Anyone with experience towing with the '13 GMC 2500HD with the 6.0 gas engine? Specifically breaking, engine compression, help with slowing vehicle and rig down on steeper terrain. Trailer is GVWR 7,000.

my 6.0 is an 02 with 4.10 gears and I start out slow going down steep grades and keep into lower gears. I was taught to push on the brakes and slow down fast then let up for the brakes to cool. if you keep gaining speed after this tactic drop down another gear.

ArcticFox&Cats wrote:Anyone with experience towing with the '13 GMC 2500HD with the 6.0 gas engine? Specifically breaking, engine compression, help with slowing vehicle and rig down on steeper terrain. Trailer is GVWR 7,000.I have a 2015 GMC 2500 WITH 6.0, trailer is A Rockwood Roo with a GVWR of 6400. Yesterday I returned from a state park we camp at frequently about 30 miles from home. We have to cross the first two ridges of the alleghenies, west side. On the way home we descend one grade, Laurel Ridge on state rt 31. That is 5 miles long, 7% or better in most places with two sections @ 13%. The second is Chestnut ridge on rt 711, 3 miles @ 6%.I may have used the brake a dozen times and most of those were at intersections or for other vehicles making a turn. The trick with the 6.0 4-10 is to not barrel over the top of the mountain at 70 mph. Use 2nd gear or 3rd in manual shift, and do not be afraid to let the tach go up into 5K rpm territory. Dont worry about the pissed off idiots behind you because youre doing 40 mph down. They can not understand why you are doing so as they think since your going down a mountain you should be doing 90mph and riding your brake the entire way. Theyll most likely be about a foot from your back bumper. They missed those large yellow signs limiting commercial trucks to low gear and 20 mph that say warning...steep grades, sharp curves, do not know what those gravel ramps are for that shoot off uphill, and probably run their daily driver until they have metal to metal contact, then go to the dealer wondering what the weird noise is.

My 15 Silverado in tow haul mode will do some transmission braking and also has a feature called grade braking. After applying the brakes on the downhill the truck will try to keep the speed. I have found cruise on the downhill will also try to maintain the speed set using transmission braking. I tried the cruise feature on my trip to CO this summer after using to much brake on the big passes and it worked well on the "smaller" hills.Being from WI i dont get to test this often so keep that in mind.

old guy wrote:I was taught to push on the brakes and slow down fast then let up for the brakes to cool. Sure, stomp the brakes really, really hard, that'll work great!

I have the exact truck and similar trailer weight. Last year I pulled through southern Colorado going over 10,000 feet a couple of times. Going out I just left it in tow / haul and tapped the brakes to downshift and as mentioned above, if speed picked up too much, I'd step on the brakes pretty hard and get below my comfort speed and start all over.Coming back, I put my transmission in manual shift and used the toggle to shift up and down and it worked a lot better. It was easier to control speed down and my trans temp was 20 - 30 degrees cooler going up compared to using the automatic setting.I got up to ~4800 rpm going both up and down. It sounded too high but I figured they make 'em to do it.I kept my foot in it when needed.....

2013 GMC 2500 HD 6.0/gas - Breaking questions | Good Sam Community

Grit_dog
Navigator
Aug 03, 2018
Op need to do some reading. Start with owners manual and then the multitude of resource and discussion. This is basic stuff that any reasonably qualified person with a drivers license should know above and beyond just pressing the skinny pedal or the fat pedal....
bartlettj
Explorer
Aug 03, 2018
I have the same truck but Diesel/Allison. I usually use the exhaust brake, but really the service brakes on the truck are plenty heavy duty enough to handle a 7000 lb trailer no problem if you drive the same speed down the hill as you went up it. Double tap the brakes in tow/haul to activate the grade braking feature, which is active in tow/haul. It's in the manual. If you don't want to use it all the time, you can just punch tow/haul on the hill and then deactivate it when you get down.
spoon059
Explorer II
Aug 02, 2018
1320Fastback wrote:
trail-explorer wrote:
ArcticFox&Cats wrote:
Specifically breaking,

What is broken?

Sounds like the Breaks are broken.

Came here for this... breaking brakes and chalking chocks!
1320Fastback
Explorer
Aug 02, 2018
trail-explorer wrote:
ArcticFox&Cats wrote:
Specifically breaking,

What is broken?

Sounds like the Breaks are broken.
ArcticFox_Cats
Explorer
Aug 02, 2018
LOL - nothing is broken, Bob. Do not want it to be either!!

Thanks for the comments, guys. Doing all of the above as we speak. I would seriously wish for a lot more engine compression. (Use to a diesel.)
trail-explorer
Explorer
Jul 25, 2018
ArcticFox&Cats wrote:
Specifically breaking,

What is broken?
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 24, 2018
As far as the OP's truck. Punch the tow haul button and let er do what she does. If rpms are too aggressive, then shift manually.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 24, 2018
Lynnmor wrote:
old guy wrote:
I was taught to push on the brakes and slow down fast then let up for the brakes to cool.

Sure, stomp the brakes really, really hard, that'll work great!

Seriously man, you'd argue with someone that the sky isn't blue if you thought someone would bite on it.

If you do not believe that when goin downhill loaded that prompt, quick braking down to below your target speed, allowing max time for them to cool before applying brakes again is the proper braking method, then go ahead and ride/feather your brakes all the way to the bottom!
Curly2001
Explorer II
Jul 24, 2018
With tow/haul on when you tap the brakes going down hill it will downshift for you to the next lower gear. Sometimes you need to be careful that you don't downshift too many times using the brakes to get in to a lower gear than you need. Works very well once you figure it out.
Curly
ScottG
Nomad
Jul 23, 2018
Lynnmor wrote:
old guy wrote:
I was taught to push on the brakes and slow down fast then let up for the brakes to cool.

Sure, stomp the brakes really, really hard, that'll work great!

Old guy is right; Apply the "brakes" relatively firm for a short burst to reduce speed and then let up on them. Just the opposite of riding the brakes down a hill. This allows the brakes to cool.
This is just as valid for disc's as it is for drums.