3.0 L diesel 1500 vs 6.6 L diesel 2500 Silverado

Whitehorse2024 said:
If towing a trailer 6-7,000 lbs what are the major pro/cons to choosing the 2500 vs. the 1500 diesel powertrain in the Chevy Silverado?
Click to expand...

The people and stuff you can take with you.

Depending on the trim of 1500 you can expect a payload of around 1500. Some trims less and some more. So, you're going to be putting 600-700 lbs minimum on the bumper, this doesn't count batteries and propane on the tongue of the trailer. That leaves 6-800ish for all passengers, gear in the truck etc.

With the 3/4 ton you don't have to worry about that at all.

Payload isn't, in my mind, a never approach or go over situation but it's something to think about. If you running maxed out a lot that's hard on brakes and even transmissions.

5-6k is a really good sweet spot for 1/2 tons. 7lbs is easily doable but you have to start thinking about weights. GCWR, GVWR and Payload.

Lastly, range. It will be much better in a 3/4 ton when towing.

Edit: Pay attention to the tongue weight of trailers. Some "light" trailers will have a heavy tongue. I've seen many with 900+ in that trailer weight category. It depends on the floorplan. Tongue weight does not factor batteries and propane and directly counts as payload, so you can see how this could get out of hand real quick.
 
Last edited:
Whitehorse2024 said:
If towing a trailer 6-7,000 lbs what are the major pro/cons to choosing the 2500 vs. the 1500 diesel powertrain in the Chevy Silverado?
Click to expand...

Like others said, what else besides towing? Plus, how often do you tow/haul? I know plenty of farmers and local workers that love those little diesels in a 1500 and work them daily. Does everything they ask when towing. But if you haul heavy, you need to drive heavy. I tend to remember the old 1/2-ton label: it's saying that is the max bed cargo I can haul. Me in the cab make up the rest. With big crew cabs full of bodies, then it's even less than a 1/2-ton.
 
Thanks all, very helpful. You are validating my thoughts as I have gone back and forth on which vehicle to go with long term. I currently have the 1500 3.0 L duramax and love the truck but recently increased the size of my trailer to a 24 ft 6400 lb from a 20 ft 5000lb RV. Towing with the 1500 works well but I get the sense it is close to maxing out the capacity now, especially as I am planning to do more and more RVing in the next few years across the country.
 
My trailer is a 29' (34' with the tongue) and has a dry weight of 6450. I've towed it about 3k miles in 3.5 years. I've never wanted, or felt I needed more power (6.2) or stopping power. Most of my camping is dry so I'm hauling a generator, extra propane bottle and gas. As well as some wood and my camp stove and the regular stuff in the trailer: Bedding, clothes, food and misc. gear.

When I'm fully loaded and in the truck with my two boys (16 & 14) I'm usually around high 13's to low 14's gross combined weight. My truck GCWR is 15k. I know several times I've been at payload and possibly over a bit.

I regularly haul a couple hundred miles for trips to the ocean and have gone up over the mountains a few times. If I was going to be crossing states and towing more in general I would want the 3/4 ton. Mainly for the range and not having to worry at all about weight, payload, temperatures etc. The half ton is perfectly fine, don't get me wrong. I've never felt unsafe or needed more.

I saw lots of 29' trailers with tongue weights from 650-1000lbs. Luckily the one we liked the most was light, 700ish, on the tongue and it tows great.
 
I'd go 3/4 ton. Don't even need a diesel for that weight.

You mentioned that in a few years you are planning on taking more trips. I would wait before changing my truck to just before you actually start doing more trips. This will let you enjoy the better ride comfort and fuel economy until you actually need a bigger truck.
 
Also consider 3/4 ton trucks are a bit harder to live with. Longer overall length + longer wheelbase. You may have more trouble finding and fitting parking spots. My TT is in the 8k range and my 1500 with Max Trailering package pulls it with no problem. the NHT package gives you a good payload to work with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top