NewsW wrote: Note with 3.42 gear you get less towing capacity than the 3.73 or 4.10
Compromises.. compromises..
Yeah, the 9600# tow rating really stinks!!
I also have no doubt that it will easily tow that amount too. Last weekend I borrowed my neighbors 10,000# GVWR dump trailer and got about 5500# of sand. I estimate that his trailer weighs an easy 3500#. The van shifted into 5th gear and stayed in fifth gear towing the sand home.
Kevin and my...
Wife and four kids
and two dogs(brittany and english setter)
2011 Express 3500 (6.0L/6A/3.42)
2010 Passport Ultra Lite 2910
NewsW wrote: Note with 3.42 gear you get less towing capacity than the 3.73 or 4.10
Compromises.. compromises..
Yeah, the 9600# tow rating really stinks!!
I also have no doubt that it will easily tow that amount too. Last weekend I borrowed my neighbors 10,000# GVWR dump trailer and got about 5500# of sand. I estimate that his trailer weighs an easy 3500#. The van shifted into 5th gear and stayed in fifth gear towing the sand home.
Along with that 4.10 first gear ratio vs the old 4l80e at what, 2.48, so even the 342 geared van you currently have, has a better overall low than a 4.10 geared with the 4sp auto. So where is the 3.42 a problem? NOT!
Reality is, many do not look at the first gear of the trans, that is IMHO MORE important than the axel ratio! Along with tire diam.....a change of 2" in diam, is equal to going from a 3.73 to a 4.10 if going smaller in diam, or larger a 3.73 to a 3.42! along with more wt to turn, so reality is, maybe more like going from a 3.73 to a 3.3x or some such thing, the other way could be closer to a 4.2X!
For the op, be it a van, SUV, crew cab pickup, if it has a GVWR of 8600 or greater, 8 lugs on for the rims, payload of 2000 lbs or greater, you will be fine. The smaller the motor, ie in hp and torque, the slower you will go up a hill, The more HP/torque you have, the faster you will go up a hill. Diesels will do WAY better at 7-10K' elevation than a typical gas motor will. If you travel at this elevation a lot, get a diesel! even if the trailer is 5000 lbs or less. Gas motors lose 2-3% of there HP per 1000' above sea level you are. So at 10K', you have lost 20-30%.....a 300HP motor is not down to 210hp, A turbo or equal, still has 300 HP at 10K'. They then abt or about this elevation, start to lose the 2-3% as non turbo rigs do.
If you have the payload to handle the hitch wt and family wt, you will handle the trailer just fine. The smaller the motor, the slower you go, No big deal in many cases. Gives the kids time to see the bears, deer etc on the side of the road vs higher speeds.
Marty
05 Chev CC D/A LS Dooley
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
00 Chev C2500, V5700, 4L80E, 4.10, base truck, no options!
92 Red-e-haul 12K equipment trailer
3 Single axle utility trailers
I also have no doubt that it will easily tow that amount too. Last weekend I borrowed my neighbors 10,000# GVWR dump trailer and got about 5500# of sand. I estimate that his trailer weighs an easy 3500#. The van shifted into 5th gear and stayed in fifth gear towing the sand home.
Now you bring up another funnies...
The tow rating you have in the Express and in the E-350 (to date) are bona fide ratings that is not driven by marketing hype.
They are last redesigned (major) over 10 years ago.
I feel comfortable loading it to the maximum recommend, which in my own case is 18,400lbs GCWR and max trailer weight of 9,500 or 10,000 depending on whether it is 4.1 or 3.73.
On the other hand, the recent toys I see out there I would derate about 20 to 30 percent right off the bat.
We HAD a Suburban..and with our 4 growing kids...we we way over our payload numbers with our hybrid (6300lb GVWR). So I had to go buy a new TV...and the 3/4ton truck does a wonderful job.
Any TV that is beefy enough to manage your camper, crew and gear...will not be the best daily driver. A Ford Ecoboost truck with seating for 6 might be an option.
It should also be pointed out, Dougs Burb was a 1500 model, NOT the 2500 model, which at the end of the day would carry/pull the load that his family of 6 needed. BUT< while he does not have the comfort of the third seat in the burb, not sure that that seat is comfortible myself........the truck with the bed etc is probably a better option than an SUV or Van. Same as it was for me, I looked pretty similar to his setup but with a long bed truck, canoe instead of kayaks. The pickup made for a better option in my families case as I used the truck for work.
A forum friend has a 94 Burb 2500 with only 44,000 miles. He doesn't see it as worth much, 454 and all. I told him he might be surprised at the interest in it.
2008 Dodge 3500 With a Really Strong Tractor Motor...........
LB, SRW, 4X4, 6-Speed Auto, 3.73, Prodigy P3, Blue Ox Sway Pro........
2007 Komfort 212 on 225 75R 15E Maxxis 8008 Tires.........
Dougie123 wrote: our truck has 2 bench seats...seating for 6.
Technicalities.
The front row cannot be used for children under about 12 --- unless the air bags are turned off (if they are capable of being turned off).
Being as the OP is looking used, more than likely said truck will not have any more than a drivers side air bag. If she goes older than 2000 from GM, there are no air bags in the front! Question becomes, what years for what dollars will she look at?
While some do not like the 2 sets of seats, others like my family and dougs learned to live with it, as that was the "best option for us!"
We are still looking around at vehicles and campers. We are planning on trying to get a tent trailer now instead of a hybrid. A couple of our favorites that are available used are the Starcraft Aruba 28DBS (UVWR 5400), Jayco Jayfeather 213EXP (UVWR 4250), Rockwood Roo 23RS (UVWR 4207), and Gulfstream Amerilite 27BH (UVWR 5060). We have found some Suburbans and Excursions as options. We haven't been able to find an E-350 or other van in our market that doesn't have bench seats throughout.
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