Considering Chevy 2500HD tow vehicle

[berns29scarab]

i'm looking in the same market...except i'm looking a little older...late 90's i dont want the 6.5 chevy..so its between a 99 ram 2500 xtra cab or a f-250 with the 7.3...i know the cummins gets killer gas mileage.

[berns29scarab]

i'm tryin not to spend to much on a truck because it will only be driven 5-6000 miles per year due to the fact that i have a company car and looking to possibly buy a cat

[augie58]

hey sydwayz

could you elaborate about the air bags on the rear of the truck and the benefits. I sell gmc's and like to explain the benefits to my buddies.

thanks

[Smitty]

What you really need to do is check the GVWR rating. I was going to buy an F-250, but if I get stopped when pulling my boat which is 11,000 lbs on the trailer, I would be over the max weight. I ended going with an F-350 single rear wheel. With that setup I can tow up to 12,500 and not be in trouble with the cops. I know alot of you guys tow well over the ratings but I have a buddy who was stopped when pulling his enclosed car trailer and he was over the max limit and he ended up spending like 800.00 in fines and court time.
Just something to consider. They do make tow raings for a reason.

[Formula Outlaw]

Another thing to consider is the INSURANCE FACTOR. If you are in an accident towing something, the very FIRST thing the insurance company will check is if what you were towing exceeds the factor tow vehicle rating. If it does, your insurance is void. No questions asked. Done deal. I had to upgrade to my 01' Dodge 2500 which has a tow rating of 12,600 lbs.

I went out and drove all the Big Three diesels about two weeks ago just to check the new trucks out.

The Allison trans is just wonderful.

The Cummings HO is the best motor and the quietest.

I just won't spend what is basically 50K for a friggin truck. So I'll keep my gas hog V-10 Dodge, which I refer to as the Exon Valdez.

[Sydwayz]

Air bags... a lot of folks here on OSO run them. Two major brands are Air Lift and Firestone.

I have Air Lift 1000s on my second truck, separate air fill fitting for each bag, no on board compressor. (Separate fittings are important. If you have one air fill fitting split to both bags, and if you have a load in the bed of your truck, that shifts in transit, the air bags can disperse air from one side of the truck to the other, and put you in an off camber situation. If you are using them for towing either a tag along, or gooseneck/fifth-wheel, your weight should be evenly set on the center of the long axis of your truck, you can get away with a single air fitting for both, however, its just as easy to have too, and safer in my opinion.) I have the air fill fittings (just like a tire valve stem) 'hidden' as now being my rear upper license plate bolts (pretty trick) and others hide the fittings inside the gas cap drilled into the plastic housing.

When you are not towing, you basically now have an adjustable anti-sway bar for the back of your truck. It really helped make both my trucks (previous 1500 Tahoe and currenty 2500 Avalanche) handle better. Firestones have to be kept at 5 lbs.min.at all times; Air Lifts are 10 lbs.min. at all times... to keep from creasing. Even when I put the boat away for the winter, I leave them at 30 lbs. per side just for the extra support and anti-sway, especially in a winter fish-tail situation.

Towing, it gets rid of any squat the truck has when the trailer is attached. I am also running a weight distributing hitch, which makes towing really nice. Everyone buys their truck on towing capacity but never really factors in their cargo when towing either. By the time you load up your 3 coolers, 2 suitcases, 2 toolboxes, and 4 people in the cab, your truck has a lot of weight in the truck itself. The airbags really help distribute that weight from the trucks factory suspension, to a very capable weight transfer (airbags) to the frame.

Some more info:

Dually or SRW?

Air Bags...Done.



Also, OSO member Troutly is a wealth of information knowing both the law about towing and just about every spec for every truck in his head.

[fountain1fan]

dodge 2500 two cap is 12900 lbs how munch does your boat weight . if you wount it to ride like a car get thechey i love the ride of my dodge it doesen't sag like the cheys with weight in the bed no air bags need . robbie

[jdnca1]

Love Mine......

[thedonz]

tested the chevy and the ford today....the chevy dropped when I got on the back gate, I think air bags are a must....it also drives more like a car and has a smaller turning radius...

the ford had a chip...and had a boost gauge????????....it felt more like a truck too.....I liked the interior more on the ford.....but the fact it had a chip and boost gauge worries me a little.......decisions, decisions

[ofshore]

thedonz, I whould definately not buy a truck that already had a chip installed unless you knew the previous owner well enough to know he/she didn't abuse the truck, I think your just asking for problems.