Forum Discussion

zogg's avatar
zogg
Explorer
May 02, 2013

Need a new tow vehicle....opinions?????

Yesterday we bought a new flagstaff 30 foot v nose travel trailer. Dry weight is 7300 pounds.

My Titan is maxed out at 7200 pounds.....ugh. So, we decided on a 3/4 ton truck, for the extra stability, brakes, etc.

We are looking at Silverado/Sierra HD 2500 trucks. Anyway, i want a gas motor, and am looking at the 6.0. It seems that the 3.73 is readily available, and i cannot seem to find any 4.10 trucks.

The salesmen are saying the 3.73 will pull 8000 pounds easily....true?

I am looking at used trucks, and found an 07 classic that is super clean with low mileage....but, it has the 4 speed tranny. Is it an awful truck compared to the newer 6 speed trucks?

I am trying to do this once and get it right. How bad it the mpg empty/towing?

Any and all suggestions are sure appreciated....thanks
Tow Vehicles
  • Dougie123's avatar
    Dougie123
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    My 2011 Ram with Hemi and 4.10 rear gets 13mpg around town, and 15mpg on highway (70mph or less).

    Towing she gets 9'ish, but our camper is smaller than yours.

    With the 4.10 she is rated to to 11,400lbs. see below.



    5.7L V8 gas (EZC) A5 545RFE 5 sp AUTO (DGQ) 4.10 8,800 2,360 6,440 3,685 2,755 5,200 6,010 18,000 11,400
  • kw_00's avatar
    kw_00
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    Towing I get around 8 mpgs, empty is 11-12 city and 14-15 highway at 65 to 70mph. If I get in Georgia or into a headwind when towing I got 7 mpg.....depending on the mountains and overall speed.
  • kw_00's avatar
    kw_00
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    I love my GM 6.0, with that said I will really enjoy the 6 speed over my 4 speed one day when I buy a newer version of my truck. My 3.73 pull fine in Florida with my weight, and I am around 9k. In Georgia I slow down some, but overall very happy with my current truck. And yes I have pulled with diesel because we have a few in the family. The Duramax was sweet but I don't like the overall cost of ownership. My recommendation look for the 6.0 and newer 6 speed, you will be happy.
  • zogg's avatar
    zogg
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    A friend of mine has an 05 Ford v10 that im sure would do the job, but his mpgnis a lot worse than i think a 6.0 would be. He is pulling a heavy 5th wjeel and gets 7-8 mpg towing 13,000 pounds, and averages 12 overall empty. But, it pulls fantastically
  • zogg's avatar
    zogg
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    Thanks for the replies....seems like the 6.0 will be ok, and I think the 6 speed makes more sense.

    I would anticipate 11-12 mpg city, 15 or so hiway, and 9-10 towing.....seem like that is in the ball park? i do not expect it to be an economy king, and that would be on par with a Ram Hemi or a Ford. I dont know of a HD truck that would be much better. Anyone?
  • TugCE's avatar
    TugCE
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    My 08 Chevy 2500 4x4 with the 6.0 had no problems pulling my 11,000 TT. Now, I never had it out west but it did fine in the Mountains / Hills in Georgia. One thing, do not plan on passing too many Gas Stations as they are thirsty beasts.
  • Golden_HVAC's avatar
    Golden_HVAC
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    I would say get the 6 liter and 3.73:1 ratio. I had that in my 75 Ford, and it towed great! But I also had a larger motor, yet with the carb, it was only factory rated around 250 HP. The 6 liter will pass it up in both mileage and horsepower.

    Fred.
  • stef57's avatar
    stef57
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    as blt2ski said, your weight will be closer to 9k once you are loaded and ready to go... the 6.0l 3.73 will pull it but will probably struggle if you do hilly/mountain pulling. 4.10 would be better in those conditions but is a pig on gas if you do a lot of city driving...
    Have you looked into the 5.7 hemi with the new 8sp tranny? might be a good compromise...
    My best advise though would be a Duramax....
  • blt2ski's avatar
    blt2ski
    Moderator
    May 02, 2013
    If you can afford it, go with a 6sp GM vs the 4 sp. WAY better towing gearing wise! A 3.73 6 sp has an overall low LOWER than a 4.10 with the 4 sp. THe first gear in the 6 sp is 4.10-1 vs 2.48-1 for the 4 sp auto. So reality is, you could be as high as a 2.6 AR and still be lower overall in first than the 4.10/4sp option.

    I would have no issues pulling my 12K equipment trailer with a 6.0 6 sp auto!

    By the way, you will probably be closer to 8500-9000 lbs loaded with your trailer depending upon where you got the 7300 dry wt from!

    Marty

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