I recently Sold my expedition so that I could more easily tow my TT which is a 27ft flagstaff bunk house weighing 6500lb GVWR. I have decided that a Chevy 2500HD is going to be my next truck but I'm stuck between two vehicles in my area that are both appealing and I have not a clue which to go after. I've been trying to find people that tow somewhere in this range with the 6.0L with 4.10 to see how well it does with something around 7-7500lbs but all anyone talks about is max weight. Everyone seems to want to push the limits. I'm looking for practical weight limits and not extremes. So here's how it will be used and I am hoping I can get some insight from those that have something similar or experience with this kind of setup to help me decide. I live in Iowa, mostly want to camp around our area but it would be nice to maybe once a summer make a trip out to Colorado or Tennessee. My travel companions would be my wife and three small children. Not much in camping supplies weighing us down and usually travel dry. The two vehicles I'm looking are are nearly identical except for the engine. I have found a well looked after 2003 2500HD Chevy 6.0L with 4.10 and 4x4, the other is the 8.1L and 2WD, prices are nearly the same so thats not much of a factor. I'm just curious how the 6.0L handle hills and he rare but possible trip to Colorado every once in a while. I like the 6.0L setup but I can't seem to find people talking about how it tows in this weight range. I would sorely hate to buy it and find that i'm in the same boat I was in with the expedition where everything sounded good on paper but really didn't perform well in practical applications. Any help or insight would greatly appreciated.

"Everyone seems to want to push the limits."Not true! Lots of us don't. I believe either one will work fine. I'd go 6.0 4x4.

I have 2 2500 Duramax's.Both have ample power with heavy 7-8K trailer. I get around 9.8 mpg from Va to Colorado, Teller County, including over La Veta Pass west of Trinidad. Either will pull it at 45 with out overheating. I'd recommend Airlift airbags on the rear and Firestone Ride rite Shocks on the front. Takes the jump out of Ia-Co Bridges. Had to reman a Duramax to the tune of $12,000 due to Garrett Turbo bearing failure. Otherwise I'm happy with them. We own a farm and have 1 of 4 trailers hooked on a lot. This week I'm going to De. with the TT, coming home and hauling 3 loads of round bales about 20 miles. Avg ety is 16-17 depending on the road and the faster I go the better mileage it gets. At 75 it will get 19. My friend says hill will pass anything but afuel stop.

The 6.0 will be mated to a 4 speed transmission. What transmission is behind the 8.1? I believe it was an option to get the Allison? If it had that, I would choose the 8.1 over the 6.0. That being said I have owned an 04, 06, 11 and now a 17 with the 6.0 with both 3:73 and 4:10 rear end ratio's. the 2011 and 2017 have the 6 speed transmission. the older trucks had the 4 speed.I pull a 26' TT that maxes out at 7000 lbs. I have a leer high rise fiberglass cap on all the trucks.The 6.0 is no slouch, it handled the 7,000 lbs and loaded bed fine in the north east united stated. That era engine, transmission will have to rev more to get in the power band. Not a problem as the 6.0 handle it fine. I would prefer the 4:10 ratio for the mountains. If both trucks were equal shape I may lean toward the 8.1 for the shear HP and especially if it had the allison transmission. Mileage is not going to be to much worse than the 6.0. I consistently get between 8 and 10 depending on where I am going when towing and the speed limit. Under 65 saves fuel.

I have had 3 2500HD's with the 6.0 engine. You will be good to go with any, but the six speeds are better.

shelbyd wrote:The 6.0 will be mated to a 4 speed transmission. What transmission is behind the 8.1? I believe it was an option to get the Allison? If it had that, I would choose the 8.1 over the 6.0. That being said I have owned an 04, 06, 11 and now a 17 with the 6.0 with both 3:73 and 4:10 rear end ratio's. the 2011 and 2017 have the 6 speed transmission. the older trucks had the 4 speed.I pull a 26' TT that maxes out at 7000 lbs. I have a leer high rise fiberglass cap on all the trucks.The 6.0 is no slouch, it handled the 7,000 lbs and loaded bed fine in the north east united stated. That era engine, transmission will have to rev more to get in the power band. Not a problem as the 6.0 handle it fine. I would prefer the 4:10 ratio for the mountains. If both trucks were equal shape I may lean toward the 8.1 for the shear HP and especially if it had the allison transmission. Mileage is not going to be to much worse than the 6.0. I consistently get between 8 and 10 depending on where I am going when towing and the speed limit. Under 65 saves fuel. I'm not sure definitely what the 8.1l is couple with as far as transmission goes (I thought all the 8.1l's got the Allison but that's knowledge from other forums which is not always accurate). My only apprehension on the 8.1l is that it has had 6 owners where as the 6.0l has been a one owner. Both are about the same in odometer. I'd love to get one that had the newer 6 speed but they are out of price range at the moment. I think I'd prefer the 6.0l simply because of the 1 owner thing but I also know both motors are very well built and reliable.

Practical tow capacities not the extremes or limits?

LVJJJ
Explorer
Sep 04, 2017
the 6.0 is a heck of an engine. We had an '05 Class B Road Trek (4L80E trans) motorhome that weighed 8,000 lbs and towed a 6,000 24' Rainier travel trailer and could go as fast as we wanted up most hills, just set the cruise (in tow/haul mode). Got about 11 mpg. Always thought there was no substitute for cubic inches, not true anymore. Towed a lot better than my '88 454
FlyingBison
Explorer
Aug 30, 2017
I would like to say thank you for all the help and insight you guys have providing, helping me decide on my next tow vehicle. We have bought a 2002 Chevy Silverado 2500HD with the 6.0L. It is an awesome truck. It has minimal rust and looked really clean. We traveled 3hrs away to pick it up from a dealership and while the long trip was not desirable I do appreciate the long trip home driving our new truck, becoming familiar with it along the way. It drove incredibly smooth for a truck as big as it is. I was blown away. The dealership that sold it to us was familiar with all the owners as well which was nice. The owner before us only owned it for 4,000 miles but in that time replaced all the suspension, exhaust and had a goose neck mount put into the bed. The dealership said that he had wanted to use it to tow but decided on getting a diesel after only having it for a year. It is ready to go. It even has a nice brake controller installed. We are really excited about getting out and using it. For a high mileage as it is, it still gets "good" gas mileage. On my trip home with it, it managed 15mpg which really surprised me. So again, I want to say thank you for all your help. Real life experience and knowledge is invaluable to me when decide things like this.
FlyingBison
Explorer
Aug 29, 2017
LukeS wrote:
I have an 06 HD crew cab 2wd 4.11 with 6.0. I tow a 6500 dry weight trailer plus goodies 10 mpg 60 mph goes down with hills. Also have an 06 Diesel crew cab 4wd with allison tranny 4.11 pulls gooseneck commercially 13/14 mpg 60 loaded. Had Suburban HD with 8.1 with allison tranny 4.11 11/12 mpg 65 mph or less. Towed Travel Trailer 6500 lbs great. Have Suburban 1/2 half ton with a 6.0 I put in 2.73 gears and beefed up rear to tow travel trailer. Mileage similar to others. 4.8, 5.3 and 6.0 are same family of blocks different guts. Just came back from Riverside to Valencia difference in 1/2 ton vs 3/4 for me was ride especially through crappy freeways in LA was ride. My trucks are harsher on me but most parts of country just fine that why I beefed up my burb.
So if up to me 6.0/8.1 2wd crew cab hd 4wd optional if in area you need it. If you need to tow more you have the capability. Pretty bulletproof just keep up on maintenance. Shifts down a gear on steeper grades but maintain a constant 55/60 mph depending on traffic for me. Hope this info helps a little

Dang, you've sampled the whole range! I think for our uses, after much praise and confidence inspiring, we're looking at getting the 2500HD 6.0L. The 8.1L would be nice but unnecessary, if I need that much power, I should probably be considering a diesel. Most every thinks that the 6.0 should be more than enough for 7500-8000lb range even if we go up in the mountains once in a while. The 4.10 gears will be nice for a little extra oomph on the highway.
LukeS
Explorer
Aug 29, 2017
I have an 06 HD crew cab 2wd 4.11 with 6.0. I tow a 6500 dry weight trailer plus goodies 10 mpg 60 mph goes down with hills. Also have an 06 Diesel crew cab 4wd with allison tranny 4.11 pulls gooseneck commercially 13/14 mpg 60 loaded. Had Suburban HD with 8.1 with allison tranny 4.11 11/12 mpg 65 mph or less. Towed Travel Trailer 6500 lbs great. Have Suburban 1/2 half ton with a 6.0 I put in 2.73 gears and beefed up rear to tow travel trailer. Mileage similar to others. 4.8, 5.3 and 6.0 are same family of blocks different guts. Just came back from Riverside to Valencia difference in 1/2 ton vs 3/4 for me was ride especially through crappy freeways in LA was ride. My trucks are harsher on me but most parts of country just fine that why I beefed up my burb.
So if up to me 6.0/8.1 2wd crew cab hd 4wd optional if in area you need it. If you need to tow more you have the capability. Pretty bulletproof just keep up on maintenance. Shifts down a gear on steeper grades but maintain a constant 55/60 mph depending on traffic for me. Hope this info helps a little
FlyingBison
Explorer
Aug 29, 2017
Acdii wrote:
Seems like a bit overkill considering I tow a 7700# GVWR trailer with an F150 Lariat. If there are future plans to upgrade to a 5th wheel, then I can see it, but just seems to be more truck than actually needed. Will it also be a daily driver or a garage queen when not towing? Take into account the non towing uses of it as well.

Those old iron pushrod engines are good motors, outdated, but good, reliable. Don't think you should have to worry about the engine. What about the transmission?

Yeah, I was hoping for a little more truck than needed so that in the future if we plan to make trips to or over the mountains it would be capable or if we chose to upgrade to something a little larger. For now though, it'll mostly be used for towing and a little bit around town. Probably won't put more than 4-5k miles a year on it. The transmission that comes with the 6.0l is the 4R80E which is supposed to be a good transmission, good for towing which will be nice to have. It's not the nice Allison that comes with the 8.1L but still a good transmission.
shelbyd
Explorer
Aug 29, 2017
Good point on overkill. My only reservation is the travel out west. Never done that so cannot comment on how the 6.0 would do. So far with with what you have told me I would likely go with the 6.0. The engine has been super reliable, even the ones that had the cold start knock. I had two.
Acdii
Explorer
Aug 28, 2017
Seems like a bit overkill considering I tow a 7700# GVWR trailer with an F150 Lariat. If there are future plans to upgrade to a 5th wheel, then I can see it, but just seems to be more truck than actually needed. Will it also be a daily driver or a garage queen when not towing? Take into account the non towing uses of it as well.

Those old iron pushrod engines are good motors, outdated, but good, reliable. Don't think you should have to worry about the engine. What about the transmission?
FlyingBison
Explorer
Aug 25, 2017
shelbyd wrote:
I have never had a 8.1 but I recall back then folks talking about how they were diesel like in their pulling power. I can also tell you the Allison is one awesome tranny. The 6 speed tranny is very nice and allowed me to go from 4:10's to 3:73's and actually have a better towing experience. With the 4 speed I was dropping to third on the hills. It did the job though, and I don't recall going much slower than the traffic flow.
I bet with the tools and other heavy stuff I carry, two dogs and us not being know to be skinny, we likely easily had 8,000 pounds. Truck did fine. Makes it's torque at 4400 Rpm's if I remember correctly.
I would also be very leery of the 6 owners. Need someone to look both over and see if anything negative stands out. How many miles on these trucks?

Both trucks are high mileage, near 200k miles. I've done lots of reliability readings on both and they both seem quite reliable, the 6.0l seems to edge out 8.1l on reliability though. I've just found another 6.0l today that is 2.5k cheaper than the 8.1l for nearly the same mileage. It was a one owner and was brought in on trade. The owner even had the undercarriage coated with bed liner so it is remarkably minimally rusted. Rust has been something I've been worried about with high mileage vehicles and being in the Midwest. It's definitely one I'm leaning to now because the generous price gap but I haven't decided yet, I'm still reading and looking around, double checking, triple checking to make sure I'm getting what I need this time around. I don't want to rush finding anything I'm gonna tow with.
shelbyd
Explorer
Aug 25, 2017
I have never had a 8.1 but I recall back then folks talking about how they were diesel like in their pulling power. I can also tell you the Allison is one awesome tranny. The 6 speed tranny is very nice and allowed me to go from 4:10's to 3:73's and actually have a better towing experience. With the 4 speed I was dropping to third on the hills. It did the job though, and I don't recall going much slower than the traffic flow.
I bet with the tools and other heavy stuff I carry, two dogs and us not being know to be skinny, we likely easily had 8,000 pounds. Truck did fine. Makes it's torque at 4400 Rpm's if I remember correctly.
I would also be very leery of the 6 owners. Need someone to look both over and see if anything negative stands out. How many miles on these trucks?
APT
Explorer
Aug 25, 2017
No 6.0L/4-spd. Get the 8.1L or 2007.5+ 6.0L with 6-spd for towing. Huge difference from 6.0 to 8.1 of GMT800 or 4-spd to 6-spd.

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Practical tow capacities not the extremes or limits?

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