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.