just curious what kind of weight people have towed with their 6.5? just bought an appalachian 14,000gvw gooseneck trailer to haul straw with and will haul 300-400 bushels of corn and beans on it this fall in a mounted gravity box. im gonna put her to the test and see what she is made off, but the grain wont be hauled any faster than 40 mph so it wont be a real deteminate.

I've pulled five tons plus trailer at 65 MPH with no problem as long as I take it easy on the pedal.
It just gets hotter the more fuel you give it.

it does just fine with a 16' livestock trailer with 4 cows, but as quantum says dont over do it!!

40mph and under it will move double that, it's stopping that is a problem

The first thing you want to look into is the transmission. If you are running a 40 mph with a load the transmission temperature will go out through the roof. You should install a fan driven cooler at the least, a trans. temperature guage, and consider some form of convertor locking device. The problem is the 1997 4L80 and or the PCM will set a hard code if the trans. is locked in 4th while running under 50 mph. I use a BD TorqLoc but have to use it manualy to overcome the problem. However if I am running in 3rd I can lock the convertor without problems.


I am assuming you will install an EGT guage before you pull. If not you run the risk of melting the pistons if temperatures are held above 1200. Heat will also attack the #8 cylinder head gasket.

Most I have towed with my 6.2L is 23,000lbs. it was on a triple axle tongue pull trailer. Didn't have any issues other than needing more brake power. My normal tow weight is around 5k trailer and load.
Brian

I've pulled a hill or two:





http://www.kennedydiesel.com/docs/pulloff/TDPPull-Off.htm





That wasn't heavy for me, but I've pulled heavier...

Pulled 11,920 lb. up the hill at the Pull-Off this year. Also towed that trailer about 30 miles to "headquarters" after the event.


http://www.thedieselpage.com/features/pulloff04.htm


I tow a 32' travel trailer that weighs around 9,000 lbs. loaded.

This time of the year I pull a 1,050 gallon water tank on a twin axel flat bed trailer. Total weight not real sure but water is 8.4 lbs per gallon so 8,400 lbs H2O, trailer I'd say at least 1,500lbs for trailer maybe more (lots of good steel in it) plus tank and platform to put tank aboove wheel wells. All this with a 3.42 axel ratio and modest modified 6.5TD. I pull this on 2 grades about 3/4 mile of varous grades but about 1/2 mile 6-7% I drop to 40-45mph on the pull. THE dicey grade about 8-9% grade on gravel the nasty part is if you get too slow you spin out on the gravel I had to back down 3/4 mile once because I hit the bottom at 30 mph and spun out 125 yards from the top.

are you sure about the 3.42 rearend in a 3/4 ton truck??? Unless you changed it, you should have a 10-bolt 3.73 or 12-bolt 4.10 rearend. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Marty's truck is a light duty 2500 with six-lug wheels and axles. It is as he says.

I stand corrected then...


Hey Ron, whats your 0-60 time in that burb of yours unloaded??

are you sure about the 3.42 rearend in a 3/4 ton truck??? Unless you changed it, you should have a 10-bolt 3.73 or 12-bolt 4.10 rearend. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this.


All 3/4 ton trucks have the GM Corp 14 bolt rear axle. The difference between the LD and the HD trucks was the number on wheel lugs (6 on LD and 8 on the HD), The LD had a light duty version of the 14 bolt with NON-floating alxes(meaning C-Clips were still used ) and the HD had the old tried and too tough to tame version of the 14 bolt with Full-Floating axles. Most if not all I have seen came with 4.10 gears BUT I have mainly worked with the full-floater axle version. This version can also be ID'd by the bolts around the wheel hub to remove the axle, The LD version has no bolts as the C-Clip's have to be removed to pull a axle out. Hope this helpsEdited by: bowtie

So all the 3/4 tons have 4.10 gear right? Whats the deal on the ½tons then? Do all 6.5s with automatic have the 4L80E tranny (like my ½ton does) and 3.73s in ½tons and 4.10s in the 3/4 and 1tons, 3.42 was not offered. I'd really like to know the whole scoop if someone can fill me in.Edited by: Texas Diesel Guy

NOT sure on the ALL part of the 3/4 tons. I said all the HD axles I have seen have 4.10's If you ordered a different ratio then I am sure they are out there somewhere in truck land. The LD's might have not had a ratio they stuck to so much, not sure, and oh course any thing can be changed by the owner. I have seen alot of 1/2 tons with 3.08's to help fuel mileage. So bottom line is Who Knows?

So is my 4L80E / 3.73 Rear part of the Z71 option package or do all the 4wd 1/2tons come this way?

The way to tell what rear and any othe roption your truck has is read the tag in the glove compartment door. Everything the factory put in the truck is listed there. If you do not have the codes list the options you question and I will post the code for those options.

ive never had a tranny get too hot in any of my previous trucks pulling gravity wagons with 500-600 bushel on them in 2nd or 3rd going around 30mph

TDG-about axle ratio, according to a 99 truck/van owners manual, 3.73, 4.10 and 3.42 were all used depending on engine in 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks. 3.73, 4.10 with all engines in the 1-tons as well as 3.42 if you have the 7.4 gas

Thanks VH

Just a little more info...


Most (if not all) pre-2001 2500 HD (8600 GVW) trucks had a 9 1/2 " ring gear with semi-floating axles (c-clips). Pre 2001 3500 SRW trucks had a 10 1/2" full-floating 14-bolt axle. 2500 Suburbans with 8600 GVW got the 10 1/2" full-floater. Standard ratio for the diesel in the 8600 GVW trucks and Suburbans was 4.10, but 3.73 was an option. My uncle has a 96 2500 8600 GVW 6.5 TD extended cab pick-up that he ordered with the 3.73 ratio. In the 7200 GVW 2500 trucks, I think the 3.73 was standard, but 3.42 and 4.10 were available.


TDG, I've never timed 0-60 in the Suburban. I'll try to do that sometime. It weighs about 6700 lb. by itself, so I don't know how well it will do.Edited by: ronniejoe

Mine tips the scale right at 5000 and its pretty quick about it, just wondering how your modded high HP sub does.

are you sure about the 3.42 rearend in a 3/4 ton truck??? Unless you changed it, you should have a 10-bolt 3.73 or 12-bolt 4.10 rearend. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this.


It came with 3.73 I had it changed at about 30,000 miles.

ahhh...hoping for better fuel mileage?

Don't have the 6.5 anymore, but used a 6.5 to pull a triple axle 43' enclosed car trailer coast to coast with a loaded GCVW of 28,000 to 29,000 lbs. Slow over grades, both engine and trans heated up sometimes even though I had extra coolers, but no problems pulling the weight. And yes, 4L80E transmissions do not last very long towing that much weight. They blow quite regularly!

I pull a 10, 000 lb bobcat, 2500lb tree spade, several attachments, slip tank of fuel, and a 3500 lbs triaxle trailer on a regular basis at 65+ mph.

ahhh...hoping for better fuel mileage?





Yeah better mileage and longer engine life. Back in the early days of TDP, BDB (before Dura Bux) MorePower said that go with a gear ratio to match your speed to keep RPM's as close to 1900 RPM as posible for better MPG and engine life. MP thought your engine life would be about 100,000 miles more with a 3.42 vs 4.10. So I did that I changed exhaust and ratio a couple of months apart and kept track of fuel usage before and after each change. I pickedup 15% from the two changes. I figure it took about 70,000 miles to recoupe the cost due to fuel savings.