1/2 ton vs. 3/4 ton

I've got a 2003 Duramax pushing 120,000 miles and so far, it's been the best truck I have owned. 22-24 mpg light on highway at 60 mph, and 14-16 mpg towing my 22. We are moving up to a 25 next summer so I get to see the difference. I agree with B~C on the reduction in mileage with different emission controls. Also Chevrolet/GMC kept raising the HP/Torque rating of the engine in the spec war between manufacturers. Every HP increase had an effect on mileage. I found I didn't need any more power, empty reaching 85 mph was pretty quick (only did that once), and pulling the 22 hit 70 mph once (making the Whittier Tunnel).

Tom
 
Hi,
I bought a 23'Venture from Marc at Wefing's in April. In drove down from Pa to pick it up and drag it home. My 2001 1/2 ton 4x4 Chevy with 5.3 V8 did ok the truck boat and trailer combo weighed 10,000 pounds with little gas or water or gear in the boat. My truck was fine in coastal areas. On long hills it would pull fine but had to turn about 3500 rpms and was down in second gear. Since I have aspirations of towing to Yellowstone and later Alaska (Skagway (3700 miles) it was a no brainer to get a heavier truck. Since extended cabs will not be available in 2010. 2010 diesels are going up about 4k due to the new emmissions. I started shopping for a 2009. Chevy and GMC have a zero percent 72 month financing deal until Jan 4th 2010. I found by going on line and building a truck that Chevy had a live chat sessions available. I told them what I wanted and they found a few 2009 2500 HD w a Duramax and Allison transmission extended cabs 4x4 with an 8' bed equipped with the LT package (middle of the road)combos discounted by as much as 10k. Example truck listed for 48k selling for 38k. If you took the no interest financing it would add 4k on top of the 38k. Trucks that have been sitting around the longest get discounted more. I bought one with a signiture and it rides as good or better than my 2001 1/2 ton which equipped almost identically. The towing package includes a brake controller which is what I wanted to get away from my current surge brakes. Whats nice is that when cruisin at 65 mph the engine is turning 1600 rpm which is right where it makes it's 660 ft pounds torque. It has a transmisson temp gauge standard and an electronic settings for increasing the gain on the brake controller. The warranty is 5 years 100k on the drive train. Some of the smaller vehicles like Pathfinders make a good amount of horsepower but they have to twist some higher rpms to make power and get poor milage doing it. Transmissions are often the weak spots. If you tow locally on a coastal plains a half ton is fine from my experience but if you start dealing with eleven mile plus grades and 2000 mile plus trips I'd reccommend going 3/4 ton and taking a look at the new diesels that have heavier transmissions to to match. Over kill may be, I'm looking forward to seeing some of those Toyota's on some long pulls.
D.D.
 
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/index. ... d08ab426b3

is a good place to go if you are interested in duramax/allison. We have the 07 Classic Silverado, crew cab, 8' bed, 4 wd. We keep an overcab Alaskan camper on it and tow either our 22' C-Dory or a 4 horse trailer. The trailer loaded is 12,000 lbs. In the tow/haul mode with the cruise set, it will uphill or downhill with +/- 1 mph, without braking. I think Dodge and Ford have comparable capability with the powerstroke and cummins and engine brake technology. I like the idea of "overbuild to make up for lack of engineering".
 
Can't comment on towing a V-23, but I am happy with our F250; 2005, crew cab, short bed, 4X4 w/ the 6.0 liter turbo diesel, complete tow package rated to 15K lbs. Honestly, if it wasn't for towing, I wouldn't have a truck this BIG; I don't need my ego stroked.

It does tow the 25 and my 22' car-hauler enclosed trailer, loaded, without issue. Gets in the high teens (mpg), dependent on hwy vs city, under normal everyday driving conditions; towing drops it to about 11-12 mpg. Not exactly a Prius, but a Prius can't tow my toys either. I'm told the mpg's will "improve" once the mileage on the engine passes the 50K mark. We'll see...

I do drive it daily, about a 2 mile commute one way, so it doesn't see a lot of road time.
 
Hi,
I think the plants that built the extended cabs are shut down. Who knows if they are going to reopen them in the future. Thats why I shopped for an 09. I had a gas engined 2001 chevy with an extended cab with an 8 foot bed and It worked out well for my use/s. It has something to do with one piece 7' fishing rods. I also liked to be able to close the tailgate with a sheet of plywood or drywall.
D.D.
 
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