who has switched from a 1/2 ton TV to a 3/4 or larger TT and why?

[oulmanpe]

Thanks to many of the comments on this thread, I finally traded my 1/2 ton Silverado for a new Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn with the Cummins diesel. Won't get to pull the camper with it until after Labor Day but it should be great!

[DnD]

That is a very nice truck! Congrats!

[nail40]

i have a 17 bh and the truck was a 04 f-150 with the 5.4 and a short bed we towed one time and that was enough for me.it was all over the place.upgraded to a f-250 power stroke. no problems now pulls good.now looking at the23 br gray wolf.

[great white]

Details in sig.

Reasons? Easy; Bigger trailer, bigger truck.

Although, bought the truck first to replace my rusting 88 k1500 Silverado with the 350 and then went trailer hunting. Knew we wanted a big trailer and I wanted a diesel so we kept this in mind while truck shopping. Then, armed with the knowledge of what we could tow, hunted down the trailer.

Didn't want a newer truck, I prefer the 88-2000 gmt400 looks and feel. Most of the newer trucks look kind of "cartoonish" to me (no offense intended) although they are all rated higher and have more "do-dads". My truck rides nice and fine for me and is smooth and tight as I keep up on reg maintenance and parts inspection/replacement before things become a problem.



Then discovered the 6.5 was kind of weak as delivered from GMC (like 192 hp and something like 330 ftlbs) for the rated trailer weights ( we are close to the trucks max trailer weight, usually within 500lbs or so), but after some modifications (dyno'd 271 rwhp so around 300 crank hp and 440 ftlbs) pulls fine and returns 12-14 mpg with the trailer on the back. I'm into the truck part for about $18,000 including purchase price.

Last big haul was:



No issues after we replaced the original 400,000 km engine. That's also part of the $18,000.

I also just can't bring myself to pay $60,000+ that they ask for the newer diesels, no matter how good they are...

[pwrstroke2012]

Originally Posted by transamz9

You guys are going to have a hard time finding good used Dodges with Cummins. They are not called "Dodge" any more. Haven't been for years. They are "Rams".

So your saying, if you can't Dodge it, Ram it!

[dwaynerz]

saw one of the newer (dodge) ram 3500 with the longhorn badge on the door, and it was dam near as big as the door itself.

my suggestion is to peel the big badge off the door, and let the little fender badge do the braagging for you

[Hybrid21SS]

Just traded in our hi mileage 1/2 ton Avalanche for a low mileage 3/4 Avalanche with the 8.1 Big block engine. Reason being, we hate our first camper, the 21SS Hybrid. Looking to replace it with hard sided TT.

[oulmanpe]

Here is our new Ram 2500 finally hooked up to our Salem 27RKSS. unfortunately, it is being pulled over to the shop for some warranty repairs already. Only 2 trips out and there are electrical problems with the fridge.

[dretired]

Originally Posted by dretired

I am trading up to a 2012 F250 supercab diesel tommorrow..i have had.. a 2010 F150 supercab 5.4

An update...It pulls our 5th wheel very nice...should be able to load everything the 2 of us would need;; for any given trip...and go pretty much any where we want ...except off road..and i am not really interested in doing that anyway

[boubou]

Originally Posted by dretired

Attachment 18746
An update...It pulls our 5th wheel very nice...should be able to load everything the 2 of us would need;; for any given trip...and go pretty much any where we want ...except off road..and i am not really interested in doing that anyway

Very nice! but...the F150 was not enough?
planning on upgrade in a couple of years, not sure about Ford, Dodge or GMC yet, lots of time to research.

[dretired]

Originally Posted by boubou

Very nice! but...the F150 was not enough?
planning on upgrade in a couple of years, not sure about Ford, Dodge or GMC yet, lots of time to research.

The F150 was close to its Max limits...It pulled My 5th wheel from Michigan to Florida and back this last winter on I-75..ok... BUT.....We can now bring more items with us....and.. Who knows Maybe a 3 slide out 5th wheel in our future ??...and ...we havent been to any Mountains yet ...so.... The F250 should do that just fine..

[boubou]

Originally Posted by dretired

The F150 was close to its Max limits...It pulled My 5th wheel from Michigan to Florida and back this last winter on I-75..ok... BUT.....We can now bring more items with us....and.. Who knows Maybe a 3 slide out 5th wheel in our future ??...and ...we havent been to any Mountains yet ...so.... The F250 should do that just fine..

My plan for the long run as well. Will use ram for a couple more years then move up to 3/4 ton.

[WaterRat75]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

It took me a long time to decide on buying a 3/4 ton truck. I really didn't want to have to deal with such a big, noisy monster on a daily basis.

But I'm so glad I did. Towing is so much more comfortable - it really is effortless for trailers 5,000 lbs up to 12,000 lbs. - and so is stopping. The truck isn't pushed around by the trailer much, as it is quite heavy itself. I have a 2011 2500HD Silverado 4x4 LTZ. I have 3 travel trailers - one 3800lbs, one 6200lbs and one 8400 lbs. I also have a 1500 Suburban with 5.3l and tow package. The only trailer it will tow comfortably is the 3800 lb trailer. The 6200 lb one it will do, but it's not very comfortable and it needs air bags to keep from sagging, even with a WD hitch setup. The HD doesn't really need the WD hitch for the two bigger trailers, but it definitely makes it rock solid stability wise. The 3/4 ton payload is much higher than 1/2 ton - by about 1200 lbs in my case - so tongue weights are not a concern.

So the input I need is about the 3/4 ton ability to reduce sway. I've read this thread from start to finish and I think a few folk hinted at this, but I want some feedback from the folks here. Does upgrading to a 3/4 ton help eliminate sway?

Right now I have a 2007 Chevy Avalanche 6.0L with 4.10 gears and the tow package (7600 tow limit). It's a very nice setup and has towed everything I have put behind it with ease. I just upgraded my TT to a 2013 Wildwood 281QBXL. It's 5800 dry and 7600 fully loaded. While I haven't been to a scale yet, the estimated weight onboard the TT is 6300-6500lbs. With the family and the gear onboard the Av, she's probably at her limit. I have an e2 trunnion hitch rated for 10,000lbs. I've only been on a couple short trips down the interstate, but the rear wiggle is a little uncomfortable. I dearly do not want to upgrade my TV, but very curious if doing so would help solve the problem? I'd appreciate feedback from the experienced members here.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by WaterRat75

So the input I need is about the 3/4 ton ability to reduce sway. I've read this thread from start to finish and I think a few folk hinted at this, but I want some feedback from the folks here. Does upgrading to a 3/4 ton help eliminate sway?

Right now I have a 2007 Chevy Avalanche 6.0L with 4.10 gears and the tow package (7600 tow limit). It's a very nice setup and has towed everything I have put behind it with ease. I just upgraded my TT to a 2013 Wildwood 281QBXL. It's 5800 dry and 7600 fully loaded. While I haven't been to a scale yet, the estimated weight onboard the TT is 6300-6500lbs. With the family and the gear onboard the Av, she's probably at her limit. I have an e2 trunnion hitch rated for 10,000lbs. I've only been on a couple short trips down the interstate, but the rear wiggle is a little uncomfortable. I dearly do not want to upgrade my TV, but very curious if doing so would help solve the problem? I'd appreciate feedback from the experienced members here.

One thing you have to consider and that is what is the difference in the wt between the 3/4T and what you have. If you can't get over about 500# more on the rear axle with the 3/4T, I would say you might just keep what you have. The suspension is stiffer on the 3/4T which would help your wiggle, but the wiggle might be corrected with a better sway control be it a new wdh system entirely or maybe adding air bags or adjusting your present setup. Your present shocks may also need replacing. You have a big decision to make. Just look at all options before jumping!

[crasher]

Originally Posted by WaterRat75

So the input I need is about the 3/4 ton ability to reduce sway. I've read this thread from start to finish and I think a few folk hinted at this, but I want some feedback from the folks here. Does upgrading to a 3/4 ton help eliminate sway?

Right now I have a 2007 Chevy Avalanche 6.0L with 4.10 gears and the tow package (7600 tow limit). It's a very nice setup and has towed everything I have put behind it with ease. I just upgraded my TT to a 2013 Wildwood 281QBXL. It's 5800 dry and 7600 fully loaded. While I haven't been to a scale yet, the estimated weight onboard the TT is 6300-6500lbs. With the family and the gear onboard the Av, she's probably at her limit. I have an e2 trunnion hitch rated for 10,000lbs. I've only been on a couple short trips down the interstate, but the rear wiggle is a little uncomfortable. I dearly do not want to upgrade my TV, but very curious if doing so would help solve the problem? I'd appreciate feedback from the experienced members here.

I have both a Suburban and a 2500 Silverado. The Suburban has the same suspension as your truck. There are several factors affecting sway - the stiffness of your rear suspension (or lack of), weight of truck, and wd hitch setup.

The feel while you are towing, how confident it feels, is somewhat subjective. Even with a 3/4 ton truck, there is a possibility of sway or "wiggle" depending on conditions. With either of my trucks, by using the big 1000lb bars, and a sway bar, I've essentially eliminated sway, at least as far as I can tell. Mine was a really cheap setup I bought on Amazon - about $250 pre-assembled. Some guys have spent big money on hitch setups trying to eliminate sway. Maybe some are more sensitive to any movement in the trailer, I don't know.

I can tell you this though - I ran my 28' trailer with 600lb bars one time with my 3/4 truck and it was very bouncy and I got a fair amount of sway and buffetting by passing trucks. Got the 1000lb bars on, no problem. All else was equal.

A 3/4 ton is about 1000 lbs heavier than your Avalanche, which also helps. Sometimes you can still feel buffetting by passing trucks - more so with the Suburban than the Silverado. I think the biggest factor for me is the stiffness of the rear suspension. The 4x4 2500 Silverado has a very stiff leaf spring suspension. It's not exactly comfortable on rough roads when it is unloaded. Towing, or carrying a load, it is fantastic. If you trade your Avalanche for a 3/4 ton crew cab, be prepared that your wife won't like it.

I've added air bags to my Suburban to see if it tows better. I'm sure it will help, but my problem with that truck isn't sway. Like I said, the big bars make a big difference. It' s the power of the engine. When you are used to a 400hp deisel, the gas 5.3L V8 seems likes it's struggling. Some guys are OK with running at a lower gear and kicking up the rpms. They'll tell you thier truck tows fine, but they are running long grades at 4000 rpm! My 3/4 ton truck pulls my big 9000lb trailer down the interstate at 2000 rpm or below. Definately more relaxing.

You'd think we are all getting bonuses for recommending the big deisel trucks. They are expensive, so you need to think long and hard about making the jump.

[dretired]

Our beginning rig was a slightly used 2010 Puma 26rlss ..with a 2010 F150 supercab xlt ..6 1/2 foot box..5.4 engine..3.55 limited slip.. i didnt care for the hitching/unhitching..( especially on uneven ground ) and the "wagging of the dogs tail " at 60 + mph... fast forward 2 1/2 years..We now have a slightly used 2012 F250 Diesel Supercab and a 33 1/2 foot 5ver ..and LOVING IT !!!

[WaterRat75]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

I have both a Suburban and a 2500 Silverado. The Suburban has the same suspension as your truck. There are several factors affecting sway - the stiffness of your rear suspension (or lack of), weight of truck, and wd hitch setup.

The feel while you are towing, how confident it feels, is somewhat subjective. Even with a 3/4 ton truck, there is a possibility of sway or "wiggle" depending on conditions. With either of my trucks, by using the big 1000lb bars, and a sway bar, I've essentially eliminated sway, at least as far as I can tell. Mine was a really cheap setup I bought on Amazon - about $250 pre-assembled. Some guys have spent big money on hitch setups trying to eliminate sway. Maybe some are more sensitive to any movement in the trailer, I don't know.

Very much appreciate the feedback so far. So when you talk about using "1000lb bar and a sway bar" I assume that to mean a 1000lb friction bar combined with your WDH sway control? The stock airbag system on my Av works awesome and I'm super glad i opted for it. I've read enough posts on the Chevy Avalanche Fan Club forms to note that upgrading the rear suspension shocks will have very little effect on towing performance.

What I really hate to do is throw parts at the problem trying to solve it. Done that before and it can get expensive fast. I'm trying to examine all my options and make the best selection of 1 or more. Upgrading TV is not in the budget.

[crasher]

Yep. Whatever kind of WD bar you are using, doesn't matter - just so that it is sized properly for your tongue weight. Sway control, start with one, add an additional if you still have sway issues.

[Coops1]

WaterRat75 do you have P rated tire's on your Avalanche? With the extra weight of the new trailer they could be your problem.

[pwrstroke2012]

Hi waterrat, when you say you have "rear wiggle" is that on your TT or TV? If it's your TT it could be anything from too light of tires on your TV to your hitch set up. It may even be due to "P" rated tire on your avalanche instead of LT tires. I am not an expert by any means but it sounds like you are at the max for your TV which is hard on your truck and hard on you and not the safest set up. I was in the same boat as you as to spend money to upgrade a already overloaded TV and or do it right and safe and get a truck made to tow your weight. I started this thread to help with users in making the tough decision of upgrading from a 1/2 ton to 3/4 or 1 ton and hearing real life experiences and not theories.I went from a 1/2 ton gas to a 1 ton diesel and couldn't be happier with how it tows, almost effortless and I have a similiar weight TT as you. It sounds like a lot of users that did upgrade found good used diesels that they are very happy with and didn't pay alot. Good luck.