I too had a 2500 then bought a dually......incredible difference in side to side sway with the extra set of tires back there.(I haul a 382 fastech 30-50 miles each way every weekend)

2002 gmc 2500 hd crew cab 4x4 with 70,000.00 miles
 

Hello Double Trouble,I have pulled 2-36 Outlaws,1-35 Outlaw,1-33 Outlaw 1-33 donzi zx ,1-388 Hustler slingshot,1-38 top gun,1-38 Donzi zr all with steel trailers from points as far as Miami,Fl....Houston,Tx......Bay City,Mi...... to where I live in Ky and my truck does a good job for what it is.I would like to have a Duramax also but can't afford one so I keep my truck serviced regulary and it does great.I f you pay attention and don't drive like a mad man I think you will be okay..Hank36

Thanks for all the replies everyone. 2500 HD owners: What modifications, if any, did you make to your 2500 HD? I think I will get the slip but still have a little towing to do. The local dealer says the factory hitch probably won't break, but reading the numbers stamped on it, it doesn't look that strong, esp for 14K trailer.

2500 hd
 

K&N filter system and that's it.Take care,Mike.

Just remember that if you are over the manufactures weight limit, and God forbid something does happen, your insurance company could reject claims... and I don't want to even think about what some enterprising attorney may do if someone were to get hurt.

According to this towing guide, your truck is only rated to tow 9,800 lbs. If you had an accident, you could have trouble with the insurance claim.

That said, if you do use this truck, you need to upgrade to a Class V hitch. I would also recommend a custom PCM tune. I went with a Wester's Garage towing tune and it made a big difference on my Suburban 2500 6.0L.

If you over load by that much on a regular basis it's dangerous and hard on your equipment . When I tow heavy I go REAL SLOW !!! It would be a long ride to make every weekend .

The 6.0 will move it, but it will struggle on hills and at highway speed. The real concern is stopping if the trailer brakes fail. I have had that happen on both my 31 and 38. You need a dually.

Getting a slip and why might brakes fail?
 

Nice to hear from you all. I am now renting a slip at Port Superior Marina just south of Bayfield (Lake Superior). They've got some great deals right now. If my truck does not handle it well, we'll leave her there and forego the usual trips to Door County, etc., until we find a better tow vehicle. It sounds like I'll be fine for an occasional short trip, as long as I'm not racing anyone. I agree with the poster who said a class V hitch would be a good thing. The tuner is interesting, we'll wait and see. I like to spend my time and money tinkering with the boat, not the truck. But safety is always important. I am covered on the insurance side of things.

I will have eletric over hydralic disc brakes on all six wheels. This is a steel trailer being custom built by Loadmaster in Ohio. What do I watch for to make sure there is not a catatophic trailer failure, such as failing brakes?!? A few things I can think of is clean the plug connections well and check the hydralic fluid before towing.

we've got a 2004 gmc crew cab 2500hd with the 8.1 gas motor, 4.10 gears, and it hauls our BT pretty well. We have electric over hydraulic disc brakes, which helped alot!