Questions on towing with a lifted truck
First off, this is such a great site. I did a ton of reading and research and it totally Influenced me to go out and buy a brand new GMC 3500HD and a 35ft travel trailer. I've never owned or even towe...
Forum Discussion
To the OP:
As you've probably already figured, most of the comments on this thread (mainly in the first few pages) are useless, and some don't have a clue what they're talking about.
First off, if you want a 4" lift, GET ONE! Its your truck. That small of a lift won't make much of a difference on anything, be it ride quality, tow performance, fuel mileage, handling, etc. My F350 came with factory 4" lift blocks. Its not as if you're talking about putting an 8" lift on a compact truck or half-ton. The 3500 is a BIG truck and it can easily handle a little dinky 4" lift.
My buddy runs a newer model GMC 2500 Duramax with a 6" lift. His truck is setup to haul gooseneck trailers. He has ZERO issues with any hauling circumstance he's ever encountered. His truck rides smooth and gets between 18 and 20 MPG depending on how he drives (of course, he has other mods as well). His truck sits up only slightly higher than my stock ride height F350 (w/ 285/75's).
There was a comment about getting a Class V drop hitch. Never fear, google can take care of that for you in a few clicks. If there's a need, trust me, there's a product already made for it.
To say that a lift WILL affect towing performance or that it WILL derate the towing ability of your truck is like saying that ALL democrats are liberal or ALL republicans loved George Bush. There are far too many variables and options to come up with a singular conclusion that a lift will absolutely have a negative affect on towing.
And yes, many times a lift is only to look good. Who cares?!?! I personally like looking good. I get haircuts, trim my beard, wash my truck, and maintain the exterior of my house because I want to look good and I want my things to look good. I don't personally want lifted truck, but if you want to look good by doing so, then more power to you. Breast enhancements don't serve any purpose other than to help women look better, yet I've never heard anyone complain about that ;-)
As you've probably already figured, most of the comments on this thread (mainly in the first few pages) are useless, and some don't have a clue what they're talking about.
First off, if you want a 4" lift, GET ONE! Its your truck. That small of a lift won't make much of a difference on anything, be it ride quality, tow performance, fuel mileage, handling, etc. My F350 came with factory 4" lift blocks. Its not as if you're talking about putting an 8" lift on a compact truck or half-ton. The 3500 is a BIG truck and it can easily handle a little dinky 4" lift.
My buddy runs a newer model GMC 2500 Duramax with a 6" lift. His truck is setup to haul gooseneck trailers. He has ZERO issues with any hauling circumstance he's ever encountered. His truck rides smooth and gets between 18 and 20 MPG depending on how he drives (of course, he has other mods as well). His truck sits up only slightly higher than my stock ride height F350 (w/ 285/75's).
There was a comment about getting a Class V drop hitch. Never fear, google can take care of that for you in a few clicks. If there's a need, trust me, there's a product already made for it.
To say that a lift WILL affect towing performance or that it WILL derate the towing ability of your truck is like saying that ALL democrats are liberal or ALL republicans loved George Bush. There are far too many variables and options to come up with a singular conclusion that a lift will absolutely have a negative affect on towing.
And yes, many times a lift is only to look good. Who cares?!?! I personally like looking good. I get haircuts, trim my beard, wash my truck, and maintain the exterior of my house because I want to look good and I want my things to look good. I don't personally want lifted truck, but if you want to look good by doing so, then more power to you. Breast enhancements don't serve any purpose other than to help women look better, yet I've never heard anyone complain about that ;-)
