My last 2 trucks have been a 2500HD and a 3500HD DRW with the duramax in each one. I’m considering switching to a 2015 or newer 2500HD with the gas 6.0 and was wondering how it tows. My boat currently weighs in around 13k. I don’t plan towing a lot with it, just enough to get to the lake and back. I’m pretty much done with towing, just need something to get me through a couple months. My DRW is a rough ride to work and want to switch back to the SRW 2500 ride.

I'd go with a 2500 SRW long bed diesel if I were you.

I don't think you need a dually.

It will do fine. I hauled our 37 AT all over with my 2500 6.0. Make sure you find one with 4.10 gears though.

I have a 2016 Silverado 3500 as my work truck at the marina I work at. I tow all the time with it and all over the place. (Longest tow is New York to Florida and back.) It has the 6.0 liter gas motor and I have no problem with the motor. The damn transmission on the other hand … Getting it to upshift and hold a higher gear is a total PITA. On the Florida trip I mentioned, I was towing a 22' twin tube pontoon boat with a 150 HP outboard on a tandem axle bunk trailer. One would think that a relatively light load like that (even though it had a decent amount of aerodynamic drag) wouldn't tax the truck too much. Wrong. Even feather footing the throttle wouldn't coax the thing to upshift and hold a higher gear for miles on end. And let me tell you, 3,500 - 4,000 RPM gets real tiring, real soon. I tried Tow / Haul mode, manually trying to shift the transmission and everything else I could think of. Sometimes it worked (briefly) and other times I just had to wait for the next downhill section. I averaged 7 MPG.

When I got back, I asked my boss about it and he said every 6.0 liter gas motor he's driven did the same thing. Not so with the diesels he's driven. Oh well, that's my 2 cents.

I have been towing with a 2500 Duramax since 2008. Prior to purchasing my current 2016, I considered switching to a gas. We have a Chevy dealership in the family and the consensus was I'd be extremely disappointed going from the diesel to a gasser. The torque is like day & night. The issue with todays trucks is they are trying to eek out the most gas mileage so the trans is constantly trying to stay in the optimal RPM range. Hence the non-stop shifting. The 6.0 will certainly tow just fine, but if you're used to the Duramax/Allison, you will not love the gasser. My 2016 D-Max is amazing.

Ultimately I decided to go with a new Ram 2500 with the 6.4 and 4.10 gears. Night and day between that and my old 2001 2500HD 6.0. GM sucks hind tit when it comes to the 3/4 ton gas. Should have never axed the 8.1 option. No one is buying 2500 and 3500 trucks for gas mileage.

I keep saying I'm going to sell this 8.1/Allison, but I can't bring myself to do it.










Member "Cignificant" went from a 2000 7.3L PSD Ford F350 CC LB 4x4 DRW to a 2017? 6.0 2500HD Chevy CC SB. He says he loves it. He has a 5th wheel RV and a 33' Donzi ZX that he tows now, and says the truck is perfect for his needs.