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Old 08-14-2007, 10:26 AM   #1
Quint
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Chevy 2500 HD and towing

I've noticed quite a few people with the Chevy 2400HD Duromax Deisel and Allison transmission towing 3475 and 3400 type rigs. Thats the truck I own but I was staying away from purchasing the 3400 thinking it was to heavy pin weight-wise. I would like to hear from some of thsese people as to there experinces with this set-up. Any problems or does it pull the rig ok ect.

My wife and I are in the market for a new 5th wheeler love the Montana's. We have never had a 5th wheeler before so trying to learn all we can. Thanks for any help you can give us.
 
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Old 08-14-2007, 10:37 AM   #2
richfaa
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Of course it will PULL the rig OK. BUT my guess is that the pin weight will be out of spec. There will be folks on here who will give you the correct numbers and there will be folks who will say....been doing it for years and never had a problem..
Your thinking sound good.
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Old 08-14-2007, 10:42 AM   #3
bsmeaton
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You've come to the right place to get the answer you want to hear. Of course if you want the facts, I would start with the owners manual.



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Old 08-14-2007, 10:50 AM   #4
bncinwv
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Quint, first - welcome to the forum, you will get lots of advice on this issue I am sure. The only comment I will make is that I chose my tow vehicle after I knew what model and WEIGHT Montana we were purchasing. My signature below tells the conclusions I reached. Do what is comfortable to you, you will ultimately have to live with the decision, be it right or wrong, gather the FACTS as Brad said and make an educated informed decision. This is my opinion only and should not be taken to be an endorsement one way or the other.
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Old 08-14-2007, 11:01 AM   #5
indy roadrunner
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Yes, I am one of many who has as 3400RL and a GMC 2500HD with Tow package and air bags. The weight police will argue all day long that a 2500HD is not sufficent but I am on my second year, pulled to hills of MO and Tennessee and Florida, high winds, but I have to admit I am a weekend'er and vacation only type user and I don't have everything I own loaded in the Monty. My GMC dealer advises me that the air bags I installed serves the same purpose as adding the extra leaf spring to the 2500HD which is the only difference between the 3500 SWD. But some people on this formum thinks that no matter what you do to modify the 2500 the door sticker is what rules.
Just my humble opinion as you will see there are a bunch of 2500HD owners pulling Monty's.
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Old 08-14-2007, 01:41 PM   #6
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by bncinwv

Quint, first - welcome to the forum, you will get lots of advice on this issue I am sure. The only comment I will make is that I chose my tow vehicle after I knew what model and WEIGHT Montana we were purchasing. My signature below tells the conclusions I reached. Do what is comfortable to you, you will ultimately have to live with the decision, be it right or wrong, gather the FACTS as Brad said and make an educated informed decision. This is my opinion only and should not be taken to be an endorsement one way or the other.
Bingo
Good advice, get the trailer first, then you will know for sure what weight you will be pulling and what weight you will have in the bed of the truck. Also, I would not listen to any salesman, RV or TV, they are trying to sell something and their advice, as well as their knowledge, is suspect.
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Old 08-14-2007, 02:54 PM   #7
dandt
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We just purchased a Chevy 2500HD D/A and a Montana 3400 RL Truck pulls it like a dream. Just went over the siskiyou pass and over to the coast and back last weekend, never droppped lower than 5th gear, going up hill. If you are really concerned about wieght, we looked real close prior to purchasing and the 3500 only has a 100lb wieght difference unless you go dually! And that was not an option for us. Wanted to stay as small as possible for gas economy( averaged 11 mpg on trip towing) and also for liscening, CA gets you big time for 1ton trucks! Do your homework and come to your own decission, but lots of us will tell you it get the job done.
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Old 08-14-2007, 04:14 PM   #8
nkwist
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I'm another pulling a 3400RL with a 2500HD. My truck now has almost 115,000 and about 40,000 of that is towing. All I changed was to upgrade the shocks. I've weighed it many times, and yes, I'm over the GVWR for the truck. That being said, never for one moment have I felt that I needed more truck. Heck, I'm still on the original brake pads but on my third set of tires. That being said, next time I'll go for the SRW 3500. (It's more than 100#, isn't it? I thought it was more like 700#.)
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Old 08-14-2007, 04:50 PM   #9
rames14
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Our experience is similar to Norm's. We have about 75k miles on the truck and am now replacing the tires on the trailer. We are on our fourth year and have been over passes exceeding 11,000 feet. We still have the original brakes and have never had an issue. There will be all kinds of opinions expressed by knowledgeable people. One thing I have not seen talked about, however, is the design factor. All auto designs incorporate a safety factor, and that goes for towing capabilities as well. If anyone thinks the General designed his truck within a couple hundred pounds (or Henry or the Dodge boys) of safety factor, they have not worked in the auto industry. I have overheated the engine and transmission climbing up a dirt road above Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Of course, the engine and transmission inside the 3500 are the same as the 2500 and the 3500 weighs more. So, I can see times where a one ton may actually be worse for towing a rig. As I said, there will be lots of opinions. Choose the one you are comfortable with and then keep everything in top shape.
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Old 08-14-2007, 06:29 PM   #10
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When I was up in Randle Washington this past week I talked to a person with a 2500HD 4x4 CC short bed who was pullina Teton model 36??. The Teton had a GVW of 16000# and he had air bags, and he said it pulled FINE! He had driven big rigs and was comfortable with his setup. I'm glad I wasn't following him.
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Old 08-14-2007, 07:38 PM   #11
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I looked up the Chevy 2500/3500 info, I assume Ford and Dodge have simular towing information on their web sites.

Fifth Wheel Trailering for 2007 (not the 2007 clasic)
Duramax 3.73 Axle ratio Max Trailer Weight in LBS
2500
4x4 Crew Cab Short box 13,600
4x4 Crew Cab Long box 12,600

3500 - - no short box listed
4x4 crew Cab SRW Long Box 14,600
4x4 Crew Cab DRW Long Box 15,900

These weights assume you keep under the RGAWR, GVWR and GCWR

Hope this helps
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Old 08-15-2007, 03:12 AM   #12
Glenn and Lorraine
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Not going to enter into any further discussion other than to say I am pulling my 3485SA with a 2005 GMC 2500HD with the 310HP D/A combo. This summer, we have been from Florida to Missouri to northern New York and across the United States thru the Rockies to the northern California coast up to Washington and east thru Idaho and into Montana where we are now. We went up some of the steepest longest mountains and down the other side. At NO time, up hill or down, did if feel uncomfortable with the Monty behind me. The 2500HD D/A performed without single glitch.
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Old 08-15-2007, 04:19 AM   #13
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Thank you all for your input and opinions. You've all been very helpful. Happy camping to you all
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Old 08-15-2007, 09:16 AM   #14
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FWIW, the Chevy one ton srw has a GVWR of 9900, the 2500 is 9200.
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Old 08-15-2007, 12:53 PM   #15
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PIN WEIGHT, pin weight, pin weight, pin weight, PIN WEIGHT..... That is how much weight is on the rear axle of your truck and is it within spec's... How well the truck pulls has NOTHING to do with how much weight is on the rear axle of your truck. How well you can pull up hill and over dale has NOTHING to do with how much weight is on the rear axle of your truck. How comfortable the camper feels behind you has NOTHING to do with the weight on the rear axle of your truck.....There is a spec for every truck..find out what it is ..then do what you feel is best.
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Old 08-15-2007, 01:31 PM   #16
bsmeaton
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Yep Rich -

Quint - our pin weight is 2,540 lbs. Expect more if you full time, as you tend to load the front bedroom more then we would as part timers. Some 3400s reported as high as 2,850 lbs.

With our 2,540 lbs pin weight 500 lbs passengers our payload is at 3,040 lbs. Adding the 7,840 lbs truck (wet) puts us within 520 lbs of our max 11,400 lbs GVWR on our F350 SB SRW 4X4 CC.
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Old 08-15-2007, 01:44 PM   #17
Glenn and Lorraine
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Quote:
quote:then do what you feel is best.
and that is exactly what I am doing!
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Old 08-15-2007, 01:55 PM   #18
Jim Jarvis
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Doing what you feel is best has absolutely nothing to do with manufacturers weight specs. They are not guidelines, they are specifications. Ignore them at your peril. Not to mention those you share the roads with.
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Old 08-15-2007, 02:44 PM   #19
richfaa
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Please let us not get into this again.I think the person who asked the question knows what he has to do to make a decision.Those who choose to ignore specs will continue to do so and justify doing so in their own mind. This forum is great for stimulating the gray matter. I think that has been done.
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Old 08-15-2007, 03:49 PM   #20
bncinwv
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Quint,
See my first post, I told you would get lots of advice. Others, he said thanks for the opinions, treasure it as such and let it die...as we always have to...........(I still enjoy reading these same threads over and over however!!!!!!!!!)
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