Try to decide on a tow rig

[WillEngineer]

Next summer, God willing, I plan on taking a trip from Phoenix->Yellowstone->Mount Rushmore with my family. We are talking about either towing a camper or using a cab over. I have a 2007 F150 5.4, but I'd personally rather a 3/4 ton to tow that far. If I went cab over I'd almost certainly have to have at least a 3/4 ton. In 2022 we'd like to build on this experience and drive to Alaska.

Vehicles I've considered.

- Suburban/Yukon 2500 6.0
- SuperDuty V10 or a properly maintained 6.0. Possibly a 7.3 if I can find one with 200,000 miles or so.
- Excursion. Same engine choices.

The Ford V10, so I've read, is all but certain to get me 6-7 mpg while towing....but getting into one is a lot less than diesel for certain. I assume the GM 6.0 probably gets slightly better mpgs than the Ford V10, but you're giving up a lot of torque. Diesels are good when they are good, but getting a bulletproofed 6.0 also comes at a hefty price. 7.3s seem to hold their value quite well.

Then, for the price of of gas in a V10, I saw a guy selling a 76 Ford F250 with a 390 cu in V8 with a cabover included that is a mechanic special for $1800.

At any rate, curious if anyone here has towed long distances and up steep grades with a GM 2500 6.0. How did you like it? Thanks.

 

[OR VietVet]

Have been a few discussions here about this and I always vote for the Suburban 3/4 ton. Others here will chime in with their choices.

 

[swathdiver]

The GMT900 Suburban or Yukon XL is going to be your best bang for the buck and they are more reliable too. No flying spark plugs. Bill, @intheburbs tows with one all over these United States and he'll be along soon with first hand experiences for you.

The 2500s are out there, try to get one 2012 or 2013 for the latest software improvements such as Trailer Sway Control, Hill Start Assist and improvements to the cruise control. The 2010 and later have FlexFuel engines which can make refueling more economical and maybe more power.

 

[Dantheman1540]

I vote 6.0 2500 gear down and little the small block sing. Cost of ownership will likely be considerably less than a diesel or the V10.

 

[OR VietVet]

For just outright towing I loved and still do, my Duramax diesel pickup truck. It was a beast and showed all comers the door. I went up against V-10's and big blocks and other diesels and won hands down all the time. Especially pulling up passes out here in the PNW. For enclosed rigs, I still stand behind the Suburban 2500.

 

[79jasper]

- Suburban/Yukon 2500 6.0
- SuperDuty V10 or a properly maintained 6.0. Possibly a 7.3 if I can find one with 200,000 miles or so.
- Excursion. Same engine choices.

The Ford V10

Skip the v10's.
I personally like the 6.0 powerstroke, but if you're new to diesels, I have a list of things you should do right off the bat. 1. Stud and delete. 2. New injectors and full high pressure oil system. 3. Vgt rebuild.
The 7.3 doesn't take much, but new/larger injectors and a better turbo will really wake them up.
I do like the excursion since it's the only full size suv with a diesel factory. (Minus the old suburbans with the 6.2, which your f150 puts out more power)
If you aren't ready to deal with the added expenses of a diesel, just get a gas 3/4 ton.
I'll always recommend a duramax, just do your research as certain years have their own weaknesses/trouble areas that need addressed.
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[intheburbs]

Everybody I know who owned a V10 said it was a POS.
The 6.0 is good if it's bulletproofed, as described above. I've always wondered, though, about how great an engine is if all of these things need to be done to make it durable?
A 7.3 Excursion is a unicorn. Very hard to find, and very expensive if you do find one. Yes, it's basically a medium-duty truck engine, but it's so damn heavy that it actually reduces your rated payload and towing capacity by a not small amount.

Yes, as James mentioned, I've towed some beasts into the Rockies, including Powder River Pass (9666') and the Eisenhower Tunnel (11,100'). You won't be winning races, but you won't be a menace either because you'll still be able to go faster than the big rigs. The 6.0 loves to rev, so let it eat.

This is approaching the Eisenhower Tunnel with a GVW of just over 16,000 lbs..

My current rig, parked at Wall Drug:

 

[WillEngineer]

Everybody I know who owned a V10 said it was a POS.
The 6.0 is good if it's bulletproofed, as described above. I've always wondered, though, about how great an engine is if all of these things need to be done to make it durable?
A 7.3 Excursion is a unicorn. Very hard to find, and very expensive if you do find one. Yes, it's basically a medium-duty truck engine, but it's so damn heavy that it actually reduces your rated payload and towing capacity by a not small amount.

Yes, as James mentioned, I've towed some beasts into the Rockies, including Powder River Pass (9666') and the Eisenhower Tunnel (11,100'). You won't be winning races, but you won't be a menace either because you'll still be able to go faster than the big rigs. The 6.0 loves to rev, so let it eat.

This is approaching the Eisenhower Tunnel with a GVW of just over 16,000 lbs..

That's awesome. How long was that fuel on F?

 

[intheburbs]

That's awesome. How long was that fuel on F?

We'd just gassed at Silverthorne, the last eastbound exit before the final ascent to the tunnel (11,100 ft) . They call that stretch the "Ike Gauntlet." Probably the most punishing 9 miles to tow in the country. 2000-foot elevation gain means an average grade of 4.3%, with some grades as high as 7%.

I reset the fuel economy at the gas station. When we reached the tunnel, my mileage over that 9 mile stretch was 2.3.

 

[adventurenali92]

So I don’t have a 2500/6.0 combo. But I have a 1500 XL Denali with an LQ4 6.0. The 6.0 is just an awesome motor. It pulls all day long. Twice a year I have to tow a roughly 4500lb boat and trailer setup. One way is down the mountain to its winter storage, and the other way is back up to the mountains for summer use. Town and where the lake sit in the middle of the valley is roughly 6700 feet elevation. But coming up what we call the “back way” is highway 38 and you actually have to climb to a little over 8000 feet in elevation to go up over the top of the mountain and then you come back down into the valley. And there are some decent grades. Not anything like the Rocky Mountains or Eisenhower Tunnel, but still a workout for a tow vehicle. My 6.0 handles it like a champ. Like @intheburbs said, very well I might add, I’m not winning any races towing that boat up the mountain. But I can easily pass the grocery store tractor trailers and fully loaded fuel tankers that are coming up the mountain, and I can keep ahead of them just fine. The GMT900 2500 package Yukon XL and it’s sibling the suburban are awesome rigs. They were pretty much designed for towing. Plus you have all the interior space for family and luggage.

 

[Larryjb]

A lot also depends on what you are towing. I pull a Trailmanor 2720 with my 5:3 2002 Tahoe. I've taken it up some pretty steep grades.

 

[intheburbs]

A lot also depends on what you are towing. I pull a Trailmanor 2720 with my 5:3 2002 Tahoe. I've taken it up some pretty steep grades.

Sorry, no comparison. 2500 trucks are just beefier. They're built for towing. The half-ton trucks are meant for occasional towing. There's a reason why my 2500 weighs almost 1000 lbs more than its half-ton siblings.

 

[Larryjb]

Sorry, no comparison. 2500 trucks are just beefier. They're built for towing. The half-ton trucks are meant for occasional towing. There's a reason why my 2500 weighs almost 1000 lbs more than its half-ton siblings.

I know there's no comparison. My point is if you are towing a 3500 lb trailer, you don't need a beefy 2500. We pulled our Trailmanor from Vancouver BC to Anaheim CA up and down the Grapevine using our Explorer. We towed our Trailmanor up the Coquihala which is even longer then the Grapevine, using the Tahoe.

That's why I said it helps to know what he is towing.

 

[intheburbs]

I know there's no comparison. My point is if you are towing a 3500 lb trailer, you don't need a beefy 2500. We pulled our Trailmanor from Vancouver BC to Anaheim CA up and down the Grapevine using our Explorer. We towed our Trailmanor up the Coquihala which is even longer then the Grapevine, using the Tahoe.

That's why I said it helps to know what he is towing.

I understand what you're saying. Sure, if he's pulling a 1500-lb popup, he doesn't need a 2500. But if I was planning a long road trip, or a trip to Alaska, pulling any kind of trailer, I'd want the extra insurance of the durability of the 2500. Sure, the half-tons have the engines (like my 400-hp Sierra Denali), but I'll take the "handicap" of 50 less hp that goes along with the extra reliability/durability of freefloat axles, beefier brakes (9900 lbs), beefier transmission, beefier hubs/bearings and heavier-duty suspension.

Despite the abuse I heap on my 2500, it just rolled 200k miles and it's still all-original. That includes about 25k miles of punishing towing at/over 16,000 GCW, another 10k-15k towing a smaller 3500-lb trailer, and extra-legal jaunts cross country when not towing (cruising at 90-95 mph for hours at a time). My half-ton Denali has become quite the money pit, and it only has 125k miles. I've already replaced the front diff (AWD=$$$$$), one front half-shaft, and the front hubs/bearings.

 

[rzabel]

I pull with a 2003 Yukon XL 2500, 8.1 engine, 4.10 gears, 160k miles on it now. I've towed a 6,000 lb 1948 Spartan Manor all over the Western US (Yellowstone, Rushmore, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Zion, Death Valley, Yosemite, Crater Lake and many locales in my home state of Oregon), Canada (BC) and Mexico (3 round trips to south of Puerto Vallarta). I've had a few issues with the trailer (after all, it is 70 years old), but my only issue with the Yukon has been keeping the 4wd working. The 8.1 is a beast and the 4L85e has been flawless. Neither engine or transmission ever heat up and that's with the stock coolers. The 8.1 has torque that rivals diesels and can pull most hills in 3rd gear without slowing down. It gets between 8 and 10 mpg when towing. Highly recommended if you're interested in an older rig.

 

[WillEngineer]

I don't have the camper yet. Kind of deciding on both the rig and the camper at the same time. Do I get a pickup and a cab over camper or do I get a big SUV and pull? Trying to do the leg work now for the Rushmore tip next year. Alaska will be in 2022 or 2023, likely for my F-I-L's retirement.

 

[swathdiver]

I don't have the camper yet. Kind of deciding on both the rig and the camper at the same time. Do I get a pickup and a cab over camper or do I get a big SUV and pull? Trying to do the leg work now for the Rushmore tip next year. Alaska will be in 2022 or 2023, likely for my F-I-L's retirement.

GMT900 Pickups with NHT package could pull over 10,000 pounds with the 6.2 motor and 3.73 gears. The Extended Cab was officially rated to also pull a 5th wheel @ 10,000 pounds too. GM did not rate the Crew Cabs but plenty of companies sell 5th wheel kits for them and we've seen lots of horse trailers being pulled by them. Something to consider. I'd go with the 2500 wagon if in your shoes.

 

[Larryjb]

Make sure you add your food, water, propane, batteries, people, and supplies into the mix in addition to the trailer you wish to tow. This is especially important if you are travellerg to Alaska as things get more remote as you go north. You will want to carry water in the freshwater holding tank at some point in your travels in case you have to dry camp.

For example, a 2500 with a GCWR of 24000 may be able to tow a DVR 44 Memphis 5th wheel with a dry weight of 20 600. If one hasn't done the camping thing much in the past, they may be surprised how quickly weight adds up. A family of 5 will add 500-1000 lbs just like that. Don't forget the fuel tanks either. For that trailer, I think I'd want a 3500.

When we towed our 3500 lb Trailmanor, our Tahoe has a GCWIR of about 13000 lbs. At a weigh station, we came in at about 11 000 lbs! The Tahoe contributed about 5000 lbs, and the dry trailer 3500 lbs for a total of 8500 lbs. That means us and our gear was over 3000 lbs!

 

[WillEngineer]

Make sure you add your food, water, propane, batteries, people, and supplies into the mix in addition to the trailer you wish to tow. This is especially important if you are travellerg to Alaska as things get more remote as you go north. You will want to carry water in the freshwater holding tank at some point in your travels in case you have to dry camp.

For example, a 2500 with a GCWR of 24000 may be able to tow a DVR 44 Memphis 5th wheel with a dry weight of 20 600. If one hasn't done the camping thing much in the past, they may be surprised how quickly weight adds up. A family of 5 will add 500-1000 lbs just like that. Don't forget the fuel tanks either. For that trailer, I think I'd want a 3500.

When we towed our 3500 lb Trailmanor, our Tahoe has a GCWIR of about 13000 lbs. At a weigh station, we came in at about 11 000 lbs! The Tahoe contributed about 5000 lbs, and the dry trailer 3500 lbs for a total of 8500 lbs. That means us and our gear was over 3000 lbs!

A very good point.

 

[S33k3r]

I don't have the camper yet. Kind of deciding on both the rig and the camper at the same time. Do I get a pickup and a cab over camper or do I get a big SUV and pull? Trying to do the leg work now for the Rushmore tip next year. Alaska will be in 2022 or 2023, likely for my F-I-L's retirement.

I think you will be much happier with a Suburban towing a trailer as opposed to a cabover camper. You will have far more interior room.