DinTulsa wrote:
I would probably go with the 6.0 for a couple of reasons. First, I wouldn't want a truck owned by 6 different people, was maintenance preformed, records? Second, your not towing at max weight, while the 6.0 won't pull as well as the 8.1 it will do fine and will get better mileage when driving unloaded. Is this you Daily driver as well? Third, I always prefer a 4 wheel drive vehicle....better to have and not need than to need and not have.
Yeah the 6 owners has me a bit worried about go after the 8.1l but because its a rare find, i'm not opposed to putting a little money into it if I have to. It won't be a daily driver, at least as of now it wont be but things change. I know that I probably won't need the 4 wheel drive but as you said, it is nice to have even if you don't find yourself needing it. I do live in the midwest where weather gets a little crazy sometimes, that said, I probably could get by on 2WD.
Huntindog wrote:
Buy for the worst case scenario and cry once when you write the check. Or buy the bare minimum and cry every time you need more.
Keep in mind, things can change. You may find yourself loading heavy more often than you think. I know that my TT experience has changed a lot over the years. I now tow much heavier and more often than I ever imagined I would.
Your money, your choice.
I know that the 8.1l is a monster powerhouse that would do everything I need it to do but I also know that the 6.0l is also a good motor and I am looking to know is if I am only towing around 8000lbs (trailer and supplies, probably little to nothing in the bed), would the 6.0l really be struggling that much even in a mountain scenario? This vehicle will be towing maybe 4-6 times a year, the rest of the time it will either be sitting idle or being used for little stuff. The trailer we have now is quite large for us, we bought the 27ft with the future in mind and I doubt we will go any bigger in the future. Who knows what the future truly holds though.
westend wrote:
If I was buying a used tow vehicle and didn't have the background to inspect the vehicle thoroughly (I do), I'd pay for an inspection. Multiple owners may indicate a fault in some part of the vehicle. Or, in today's mixed up financing world, it may be only a monetary thing.
One suggestion I'd make when choosing a tow platform is to forget about fuel costs. If you used a calculator and accurately estimated fuel costs from the highest possible to the lowest, you'd find that the difference in costs is meaningless. There are some that will disagree with that outlook, wishing to keep costs low while not towing and gaining that benefit. In most cases that will be less than $1K/yr. and that may absorbed by reduced repair and maintenance by the heavier cost vehicle.
FWIW, one year I spent over $11K on fuel for road vehicles. I do know about fuel costs.
Yeah, I had wondered if the multiple owners might have been just an issue with gas mileage among other factors but still, 6 seemed really high to me. Fuel expense is not really a factor, It will probably not be driven more the 4-5000mi a year. I only managed to get 4000 on our expedition in a year and I drove is around our small town, running errands and towed with it a few times.
chiefcamper wrote:
I have a 2015 Chevy 2500HD with 6.0L and 4.10. towing a 9000lb trailer (fully loaded not dry weight). We recently towed from Connecticut to Ohio with no issues at all. The yellow sticker gives me a payload of 2850lbs and I'm sure I eat up about 1200-1500 of that with pin weight. Yes the engine gets a little loud on a steep grade but it maintains speed uphill and there are no control issues going downhill. The integrated trailer brake is great if the truck happens to have that. The biggest con is it likes gas but it's only money! :)
Were there a lot of steep grades on your trip? Your load is a bit heavier than what I expect to be towing on our trips. Yours also has the 6 speed which I've heard good thins about for tow, unfortunately I can only get into the older 4 speed for now. Our trailer does had brakes on it which does help a lot. I didnt have any stopping issues on our expedition so i don't image a 2500 would have any issues. It seems like your uses is similar to what I would be using mine for though.
NHIrish wrote:
If it was m2, I would go with a 3500. Little price difference but more capable in terms of gvw...which is almost always the lowest of all ratings. And since you don't know what the future holds, will offer some upside protection...as would the diesel. Check the yellow door stickers for cargo capacity. You will be surprised. The gasser can carry more due to less weight, but the diesel can pull more.
I would like to invest in a diesel but as I know next to nothing about them and will not be driving it all the much, I can hardly justify the difference in costs. I also know gas motors pretty well and can do most maintenance on them.
As far as future proofing goes when deciding this vehicle, our camper is already pretty large for our needs, we are also only working off the finances of my wife. She makes good money and can afford everything we need but here in the next 6 months i'll be finishing up school and finding a job for myself which may mean we can afford something better in the future (not that that's the plan as becoming a home owner is much desired). I am basically trying to decide between the 6.0l and the 8.1l because I got a little burned on buying the expedition only to find it isn't as adequate as I had hoped. I would sorely hate to buy the 6.0l and find it can't handle towing around Iowa. I know that the possible trips to colorado it will probable struggle which is why I am considering the 8.1l but it has 6 previous owners. If it was 3, it wouldn't be a debate. So I am back to my original question, is the 8,1l really necessary for towing around 8000lbs or will the 6.0l do the job well? I am also not opposed to waiting but its slim pickings in the used market out here because everyone is looking for trucks out here. This is the first 8.1l I have seen and it just makes me wonder why it's still for sale. 6.0l are easy to find and the occasional duramax can be found but the 8.1l are fairly uncommon.
