3500hd
 

check out tow rating: http://www.gmc.com/sierra900/1500/index.jsp

make sure to change to 3500HD

So let me get this straight.....you have a gvw of about 30g with a f 350....you must have made a mistake coming in here with this nonsense...:rolleyes:

cxt
 

Well, I didn't want to cause trouble here, and I am certainly not bringing nonsense. I am just saying that the truck is capable, I have used it for this purpose on more occasions than I could recall. Three cars is a lot less strain that is for sure, but keep an eye out on the highways for people using the three to four car haulers. They are almost always a one ton dually. Sometimes they use the bigger trucks but most are not. I see transporters moving cars from our local auctions all the time with this configuration so I know that I am not alone. My point is if you are using the truck as your daily driver and just using it for towing the big boat on the weekends, you should be fine in a one ton. My boat is a 30' foot cat and I use a SRW 3500. It handles without a problem. Eight more feet wouldn't change my opinion. Believe me, if money was not an object I certainly wouldn't object to towing my boat with http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-20...s-1024x768.jpg
But that is not the case for me.

Bla<bla

That math doesn't add up.

The truck weighs about 6500. Unless his trailer weighs 8500 lbs, he's going to come up a little short. Average car is closer to 3200 lbs. I'd bet on a scale it weighs around low 20's.

5th wheel makes a world of difference.

HUGE difference.

I don't know what boat you're talking about but unless it's an oldie, it probably weighs half of the boat that was the object of the original poster. If you recall, he asked about towing a boat in the range of an Apache 41, Tiger or something similar.

Keep in mind, towing something twice as big isn't twice as difficult, it's exponentially diffcult. You can't just double your boat's horsepower and go twice as fast,. It works the same way.



It's not personal- nobody's after you. We've just had way too many people pass through this forum with ridiculous, irresponsible ideas about what will PROPERLY get the job done when towing a boat. Some folks figure that if information and advice is written here, it must be true. There are alot of people now in here and in other forums who are attempting to get responsible information out to people who need it. We want to make our sport a cleaner, safer one. Whether it's responsible towing or drinking & boating, over the last couple years, I think we've changed a couple minds.

If you were to go back & read some of the posts from the last 2 years, you'd see more than a few that contained the words "I'm not going far and I'm always really careful" as a justification for towing a 14,000 boat with an F150. Then there are so many others that essentially say that they can't afford the proper, legal tow rig because the boat was already too expensive or they only do it several times a season and don't want to deal with a dually or a 450 or a medium, even though that's what the job calls for.

Every time a boat crashes, on or off the water, my insurance rates go up. And, every insurer gets one step closer to lowering their underwriting guidelines or dropping the business altogether.

Power should be better on the 4500's this year. GM now offers a 330hp/620tq duramax for the first time as an option. I think the old power was 300/520 or less depending on year.

Well here is what I came up with.I have my Excursion sold (gets picked up next week I hope).I am going to buy a 1999 F350 4x4 PSD.I know they are rated at about 12,000 and my set up is about 13k but I have seen this towed with trucks lighter than even my excursion.Beside,yeah an f250 SRW may have as good or better towing capacity,but how the hell is it going to be SAFER than a DRW truck?.That being said I would like to step up to a larger truck maybe in a year or so when the funds are available ( a C45004x4 or F450-F550 4x4). Its just this boat that is bleeding me right now-60k for thr boat,35k for motors (shoul be done in a week or so), 3,500 for new covers and bimini, 3,500 for trailer brakes,4-5k to install motors and fix all the little things, 1,500 for insurance and probably 1,000 to buff and polish the oxidation on the deck.wheeeew----this hobby is expensive..Mike

This comment and thread has been very interesting reading. I have a Scarab 34SS with a Myco and I am in the same boat sort of speak. I am now towing with a K2500 Suburban. I like the suburban but regardless of what I do to it, it will still be a 10K towing capacity. I tested a 2005 GMC 3500 dually crew cab yesterday and was pleasantly surprised with respect to their ridequality. The only concern I have is the legal point. The 3500 I looked at had the towing package and was still only rated for 12K on the hitch. My rig is 11660lbs without fuel and gear. I think I will opt for refueling close to the ramp and take the chance. Should i not like the ride I have thought of chopping the Myco and make a 5th out of it. Another concern I had is ride height. Why in the world is a 1ton truck jacked up in the air like a rock crawler? Anybody lowered a 4x4 1ton? I mean, lowered to normal height, not dragging frame.. Well, I'm going to try to convince wifey to take a test ride today and keep you posted....

Kims, I don't know what year K2500 sub you have but I had both a 1993 and 1996 (rated at 9000 lbs towing w/4x4- 9500 4x2) and the excursion was waaaaay better towing my 31' Scarab (about 11,000 lbs). I don't know about the 2000 up subs though. Besides lowering a 4x4 would have the same effect as adding better springs, airbags and more power---- absolutely nothing to raise RATED towing capacity