2500 crewcab with 350 heavy towing

[Zack88]

I've got a 99 2500 with the 350 in it and right at 200k on the clock. I'm hoping it will Be able to handle the task at hand for at least a year until we can get another one ton diesel but we're trying to pay our other vehicles off first and this was cheap and paid cash for it.

It has the big brakes and auxiliary tranny cooler stock along with 3:73 gears and has been well maintained personal friends have owned it for the last 11 years. I put all new brakes and 10 ply tires on it after buying it last month.

The load in question is a 26 foot gooseneck tandem axle trailer 2,500 lbs, a jeep wrangler that's close to 4,000 and possibly a 10 foot slide in camper on the front of Trailer that will be another 1,200 depending on if the deal goes through. By the time all our stuff is loaded also I'd say 8,500lbs roughly total weight being pulled.

Am I going to kill it fast dragging this 2-3 Times over a 300 mile round trip?

Just hauling the jeep on an 18 foot 2k lb bumper pull it did okay and never seemed low on power on the hills mileage was crap as expected but we can burn a lot of fuel compared to a payment for a while.

Forgot to mention the truck is as stock as it gets except no cats. And I put 265/70 all the way around.

 

[someotherguy]

3.73 gears? Am I correct to assume this is a 6-lug 2500, in other words a "light duty", 7200 lb. GVWR? If so then you'll likely wipe out the transmission before anything else, regardless of the aux cooler. Beyond that you're probably going to really challenge the brakes. What you have is essentially a half ton truck with a tiny bit more spring and a stronger rear axle with slightly larger rear brakes.

Richard

 

[Zack88]

No sir, it's an 8 lug heavier 2500 gvwr with the 4l80E. It's got the big brakes and they are all new on it also.

 

[98sierra4x4]

I think you should be fine. Im not sure about with the camper though


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[someotherguy]

Really surprised to see it with 3.73's then. Should normally be 4.10's.

Richard

 

[Zack88]

I'm surprised also at the 3:73's, I think that I'm going to just use the gooseneck and wait on the camper until I can get a bigger truck to handle it easily. So far I love this truck and plan on keeping it after I get a diesel since it's paid off.

 

[88GMCtruck]

Let me tell you right now, a 10' camper is going to weigh nowhere near 1,200 LBS unless it's made out of a plastic bag. My camper is an 11' model, the sticker says it weight 3,200 LBS. A friend of mine has a 9' and his sticker says 2,600 LBS..... Neither of them are that light.

And while odd to see a 3/4ton with 3.73s, they are out there. Same friend with the 9' camper has a odd truck. 98 Chevy K2500 8,600 GVW Extended Cab Long bed. It's a 454, Auto with electronic transfercase. Has heated rear glass, no G80, 3.73s and champagne over black two tone....

 

[Zack88]

I was wondering about actual weight on the camper, my buddy just bought a ten footer we put on a 28 foot goose and the tag said 1,800lbs full of water,propane and 75lbs of ice in the fridge is where my guesstimate came from on weight.

 

[JScott23]

You guys don't see 3/4 ton 8 lugs with 3:73's that often??

2 of my 3 (8600GVW) trucks have 3:73 gears, one of which is a 3500 crew cab. Honestly it just may be what I've run into, but most of the 3/4 tons I've seen have been 3:73 gears... for me personally it's harder to find the 4:10's unless it's a dually.

88GMCTruck what gears did your old 6.5 have?

 

[someotherguy]

Yeah, to be totally honest, -almost- every single 8 lug 2500 I've ever owned or worked on, 4.10's all day long. The one exception I can recall is a '91 RCLB 350/4L80E that had 3.73's, was a bare bones Cheyenne with a flatbed. On the other hand, all the 6 lug 2500's I see tend to be 3.73's.

Richard