Truck advice on new to me truck

[Sculpin]

One thing to think about in any truck, especially if you go 1/2 ton is the braking ability. Weight is what a lot of us focus on to ensure enough power, but we need to stop as well.

We have a 05 Chev CC 4x4 w/5.3 and had an 18' welded aluminum and she towed it and stopped with little problem. However, when towing my buddies 21' trophy, the power was there, but it sure took a long time to stop, way more than the lighter boat. Disk on the front and drums on the back, the new disks all the way around are probably better.

I would go with the 3/4 ton 6l if you plan on pulling a heavy boat and if you do a lot of pulling; boats, travel trailers etc, then the diesel is the way to go. Also, Gm trucks have the 160000 k drivetrain warranty, so even buying a 1-2 yo truck should get you some warranty.

For work I have a 1/2 Ford and I am lucky if I get 14 mpg on the highway and 10 in the bush; the little motor (4.6) and 4 speed tranny are always trying to find the power band.

Cheers

SS

Great post Ken (nice to see you around sometimes on here). That is what I was trying to get at with the wear and tear on little vehicles towing. The brakes, safety, etc. It seems like some posters are only concerned about how much gas they save. What about the rest of the people on the road? We deserve to be able to travel without being caused harm by others doing things foolishly.

Cheers,
John

 

[Tips Up]

Thanks for input.

I'm driving a 2004 dodge 1500 now with 5.7 hemi.
It will tow your house. Lol.

Like many I have to balance my need to tow on weekends but also commute everyday

My boat is 17.5 ft Double Eagle and my trailer is 21ft (I think) lightweight and I pack around a quad.
So I'm not trailering anything big and don't plan on getting anything bigger anytime soon.

I do not like being under powered so looking at the 5.3 over the 4.8.

Had 4 toyotas before the Dodge and miss them. But family and toys have forced me to 1/2 ton.
Don't feel I need anything bigger for my needs.

Appreciate the input. Thought I would put it out there to get some first hand feed back on a few vehicles.

Tips

 

[SpringVelocity]

I was just saying your advice was kinda funny. This is BC where there are hills EVERYWHERE. Why under power yourself and literally wreck a vehicle? Towing with underpowered vehicles like Pathfinders and small 1/2 ton's constantly over the years will kill the vehicle and make them very non marketable. I guess I'm looking out for the buyer of said vehicle lol. Sure you can do it and if you can get good dollar for it when you sell it great. Not so great for the guy that buy's it from you. I would never do that to someone is all I'm saying .

Yah Yah hills. And again that is why I tow with a 5.3 truck and my trailer has brakes on it. BTW the pathfinder wasn't really that underpowered for a 16 for double eagle on aluminum trailer. It wasn't that hard on it.... A lot of my comments I made were because I know he is towing a smaller double eagle not a 20ft plus boat. So in that case a 4.8 would not be under powered.

 

[Deejray]

Had an 05 silverado with 4.8l. Was ok towing, had tons of tranny issues but never had issue with power or braking. Tranny issues could have been from frequenting logging road/unkept trails.
Now have a 2012 f150 5l. Couldn't be happier. Towing a 20 ft duckworth and pulls/ stops with no issue. Only problem I have with the truck is it tends to hunt a bit around town. Manually limit it to 3rd gear and no issues.
If I did it again I'd go with the ford. Mileage is pretty average, nothing special.

 

[Hookin'up]

I factory ordered mine and the way I wanted
its a 2013 GMC SLT 1500 crew 4x4, I ordered with Max tow and the 403hp 6.2 L9H motor, its the same motor as base vette LS3 with a cam change.
has the heavy duty suspension, full tow package, 373 gears and 6sp auto, and built in brake controller.
same truck as a denalli but it is 4wd rather than AWD and and the gear change,
it tows my 28' travel trailer at 8800 lbs with ease I do use an equalizing hitch with that trailer for the longer hauls,
I also tow my Grady gulfstream which is pushing 10,000lbs, no issues at all with non equalizing hitch on the boat, no rear end sag,
the integrated engine braking system and tow/haul mode make it effortless stopping both trailers
the truck is a rocket loaded or not but is somewhat thirsty
if you can find a used denali they tow like stink but tow capacity is somewhat reduced with the smaller axles.
mine is rated for 10800 or 16800 combined, I believe the denalis are around 9700 off the hitch

 

[rockdog]

I have a great GMC with a duramax diesel for sale

What year, $?

 

[Tips Up]

Anyone own half ton GMC, Chev or ford 2009-2012 who can offer some feedback?

Thanks

 

[leaseman]

I factory ordered mine and the way I wanted
its a 2013 GMC SLT 1500 crew 4x4, I ordered with Max tow and the 403hp 6.2 L9H motor, its the same motor as base vette LS3 with a cam change.
has the heavy duty suspension, full tow package, 373 gears and 6sp auto, and built in brake controller.
same truck as a denalli but it is 4wd rather than AWD and and the gear change,
it tows my 28' travel trailer at 8800 lbs with ease I do use an equalizing hitch with that trailer for the longer hauls,
I also tow my Grady gulfstream which is pushing 10,000lbs, no issues at all with non equalizing hitch on the boat, no rear end sag,
the integrated engine braking system and tow/haul mode make it effortless stopping both trailers
the truck is a rocket loaded or not but is somewhat thirsty
if you can find a used denali they tow like stink but tow capacity is somewhat reduced with the smaller axles.
mine is rated for 10800 or 16800 combined, I believe the denalis are around 9700 off the hitch

I have been leasing/selling trucks since 1979......

If I was to retire now, I would order the above truck! With the 6.2, you have unbelievable power (I am driving a Yukon Denali at present as my company truck)...... fuel isn't really that bad until you play....and with the performance from this engine, you will want to play! Just did a road trip from Surrey down to San Fransisco. did half of the coast drive up and down and pushed a bit on the I-5.....just shy of 3800 kms in 6 days, $540.00 in fuel at an average of roughly $4.00 a US gallon. So roughly 21+ miles per gallon, cruising no problems hitting 25 (yes, you have to be nice!)

Personally, I wouldn't look at the 4.8 if you use the words "tow or "haul"...... If you are looking at a newer gas pod, keep in mind Ram and Ford have a 5 year/100,000 km power train warranty (whichever comes first) while GM offers a 5 year/160,000 warranty......

Unless you are buying new, now isn't that good a time to buy used. With our dollar lower, lots of the "nice" trucks are being bought up and shipped south......

If you do end up looking at a Duramax, don't look at any 03-04 as they had the internal injectors......best truck made IMO, was the older GM's with the 5.3 and the 3.73 gears......

 

[Fisher_dude]

GM went to direct port fuel injection for this years model. A mechanic friend just bought one and has nothing but good things to say about it. Great on fuel and it toes his 5800lb travel trailer with no problems. I know it's not in the year range but if you are concerned about fuel mileage, it gives you something to think about.

 

[Dave S]

Anyone own half ton GMC, Chev or ford 2009-2012 who can offer some feedback?

Thanks

Yep. 1/2 ton 2010 5.3 Sierra. 6 speed auto trans. (Huge bonus IMO) ,towing package, locking diff, 2 wheel drive. 4 door not crew though. Spray on Bedliner. Only 30 k with warranty still. Paid $19k nov 2012.

Rides great. No issues from it. Better mileage than my pathfinder was getting. Tows my 16' arima loaded no problems. I have the 2wd and rear suspension is a little soft when loaded with lumber. But no worries really.

Get on avg 13 ltr per 100km. Mostly city with that avg. 6 speed tranny helps.

 

[SeaWolf]

Look up The Fast Lane truck on Google or Youtube. Great videos of 1/2 tons descending and ascending at elevation in Colorado. I was really impressed with the GM's brake temperatures descending it was like 240 Degrees with 8000-10000 pounds versus Ram at about 800 Degrees. Gives you a good idea what you can expect with a 1/2 ton. Hopefully getting into one of those 2014 GM's shortly.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Graham my buddy has a few years old silverado with the 5.3...You can ask him questions if you want... I can give you his number.... He loves his.... You may have met him at our derby last year... Tows a 21foot Campion victoria with it same as me up down the malahat all the time... He mentioned the shifting was better he had a truck before like mine before....

 

[dmurph]

I have had Toyota sr5, sierra 1500 5.3, silverado 6.0 and now f350 diesel. Toyota is to small, 5.3 drive live a nice fast car but would do truck stuff but braking not the best. The 6.0 silverado was pretty nice more power better braking, both went through wheel berrings. The F350 diesel has savage power and tows anything, but everything cost more. It is addicting to drive though, mine is modded with a tuner. Duramax is nice but expensive and rare for used.

 

[dmurph]

Oh ya, if I was to go back in time a little I would have maybe bought a new gmc gasser as opposed to a used diesel.

 

[Hmmmm]

I have a 2004 Chev 1500 with the 5.3 and haul a 25' travel trailer. If I was in your position looking for a truck I'd be most concerned about the gear ratio in the rear end. I find that the truck pulls ok when I'm at the right RPM but once I fall below the power band I'm pooched. This happens quite often pulling through the mountain passes so I try to keep the revs up as much as possible.

 

[scott craven]

I have a 2004 Chev 1500 with the 5.3 and haul a 25' travel trailer. If I was in your position looking for a truck I'd be most concerned about the gear ratio in the rear end. I find that the truck pulls ok when I'm at the right RPM but once I fall below the power band I'm pooched. This happens quite often pulling through the mountain passes so I try to keep the revs up as much as possible.

Don't you have a "towing function" in your truck ?
usual a button on the end of the shifter to drop the gearing for towing.

 

[SpringVelocity]

yeah there is a tow/haul button on right shifter but 25 feet might be pushing the limit a little on large climbs...

 

[pescador]

Tips, I've got an immaculate 07 Denali Yukon for sale if you're looking for an SUV. 6.2 Litre, 380 HP, 417 Ft lbs of torque, 92,000 KM, with tow mode, brake contoller, 6 speed electronic tranny and all the other tow required gear. No issues with power/gearing (3.40), or brakes towing 7000lbs. Decided to go bigger with the Suburban 2500. pm if interested.

 

[Tips Up]

Cant pack a quad or dead deer in a SUV.
Thanks.

Thanks for all the input on this thread. Some helpful info.

I was settled on a GMC or Chev half ton crew till I found out the box is only 5'8". That's dumb.
Going to have to put more time into test drives and looking.
Just need to find some time between working and fishing.

Tips

 

[sly_karma]

Back at Christmas time I started the process, had similar idea to the OP - newish used crew cab truck for work and towing 20' boat. After a month of looking, I gave up on used and leased a new Chev 1500. There wasn't much to be seen - in the Okanagan anyway. Most trucks in my price range had astonishingly high kms on them, seems like everyone is driving to Alberta and back for work. I had a dollar amount I could afford to pay cash and it seemed I would not find my desired vehicle at that price. Compare interest rates for new vs used, they really do lead toward new. I'll be damned if I'm going to make a payment on used truck, so new it was.

Research online and in Lemon Aid showed the GM to be the pick of the 2014 crop, Dodge close behind provided you buy a diesel. I didn't want diesel and GM had 0% finance or lease, so that was that. I went on the GM website, 'built' the truck with the options I wanted, and then saved the build sheet and emailed it to a dozen interior dealerships with some further details and a request for their everything in, on-the-road price. I declined to answer about about lease/finance/cash and trade/no trade, just give me the bottom line price. Got 10 offers inside 48 hours, rejected a couple because they weren't exact match to build sheet. Prices varied from MSRP to $10,500 less. Local dealer quickly agreed to match the low bid and that was that. Spent an hour at the dealership arranging the lease and insurance and drove it away. No pressure sell, no three-way between you, the sales guy and the finance manager. It's a pretty simple way to buy, you just get a flurry of emails during the period bids are open. I know I wouldn't have been ballsy enough to make an in-person offer that was 25% below MSRP.

Chev with 5.3L V8 hauls my boat just fine. The 2014s are redesigned, some small but useful goodies worth looking at for boaties and towing. Huge screen for back up camera, gets me to the boat hitch within half an inch. Steps in the bumper corners and handholds in rails, much easier to get in truck bed. LED lights under the rails, built-in trailer brake controller is a $300 option, about the same money as after market plus it's already installed in the dash (not under the dash where your knee hits it...). Best feature is Auto mode 4WD - normally rear wheel but 4WD kicks in if needed. Like AWD for the highway but still can shift to proper 4WD for the bush. Fuel mileage is somewhat close to factory claims, I'm getting 15.0 L/100 km in town and 10.5 on the highway (GM advertises 13.5 and 9.0). Still very respectable numbers for a 4000+ lb truck, especially compared to 8-10 years ago. In the re design, GM did a lot of work on road noise, and it shows, this thing is whisper quiet. Under the hood and body there is a lot of sound deadening material. About my only complaint is the big clunky pillars either side of the windshield. I know they're big because of the airbags but they cut visibility in some situations.

PM if you have questions.