Need a 4wd tow vehicle
08-05-2013, 11:09 AM
#1
Registered
Thread Starter
Need a 4wd tow vehicle
Current truck is a 2wd 95 C2500 ext-cab long-bed with the 454, tow package, and factory installed 1 ton suspension. Had it since 1998 and it's been a great truck. With 1000lbs of ballast in the bed she'll pull my boat out no problem,, as long as I'm on concrete.
Unfortunately, my local lake (Travis) is abt 55' lower than normal and not expected to recover any time soon. There's not a real ramp in the water anywhere, so all launching/retrievals are done off the beach which is mostly rock and a little sand.
I'm looking to stay under $12K. I'm partial to Chevy's but I'm considering other too. Need to keep the overall length close to what I currently have so it will fit in my crowded shop. Been looking at K2500's, F250's, and a couple of 2500 Dodges with crew cabs and short beds.
Truck will be used for towing the boat (abt 20 miles to the lake), taking my kid to daycare (4 doors would be nice here), and occasionally driving it 26 miles to work if my daily driver goes down.
Due to my price limit, I'm looking at mainly high mileage vehicles. Diesels seem to be the obvious choice due to their extended service life, but I've never owned a diesel and don't know a lot abt them. I know the Ford 7.3's have a really good reputation, but don't know much abt the Chevy and Dodge diesels.
Reliability and low cost maint are up near the top of my concerns.
Thx in adv for any suggestions!
Unfortunately, my local lake (Travis) is abt 55' lower than normal and not expected to recover any time soon. There's not a real ramp in the water anywhere, so all launching/retrievals are done off the beach which is mostly rock and a little sand.
I'm looking to stay under $12K. I'm partial to Chevy's but I'm considering other too. Need to keep the overall length close to what I currently have so it will fit in my crowded shop. Been looking at K2500's, F250's, and a couple of 2500 Dodges with crew cabs and short beds.
Truck will be used for towing the boat (abt 20 miles to the lake), taking my kid to daycare (4 doors would be nice here), and occasionally driving it 26 miles to work if my daily driver goes down.
Due to my price limit, I'm looking at mainly high mileage vehicles. Diesels seem to be the obvious choice due to their extended service life, but I've never owned a diesel and don't know a lot abt them. I know the Ford 7.3's have a really good reputation, but don't know much abt the Chevy and Dodge diesels.
Reliability and low cost maint are up near the top of my concerns.
Thx in adv for any suggestions!
08-05-2013, 11:33 AM
#2
VIP Member
Perhaps a 2500 Avalanche would work for you as well. 8.1L Gas engine & can tow 12,000 lbs with the 4.10 rear end; or 10K with the 3.73.
1999-2003 7.3L PSD Fords with the 7.3L will always be a sound platform; even with high mileage as long as they have been maintained well.
There are plenty of Cummins Dodge options out there, but the early 2000 model years were known to have weak automatic transmissions.
Duramax came out in 2001, but the early ones have injector issues later in life which get's really expensive.
1999-2003 7.3L PSD Fords with the 7.3L will always be a sound platform; even with high mileage as long as they have been maintained well.
There are plenty of Cummins Dodge options out there, but the early 2000 model years were known to have weak automatic transmissions.
Duramax came out in 2001, but the early ones have injector issues later in life which get's really expensive.
08-05-2013, 12:00 PM
#3
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iTrader: (1)
Early model 2500 hd 4 dr 4 wd with 6.0 gas. Ls motors are proving to stand the test of time and if it goes can be replaced rather inexpensive. I have a 2007 2500hd 4dr 4wd 6.0 and love this truck. It pulls anything I ask and has 90,000 now with 0 problems.
08-05-2013, 02:03 PM
#4
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iTrader: (1)
How much weight are we talking? You have a 20 mile tow in Texas no less (flat, low elevation) I would just get a 4wd 3/4 ton gasser. I have a an 00 7.3 I've had since new and it has been a super truck, but I sure wouldn't looking at a 13 year old diesel to replace it....not when an F150 ecoboost will do 90% of what my old diesel will do towing and be newer and more comfortable everyday. Diesels, even the older ones have different and more costly maintenance considerations that really don't payoff unless you have some serious towing to do.
08-05-2013, 02:36 PM
#5
Registered
Thread Starter
Boat is 7800 lbs. Alum Myco trailer is abt 2000 I'm guessing. All fueled-up and loaded I'm estimating close to 11,000 lbs. While it is fairly flat around here, there are some fairly steep hills near the lake.. With my current truck (454), I have to use 1st gear and close to full throttle to get up one of the hills between my house and the lake (it's on a very twisty road and I can't build up any speed)..I wouldn't think the 496 gasser would have too much trouble. Not sure abt the smaller gassers.
What year did the Duramax inj issues get addressed. Was it the mid 2004 models?
What year did the Duramax inj issues get addressed. Was it the mid 2004 models?
Last edited by zz28zz; 08-05-2013 at 02:38 PM.
08-05-2013, 03:11 PM
#6
Registered
Boat is 7800 lbs. Alum Myco trailer is abt 2000 I'm guessing. All fueled-up and loaded I'm estimating close to 11,000 lbs. While it is fairly flat around here, there are some fairly steep hills near the lake.. With my current truck (454), I have to use 1st gear and close to full throttle to get up one of the hills between my house and the lake (it's on a very twisty road and I can't build up any speed)..I wouldn't think the 496 gasser would have too much trouble. Not sure abt the smaller gassers.
What year did the Duramax inj issues get addressed. Was it the mid 2004 models?
What year did the Duramax inj issues get addressed. Was it the mid 2004 models?
08-13-2013, 12:00 PM
#7
Registered
Thread Starter
I've been researching the 8.1L engs and have heard nothing but good things abt them. Seems like a good choice in place of a diesel and the prices are definitely more appealing.
I'm now looking at the Chevy 2500 pickups and the 2500 Avalanches. Sounds like either one would pull down the road ok, but which would do better pulling the boat out off the beach?
How well will the Avalanche handle the roughly 1000 lbs of tongue weight?
I'm now looking at the Chevy 2500 pickups and the 2500 Avalanches. Sounds like either one would pull down the road ok, but which would do better pulling the boat out off the beach?
How well will the Avalanche handle the roughly 1000 lbs of tongue weight?
08-13-2013, 01:30 PM
#9
The Avalanche 2500 will handle the tongue weight just fine. I towed a 37' Active Thunder with mine for a couple years and never had a single issue. I added rear airbags to mine as it improved towing and moreso non-towing stability quite a bit. I've made some posts about my mods to my old truck here on OSO in the past. http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/ is a fantastic resource.
The 2500 Avalanche has a front wheel track that is about 3 or 4 inches wider in the front than the back. This makes it look a little goofy if you are nit-picky. BUT, this actually helps you in your use case of pulling well in the sand since you will have a wider path of terrain to grab vs. front and rear tires in the same track. The automatic in the Avalanche is the 4L85E aka M32 4 speed automatic. I put spacers on the rear of my Avalanche 2500 to make it look and handle better with the rear track pushed out as much as the front is.
The 2500 Truck is going to be a bit more stout of a vehicle. You are either going to have the Manual 6-speed transmission or 5-speed Allison automatic. This is going to give you some more options when you try to dig out on the sand; and both transmissions are stronger than the M32 in the Avalanche 2500.
They ALL come with the pencil thin 6.5" wide GM steel wheels. Dump these immediately. Go with an 8" wide wheel on the Avalanche or 9" wide wheel on the truck. This will also improve your grip and stability. There was a recent thread on here about a guy towing up his steep gravel driveway and which tires he should choose. I'd take a look there as well.
You will need to do some comparing with the final ratios on each truck compared with the transmission options and rear end options. Ideally, the lowest ratio final (with the 4.10 rear end) is going to be best for the sand and grunt. More than likely this is going to come out of the 2500HD and not the Avalanche 2500 purely because of the additional gears in the transmissions.
GT4 on a GM build sheet is a 3.73 rear end
GT5 is a 4.10
I don't think I have seen a 4x4 that was not LSD.
The 4WD systems are identical as far as power transfer/placement and 4-HI and 4-LOW settings.
One more thing: the stock hitches on all of the GMs suck. They are a tube design and flex like crazy. Spend the money on an upgraded Class-V hitch and add Grade-8 bolts. This will be the smartest money you spend on a GM tow vehicle.
The 2500 Avalanche has a front wheel track that is about 3 or 4 inches wider in the front than the back. This makes it look a little goofy if you are nit-picky. BUT, this actually helps you in your use case of pulling well in the sand since you will have a wider path of terrain to grab vs. front and rear tires in the same track. The automatic in the Avalanche is the 4L85E aka M32 4 speed automatic. I put spacers on the rear of my Avalanche 2500 to make it look and handle better with the rear track pushed out as much as the front is.
The 2500 Truck is going to be a bit more stout of a vehicle. You are either going to have the Manual 6-speed transmission or 5-speed Allison automatic. This is going to give you some more options when you try to dig out on the sand; and both transmissions are stronger than the M32 in the Avalanche 2500.
They ALL come with the pencil thin 6.5" wide GM steel wheels. Dump these immediately. Go with an 8" wide wheel on the Avalanche or 9" wide wheel on the truck. This will also improve your grip and stability. There was a recent thread on here about a guy towing up his steep gravel driveway and which tires he should choose. I'd take a look there as well.
You will need to do some comparing with the final ratios on each truck compared with the transmission options and rear end options. Ideally, the lowest ratio final (with the 4.10 rear end) is going to be best for the sand and grunt. More than likely this is going to come out of the 2500HD and not the Avalanche 2500 purely because of the additional gears in the transmissions.
GT4 on a GM build sheet is a 3.73 rear end
GT5 is a 4.10
I don't think I have seen a 4x4 that was not LSD.
The 4WD systems are identical as far as power transfer/placement and 4-HI and 4-LOW settings.
One more thing: the stock hitches on all of the GMs suck. They are a tube design and flex like crazy. Spend the money on an upgraded Class-V hitch and add Grade-8 bolts. This will be the smartest money you spend on a GM tow vehicle.
Last edited by Sydwayz; 08-13-2013 at 01:35 PM.
08-13-2013, 01:31 PM
#10
Registered
I briefly owned a 96 3/4 ton 4x4 suburban with the 454. (Price was right in the city, and make a few dollars selling it in the country.) Hooked it up to my boat, which weighs like yours does, and was pleased with its abilities. That would be a great truck for you, as you don't trailer far, or that hard. Plus, it would leave thousands in your pocket vs a diesel truck.
As has bee said, I'd not encourage a diesel in your case. They are expensive to maintain compared to gas, and will only provide you a small pulling advantage due to your few miles and hills. A big gas engine will work fine, and save you a lot of money.
As has bee said, I'd not encourage a diesel in your case. They are expensive to maintain compared to gas, and will only provide you a small pulling advantage due to your few miles and hills. A big gas engine will work fine, and save you a lot of money.
