New truck towing question

[salem]

Just traded my 05 Silverado for a 2016 Silverado. (2500 D/A) This thing is so quiet it scares me a little.:) Lots of bells and whistles I'm slowly but surely mastering. The manual says to not tow till at least 500 miles are on the odometer. No problem doing that. It also says that during the first 500 miles of towing the speed should be kept to no more than 50mph. My first tow, in about two weeks, will be up a very steep grade. (for you west coast folks, up 168 to Shaver lake) Should I have any concerns that this may be too much for a first tow? I know some of you have said, "Drive it like you stole it" when discussing new trucks. I don't want to sound overly cautious (paranoid?) but I do want to break it in correctly. Am I worrying too much? I would love to hear from you new Chevy owners, or anyone for that matter.

[salem]

Need-A-Vacation asked if my truck was built in Flint or FW. I didn't know what he meant so I PM'd him. He was asking if the truck was built in Flint or Ft. Wayne. He lives a few minutes from the Flint plant. I check the door post and sure enough, it is from Flint.:)

[salem]

I didn't know that. Thanks

[rhagfo]

The 500 mile minimum is not for the engine, it is for the differential.

[Paul_Clancy]

That will be an easy tow for that truck. Cake. My 09 d/a pulls my 10k fiver over very high passes with loads of throttle available. Enjoy.

[Need-A-Vacation]

Congrats on the new tv!!!

To set the brake controller, I usually start from a dead stop, in gear, then release the brake pedal and apply only the trailer brakes once I start rolling. If we stop nice and smoothly without any jerking, I start driving from there. May tweak it as needed a little, up or down.

Is your truck a Flint or FW (Fort Wayne) truck???

[salem]

Hey, you guys are great, as usual. Including "Let her rip, tater chip.":B By the time of our first tow I should have close to 1,000 miles, so I should be alright. I have been varying my speeds as much as possible also. I'll take it fairly easy on that first steep climb and will not use the cruise control.

While I'm at it, anything I should be especially aware of when sitting the trailer brakes with the integrated brake system? I read the manual, which is a little vague, but also saw a couple of videos on YouTube. It looks easy enough, but I also know that little things can come up that maybe you guys have experienced. Thanks in advance.

I don't guess it matters, but my trailer is a 5th wheel that weighs in the neighborhood of 10,000, loaded, if that.

[salem]

SouthpawHD: D/A is Duramax with Allison transmission.:) Thanks anyway though, as there are still things I'm learning with the new rig.

[SouthpawHD]

Not that it matter much, but just for the OP and his understanding, GM does not make a 2500 dual axle as you indicated you have. Again, just pointing out so that you are aware of what you have.

[larry_barnhart]

Our 2001 3500 dually with the locker rear end wanted the fluid changed after some miles were on the truck because of the locker breaking in and heat could be bad for the fluid. I think that story changed a couple years later. I would check the rear fluid as our 05 was a quart low.

chevman

[YnotTurbo]

The salesman drove my 2016 from Indiana for 13 straight hours at highway speed. I put 3500 more miles on it and then towed my fiver. No issues. I did get the oil changed at 4500 miles. A little early, but that is so we are ready for the summer of hauling the fiver.

[KD4UPL]

I bought my '05 Chevy dually new from a dealer 4 hours away. I got in it and drove it home on interstate at 75 MPH. I was going to the lake the next day and could have taken the old truck. But I decided I just got a new one, I'm going to use it. So, I hooked up the 4,500 pound boat and towed it 1.5 hours to the lake and 1.5 hours back. Then I finally got around to reading the manual that says not to tow in the first 500 miles and not to exceed 55 mph. Whoops! I now have 208,000 miles on the truck and it's been the most reliable vehicle I've ever had. Absolutely no rear end problems at all.
I do recommend following the manual but in my experience I didn't do any harm.

[FishOnOne]

I believe you've misread the part when towing to keep it under 50mph. I believe that applies if you have to tow with less than 500 miles.

My owners manual (Ford Power Stroke) states to have a minimum of 500 miles before towing. I personally like to have 1k miles before towing.

Congrats on the new truck...

[1ofmany]

salem wrote:
Just traded my 05 Silverado for a 2016 Silverado. (2500 D/A) This thing is so quiet it scares me a little.:) Lots of bells and whistles I'm slowly but surely mastering. The manual says to not tow till at least 500 miles are on the odometer. No problem doing that. It also says that during the first 500 miles of towing the speed should be kept to no more than 50mph. My first tow, in about two weeks, will be up a very steep grade. (for you west coast folks, up 168 to Shaver lake) Should I have any concerns that this may be too much for a first tow? I know some of you have said, "Drive it like you stole it" when discussing new trucks. I don't want to sound overly cautious (paranoid?) but I do want to break it in correctly. Am I worrying too much? I would love to hear from you new Chevy owners, or anyone for that matter.

Can't say whether you are worrying "too" much, but given what we pay for our trucks these days, some caution makes sense. It's also really good to follow the makers guidance for break in, especially if you need to get warranty work done because you may have overworked the truck.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Yep, you're worrying too much.

Let her rip tater chip.

I keep my trucks a longgggggggggggg time and none of them have ever burned oil or had break in related problems!

Varying speed is a good thing though.