It'll most likely be a daily driver but also used for towing, anywhere up to 8k lbs or more...I'm wanting to get a Z71 to lift and be more like an offroad toy, backup, or rescue vehicle since i'm always the one getting called if a friend needs help. I think i want to drop the rear down to match the front, air bag the back for towing, 18's or 20's and drop the gear ratio to either 3.42 or 3.73. I just dont know how much that'll drop my rpms compared to now? Right now with a 5spd, 4.10's, and 33x12.50R16.50 tires im at about 2000 rpms at 55mph. I'd like to be able to do 70 without being at 2700 rpms lol
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at 8,000+ lbs on a 6.5 you're going to want to keep the 4:10's.
Especially if you have to tow any kind of elevation.
The 6.5 is not a towing animal like the newer diesels or even a 454. It needs gearing to get the job done without yanking your hair out.
Also, airbags aren't a lot of use for towing in this case. You're going to need a weight distribution hitch to tow that heavy with a bumper tow. A properly set up WD hitch only squats the rear about 1" when loaded. You also need that 1" of squat to properly load the truck so airing it back up an inch ruins the properties of the WD hitch. That's with a class IV hitch too.
I tow a 9,000 lb travel trailer with my 98 K2500 TD. I have air bags, but I don't need 'em. What I do is load the trailer and set the WD hitch. Then I chuck whatever gash I have in the back and air up back to the trailer only loaded weight. Or I load the bed, air the bags and then set the WD hitch. The whole idea is to load the front steering wheels properly, which is what a WD hitch does.
We can probably chuck legality in here too: with a 6.5 and 4:10's your truck is only rated for an 8500 lb trailer with a WD hitch. I'm usually right at that and sometime a bit over when the trailer is loaded (8000lb dry weight, sometimes closer to 9,000 ready to roll out). My 6.5 is "wicked up" pretty good (4:10's and a "full" 2500) and I don't think I would go any heavier with it. It could pull more, but you know you're at the limits of comfort at my weights when rolling.
Gooseneck and 5th are a different story for bumper pull, except for the weights....