Need Chevy/GMC Advice

[Mikesr]

Need some constructive advice please
We currently have a well maintained 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD 4x4 extended cab (not crew) and short 6.5 bed with 6.0 gas engine and 4.11 rear that has 126K miles. Tow rating is listed at 10.5 K. We tow a travel trailer that has a dry weight of 8900 and is 38 feet long so we’re really maxed out and the truck has some difficulty on hills and towing stability is marginal and requires much more handling correction then I’ve ever experienced in past 3 TT’s (all smaller) we’ve towed with this truck. It’s been a great truck.

Looking at a new truck and comparing models and we do not want a Diesel engine. That being said Chevy/GM has the same 2500HD crew cab 4x4 short bed with the 4.11 rear that is now rated at 13K tow rating.

Towing with a Reese Stait Line WDH that is brand new.

Questions:
1) Would we be gaining anything in the stability and tow power over our current truck?
2) Does the age of the current truck effect its tow ability?
3) Why do the newer Chevy/GM trucks equipped the same have a higher tow rating?
4) Will waiting on the new 6.2 Chevy gas engine that’s rumored be better?
5) Is the length of our TT matched with our current truck adding to the handling issues?

Lots of questions. Not nearly ready to drop the coin on a new truck yet just doing some homework and studying during this long winter.
Please understand I’m not against diesel, just don’t like the additional maintenance needed and the added upfront cost is substantial.
I’m not against Ford either except I’m not sold on the aluminum bed. Yes I know Chevy is adding more aluminum body parts now but I think the bed should be steel.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[monkey44]

kw/00 wrote:
Oh I have an 09 with 3:73, 4:10 would be better though. I know that pulling 10K, mines loves around the 3K mark. I usually pull in 5th in Florida, but will drop out to 4th whenever hitting a hill. The truck pulls much better then the 01 with 4 speed that I had. I do use the M mode though and lock out 6th when pulling. The truck does like 4th gear better and can pull very easily through Georgia in that gear.

Now, after driving the 6.0L w/4:10, I'd stay with it - especially liked it last year when we spent a couple months in the Rockies. The 4:10 hauls much better - but I was happy with the 3:73 before - guess we learn from comparing the actual driving too, and not just look at stats. We actually get a little better MPG with the six-speed and the 4:10. I'm thinking the 4:10 with only a four-speed would play havoc on the RPMs.

[kw_00]

Oh I have an 09 with 3:73, 4:10 would be better though. I know that pulling 10K, mines loves around the 3K mark. I usually pull in 5th in Florida, but will drop out to 4th whenever hitting a hill. The truck pulls much better then the 01 with 4 speed that I had. I do use the M mode though and lock out 6th when pulling. The truck does like 4th gear better and can pull very easily through Georgia in that gear.

[APT]

Reese Strait Line = dual cam. This hitch is very particular about getting the detents on the WD bars centered over the cam lobes when driving straight. It works very well when properly adjusted.

6-speed gearing really helps helps when accelerating from a stop get and keep the 6.0L in it's powerband. It stillis happiest in the 2500-3500rpm cruising and 4000-5500rpm when accelerating, but it will do that reliably for 300k+ miles.

[monkey44]

kw/00 wrote:
Hi, I went from the first gen 6.0 to the new 6.0 with 6 speeds. A lot better in my opinion, both have 3:73 but with 60 more hp and 6 speeds.... yes there is a big difference.

How did U get the 3:73 ?? I bought my GM HD in 2015 w/4:10 and could not even order one with 3:73 ... which I tried.

Dealer said only diesel comes with 3:73 ... and we could not order anything but the 4:10 on GM build site.

[kw_00]

Hi, I went from the first gen 6.0 to the new 6.0 with 6 speeds. A lot better in my opinion, both have 3:73 but with 60 more hp and 6 speeds.... yes there is a big difference.

[anw7405]

Just a thought here but have you considered an older 8.1? I am not knocking the new trucks at all. I have towed with a 09 6.0 truck and it was great. I have also towed with the old 5.3 the 6.2 and the 8.1. I can tell you that the 8.1 is a tow monster and i prefer it over any of the other ones. It just sounds like you want a better towing truck without the large price tag. That was me too. I currently tow a 38' long TT with a dry weight of about 8200lbs and my 8.1 with 373 gears handles it fine. I also have 33" tires which aren't the best for towing. If I ever want more power I'll drop $600 and get this. +60hp and +70tq to the wheels on a dyno.

https://www.ultrarvproducts.com/RV-Performance/Workhorse-GM/Ultrapower-GM-Workhorse-8.1L-Custom-Tuning?filter=115

[anw7405]

X2 on the hitch setup. Learn how to do it yourself. I bought my 2nd TT recently and the dealer setup the hitch for me. I laughed at them when we hooked everything up. It was 8" higher in the front than it was in the back and they told me it was fine. I made them change it 4 times before i left and it still wasn't right but close enough.

[1oldtruck]

The current generation of trucks have engine grade breaking built in. Not as good as an exhaust brake in a diesel but it is certainly better than nothing. I agree with others that the integrated brake controller is quite an improvement over an aftermarket unit. The suspension and breaks on the new trucks are night and day better. New trucks are only getting more expensive while older trucks depreciate. Now is probably the time to make a move.

[ktmrfs]

Mikesr wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:
FWIW I've had two 2500HD cc/4x4/sb GM trucks, an 04.5 and a 2015.5 With both I tow a 32ft TT, 9K lbs and reese sway control. Never have I had any stability issues towing these trailers, including many trips up and down the columbia river gorge with wind gust to 50mph or so.

IIRC the extended cab has a shorter wheelbase than the CC, so that may impact stability. But a hitch not set up optimally can also have a dramatic effect on stability. And for a trailer as long as the OP mentioned, IMHO you need something that doesn't use the accy friction control for sway. Dual cam, equalizer propride/hensley.

Thanks for your input.
If I understand you correctly you feel I’ll be ok with my current Reese Strait Line WDH and the specs on the newer truck? I agree setup makes all the difference in a hitch, my current setup (done by the dealer) might even be wrong and I might get another option from another service center that’s local and only does service not sales. Might be worth my money to ask.
Thanks again

I don't have any experience with the reese straight line hitch. I tow with the reese dual cam.

However, I suspect that there is a good chance your hitch is not set up optimally. A quick way to check is to measure the height of the front fender arch unloaded and then loaded and hooked to the trailer with WD hitch hooked up. They should be the same. I'll bet when you measure you will find the front end is higher hooked up. that give some camber change on the front end and can make the front end want to wander more, feeling like sway. do NOT, repeat NOT adjust the hitch to have the front LOWER when hooked up. If you do,you will be riding on the bump stops on the front suspension and have a very stiff ride.

Don't worry about height of the rear of the truck, it will drop, you want to get the front back to unloaded height or as close as you can, certainly within 1/2".

there are some stickys (J Barca & Barney?) on hitch setup. Very good information from two folks who have great accurate knowledge of hitches and great ways to clearly outline how to set up and how to analyze your setup. Worth ready.

While you can have someone else knowledgeable set up your hitch, IMHO one of the best things you can do is learn to do it yourself. not that hard and then you will be able to adjust yours easily when the need arrises.

[Mikesr]

ktmrfs wrote:
FWIW I've had two 2500HD cc/4x4/sb GM trucks, an 04.5 and a 2015.5 With both I tow a 32ft TT, 9K lbs and reese sway control. Never have I had any stability issues towing these trailers, including many trips up and down the columbia river gorge with wind gust to 50mph or so.

IIRC the extended cab has a shorter wheelbase than the CC, so that may impact stability. But a hitch not set up optimally can also have a dramatic effect on stability. And for a trailer as long as the OP mentioned, IMHO you need something that doesn't use the accy friction control for sway. Dual cam, equalizer propride/hensley.

Thanks for your input.
If I understand you correctly you feel I’ll be ok with my current Reese Strait Line WDH and the specs on the newer truck? I agree setup makes all the difference in a hitch, my current setup (done by the dealer) might even be wrong and I might get another option from another service center that’s local and only does service not sales. Might be worth my money to ask.
Thanks again

[Mikesr]

jaycocamprs wrote:
I just made the change from a 05 to an 18. Yes it tows better, tighter steering, Integrated Brake Controller, and more power (near 50% for the Duramax). I was using a P1 brake controller that I bought in 04. Worked ok, but was jerky at low speed. The IBC is not. Any new truck will have a tight suspension, things just wear with age and miles. The 18 also rides better, both empty& loaded. While the 6.0 has not had the power increase of the diesel it has had modest gains. The biggest performance boost will be the 6L80 transmission.
Oh the tow rating on the 05 6L trucks was 16K GCVW minus the weight of your truck. I only got 10,400 from a 04 2500 with regular cab & WT trim.

Thanks for the information as an owner who made the switch.
You made some good points that will help me with my decision.

[jaycocamprs]

I just made the change from a 05 to an 18. Yes it tows better, tighter steering, Integrated Brake Controller, and more power (near 50% for the Duramax). I was using a P1 brake controller that I bought in 04. Worked ok, but was jerky at low speed. The IBC is not. Any new truck will have a tight suspension, things just wear with age and miles. The 18 also rides better, both empty& loaded. While the 6.0 has not had the power increase of the diesel it has had modest gains. The biggest performance boost will be the 6L80 transmission.
Oh the tow rating on the 05 6L trucks was 16K GCVW minus the weight of your truck. I only got 10,400 from a 04 2500 with regular cab & WT trim.

[Supercharged]

Charlie D. wrote:
Regarding question 1. Someone said he would gain stability with a newer truck. How so? New truck should have larger tires. Would that be part of the reason?

Got the wife a new 2018 GMC, I don't like it that much. My 2005 Supercharged Chev. is so much better for me, I need a step latter to get in hers. The box is so high I have to load thing with a fork lift. It has 60 more hp that the old ones, but with my little supercharged Chev. will run away from it.I should have trade in the wife and got a taller one.

[Dayle1]

DownTheAvenue wrote:
You may want to consider a Hensley or Propride hitch. Either hitch will totally eliminate sway and dramatically change your towing experience. Those hitches, while expensive, are much cheaper than a new truck that will not change your towing experience to a great degree. Your current truck still has much life left.

X2