blt2ski
Kirkland, Wa
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Another motor to think about, altho maybe above budget, is the GM with the diesel. Mid 20's city, mid 30 hwy empty. Probably like all diesels, low to mid teens towing. It would/could be better at elevation if you go above 6000' frequently due to the turbo. Under 5-6000', not sure a turbo/super charged motor that is similarly power speced makes a really BIG difference in total towing fun per say. both do the job, but with different seat of the pants performance etc.
WHere you are in Wisconsin, A forced induction vs natural aspirated may not be that big of a deal. If you head to the rockies 3-5 months of the year.....yes a turbo makes a difference. One trip every 3-5 years, get the cheaper motor that does the job where you are, go a bit slower at elevation.
marty
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
00 Chev C2500, V5700, 4L80E, 4.10, base truck, no options!
92 Red-e-haul 12K equipment trailer
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Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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@jck, I didn’t know that LT 275 55 20 tires weren’t made in 2015. I picked up a set of used LT tires that size last year that had a 2016 born on date.
And now there’s dozens of them. Not awesome load ratings but 2680 lbs at 65 psi.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29
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bikendan
Camano Island, Wash.
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Joined: 11/21/2005
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rmnpcolorado wrote:We'll See wrote:If you are towing in the mountains a lot and want to stick with a half ton, Ford's 3.5 ecoboost will be hard to beat. However, GMs's 6.2 liter v8 is a great motor as well but I would rather have the turbo. For what you are asking, the right half ton will do the job but you must be sure it has enough payload.
Let me throw you a softball: WHY would you rather have the turbo over the 6.2 “pure grunt” as I’d call it? Just an honest question, I don’t think there’s a wrong answer and in no way am I knocking the 3.5L eco.
Truth be told, our 5.3 in the Av had plenty of power this summer with our current load, it was more the tranny that I was watching the temps on.
I owned a 5.3 Avy that I replaced with a 3.5 Ecoboost. Have you driven an Ecoboost?
I replaced the Avy because I bought a bigger and heavier 26ft TT, after selling my 24ft Hybrid TT. The Avy just wasn't up for the job, through our Western mtn ranges. Plus the payload capacity was only 1357lbs.
The towing difference is AMAZING! My F150 Ecoboost has 1828lbs of payload and WAY more power, especially in the mountains where it really shines.
Dan- Firefighter, Retired">, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur">, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever(RIP">), 2014 Ford F150 3.5 EcoboostMax Tow pkg, 2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255 w/4pt Equalizer and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
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rmnpcolorado
Madison, WI
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Joined: 09/01/2004
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bikendan wrote:rmnpcolorado wrote:We'll See wrote:If you are towing in the mountains a lot and want to stick with a half ton, Ford's 3.5 ecoboost will be hard to beat. However, GMs's 6.2 liter v8 is a great motor as well but I would rather have the turbo. For what you are asking, the right half ton will do the job but you must be sure it has enough payload.
Let me throw you a softball: WHY would you rather have the turbo over the 6.2 “pure grunt” as I’d call it? Just an honest question, I don’t think there’s a wrong answer and in no way am I knocking the 3.5L eco.
Truth be told, our 5.3 in the Av had plenty of power this summer with our current load, it was more the tranny that I was watching the temps on.
I owned a 5.3 Avy that I replaced with a 3.5 Ecoboost. Have you driven an Ecoboost?
I replaced the Avy because I bought a bigger and heavier 26ft TT, after selling my 24ft Hybrid TT. The Avy just wasn't up for the job, through our Western mtn ranges. Plus the payload capacity was only 1357lbs.
The towing difference is AMAZING! My F150 Ecoboost has 1828lbs of payload and WAY more power, especially in the mountains where it really shines.
I have driven one, just a few weeks ago actually. It had plenty of get up and go, but granted that’s completely empty without any weight behind it. But I was impressed.
Sounds like exactly the situation we’re in, except we’re ahead of the game knowing we’ll need more power before the bigger trailer. The Avalanche is a beautiful truck, but we just need more. Hence the reason I’m only looking at trucks with the max towing packages. Our Av has a higher payload than 1300lbs, it’s more towards 1800 I believe, but just not enough power for what we like to do.
I think someone made the comment above on the diesel - if we were going to be an extended period it would make sense. But we’re vacationers, so two weeks probably max a year at elevation. I’ve gotten used to slow! We were stuck behind two VW buses going up Monarch Pass in a Colorado this summer doing maybe 25. I finally got around them and tootled along at 35-45!
2020 Ford F-150 3.5L w/Max Tow
2011 Jayco X213
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gmckenzie
BC
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Joined: 06/23/2014
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I've got a 2015 with the max trailering package. I tow 8,200 lbs and wouldn't go any heavier with this truck. Even with a payload of 2,015 lbs, I've maxed the GVW with my setup and no water in the trailer.
I like my truck but am thinking I will have a 350/3500 next. Just waffling between the 6.6 gas and the 7.3 gas.
Also wondering what a 2015 GMC Sierra with NHT and ~45,000 kms is worth.....
2015 GMC Sierra 4x4 CC SB Max Trailer
2010 Cougar 30RKS
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jerem0621
Tennessee
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Dont get too hooked up on the max trailering number. It has zero to do with real world capability Of a half ton.
TV- 2011 Chevy Tahoe, 2WD, Hayden transmission cooler
TT - Zinger 270BH
WD Hitch- HaulMaster 1,000 lb Round Bar
Dual Friction bar sway control
Tekonsha Voyager brake controller (Great Brake Controller)
It’s Kind of Fun to do the Impossible
~Walt Disney~
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BenK
SF BayArea
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Joined: 04/18/2002
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X2 to Jerem0621;s comment and add...going by marketing nomenclature is risking getting caught in the marketing “king of the hill’ positioning where things are taken out of context (true, but not the whole picture)
Suggest looking at the OEM ratings and do the simple math using their ratings numbers.
GVWR, front & rear GAWR and their listed curb weight (not the old stripper model they used to employ for these “King of the Hilll” marketing, but their true weight as shipped from the factory)
But first decide if you believe in the OEM ratings. Huge and never ending discussion on ‘which’ ratings to ignore or follow. It is a very personal risk management decision.
IMO, the most important is the rear GAWR, then GVWR, then the rest of them.
Actual weights best, but if you do not have one or the other or neither...use their listed GVWR & tongue (that will provide the basic tongue percentage to calculate vs the actual weight)
Most of the weight on any pickup will be over the rear axle. Look at any pickup from the side and notice that the rear drivers door edge is about half way between the axles. Meaning anything loaded in the bed and/or on the ball will place the majority of that weight over the rear axle.
Why as you move up in the capacity/rating scale of TV’s, the rear GAWR jumps higher. Why half ton’s have many different rear GAWR and higher class starts at 6,000 rear GAWR
Nothing wrong with any pickup class, but just understand that and forget using marketing nomenclature
Also, understand the “corporate component/systems stock room” and is where many think they can guess which parts are needed to increase their ratings. They maybe correct, but that doesn’t change the OEM ratings.
Here is the link to the GM towing guide : https://www.chevrolet.com/truck-life/trailering-and-towing-guide
https://www.chevrolet.com/truck-life/trailering-and-towing-guide
Weird...posting via my iPad has clicky’s not work...
Poke around to see which half ton you like. Plus it has a fairly good glossary of towing terms
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
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