW and DRW trucks are more significant.

Deeper or taller frame rails on the older trucks, than the new stronger rails, tells us the new trucks frame rails are made from a higher strength psi steel and probably thicker rail materials.

OP asks;
"First, is the article true? Is it only for the new 2020 Chevy/GM trucks or does it apply to other brands/years of trucks."
Yeah the article about the 2020 gm trucks is true.
No it doesn't apply to other brands or older GM trucks.

Generally 3/4 and one ton SRW trucks in the same brand/year models can have the same load carrying potential....tow ratings.
This is why we look at Fleet Ford specs website...or GMs ordering guide website...or Dodge/Rams Body Builders website that tells us the same or difference in certain year models for that brand.

What ever GM says about their trucks when advertising does not apply to a Dodge/Ram or Ford truck.

You asked about other brands and years of trucks, and I can tell you that there can be drastic differences or minimal differences on those, too. Trucks are designed for whatever capacity they have. This year, the manufacturers have really upped the ante in trying to get big (30k+ GCWR) towing numbers and the truck designs show that. Payloads on the 1 tons have finally gone up to the point that the big GCWR numbers are useful.

I had a 2007 Chevy 2500HD and now have a 2019 Chevy 2500HD and from what I can see, the rear frame on the newer truck is sure different from the old one. It is not as deep as the 2007, as if they forgot to keep the deeper frame going all the way to the rear of the truck. Of course the salesman had no idea of what I was talking about, nor did the service writer. I am just curious as to what they did different to the rear portion of the frame, specifically where the fifth wheel side plates attach to the frame.
Thanks for any input.
Curly

I've probably read every magazine and website review on those trucks out there. A lot of conflicting and inconsistent info, much of it is wrong based on what I have observed at the dealer. (Don't ask the salesman, they are worse!) I think the writer got confused as to what is upgraded from previous years vs what is upgraded between a 2500/3500 for 2020.

Minimal difference between a SRW 2500 or 3500, (springs and ratings) and as mentioned the dually gets a larger rear gear. Watch some of the videos from the truck announcement last winter or at the media drive event last June where they had engineers out talking about the trucks.