Since we're talking hills, you really shouldn't be using your brakes coming down the hill. Not much anyways.
We can agree to disagree on the best method to get a trailer to and from destinations. As for me, after going to a diesel 3/4 ton, I won't be down grading to a gasser.
Signed the papers for my new gasser yesterday, pick it up next week. Almost went 6.2L but I couldn’t justify the extra cost. I’ll tow 3-4 times a year and do maybe 10k km so the 5.3L will do the job with a 7x12 trailer. I’m going to miss my diesel and I said I’d never go back to a gasser but life and priorities change. The 1/2t diesel will have been out for a few years by the time I’m ready to switch again (if I do) so that might be a real contender down the road. Still looks like a ford to me.
That’s what I figured. It’ll have a bike, scooter, couple canopies, two sets of plastic shelves with Rubbermaid’s for spares storage. Thing won’t weigh much if I go aluminum and it’s all I need for regional racing.
Congrats!!! Great choice.. You will be fine.. Hell I pulled my 8.5 x 18 with 3 bikes and scooter with a 4.8 for a year.. Is that steering wheel crooked?
No it’s straight and weird as F! I don’t know how people drive like this. I’ll have to break out the pry bar and fix it.
As mentioned before, I pull my 7’X12’ in 3rd gear, because my 5.3 with 3.73’s can’t hold overdrive, in headwinds, on grades, or otherwise. This new engine has higher compression, cam, headers, intake, and tuning. It’s better, but, still not enough. Trailer is 6’6” interior and V-nose.
I had a 07 Tahoe with the 5.3 and a 7x20 (odd size, they're usually 8.5, but 18' box with 2' v-nose). It was an atrocious turd. Ditto your experience. Constantly hunting for gears, but I think mine might have had 3.07's, because it would do 80MPH at something retardedly low RPM's like 1800 or some shit. I'll never forget the first time I hooked up my 04 Ram 2500 with the 5.9 to the trailer. I had to pull it. I was so anxious it wasn't even loaded...I just had to see what the difference was. I literally could not feel the trailer behind me...been sold ever since. But still, given my experience, I'm surprised a 7x12 would even give the 5.3 trouble.
I don’t expect to have the “it’s not even there” feeling, but with the 8spd tranny it should do the job well enough. It has the 3.23 rear end so I doubt I’ll be pulling in 8th anywhere but down hills
Me too. But, I didn’t, and don’t, have a real use for a HD truck, so that’s why I went 1/2T. And, in ‘06, I didn’t have the option of the Tow Max package with the bigger engine. Doing it now, I’d definitely get the 6.2L. It’s better to have enough and be happy, as opposed to it not being enough and wishing for more. The newer 5.3’s and 10-spd transmissions are probably another world of advancement beyond what I have and are probably plenty. I’d be hard-pressed to buy anything, without hooking a trailer to it, first.
More important than the engine differences is the transmission improvements made during the last 10years. A 4spd auto REALLY restricts you when towing on the highway. So much so that I wouldn't even consider anything with less than a 6spd automatic. That being said, I also wouldn't expect to tow an enclosed trailer at 70mph into the deepest overdrive on grades, headwinds or otherwise with a half ton gas powered n/a engined truck. Now that 8 and 10spds are common, the last 2-3 gears can be overdriven and shifting between them has very little effect on rpm and therefore NVH and mileage. I think an interesting comparison would be towing a common sized enclosed (7x14ish) trailer with a 2005 2500 gas with a 4spd and a 2020 1500 gas with an 8/10 speed. I bet the difference would be astonishing (in favor of the newer truck/trans combo).
I forget which specific transmission I had in my Tahoe, but the gap between the last gear and over drive was way too drastic, so it was always in the wrong gear...either screaming like hell, or lugging way too low. No doubt these million-speed transmissions will alleviate the headaches I had with mine.
Didn’t order one, this one was on the lot. If I ordered it the price would’ve been another $10k. F that