Uphill Towing Concern/New Tow Vehicle Advice

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

3:42 ratio is built for speed and acceleration off the line. 3:73 and up are built for power and torque....towing. the con is, the higher the ratio, the lower the mpg.

My 4.10 rear end will spin my truck sideways on pavement if I hit the gas hard enough at a full stop.

Well, it did before I went to a more aggressive (ie.- off road) tire pattern, that is!

[EDABEUT]

I have a 2013 Silverado Max Tow with the 6.2L. Never had an issue towing anywhere. I think someone may have hit on his problem. Are you using premium unleaded gas ???? The 6.2 requires premium. At least mine does and also Mobile 1 full synthetic oil. I had to get gas in South Dakota a few years back and all they had was regular 87 octane gas. It made a big difference on gas mileage and engine run hotter because it had to work more. I have pulled out of many gas stations that did not have premium ever since.

[babock]

LOL...it's a formula. HP is derived from the torque measurement multipled by RPM.

[babock]

Originally Posted by luker0

Sorry to counter your claim but here an actual dyno run for my race car with the old engine. Clearly shows crossover at ~5800 rpm before and after tuning. Attachment 190739

His claim is correct. Your graphs are wrong.

If you don't believe it, do a couple minutes of online research.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

My 4.10 rear end will spin my truck sideways on pavement if I hit the gas hard enough at a full stop.

Well, it did before I went to a more aggressive (ie.- off road) tire pattern, that is!

I had a Reliant K wagon with a 2.6 that would smoke the front tires.

[Hersbird]

I would be a bit worried about an engine shop giving out dyno graphs where the hp and torque don't intersect exactly where simple math says they must. Hp is just the rate torque is applied. Meaning torque is a force, rpm is the time and from those two you get power (in any of it's units). It also doesn't matter if a horse, steam engine, diesel, gas, or electirc motor is making it, 400 horsepower is 400 horsepower.

[mxdad]

Just send it. I towed a 7600# TH with our Escalade/6.2/3.42, but with the 6 speed transmission. It has no problem living at 4500-5200 RPM for an extended amount of time. If things get too hot, you'll get warning lights and messages before anything bad happens.

[bhirmiz]

get a 7.3 f250

[luker0]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I would be a bit worried about an engine shop giving out dyno graphs where the hp and torque don't intersect exactly where simple math says they must. Hp is just the rate torque is applied. Meaning torque is a force, rpm is the time and from those two you get power (in any of it's units). It also doesn't matter if a horse, steam engine, diesel, gas, or electirc motor is making it, 400 horsepower is 400 horsepower.

The point is that if the scales on each side of the graph don't match the intersection of the two lines will not be at 5252. That number has absolutely zero value and so does the intersection line.

Most dyno graphs will not have left and right sides equal. E.g. if your max HP is 500 and max torque is 300 one axis will top out at 550 and the other at 350, which will move the intersection of the lines. This is done to maximize the space on the sheet. Again the 5252 has zero it is just a constant used in a a calculation.

[tyler811]

Is using the cruise control my problem? Pulling to Red River coming through Kansas then Colorado into northern New Mexico I used the cruise control. On one grade I barely hit 50 mph. So another lesson learned. No sarcasm intended, I have learned alot here.

[Underthedog]

Hub, I tow with the f150 3.5 ecoboost, the trailer is more like 7k. We have not issues pulling thru the rocky mtns. It does downshift and run more like 4000-4500rpm (using more gas) but pulls at speed and can accelerate if needed. I'd expect reasonable results with yours. My truck does have manual shifting available, I've not used it because that is why I have the automatic transmission......


Don't let any of that stop you from upgrading your truck, of course

[TheWolfPaq82]

"Don't know how to drive" ? "Learn how to drive your truck" ? "You're doing it wrong" ? Really folks ? What the hell has this thread become ?

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by tyler811

Is using the cruise control my problem? Pulling to Red River coming through Kansas then Colorado into northern New Mexico I used the cruise control. On one grade I barely hit 50 mph. So another lesson learned. No sarcasm intended, I have learned a lot here.

I've made that pull (I-25 to Raton, NM to Red River, NM) going to Taos many times from Denver...

I think your biggest climb will be Raton Pass right at the border of Colorado and New Mexico...

Just take it easy and you should be fine...just keep an eye on your speed going down...use a lower gear (2 or 3 is what I use there) and don't ride your brakes!

Personally, I don't like using the cruise control going uphill as I don't like the way it just slams on the gas pedal and forces a hard downshift that will throw you back into the seats, so I'll go to the manual shift mode and do that myself!

Coming down the mountain grades I often use cruise control, but still use the manual shift mode.

[Chuck_S]

The dyno chart has torque and horsepower on different scales so the cross over is at different values, not an equal value which it would be of it was printed with them both on the same scale.

Regardless, torque and horsepower are always equal at 5252 rpm 'cuz that's the formula used to determine horsepower. That's just how it works. (And the scaling is mentioned at the end of the little video lecture.)

-- Chuck

[Blender]

Originally Posted by hub092593

I must admit I didn't perform enough research and listened to the salesman's advice when I purchased our first truck. We are towing a 2015 Forest River 2703WS travel trailer with a 1/2 ton truck using weight distribution and sway control. On flat ground I don't have any towing issues, however, going up hills, the truck seems to struggle (at times impossible to go 55mph). We plan to purchase a 3/4 ton tow vehicle, however, I am not sure if a gas powered truck will provide the needed oomph up hills. I know a diesel engine would, however, based on my driving habits (less than 10K/year) and cost to purchase/maintain diesel, I don't believe that is the correct choice for us.



In addition and correct me if I am wrong, torque plays a big role in towing uphill. When reviewing the manufacturer towing guides, I am not really seeing much of a difference in torque from what I currently own and the 3/4 ton gas powered trucks. With that being said, other than the additional cargo and towing capacities, will a new tow vehicle resolve our concern?



Comments from folks with a similar sized trailer and their towing experiences would be appreciated too?



Tow Vehicle

2015 Sierra 1500 SLT

4x4/short bed

6.2L V8 Gas

GVWR: 7600

Payload Capacity: 1924

Towing Capacity: 11800

GCVWR: 17700

Axle Ratio: 3.42

Torque: 460 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm

Horsepower: 420 @ 5600 rpm

Tongue Weight: 800 lb (1200 with weight distribution system)



Travel Trailer

Forest River 2703WS

Dry Weight: 6550

Cargo Capacity: 1099

Hitch Weight: 734 (excluding front end cargo)

Hey, take it for what it’s worth, you yourself needs to know if your going to live in your trailer full time or an occasional weekend thing with the family.

Once you figure this out you can justify the additional costs in your question.

The next is yes torque is a requirement for a vehicle to work hard. Horsepower is for achieving speed, without proper torque speed also can’t be achieved they basically work together!

We all are on this forum because we all started somewhere and have plenty experience! I have been told my truck can’t do what it has been doing since 2015!!!! The only issues I’ve had is stopping sooner for fuel!

I do tow way more than you do and so do most in this forum. It’s all practice and learning your platform. My tundra has a 5.5’ bed and yes it tows a 5th wheel that’s 40’.

I don’t live in it but we do drag the poop out of it almost every other weekend. Next trip is going to the Smokey mountains. Approximately an 8-9 hour trip from my driveway. I use the a/c almost every time I tow my 5th wheel and I notice no difference but maybe an additional consumption in fuel. I do have a flex fuel truck and as they say you can burn the lowest grade fuel but piece of mind I use 91-93 octane depending if I’m out west or east! Safe travels and don’t let all these guys on here scare you to not want to use your truck. USE THAT GMC! Burn gas and haul $&@, just remember your hills are not as important going up but coming down they are!

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by D W

Tisk, tisk,... folks want fly up and over the pass, in an attempt to reduce the distance between two points, then rely on brakes to slow down during the descent. Newton's Law applies here. Doesn't matter how fast you can go, when you reach the summit you had better be at or below the speed you wish to descent at. Common sense!

I couldn't have been going any slower. Tsk tsk yourself. That's a 10% grade.

[Blender]

Lmao

[Blender]

10% is no joke with a load!

[wabakami]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Almost spewed my coffee there Kimber!

2X that Kriss!


Geoff
.

[tyler811]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

I've made that pull (I-25 to Raton, NM to Red River, NM) going to Taos many times from Denver...

I think your biggest climb will be Raton Pass right at the border of Colorado and New Mexico...

Just take it easy and you should be fine...just keep an eye on your speed going down...use a lower gear (2 or 3 is what I use there) and don't ride your brakes!

Personally, I don't like using the cruise control going uphill as I don't like the way it just slams on the gas pedal and forces a hard downshift that will throw you back into the seats, so I'll go to the manual shift mode and do that myself!

Coming down the mountain grades I often use cruise control, but still use the manual shift mode.

Yes the Raton Pass, the first time I saw real mountains. Been through the Smokies hundreds of times. But the mountains out west are stunning. I enjoy the scenery...when I am not driving [emoji23].

What grade is that does anyone know?