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Old 04-03-2011, 03:37 PM   #1
RKassl
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First Tow with 2011 3500HD OMG!

Finally, the weather allowed us to hitch up for the first time with the new 2011 3500 Dmax CC SB SRW. My reference for towing to date was with our 2004 2500HD Dmax.

Biggest concern was how the Super glide from the 2004 would work in the 2011. Talked to Pullrite and they advised me to not only purchase all new below box hardware because of the new frame, but Linda there strongly suggested using the three inch riser kit because of the high bed walls in the new truck. I took it one step further and purchased the "longer" pins. This are the connection from the hitch above the bed to the frame hardware below. These pins are only about 1/2" longer.

When I hooked up I was pleasantly surprised. I had about 8" clearance between the Monty and the top of the bed rail, on the 2004 there was 6". My next concern was how the pin box would clear the bed rails on a very acute jack knife. I have an Access Lorado roll up cover that stands about 1" high. So the wife was out watching me crank the hitch, got it to a 90 angle and we were clearing the cover rail by about 1.5". Needless to say I was very happy with this.

Now that I knew everything was OK, we hit the road. The 3500 is much more stable than the 2004 2500. You can feel the 3500 taking control of the tow. Just a great feeling.

The shifting is totally different from the 2004, took a little time to get comfortable with it.

The integrated brake controller is easier to calibrate than my old Prodigy. Right now the gain is set at 5.5 out of a possible 10.

The exhaust brake is wonderful, I wish I had this last year out in the mountains, but better late than never.

I could go on, but I think you get my drift. By the way we did not want a dually because for one it will not fit in our garage and second the truck is not totally dedicated to towing, so the SRW is best for us.
 
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Old 04-03-2011, 04:43 PM   #2
akf15e
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Bob - congrats on the new TV! I also have 2 tows under my belt with the 2011 GMC (mine is a dually) after 8 years with a 2003 2500HD. The difference is amazing. Though my truck is 1400 lbs heavier than my old TV, the increased hp and torque blew me away. Towing is now much more enjoyable. And you are right, the exhaust brake is great.
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Old 04-03-2011, 05:49 PM   #3
stiles watson
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Congratulations on your first tow. Sounds like you really enjoyed the ride. Glad the truck met all your expectations plus. Happy RVing.............
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Old 04-04-2011, 07:01 AM   #4
CamillaMichael
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Sounds like you have a winner combination!
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Old 04-04-2011, 07:24 AM   #5
Phil P
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Hi

My wife loves her 2009 3500 Duramax DRW. She pulls our 5th wheeler with no problem. We don’t have a garage problem we can park 5 greyhound busses in ours. Can’t get the Montana in because of the height since putting on the G614 tires.
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Old 04-04-2011, 11:15 AM   #6
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Glad to hear you really like the new toy. If I could move all the extras off the 05 GMC to a new truck it would temp me to buy a new truck. How did the camper work out for level?
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Old 04-04-2011, 01:36 PM   #7
RKassl
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I was very surprised with the hook up. First let me tell you that I intended to move the Super glide from the 2004 to the 2011. Pull rite strongly suggested using the 3" riser kit to lift the hitch up to compensate for the higher bed walls in the new truck. I also found that they had a "longer" pin available that gives an additional 1/2" lift. I have an Access Lorado roll-up cover that add another inch to the bed rail height.

The 2011 also required complete new frame hardware because of the new box frame.

My RV tech put it a all together, and installed the 5th wheel wire harness with a plug into the wall of the truck for a nice connection to the Montana.

The big day was yesterday. First it seemed to be easier to see the Super glide. Once connected, the truck only squatted down 1" to 2" at the most, but enough to engage the overload spring pack.

When fully engaged i had at least 7" space between the bed rails and the Montana. So far so good. I took the trailer to a local parking lot and had the wife watch the pin box as I jack knifed the trailer to a 90 degree angle. Another great surprise, as the Pull rite turned the Morryde pin box cleared the top of the toneau cover rail by a good 1 1/2".

I was very concerned how things would work together and it resulted in better than expected results. If anything I may be a tad nose high, but I think with the 2004 I may have been a tad nose low.

Happy Camping!

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Old 04-08-2011, 02:45 AM   #8
go185
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We are thinking of buying a 2011 Chevrolet Dmax 3500 HD drw. We have a 16K Reese hitch in our 2005 GMC 3500. The new truck has a deeper box. Has anyone had to make any adjustments to the hitch to pull their 5th wheel. Right now the hitch in the truck is set at the highest holes making it as low as it will go in the truck. The pin box is in the lowest holes in the pin box making it as high as it will go. Rex Brown
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Old 04-08-2011, 03:19 AM   #9
richfaa
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The 3500 is much more stable than the 2004 2500" "I also have 2 tows under my belt with the 2011 GMC (mine is a dually) after 8 years with a 2003 2500HD. The difference is amazing"

OMG.
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Old 04-08-2011, 08:36 AM   #10
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"OMG" ???
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Old 04-08-2011, 02:18 PM   #11
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Don't you just love all the power of the new trucks. They just keep getting better.
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Old 04-09-2011, 01:40 AM   #12
seanjackmc
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Glad to hear you are happy with the new truck! Im a Ford guy myself but love hearing about anybody with a new truck. Its a great feeling isnt it! Hope you have a lots of fun safe miles ahead of you.
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Old 04-09-2011, 03:10 AM   #13
mlh
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Sean you say all stock for now. What do you plan to do to new truck?
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Old 04-11-2011, 04:17 AM   #14
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Lynwood, like you I had my 6.4 Spartan tuned. Loved it. I was figuring I would do the same to this truck. After 2000 miles Im not sure I need to yet. The emissions equipment seem to function nicely and Im averaging around 16 city/highway almost 19 highway and about 12 towing. I may have jumped the gun saying "stock for now" maybe stock forever! Although I wil add some airbags as these fords sag with pin wieght.
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Old 04-11-2011, 03:00 PM   #15
mlh
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Sean is your 2011 making oil. Have you had it tested?
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Old 04-12-2011, 01:34 AM   #16
seanjackmc
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Lynwood,
Never tested it. Doing a basic oil level check it seems unchanged if it hasnt even lost a little due to normal consumption. So far so good on the 2011. I have a job 2 build and other then some minor trans issues I have no complaints. Sometimes the trans will hunt between 3-4 shift. Only happened 3 or 4 times in 2000+ miles. There was supposed to be a computer update but Ford pulled it right after the released it and rumor has it there should be an update by the end of the month. The issue is said to be purely computer related. I do admit I miss the big tunes of Spartan but I love the piece of mind with a warranty.
Sean
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Old 04-13-2011, 01:17 PM   #17
Jdrobone
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Rex,
I took (or rather the RV tech) took my Husky 16K hitch out of my 2010 F-350 dually that I sold after 11 months and put in my 2011 GMC dually, looks like the same holes to me and rides level with about 6" of clearance above the bed rails.
Jerry
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Old 04-23-2011, 11:48 AM   #18
sreigle
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Congratulations on the new tow vehicle! It's so nice to be really happy with your setup. I know I am, too.
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