Hey guys, I'm new to the board and to towing with a DuraMax.

The company just bought a new 2005 3500 DuraMax (4 door, dually, 4x4). I'm not sure what gears it has. The trailer is a 45' gooseneck that weighs 16,000 pounds. It sometimes will weigh as much as 20,000 pounds, which is the GVW for the trailer. I don't know the weight of this truck yet, but I'm guessing around 6,700 pounds. So, GCW will likely be a little over 23,000 loaded. I'm sure others have done this with farm equipment and such, but I haven't heard any comments about it. I'll be legal as far as GCW goes, but can the truck handle it well? What if the trailer weighed 20,000 pounds? Does the engine have enough power for towing in desert flatlands of Arizona and in the mountains out West?

Thanks for the help.

EDIT: I meant to type 25,000 GCW. 18K trailer plus 7K truck.

I just found this post, which clears up some of it. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28966

I guess I didn't specify a few things... Weight on the pin is 2000-2500 pounds, so it is loaded properly, but I'm curious about the total weight. Some people in this thread stated that it can handle well over 22,000, but has anyone done it that can give me their opinion on how it handled? Thanks.

I know that others will chime in here soon, but Ill tell you what I think........

IIRC the max gross is right around 23k. (or is it 21k?) Even so, you could sneak away with it.....

Pin weight sounds do-able.

Youll be running slow, but it will tow it.

Make sure the brakes are set up proper.

Hills will pry be a b!tch, but unless you want a lot more truck, this isnt a bad option.

How much do you plan to do this? Where in AZ are you?

I'm located in Phoenix right now. The truck/trailer are used to support a firefighting airplane. It has aircraft fueling and retardant-mixing equipment on it. The trailer has less than 3000 miles on it. It has been well maintained and is in excellent mechanical condition. If it were older equipment, I wouldn't be so confident loading it up to it's GVW. Also, the weight will vary some because there is a 1000 gallon tank on it for Jet fuel.

Ide be a bit (alright, a lot) more hesitant hauling flammables.

Also sounds like you might be in a bit of a hurry at times? Im guessing that youll be headed north towards Sedona/Flagstaff, correct? As far as I know, those are the main mountains from Phoenix........

The only times I'm in a hurry is when entering a Port of Entry. :) Seriously, I drive the same speed weather moving to a fire, or going home at the end of fire season. It's not worth the risk to me or other drivers on the road to rush anywhere. Usually, we only move a couple hundred miles at a time, so the minutes saved are really not worth it.

Well, at the begining of the season we work in the flatlands of Arizona and Nevada. As the season progresses, we have more work towards the Central and Northern states of CO, WA, OR and MT. So it appears this truck will really be put to the test?

Thanks for all the quick replies, fellas. The truck is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. Hopefully I can provide you guys with tow report before I get moved somewhere that doesn't have internet access available.

The trailer lightened up a bit today, lost 1000 pounds of fuel, so now I'm lookin' at 17,000 pounds.

It'll do it,even 17000 is a bit high.Not that it cant do it,just that if you need to do any typpe of quick lane change or manuevering,due to something happening in front of you,it will take you longer to make the move than it should if you were driving the right truck with the right GVWR(17,000 absolute minimum)heavier tires(19.5 commercial tires)and stiffer suspension.Driven sensibly and in no rush,you will likely be Ok with the 3500,just remember,your overloaded,and that brings a whole new set of rules into play IF somethign serious ever happens.