2002 Chevy silverado LS 3500 Diesel/Allison

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
Thinking about buying this dually to haul our Big Horn 3670RL. Axle is a 3.73. Crew cab. Will be going cross country at least once with it. Otherwise it will be used locally in the northeast. It has 40,000 miles. All comments either good or bad are appreciated.

Sid Dreyfus
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Sid,

Depends on how much you plan to load it up. If you take it to the full GVWR of 16,000, then you'll likely be over the GCVWR of the truck. You'll want to look up all the truck's towing specs, then estimate how heavy your trailer will be.

Been towing my Landmark Mt. Rushmore at the max of 16,000 for going on 3 years. It tows and stops fine for where I have taken it but I'd feel more comfortable with more truck that would give me more margin. I want to be able to tow 16,000 most anywhere in the country.

Best of luck to you,

Jim
 

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
silverado 3500

Jim,
From what I see, the trucks Towing capacity is around 15,000 pounds. How much weight does the average owner add to his Big Horn? 2000, 3000, 4000 pounds? I know it's easy to get up there with each gallon of water weighing 8 pounds and at least 100 pounds of propane. Our dry weight is 12,000 pounds. I could see carrying 2000 to 3000 pounds but an extra 4,000 ponds (2 tons) seems like alot for me. I know your doing it but it's hard for me to imagine carrying all that extra weight. Having said that, I'm sure one day I'll eat my words.

Sid
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Sid, at 16k, I was running heavy that day. Had some water, some stuff in the tanks and a bunch of stuff for the rally. I do carry a lot normally though. I have a heavy aluminum sliding tray that holds 8 large totes full of stuff, plus a ladder, portable satellite dish and BBQ grill - all on the tray alone. My front section is loaded up with 3 steel doggy pens, 4 bag chairs, 2 lounge chairs, 2 tables, wheel chocks and more. Then there's the 2 stage water filtration system and the water softener - all 3 full of water. I also have the washer/dryer and we kepe food, dishes and clothing in the trailer at all times.

Mine adds up. Am I heavier than you'll typically run? Only you can know.

Jim
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
We have basically the same truck but a bit less 5ver. Our trailer has been scaled and is at it's max of 14,000 and then some but we are still under the GVRW of the truck. You didn't mention if yours was a 4x4 and they are a bit heavier. I think the dually will do a fine job. Ours does.
 

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
Thank you. It is a 4 X 4 3500 dually. I believe the curb weight is about 6500 lbs. The dry weight of the 3670 RL is12000 lbs. That leaves us 3000 pounds before we reach the manufactures suggested max towing weight of 15000 pounds. I also would prefer a 16000 pound truck but am unwilling to shell out the extra money for a newer truck. I'm sure it will be just fine.

Sid Dreyfus
 

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
John,
You went up to a 550. Do you know if there is a 350 dually on the market used that will tow up to 16000 pounds. Like I said earlier, I know the new 07 and 08 trucks will tow up to 16700 pounds, but I don't want to spend 45 to 55 thousand dollars either.

Sid
 

Uncle Rog

Well-known member
Sid, I pull our 3600 with a 2500HD and it does a good job. I am at or over the GVWR most of the times I have gone out. If you use good 'ol common sense you are probably going to be just fine. The Duramax / Allison is a great combination for towing, a one ton has a great ride with the weight of a big 'ol 5er behind it. Good luck and hope you get a great deal! Just a thought with only 40k miles on it the engine is just getting broken in....
 

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
Thank you Suzin and Roger,

I think your just about right. With good common sense and keeping the weight down the truck should do fine.

Sid
 

ct0218

Well-known member
If it is a 4x4 3500 Chevy or GMC then the curb weight you listed is off, by quite a bit. I have that truck, and mine weighs about 7800-7900 with me and the hitch in it. With a few extra things thrown in the bed I'm pushing 8000 lbs. My Landmark weighs about 16,000 when traveling, so I'm right at 24,000 combined. The truck pulls fine, my only concern is a panic stop--so I keep a safe distance behind traffic in front of me.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Rog,

Amen on just getting broken in. I just recently hit 45k on my Dodge RAM and I am getting the best fuel economy this season that I ever have.

Too bad for my wallet that I may be moving up in trucks soon (hopefully). Good news for someone though. Anyone looking for a great 2005 Dodge RAM 3500 Quad Cab Diesel Dually with lots of options?? PM or email me!

Jim
 

Gary Steeves

Well-known member
Clark,
Check into the Hensley Tru-Brake controller. I replaced my Prodigy with this controller and I find no fade with heavy braking. It is expensive, but worth it if it saves an accident from occuring just once.
 

ct0218

Well-known member
I'll check it out, noticed their ad in Trailer Life a few days ago. I'm running the same Silent Armor truck tires as you are, very good traction. It appears the Prodigy works OK, mainly worried about the total weight I'm trying to stop. No way to know without doing a panic stop while towing, and not sure I want to try that. What do you see as the big difference between the two?
 

ziggy

Retired Oregon HOC
We have towed our 3670 with our 2002 2500HD Duramax and it went well since we chipped it, put air bags under it, bought 10 ply tires, and installed an exhaust temp gauge. We haven't traveled with full tanks so that is weight we haven't dealt with. Still, the truck pulled and stopped fine with the changes we made.

Two days ago, much to our surprise, we got a good deal on a new 07 GMC 3500HD Durmax Dually Crew Cab. We hadn't planned on buying a new truck for at least two more years, but the deal and the prospect of a more stable towing platform was too hard to pass up. Now we have to wait to get the hitch installed (they fit us in tomorrow which is amazing!) and then we need to drag the trailer around for awhile to see if this "investment" is ging to pay off.

So an 02 3500 should be fine as long as you remember that pulling lots of weight is easy. It's the stopping that can get dicey, so be careful.
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
I had a Brake Smart brake controller on my GMC and it was, by far, the best that I have ever seen or used. It ties directly into the hydraulic system of the tow vehicle and everything going to the brakes on the trailer is proportional to the pressure in the tow vehicles hydraulic system. It also analyzes the brake system on the trailer.

Sid; The reason I went to the 550 was I didn't have enough truck to handle the weight of the Grand Canyon. It pulled it just fine, but that's end of the story.

John
 

Gary Steeves

Well-known member
ct0218,
Install it, set it, forget it - no further adjustments. It works well in city traffic without the "bucking" the Prodigy produced unless I adjusted it for the city. The brakes "feel" better when you hit them pretty hard - which I tried in a controlled area. I live in the mountains, so was concerned about downhill braking when required - even though the Allison transmission does a fantastic job on the hills. I just have a lot more confidence - but nothings better than leaving room to safely stop.

Gary
 
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