28 replies to this topic

[AJ Roderick]

Anyone use a 2001 or newer Chevy(or GMC) 2500 with the 6.0L engine?

I'm looking for a truck this summer to tow my 28' trailer. I am really looking for an 8.1L motor but a 454 wouldn't be bad if it had low miles on it. I can't afford to buy a diesel or I would.

Just curious to see if anyone tows a trailer near the size of mine with the 6.0L motor

[Caveman-kwebb99]

Anyone use a 2001 or newer Chevy(or GMC) 2500 with the 6.0L engine?

I'm looking for a truck this summer to tow my 28' trailer. I am really looking for an 8.1L motor but a 454 wouldn't be bad if it had low miles on it. I can't afford to buy a diesel or I would.

Just curious to see if anyone tows a trailer near the size of mine with the 6.0L motor

I have a 2008 6.0 that pulls a 36' trailer with two cars and alot of gear form Dayton to Mid Ohio often! I wouldnt think of driving this rig up or down any mountains but its fine for a 2-4 hour trip on fairly flat roads!

[Johnny D]

Spec Miata Archives.

http://forum.specmia...26;t=001076;p=0

J~

[AJ Roderick]

I have a 2008 6.0 that pulls a 36' trailer with two cars and alot of gear form Dayton to Mid Ohio often! I wouldnt think of driving this rig up or down any mountains but its fine for a 2-4 hour trip on fairly flat roads!

Thanks Kyle, guess I'll be searching more for the 8.1 or a diesel if its the right price. Mid-ohio and Nelsons are the only reasonably flat tows for me so the 6.0 just wont cut it

[dstevens]

Down here there are many low mileage, late model larger capacity diesels for sale. When construction cratered a bunch of them went on the market.

[AJ Roderick]

That was also a thought of mine, going south or west in search of a truck. But with gas prices, it may be cheaper just to buy one locally

[Ken Wilkinson]

I have an 03 Silverado 2500 HD - 2 wheel drive that I bought 3 years ago with 81K miles. Now I am at 112K and have used it to tow a 24' V nose trailer that fully loaded weighs in at about 8,000 lbs.
Living in Virginia, I have gone as far south as Sebring and as far north as Mt. Tremblant in Canada. Flat interstates are great...75mph no problem...mountains...be patient...last trip to Mid Ohio via West Virginia...foot flat on the floor and maybe topping out at 45mph.
I leave Sunday for 2 days at Watkins Glen and the 425 mile trip will take me about 8.5hrs of drive time and will average about 9mpg.
When I get rich I am getting a 3500 duely 4wd diesel!

[svvs]

I have a gas Yukon XL 2500........ 2009. It tows my 26' enclosed trailer pretty well. I'll let you know how it does with the hills going up to the Glen.

[Ron Alan]

Not one of those Ford piss on Chevy guys...but I have the 7.3 Ford diesel that knock on wood has been a great motor(2000 f250 2wd). But avoid the 6.0/6.4 Ford Diesels. In the end you'll never notice the extra bucks you'll spend on a diesel but you may regret buying a gas rig to tow for years to come

Just my preferance and 2cents! These aren't fighting words

[AJ Roderick]

Not one of those Ford piss on Chevy guys...but I have the 7.3 Ford diesel that knock on wood has been a great motor(2000 f250 2wd). But avoid the 6.0/6.4 Ford Diesels. In the end you'll never notice the extra bucks you'll spend on a diesel but you may regret buying a gas rig to tow for years to come

Just my preferance and 2cents! These aren't fighting words

We tow with an F350 with the 7.3, tows pretty awesome. My father is a die hard Chevy man and a bit old school, so in effort to keep him happy, I gotta find a nice 8.1 gas truck...

[fishguyaz]

We tow with an F350 with the 7.3, tows pretty awesome. My father is a die hard Chevy man and a bit old school, so in effort to keep him happy, I gotta find a nice 8.1 gas truck...

as someone who used to tow with a 8.1 gasser, and now owns a diesel my comment is, the only one who will be happy is the guy not emptying his wallet towing with the gasser.
my diesel gets me 11 mpg going 80 mph, hills and passing are no issue. this is with a 24" enclosed trailer, AND a 4Klbs camper in the bed of the truck.
it does all this with little effort.
my 454 gasser was getting 6 MPG, i could do 65-70 max, over this and i could feel i was pushing the rig too hard.

$/mile( using current prices in az)
gasser $3.60/gal for 6 miles= 60 cents /mile
$4.10/gal for 11 miles = .37 cents / mile

now add in the ease that the drive is with the diesel in that passing, accelerating, and hills, are just not an issue any more. i show up to the track relaxed, and ready for the weekend.


the deisel rig was the best move i ever did.
it cost more to buy, but the resale is MUCH better.

[AJ Roderick]

as someone who used to tow with a 8.1 gasser, and now owns a diesel my comment is, the only one who will be happy is the guy not emptying his wallet towing with the gasser.
my diesel gets me 11 mpg going 80 mph, hills and passing are no issue. this is with a 24" enclosed trailer, AND a 4Klbs camper in the bed of the truck.
it does all this with little effort.
my 454 gasser was getting 6 MPG, i could do 65-70 max, over this and i could feel i was pushing the rig too hard.

$/mile( using current prices in az)
gasser $3.60/gal for 6 miles= 60 cents /mile
$4.10/gal for 11 miles = .37 cents / mile

now add in the ease that the drive is with the diesel in that passing, accelerating, and hills, are just not an issue any more. i show up to the track relaxed, and ready for the weekend.


the deisel rig was the best move i ever did.
it cost more to buy, but the resale is MUCH better.

Which diesel did you end up going with?

[Dudley]

i am prejudgest, a cummins diesel the way to go. have worked in dealership with these trucks for over 20 years. great reliabilty and proven performance.

[AJ Roderick]

i am prejudgest, a cummins diesel the way to go. have worked in dealership with these trucks for over 20 years. great reliabilty and proven performance.

Which year Cummins did you find the best?

[TEAM MEDICARE]

I use a 25' RV with the Ford V-10 pulling a 24' enclosed trailer. Hell of a motor. Cruise at 60-65 at about 2 grand in OD. Leaps from the stop signs and actually accelerates going up the hill to the glen. My first Ford product but I'm impressed. Don't ask about the gas mileage.

[fishguyaz]

i went with excatly what dudley said;
04 dodge dually with the 5.9 cummings.
should have done it years ago.

[dstevens]

We tow with an F350 with the 7.3, tows pretty awesome. My father is a die hard Chevy man and a bit old school, so in effort to keep him happy, I gotta find a nice 8.1 gas truck...

Like Josh says you'll be better off long term for that kind of load with a diesel. However, I've got a 2008 F150 and I get 12-14 mpg pulling 9k plus on an open trailer, hills/grrades no problem. In town commuting and highway I can get 20 mpg if I keep it at 65 mph or so unladen. For me it's a few thousand dollars a year in fuel costs saved compared to the diesel. On the flip side, with even a small enclosed trailer (20' or so) I'd likely buck up to a 250 with a diesel if I were doing more than 1k miles or so a year.

[AJ Roderick]

Thanks for all the input guys... I found some duramax's that I like. With the amount of traveling I will do this year and having a 28' trailer, which isnt very new so its a bit heavier anyways, I think a diesel is gonna be the choice. Just the crew chief may not find out till I drive it over

[Cy Peake]

03 Cummins 2500 here and it has zero problems pulling my open trailer with 161K on the clock. I jam it into 6th gear over 40mph and get 21mpg around town during the week. A buddy just got a brand new 2011 dually with the 6.7L and man is that thing NICE compared to mine (both are Laramies).

[AJ Roderick]

I rode with Charlie Campbell last year in his Cummins. You couldn't even feel his trialer behind him. I'm looking for a Duramax to be honest. I'm a chevy kinda guy. Thanks everyone for the input!!