1/2 ton Vs 3/4 Ton Chevy Road Test

[evanrem]

I tow a TT at the max for my Silverado 1/2 ton with a pro pride hitch that I have been using for the last 4 years. I have it dialed in and for the most part it does the job but could be better. I had the opportunity to borrow a GMC Denali 3/4 Ton Diesel for my last trip and the difference was amazing. The diesel has way more power which I expected but everything else was considerable better. So what is the biggest factor in making the tow experience so much better? I'm thinking its the additional weight of the 3/4 ton and the stiffer suspension but just guessing.

[rbpru]

The question really comes down to how much are you willing to pay for an improved ride and performance?

I am retired so perhaps 1/3 of my annual mileage is towing. Even at that I want a TV that is economical to drive, reasonable to maintain, a decent ride, easy enough for the DW to drive and a good match to our 25 ft. TT.

I have an F-150 E-Boost 4x4 which works just fine for my needs. It gets 19 to 20 mpg on the highway, 15mpg in the city, and 10 mpg towing. The service maintenance cost is no different than my DW’s van. It has a ride that is a bit stiff for the DW but she does not mind driving it. It is a good match to my TT but it is close to the max cargo limit.

I am sure others would feel a bigger beast would be better suited to the job and find the increase purchase and maintenance costs okay. It all comes down to how much do YOU want to spend?

[Gryphonguy]

We tow a few weekends a year and usually one long trip in the summer. I made the switch from 1/2 ton 5.3L to 3/4 ton 6.6 L diesel 6 months after buying our camper. For me it was a night and day difference in comfort and safety. I had concerns about having a diesel for my daily driver but that has not been an issue. Fast forward 10 years later and I still think it was one of my better decisions. The stability, pulling power and better braking with the Allison transmission made for a much more enjoyable experience and my diesel gets better fuel mileage than my 1/2 ton gas. Sure diesel has largely been more expensive but my truck has also held it's value better.

[Doug33]

As someone mentioned, how much you tow usually figures into the equation. I probably tow 5 percent of the miles put on the truck and the rest is driven by my wife around town. This year we even left the TT on a site for a month.

Also, topography is a big factor. If you tow in the mountains and high elevations, a bigger truck is almost a requirement. In my area, I rarely encounter a grade of 3 percent or altitude of more than a few hundred feet.

If I decided to take a long cross-country trip, I'd most certainly upgrade my truck. But we usually go within a 200 mile radius.

[Tequila]

I loved my dually for towing. Alas i was not allowed to keep in in my complex.

[AlmostAnOldGuy]

More weight including much more weight on the front axle with the diesel.
Stiffer springs and HD shocks.
LT tires.
Longer wheelbase.
Heavier brakes.
Larger and higher compression engine for engine braking and exhaust braking on top of that.

Each one of these makes a difference. Put them all together and you have a more capable TV.

Good luck,
Stu

[hondaCT90]

when we first got our TT, we had an 04 Chevy 1500 (327v8) in the extended cab (suicide doors to get into the back seat. our camper is an older Nash 25ft...around 6k when packed and ready to go off for a trip.
with leveler bars on the hitch, the truck sat nice and even and i always felt we had an appopriate amount of truck for the camper size.

with 230k miles on the truck, it seemed like it was time for a trade..and as we have plans to someday go up to about a 32ft triple slide TT, I figured this was the time to go for the bigger truck.
we got into a 2011 duramax (single wheel..not dually)

the differences:
1) safety - with the heavier truck, we control the camper...rather than having it bully our tow vehical.
2) exhaust braking - great coming back down the mountains.
3) power - oh my..used to be climbing the hills had the ol 327 gasser grabbing 2nd gear, high rpms, and dropping well below the speed limit as we'd struggle the climb.
4) as for gas mileage - the best our 327 1500 was rated for by GM was 17mpg...we never EVER got that empty...pulling...maybe 10mpg.
The duramax has gotten into the 22mpg empty and always 15.5 pulling..so while dieself is more at the pump, the mpg makes up for it...but the delta in arriving less fatigued, is worth the price of the truck..btw, our duramax is also 4x4 and I run more aggressive tread...so I didn't expect to get even the mpg that we do enjoy.

[evanrem]

capsfloyd wrote:
How many times to you tow a year. When not towing the 1/2 ton will get better milage

This summer we almost went every weekend

[Kayteg1]

Lot of things involved in good towing.
Common misunderstanding is that light-duty trucks with short wheelbase and big rear overhang are build for grocery getting and small turning circles at liquor stories, not for towing.
For years I was towing 4000lb TT or 5000lb boat trailer with Mercedes ML320.
Short rear made it excellent TV, where even exceeding allowable 500lb tongue would not drop the rear very much.
No WD bars and the trailer at 150% of TV weight was not a problem.
Now measure rear overhang on your pickup and then on Denali?
Then overhang is one factor, while quality suspension is another.

[silverfz]

Wait till u try a 1 tonne dually. If you do choose your current setup replace the shocks with 4600 blistein . That will change ur truck feel while towing. Mine did.

[capsfloyd]

How many times to you tow a year. When not towing the 1/2 ton will get better milage

[TomG2]

Typical experience and why I tell all who are having towing problems to borrow or rent a 3/4 ton if they are towing with a 1/2 ton. A test to help answer your question about what the difference is can be determined very quickly. Jump on the rear bumper of a HD model and try to shove the back of the truck from side to side and you will get a pretty good clue as to which will make the more stable towing platform.