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Which of these two trucks for towing 36 feet and 8k pounds

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Old Dec 15, 2011 | 02:51 PM
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Default Which of these two trucks for towing 36 feet and 8k pounds

Hello,
I have been looking at trucks and I have narrowed it down to 2:
1) 2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4WD Crew Cab Standard Box SLT; Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbocharged with 87K miles on it; and
2) 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 4WD Quad Cab 6.3 Ft Box ST; Cummins 6.7L I6 Turbocharged; 59K miles on it.

The GMC is $1500 more, but is loaded with all the interior options. The Dodge looks plainer on the inside.

I am going to be pulling a travel trailer that is around 32-36 feet and 8500lbs for 9 months straight; wife and I are traveling for a while. I have not ruled out buying a fifth-wheel yet. I am mostly looking for the most reliable truck.
Any recommendations on which truck is better and more reliable?

I also have my eye on a 2007 Chevy Silverado 4X4 fully loaded diesel with 50K on it but it’s a private seller, and he seems kind of shady.


Also, would anyone recommend a 2500 gas engine for this load?
 

Last edited by erust2; Dec 15, 2011 at 03:08 PM.
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Old Dec 15, 2011 | 05:22 PM
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I'm partial to the Ram/ Cummins truck (with deletes), but If you're looking at buying a 5er then I'd get the longer bed. It's tough to back and turn a 5er with a cab in the way.

Either of those trucks will handle that load fairly easy but I question the weight for a 32-36 trailer. I bet you end up a bit heavier once you add all of your personal things but it still shouldn't be an issue for either.

If you're mainly towing there is no way I'd consider a gas rig.
 
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Old Dec 15, 2011 | 05:56 PM
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either truck will get the job done
 
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Old Dec 17, 2011 | 10:18 AM
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the 07 you mentioned would be either the lbz or lmm duramax.. if it's an LBZ i would reccomend that, it's a pre emissions beast. have a mechanic check it out.

but the trucks are fairly closely matched and each could have their own set of problems I would go for the one you would like to sit in the longest! the long box for towing is a huge plus, but if you would rather park your butt in the dodge i'm sure you can deal with the maneuvering issues.

honestly, I have a Chevy bias.. but the fact it has a fullsize bed I would go with that, it will have a smoother ride, which to me makes it less tedious on long trips, especially if you have 32' of trailer swinging behind you! I would not recomend a gasser for towing it, the gasser will get 8-10mpg at best with a trailer like that where a diesel will still get 12-15.. do the math in fuel costs chances are the chevy only has a 26gal tank and from my experience the low fuel light come on after you have burned 20gal of that.
 

Last edited by Budgreen; Dec 17, 2011 at 10:24 AM.
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Old Dec 21, 2011 | 01:18 AM
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Default finally got it

After month's of looking, I finally got a truck. I settled for a 2009 silverado 2500 HD extended cab 6.6L diesel with 36k miles on it. I had to travel 16 hours to buy the truck, but so far I am happy with it. It has a few minor issuess (e.g., the wiper fluid motor appeaes not to work) but the engine drives great. I have put about 500 miles on it around where I bought it, and it handles like a new truck. It has a warrenty, so they will fix the wind shield wiper fluid issue. Thanks for all your repsonses, it really helped in making my final decision.
 
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Old Dec 21, 2011 | 08:06 AM
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congrats! hope it serves you well
 
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