Fountain Hauler question
 

May be a newb question but I can handle the flaming.

I have a 2012 GMC Sierra 5.3 crew. May trade in for new Escalade. Whats the biggest fountain I can pull with the 5.3 or 6.2.

normally no more than 3-4 hrs to lake. Thanks guys...

Assuming you are going to use the SUV to fill it with passengers and luggage, which subtracts from your GCWR, probably a 29' Fountain Single.

This one....

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o53310-en.html

We've got an '03 Chevrolet 3500 Crew Cab Dually to pull our 35'. It's probably a little overkill, but gas mileage and towability are great. You can't even tell the boat is behind the truck, even when windy.

If you go to Cadis website

The escalade 6.2 can pull 8100-8200lbs the ext is is around 7200lbs. According to the website 6.2 is all you can get.

29 with twins weigh around 7k with trailer 9500-10k lbs, a single take 500lbs off of that. A 27 fever probably around 6 plus 2500lbs trailer. So with Cadis you would be technically over weight, but I am sure its done and can be done. But put 4-6 people in that truck with gear boat with full fuel your probably going 2000lbs over weight. Remember every can of coke you throw into the truck counts against you. So if your truck can tow 10k and you got 4 250lbs people you can should only tow 9,000. Then factor in your tongue weight of at least 600lbs, those cadis would be way over loaded at least in accordance with the law and manufactures specs.


What I would recommend is the new silverado or the Ford Ecoboost both with a crew cab can tow 11,200lbs with 4x4. And if luxury is what you want, an LTZ or the Ford lariat or the Platinum is just as nice as a cadi, cadi just has the badges at that point.


With that said and what the cadi can pull i wouldnt have a boat over 25foot which means your out of the Fountain game. The two options I provided I would and do tow a 29 and could probably get away with a 32.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]507094[/ATTACH] you can tow a 42 no problem :lolhit:

Remember it isn't always about what it will tow. You have to stop, Pull steep grades, Pull the boat up the boat ramp when the motor and transmission are cold from sitting. Brake when some butt head pulls out in front of you and being comfortable on the long hauls. Lighter trucks can be alittle squirrely and always running your truck at it limits isn't good either. Dont forget a tire that can handle the wieght+. (They don't put V-6s in Mack trucks).

I'm pulling my 29 with twins with a '06 Chevy 3500 Crew cab dually 4x4 its total overkill, but all the money in my boat and rig I like the piece of mind.

I tow a 1990 38 Fountain with my 1997 Chevy K3500 Dually 4x4. Boat and trailer weigh around 14k lbs full of fuel. This past weekend, headed south going home, with very gusty winds, couldn't even tell the boat was back there from a stability standpoint.

Keep in mind, in the 1997 Truck brochure, the max recommended trailer weight for my truck was 10k lbs. So, you tell me, based on mechanical knowledge, forget whats in commercials, or brochures, what would handle my boat better? My current dually with a big block vortec, HD cooling system, external oil cooler, big 4L80 transmission, big driveshaft and spicer 1350 u-joints, GM 14 bolt rear axle, dual rear wheels with E rated tires, beefy leaf springs, a HD Curt Class V hitch, huge rear drums with 3.5'' wide shoes, hydroboost brake system, and so on. Or, a escalade. According to the brochures you'll be just fine. According to your asss, you wont be.

Its pretty funny how in 1997 you needed a one ton dually to tow 10k lbs safely. Now, you can do it with a 1/2 ton, with BS tires, weak drivetrain, and soccer mom suspension. Your trailer should never make you white knuckled or borderline $hitting your pants when towing down the road. If it does, you need more truck, or less boat.

I dont think the OP was asking to tow a 38ft boat with a 1/2 ton escalade. If it were me and I was towing a 38ft boat it would be behing at a minumum 1 ton SRW.

But the breaks, suspension, drive train in the new 1/2 tons are not what they were in 1997 my friend. New half tons have 20-25%% more power than 1997 chevy did, weigh 1000lbs more. That 1000lbs has to go into something. Not to mention things like disc brakes on all 4 tires are standard, trans coolers are on most of them the list goes on. Heck even my half ton has a CL V hitch on it. Every truck has it place, and you should tow with whats comfortable, legal, and safe. But this fallacy of a 1/2 is good for jet skis is wrong, and those people that think that havent been behind the wheel of a newer truck. Im not saying a 1/2 tows better than a diesel, it doesnt, but better is in the eye of beholder. I've owned two diesels in the last 4 years both 3/4 tons towed great. But I now use the half ton and with what I need to tow I wouldnt look back, the maint, the diesel, the MPG, the ride quality. A gas 1/2 ride great and is a get in go, no fiddling with glow plugs, addatives, etc etc. Now if I were to go bigger in my toys you bet ya Id be in a diesel again, but for me the 1/2 market can adequately satisfy my needs . And if the manufactures books are lying then shame on them, because then we have no way to know whos right and whats better at towing and whats not.

But I understand this theory of diesel, dually, diesel, dually. I grew up in it to where anything over 5-6k needed a diesel thats the way it was, I remember the 1993 van towin the travel trailer with both windows down and heat blasting. But really these days if you look into what the new trucks are made of and what spec the parts are and actually tow with one you would be surprised. You can say that with all classes even the bigger trucks my 08 F250 had 350/650 torque could tow over 13 grand, I would take that before a dually like yours any day. One last thing is not everybody has just a tow vehicle, my truck drives me to work as well, so it has to fit multiple roles.

I have a 2012 Sierra 1500 with the 5.3L (I should of added sorry) and it pulls my 23ft crownline open bow no problem obviously. I was looking at a new Escalade but that's not going to be big enough I'm guessing.

But I am buying a fountain and really want a 35 or bigger so looks like I'm going to need a Diesel.

Thanks guys for the help.

I had a F250 Superduty King Ranch diesel. Yes, it had more engine power. But as far as towing on the highway at 65-70mph, my current 97 tows WAY better. With the single rear wheel on windy days, the boat would blow the truck around. I can care less how fast I get to 60mph with my boat behind me. Try driving a class 8 semi scaling at 80k+ lbs. See how fast you can get to 60mph. Big difference is, that truck will last a million miles plus, and you can run it to California from new York at 80k lbs without breaking a sweat behind the wheel.

I drive a semi for a living, and have towed just about every size boat, with several different trucks/suvs, big enclosed recreational trailers, etc.

People assume disc brakes are superior for stopping power. Wonder why Big Kenworths, Peterbilts, Volvos, etc, are still using big drum brakes. Main advantage to disc's is they run cooler.

According to the brouchure, our Jeep Grand Cherokee overland can tow something like 8500lbs. I would NOT want to tow a 27 Fountain with it.

The original poster is looking at a Escalade, and wants to know what size boat will be comfortable and what not, for 3-4 hour trips back and forth to the lake. So, to answer that, and just my opinion, is a 27FT Fountain. The 2013 Escalade has a GCWR of 14,000 lbs. Curb weight of a new truck, is 5700 lbs. 4 People, some luggage, cooler, etc, your looking at a curb weight probably around 7,000. So that leaves about 7,000 lbs for a trailer. I wouldn't be shocked to see even a single engine 27 Fountain with a steel trailer and full tank of gas, exceed that.

Now If you havent had performance before I might suggest a 29 or 32 to tackle first. going from a 23ft open bow to a 35 plus cuddy with two engines and 2-3 times the power if not more is going to be a big difference in cost, maint, handling, insurance. Dont know how old your crown is but the days of boat insurance costing 2-300 a year are over with. My 225 crown had a 75 gallon tank and could go all day at least and sometimes multiple days. Fountain like that your talking 100 plus gallons, $500 plus fill ups that will not last all day if your running, your talking about using 60-80 gallons per hour at full throttle. annual fluid changes are 150 bucks or so. Insurance depending on age is probably somewhere between 1000-2000 a year. So just keep this all in mind, dont know your background, budget etc. But that 35 ft fountain or bigger is easily going to cost you twice the amount of money to run and maintain if not 3-4 times the amount than that crown. Good luck on your boat and truck purchase.

You could get a Ford Super Duty with the Diesel. Fully loaded Lariat is less than base price of an Escalade. Go test drive one I will bet you like it just as much as an Escalade. Plus save some money on truck, you have some $ sitting around for unexpected repair of boat.

I hear ya. If a 29 twin weighs 7 dry, you have to think minus one engine, and two feet at most is a thousand, so I would think with trailer some fuel your well over the cadi mark. But if you towed an hour or less to the ramp, ehh its probably doable. Semi application is a different ball game, its millions of miles vs some tom dick and harry driving 10's of thousands of miles. Breaks on a semi are drum more or less due to the fact that drums are cheaper than rotors, and imagine the caliper that would have to go in there, so its more of an engineering thing than anything. My friend is a truck driver, has to have a diesel four wheeler, owned a 2009 now has a 2013 F450 lariat to tow 4 sleds, lol. So trust me I hear it all the time from him, lol.

Like I said, having owned a newer diesel F250 SRW, and this 97 Dually, I'll take the 97. Similar mpg towing, slightly worse than the diesel by about 1-2mpg, but then again im towing a boat with blown 800hp engines. Fuel is what it is. Trust me, this truck doesn't struggle up hills, doesn't overheat, or anything like that. I towed my 14k lb boat back from Wisconsin this past sunday, it was 95 degrees out, and we had the a/c on full blast, temp gauge stays cool even in bumper to bumper Chicago traffic. The truck will easily pull at 80mph all day if I chose to.

Im probably not winning any popularity contests as far as having a "cool" tow rig. Then again, im not towing a new Outerlimits or Nor-tech. Its a 1990 Fountain. I feel the rig is a good match for what I have. Don't need a 65k dollar truck to tow a 35k dollar boat.

My single weighs 7K# loaded on a steel trailer. I've towed it with three different Denali's XL, same drive line as the Caddy, 6.2 AWD. Those vehicles did great aorund town and on the road to Lake Travis and Texoma. I decided to make a change this time and got a LTZ Avalanche 5.3.....Nice truck for sure BUT it doesn't get the job done towing the 272 anything close to the Denali's. I wouldn't take it down 35 to Travis. The boat wags it around bigtime on the highway, even with air bags.

I use a 05 Duramax 2500 for road trips these days. Pulling home from Orange Beach/Destin this year I got 13 MPG at 75 MPH and couldn't even feel the boat. Much more comfortable towing behind the wheel than the Avalanche.

nice rig, for the age both look good. My 29 is a 91 and looks about brand new as well, minus my trailer has some battle scars, lol.

Thanks! My Myco is a 1989. Just been repainted red/white. Was black.

Damn awesome info bro. This is the reply I was looking for on the next thread I havent started. I know its a huge difference. Fact is I'm looking for something I can stay in. I don't want to deal with swapping out boats again. I have a customization problem lol.

I towed my 212 Baja one time with an escalade and could not to get where I was going. The shift points were terrible, stopping was terrible, mpg was horrendous, and the boat pushed the "truck" all over the place. I would keep looking.

While we're on this topic.. I don't own a trailer but someone I know is willing to make one available to me occasionally so that I can take my boat to poker runs, etc. What would I need to pull a 38' Fountain Lightning (approx 9,000 lbs dry weight)...

Your 38 with a trailer even Aluminum is probably 11k not including Fuel. In my opinion you need a dually, or 3/4 ton at a min.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/t...uch-truck.html


Read this before you tow with a under rated vehicle.

I hear ya. Depending on what you mean on staying. Is it just you and an old lady, kids, one night here and there, whole weekends? I mean a night here and there or even a Friday and Saturday the 29-32s will be serviceable, but not great. 35-42 will give you a lot more specially the 42, but even a 35-38 fountain is still fountain and fountains are not known for great camping out rigs. Another model to maybe look at is the Formula SS they make them in from 25ft all they through the high 30;s, very heavy and have a wide beam, high 30ft range is probably not going to be a fun trailerable thing to do.

You can always get older fountains even a 35 or 42 cans be found for under 50k if they are older.

Just to give you a few specs the 35 ft fountains fuel tank is around 160 x 4 dollars plus for premium gallons depending on year. Each engine is 8 qts of oil each drive is 3 qts plus. Bigger boats are going to have triple axle trailers which means 6 tires to replace, brakes the whole works. With a boat the size of a 35ft with the trailer your going to need a space that is roughly 42ft long and 12 foot wide to store it. Many guys tow big boats like this, but it gets unwieldy to some, and they dock it which is probably 2-3 grand for the summer maybe more in some areas.

I went from a 08 Diesel to a 2011 1/2 ton F150 the cost savings with fuel, registration and insurance is close to 4 grand a year, yes the insurance and reg is cheaper on the newer truck. So if throw out the capital investment of a new truck its going to run you 3-4k a year just to drive a diesel compared to your chevy.


If it were me get a 29 or 32 they can be had in great shape for 25-35k. See if you like it and after a year sell or trade and move up without much of a loss in the wallet. Your going to find in the performance world throwing a fishing line over board, tubing with kids, storage, is not the flavor of the day, its either impossible or real pain in the but. On a fountain depending on size its going fit 6 maybe 8 people in the cock pit tops, and its nuts to butt and one person moves over so the other can get up or get through.


Don't take this as I am talking you out of it, im not I own a fountain. Just a lot people sit from the beach or pier and see a hot boat that's loud with hot women on the sun deck(yes its nice) and that's all they see. I suggest whatever you buy take a look at the boat, sit it in with a few people. Just know that if your looking for a boat that will be good for water sports, a little fishing, having tons of people on comfortably this really isn't the boat.

And I truly mean it a boat like this will run you double most likely triple, then if you add in the cost of a truck to tow it, it can be a lot. But the boats are fun as hell and totally worth it.

I would agree and something that size your probably closer to 12 grand. 3/4 ton diesel would do it fine. But if your talking long trips tons of gear and people in the truck Id go dually

I think a 38 is more then 9k. Advertised dry on a 35 was 9500 or 9800 for the last ones.

As for the trailer my myco steel dual axel is 1800lbs ( 32 fever) That info is straight from myco.

2006 38 Lightning on Aluminum Myco tri-axle is 12,500 to 14K depending on load in boat. No way I would attempt pull with a 1/2 ton.

I can relate to what the OP is looking at...

I originally had a Crownline 225. Boat and trailer were right around 6k and I towed it with a Z71 Tahoe. The Tahoe could handle the load but the 5.3 didn't have the power and I struggled with grades to and from the lake let alone some of the local ramps. Downshifting, terrible mileage, and soft ride.

I moved up to a 288 Sunsation. The sunny had a 700lb heaver layup and the trailer was aluminum versus steel. All-in-all, the new setup weighed out at 500lb more (appx) than what the old boat was. Crowns have a heavy layup for their size.

While the Tahoe was within "spec" for being able to handle the Sunny, there was never enough truck in front of the boat for what I felt was safe and necessary to travel with.

I looked at everything on the market. Landed on Ecoboost and the new 6.7. For the money, I liked what the F250 Lariat with a 6.7 offered as far as ability but also loved the looks of the truck. Ended up finding a slick deal on a '11 F250 Lariat I couldn't pass up.

Looking back, I would never want to tow a 25ft+ boat with a half ton. Period. Ecoboost or not. Take into the consideration the overall footprint of a half ton vs a 3/4 or 1 ton. Put the trucks side by side and you'll be blown away at the difference. My girlfriend has a '13 King Ranch Ecoboost and it looks like a Cadillac next to the 250.

Think family, safety, comfort, and overall objectives and you'll end up going for a bigger truck. Also, I've learned that I have never had a regret with going larger as I have always wished I'd gone bigger when I hadn't.

Just my .02 from having moved from a similar setup and having similar questions as you have with your OP.

Well written and good advice. But I wouldnt corner yourself on length, but more or less weight. Some 25s out there weigh as much as 22's or 28 and so on. The key factor like you said is what you were comfortable with can afford and is legal. Where I started with a crown 225CCR as well, towed it with the 07 silverado 1500, to me personally thought it was fine not going to win any race, then again I have been towing travel trailers and boats since 16. I then got a 07 F250 6.0 power stroke towed the crown once or twice, mainly got the truck in preperation for the Fountain I was going to get, and Ill be frank again for me at least the truck was way over kill and a waste for a 22ft boat that weighed around 5k with trailer was it nice sure, necessary ehh IDK.

So I bought the fountain weighs 95-10k, towed it with the 07 F250 no issue towed nice. This is now 2010, wife went to car shopping and while I was there saw an 08 F250 6.4 same thing as my 07 black XLT extended cab, 4x4 etc. Saw the price tag 30k, looked at miles 14k miles on it, got to asking about it and warranty and what not, truck was not sold until may of 2009, so it was really one year old, carfax was clean. Well the 07 didnt come home that day, changed my payment by 5 bucks, and only thing that was stupid was the 08 had 17 in steel rims which for a grand I found 18in lariat rims and put new rubber on. Either way that was a marked difference in power between the 08 and 07, handling about the same but the 6.4 was much more power


Anyways towed the fountain for a year and half with these diesels, my trip is 26 miles one way to the river and 38 miles to the lake, which is 99% of my towing. But the truck was also the daily driver and the double swipe $150 fill ups got old once a week sometimes twice. So I pulled the trigger on the eco, I'll admit I was very scared on that purchase, didnt know what it was going to be like. Bought in late 2011 and drove it all winter until the big day in the spring. I felt bittersweet as this new truck is going to cost me or save me. Either way Hooked up and havent looked back. Perfect world would I rather have the diesel, yes and no, for towing yes, for all around use, no because they are hard to park, hard to find fuel sometimes, oil and fuel filters suck, and they ride like a brick. But for what I do is the towing capability that much diminished, ehh IDK, but enough to make a difference in what I do, probably not. But I will say this I did tow the boat on a 600 mile one way trip last year. Cruise set at 68 I got 12.6 and 13.8mpg there and way back respectively. Truck did not like going over 70 Ill admit that, but even when I had a F250 I went 65 so again nothing lost there for me. So for long trips I would not want to be in a 1/2 ton thats honesty, and a long trip on a load like that to me 3-4 hours or more. But with a load that weighed 6-7 grand Id tow it to hell and back with that eco. This winter partial blizzard drove to clevelend 500 miles with a 26ft enclosed v nose unladen 3900lbs moved some guy back here had to be 2-3k in gear, whole trailer was full. Got 14.6 empty and 14.4 full and I could have written a book while towing.

Would I reccomend the eco bost to tow over 11k, NOPE, would I reccomend a novice to use the ECO and tow at its upper limits, NOPE, would I reccomend it for the guy that wants to load a wheeler in the back, hook up to a 30ft boat, put 4 people in there and camping gear, NOPE. But it works me, will it work for everybody, no. But throw out the capital cost in buying the trucks, on a one year basis the eco saves me roughly $4 grand. And for vehicle that is going to tow 12 times a year and has to drive me to work the other 350, diesel was not adding up anymore just wasnt. Guys can say they have a tuner and get 20mpg doing this, but with the upcharge on diesel, initial investment of the vehicle, and costly maint, do the math on ownership cost you lose every time, BUT thats fine your buying the diesel for its capability, and people say the same thing about my eco why pay that for something that gets the same if not less than other half tons, I say lets hooks up to something and you drive, then you will know. Im not arguing an eco is better than a diesel its not, its impressive and if you tow with one you will be surprised. But there are lots of misconceptions on 1/2 tons 3/4 tons etc. You dont need a F450 to tow a row boat, but you shouldnt be towing 35 foot boats with old tahoes(yes I have seen it). The newer trucks in the last 4-5 years have made huge strides specially the 1/2 market, you look at the suspension, brakes, towing equipment they are vastly improved then what they were 10 years ago.


As many have said as well as myself. You have to figure out a budget for boating, what you want to spend total, that means tow vehicle. Then look at operating cost, once you figure that out go to the manufactures website to figure out what model suits your needs and can safely do what you need it do. Lots of good advice in here, better than most forums, but if one were to listen to everybodys advice in here, well I lets just say I would hate to see it, lol. But I will agree with having more than what you need is good practice, now determining how much more is in the eye of the beholder.

I have an 03 Navigator, and i use it to put my 29 twin in at my neighborhood ramp ( about 1/4 mile each way from my garage). it does great for that. I would not even dream of taking it out on the road with it however. I would not tow any boat larger than 27 single with 1/2 ton suv. IMHO as a mechanic the 1/2 ton suv breaks barely suffice for day to day driving and are not suited for towing a lawn mower. just my $.02.

I just bought a 99 32 this year. I had a yukon that I towed with at the start of the season but just upgraded to a 06 2500hd GMC 6.0. This truck does a great job! I will be headed to cumberland next week and i'm looking forward to the trip down knowing that i have a safer truck to tow with.

Also if you are upgrading your boat I would look into a 32 being that it is still a easy boat to handle at the dock and ramp but gives you the room that you need to stay on. It also is no slouch when it come to performance with a pair of 502's. They also handle the water well for a 32' boat and are a stable platform to learn on. I've run alot of high performance boats over the years and this boat has not disappointed me at all!

Obviously you guys haven't seen the Toyota commercial, if it can pull the space shuttle a 10K pound boat should be no problem. lol

I cant tell you how many times I have had friends look shocked when I tell them I tow my boat with a Gas powered dually. They act as if you can only tow trailers with diesels.

Many people forget, that these new powerhouse turbo diesels only been around about 10 years or so. Don't get me wrong, they have amazing power. But, Back in the 80', and 90's, they did in fact make large offshore boats. In the mid 90's, if you were getting a New Top Gun, 42 Fountain, 38 Sonic, etc, chances are, your best bet was a big block gas dually. The diesels were absolute turds back then. They only came into the picture from a fuel economy standpoint. Loud, stinky, and power output sucked.

I guess what I am saying is this. Rather than try to budget in a "NEW'' tow vehicle that's borderline capable of towing your boat, why not get a older cheaper truck that is capable, and then get a daily driver. My dually is there when I wanna go boating, or have to haul something. Other than that, I drive my sedan or Grand Cherokee.

I tow a 29 single with a 2011 f150 5.0 373. Tows the boat effortlessly on a dual axle trailer. Also I have no brake controller. Still tows ust fine. If you get a half ton truck with max tow, they have come a long way last five years. All of the big three are rated for around 11k lbs. That's not to shabby.

My 32' Fountain SFC weighs 8,600 with a half tank of gas, boat sits on a Loadmaster steel trailer. Everything is pulled with a dodge Ram V-10. Although towing power and truck load is important the braking capability of the trailer is most important to me.
ed

Add airbags to the rear and tow what you want . As long as you have good electric
brakes and use common sense you are fine.

My truck is also my daily driver. I wouldn't mind an ECO and really didn't want to switch to a dually diesel. They were giving the '12 Sierras SLT2 away last year. About $7k less for me personlly than a Lariat or King Ranch with rebates and better interest rate from GMS Financial.. I don't know what some of you guys are saying because there is some conflicting comments on here but I do appreciate all of the info and feedback.

I can tell you without a doubt my '12 GMC 1500 with 24in wheels and tires will drag and stop this 23ft Crownline 85mph back and forth to Cumberland like its not even there (at 9mpg lol). I figured I could get a 32ft done with the new Cadi 6.2 because I seen a ton of the down at Jamestown. I really like the Denali and Escalade lines because of business purposes. I dry dock my boat during the week on the river and if I go to the lake I just stop and get it. I only run down there 5-8 times a year. So for the other 46weeks I like to ride in style.

With new technology I was hoping to get to 32ft+ with an Escalade but it really sounds like I am capped at 27 or 32 with a 6.2L gas truck correct? Aluminum trailer obviously?

32feet and trailer is going to put you well over the mark for the 6.2 in the escalade. 27 would be close but probably doable. But pretty simple look at the factory rating which I think we said was 8100 on the cadi, which boat and trailer on a 32 are going to hover close to 10 grand in weight. Will it do it sure, if it were me and I was talking running down the street I would do it, but if I had to haul on the highway I would not be towing with something that is 2000lbs over the rating. If you could find a single 29, that might work, but still going to run around 9 grand with trailer.

The chevy line can tow 11,200 in crew cab and so can the eco, get the LTZ model or the Platinum in the eco, plenty of style and comfort, and you could tow a 32foot boat all day long.

You can get all kinds of opinions what tows the best and what not. But look at the ratings of the tow vehicle and look at the weights of the boat, then add roughly 2500lbs for a trailer. Then pick what you can afford and are comfortable with, legal is also important. I know guys will say insurance this and that and theyll hammer you, never seen it myself, but I would hate to wad up a 60k truck and 60k boat along with somebody elses vehicle or kill somebody and have them find out my truck was 2-3 grand over its limits.

my 29 with twins weighs 7 grand dry, add 300-400 for the 32. Fuels oils and liquids, say half tank of fuel at roughly 400lbs, your talking probably 8 grand out the door for a 32, plus 2-2500 for the trailer, 35 foot fountain add least another 400 on top of that, and so on. So you should be able to make your own decision what you need to do, but I think the conensus is an escalde and towing something over 30ft is a no go.

I have a 94 32' Fever it sits on a Loadmaster triple axle aluminum trailer. I pull it with a 05 Crew Cab 2500 GMC Duramax. It pulls it like it is not even back there. Gets 14mpg if I keep it under 80. lol. I have had several 2500 and 1500HD GM trucks with the 6.0 gas motor in them. Most of them have been set up for towing too. Cold air kits, exhaust, custom tunes, etc.. the LS based motors have tons of power and will do the job but nothing will do it like a late model diesel in a truck with bigger brakes and better suspension. Buy a Denali 2500 diesel used with low miles and rock on. I have pulled my old Baja 272 with a buddies Denali SUV it did not like it. Just my 2 cents.