I kind of want a 3/4 ton...

ocanuck · Jan 23, 2019

3/4 tonne all the way. Not just gearing, but also 4l80e vs 700r4/4l60e. The latter is a *car* transmission and has no business being in anything heavy.

I sold a Duramax gmt800 to buy a 454 gmt400... IMHO gmt400s are slightly better trucks due to their simplicity. The gmt800 has a bunch of electrical gremlins that the gmt400 does not. Put a 6.0L in a gmt400 and bam, perfecto!

4 wheel disk brakes are fancy on paper, but unless you're riding them down mountain passes, drums are fine... besides, over 3000lbs your trailer should have brakes and will take care of itself.

df2x4 · Jan 23, 2019

Easy solution... Keep the 1500, and buy a 2500 in addition. Join the multiple GMT400 club. :lol:

letitsnow · Jan 23, 2019

Jared Jackson said:
I am trying to buy a bass boat and a small camper to take the family on weekend outings, I am not sure my k1500 (167k) is going to be up to *****...

It came with 3.42's from the factory and did not have a factory towing package. The PO wired it up and added a hitch, but the lack of coolers concerns me.

I don't have any idea what the weight of the boat/camper will be, I just don't know if I am comfortable with the 1500 taking up towing duty in it's current configuration.

The transmission has already started to slightly slip when shifting into second under heavy throttle.

At this point, I think I have two options:

1. I can modify my truck to be a better tow rig...
2. I can find a k2500, crew cab, 4x4 with a tow setup...

I was trying to figure out a good mod list for setting up the 1500 for towing...
Re-gear to 4.10
Add a locker (truetrac)
New leaf springs (4/1 instead of the 3/1)
Factory brake upgrades (need to research the possibilities)
Re run my brake lines since they are a little rusty in the rear.
Replace Transmission
Add Transmission Cooler

Feels like it might be easier to get into a k2500, they are just being difficult to find within 200 miles.

Just a couple notes - My 3/4 ton has 5 leaf rear springs. While it rides much better than my 3/4 ton dodge did, it is still a rougher ride than the 1/2 ton. You might want to see if you can ride around in one for a while to be sure the rougher ride isn't a big deal. Tires - If you keep the 1/2 ton, I would add E rated tires. One thing I always hated about towing with a 1/2 ton was feeling the tires squirm as the trailer moved around.

2 Sweet · Jan 23, 2019

Your half ton could handle the weight just fine, but I would rather have a 3/4 ton simply for the better trans, not to mention all the other good stuff that comes with it. I really wouldn't want any truck with a 4L60, well maybe a 4.3L RCSB for daily use if I got a really good deal on it, but it certainly wouldn't be used as a workhorse.

454cid · Jan 23, 2019

What about doing a 4L80E swap?

Supercharged111 · Jan 23, 2019

Check my sig for my 1500, I drag close to 9000# enclosed with it locked in OD in CO.

BNielsen · Jan 23, 2019

You're all forgetting a simple option too.

Just find an ECSB K2500 frame and swap your K1500 body onto it. Duh.

In all seriousness though, I think a 4L80E swap, a 14-Bolt SF, good coolers, as well as all the other sensible towing components and your truck will be set to pull that camper without much hassle; I see people pulling pretty good sized travel trailers (6-9K pound bunkhouse trailers) with 1/2 ton GMT400 trucks and Burbs all the time.
Hell, the guy who owned my green K1500 Suburban before me used it to pull a 28' travel trailer....which explains why the trans was out when I bought it.

Supercharged111 · Jan 23, 2019

Good luck finding a frame. Those ******* are rare as hens' teeth.

BNielsen · Jan 24, 2019

Supercharged111 said:
Good luck finding a frame. Those ******* are rare as hens' teeth.

Trust me, I know; that was my plan when I first started searching for a truck, buy a clean 1/2 ton 2WD, and then frame swap it to 3/4 ton 4x4 running gear.
I didn't have much sense when I was younger.

98chevy2500SS · Jan 24, 2019

Supercharged111 said:
Good luck finding a frame. Those ******* are rare as hens' teeth.

You're telling me! Have only seen 1 ECSB 3/4 ton for sale that was a complete parts truck and he wanted a $1000 for it, and I didn't buy it.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

I kind of want a 3/4 ton...

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