What John said and my personal opinion - Go with the Siverado - you'll be much happier with towing performance...
I'm towing heavy like John (#9400 TT with #1400+ tongue weight) and with the truck in signature and Hensley hitch... The combination tows well but is heavy and is a "bear" to stop in a panic situation... All these factors MUST be considered when selcting a tow vehicle not merely max tow rating... GCWR, GVWR, GAWR, ALL come into play...
"Choose wisely grasshopper"
Les
2000 Ford F-250SD, XLT, 4X4 Off Road, SuperCab
w/ 6.8L (415 C.I.) V-10/3:73LS/4R100
Banks Power Pack w/Trans Command & OttoMind
2006 Nomad 3150 Double Slide (Bunkhouse)
Hensley Arrow
Jordan Ultima 2020
John and Les, great information and advice. Thanks much!
Les, your point on the panic stopping capability is something that I had not even thought about before. This is definitely a very crucial criterion. How does one assess that without actually towing the actual combo? How would you consider the stopping capability of the Silverado 1500 with max towing for towing the 31E? Would a Silverado 2500 HD stop better that a 1500?
s.k. wrote: Les, your point on the panic stopping capability is something that I had not even thought about before. This is definitely a very crucial criterion. How does one assess that without actually towing the actual combo? How would you consider the stopping capability of the Silverado 1500 with max towing for towing the 31E? Would a Silverado 2500 HD stop better that a 1500?
The truck brakes stop the GVWR of the truck and the trailer brakes stop the GVWR of the trailer. the TV brakes are never designed to stop the GCWR!
Wife kim
Son brandon 7yrs
Daughter marissa 6yrs
Dog shadow
07 Cherokee 32B
02 Excursion 4X4 V-10 4.30 gear
Reese HP dualcam,Prodigy brake controller,
Air lift air bags.
Better to have a bad day of
camping than a good day at work!
S.K. wrote: John and Les, great information and advice. Thanks much!
Les, your point on the panic stopping capability is something that I had not even thought about before. This is definitely a very crucial criterion. How does one assess that without actually towing the actual combo? How would you consider the stopping capability of the Silverado 1500 with max towing for towing the 31E? Would a Silverado 2500 HD stop better that a 1500?
S.K.
SK
To your direct question would a 1500 or a 2500 stops the 31E better?
Well it all depends. As Dodge Guy pointed out, the TV brakes are sized to stop the GVWR of the truck. So yes a 2500 has more braking ability then a 1500 just due to the fact they are bigger. Again comparing this againast the 31E.
A key point is the actual brake controller. You want to get a good proportional one and NOT a timed based controller. The price difference between the 2 is not much yet the performance is night and day. And even if you buy the good proportional controller it has to be set so the TT brakes lead the TV brakes or elese the truck is stopping some of the TT pushing it.
When the brake controller is setup "perfect", you should not notice a stopping difference in the 1500 or 2500. Key is perfect and that the TT brakes are adjusted every 3000 miles for wear to name a few things.
The 3/4 ton truck offers larger brakes, heavier transmission, heavier rear axle, larger transmission cooling, usually larger air cleaner, heavier suspension and heavier stiffer E rated tires, to name a few. It is a heavier truck. Some of the 3/4 ton is made from 1 ton truck parts. Your TT loaded to the max is within the rating of a 1500 PU but you still have to watch the weights. I do not want your post to turn into the 1/2 ton, 3/4 towing towing war so I'll stop there.
I came up thru the 1/2 ton SUV towing world, then the 3/ton SUV towing world and now the 1 ton PU towing world. Reflecting back on this, I would not go back to 1/2 ton towing unless my TT became a lot less heavier and shorter. And I may be a more conservative then most as to why I say this. The 3/4 ton suspension will handle a 7500# loaded TT better then the 1/2 ton. I'm not saying the 1/2 ton will not handle it, I'm just saying the 3/4 ton will handle it better. If someone can state the 1/2 ton will handle it better, ask for details.
If you check the prices of a new 1500 verses a new 2500, the price tag is not a big bunch different. And on the used market the cost can be the same. I know I searched and searched and searched, but I bought my used F350 a lot cheaper then I could a used 3/4 ton of equal tow ratings. And a lot cheaper then my used 3/4 ton Suburban. I'm not trying to talk you into a 1 ton truck for your TT, but dropping the hint to look at a 3/4 ton. You may be able to spend about the same money and get a lot more truck that will hold up better and handle the TT better and allow some truck loading freedom.
One of the down sides of a 3/4 ton truck is ride quality while non towing. The 1500's are cream puffs and ride very well, hands down. The 3/4 tons ride stiffer non towing which is what makes they able to handle the 7500# of TT better. Actaully towing the 3/4 ton is very good on ride quality. The 3/4 ton GM's are not that bad like they used to be many moons ago but they will ride stiffer. Same with the Fords or even Dodges.
I know, decisions, decisions.
Good luck in which ever one you take.
Hope this helps
John
John & Cindy
2005 Ford F350 Super Duty, 4x4; 6.8L V10 with 4.10
CC, SB, Lariat & FX4 package
21,000 GCWR, 11,000 GVWR
Ford Tow Command
1,700# Reese HP hitch & HP Dual Cam
2 1/2" Towbeast Receiver
2004 Sunline Solaris T310SR
(I wish we where camping!)
John, Thanks. You have made a very good case for 2500.
Summarizing everyone's inputs, here are my conclusions:
(1) If I should decide to go with a TT the size of the Jayco 31E, I better get a 3/4 ton PU. However, this will mean that I need to park the PU outside all the time, including in the winter (after the recent big snow storm in Ohio, I begin to realize that with my back problem I may not like the idea of dealing with digging out the PU and chipping away the ice from the truck in the cold winter mornings). Another option is to use the PU strictly for towing and rent an inside storage somewhere to store it in the winter (= extra costs for an additional vehicle and storage).
(2) On the other hand, if I want to have the TV park inside my garage (maximum 220 inches), I may have to look for a smaller TT.
Yes, decisions, decisions. (Hum... #2 may be a more practical option although I really like the layout of the Jayco 31E)
Fortunately, I still have a year left on the lease of my current TV. Instead of terminating the lease early, may be I should keep my current TV/HTT combo (2005 Land Rover LR3/2007 Jayfeather 23B) for another year. This will allow me more time to do some additional searching and thinking.
S.K. wrote: (1) If I should decide to go with a TT the size of the Jayco 31E, I better get a 3/4 ton PU. However, this will mean that I need to park the PU outside all the time, including in the winter (after the recent big snow storm in Ohio, I begin to realize that with my back problem I may not like the idea of dealing with digging out the PU and chipping away the ice from the truck in the cold winter mornings). Another option is to use the PU strictly for towing and rent an inside storage somewhere to store it in the winter (= extra costs for an additional vehicle and storage).
I am able to get my 3/4 ton extended cab, short bed truck in my garage with room for a tool chest along the wall in front of the truck. My garage is a standard size two car garage as far as I know.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch
2002 Ford F250 Super Duty, 7.3L PSD
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The only combination GM PU that fits is a 1500 6 foot box, std cab at 205.6". And that is on a 119" wheel base. Another problem on a long TT.
I can relate to wanting to get the truck inside. I would too. Luckily mine just fits with 2" up front and 3" in the back to spare. I cannot put the overhead door down and walk around. Have to have the door up to get in/out. But it's inside.
Also watch the vertical door height. Mine just squeezed in and I had to pull the door further up.
I have a three car garage, but it is a bit shallow and has a somewhat irregular shape. Instead of the normal rectangular shape, it is a trapezoid. That makes things less straight forward. I think I will do a more precise measurement and see what exactly it could accommodate (may be I will use the help of CAD tools to tryout different TVs).
I did a couple measurements of my garage this evening after work and got some very encouraging information.
Upon removing some stuffs clogging the inside garage wall, I found that the distance from the frame of the garage door to the wall is about 236 inches. It thus looks like that I should have little problem storing a Suburban 2500 or an Expedition El (both are about 222 inches long) in the garage. I begin to think that even the Silverado 1500 with the max towing option (230 inches long) that I discussed at the beginning of this thread may be within the realm of possibility. However, with only 6 inches to spare, I believe it will be a very challenging task to get the PU in the garage without hitting the wall some time.
JBarca wrote: I can relate to wanting to get the truck inside. I would too. Luckily mine just fits with 2" up front and 3" in the back to spare. I cannot put the overhead door down and walk around. Have to have the door up to get in/out. But it's inside.
John, this situation appears to be very similar to what you described above. Could you please give me some pointers on how you are able to do this day in day out without hitting the garage wall? I am thinking that may be I could put some unmovable stoppers on the garage floor to provide a guide. Is that what you do or that you have some other better approach? Thanks!
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and my personal opinion - Go with the Siverado - you'll be much happier with towing performance...
