I could but then I would be a sheep.. And sheep well sometimes get... Well ya know.
CK5
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Cost to build tow Rig..
- Thread starter sreidmx
- Start date
Velcro gloves man. I wonder if that 6.0 suburban pulled 50 mph over Vail pass or that climb out of Silverthorn. I had a v10 dodge pulling a k10 screaming going 30 and a year earlier I had a avalanche at 4800 in first pulling a k1500. I know the suck of a gas engine, but at 1300' I have no problems. If we ever make it to Moab I am hoping to talk guys into a semi and a flatbed or van trailer.
I agree
My 99 6.0 2500 struggled down to 1st gear climbing out of Rifle pulling 10-11000 lbs
Stomis
Professional Amateur
What trans? I used to frequently pull with a 6.0/6l80e and it was horrible. I would take our 8.1 truck any chance I got regardless of it being 10 years older.
I bumper pulled damn near 14k with that truck and it was a shit show.
I got a chance to drive a 99 burb 3/4 ton, its got the 454/4l80 and FF14 I think the gears are 3.73 or 4:10.. Runs good and cheap... seems like even in stock form its 50% better than the wifes tbi 350 just driving around. The torque that engine makes is ridiculous compared to the 350..
That's the same as my current tow rig. I have a 96 K2500, L29 Vortec 454, 4l80e, 14bff with 4.10 gears. Most likely that burb is 4.10's, I guess there is a chance it's 3.73's, but more likely than not they are 4.10's. Mine tows my K5 on a trailer pretty good on flat and slight grades. On the really steep grades (some of which have been mentioned in this thread) I slow down quite a bit. But overall I paid $5000 for the truck 4 years ago and it's got the job done. I am replacing it with a new tow rig I'm building right now (89 V3500 4x4) that I'm swapping an 8.1/NV4500 combo into. Main reason I'm doing this is cause I just had my 3rd kid and the 96 K2500 is only an extended cab with no back seat door access.
That burb sounds like a pretty good deal. The L29 454 is actually a pretty good motor, and if you care you can do some things to it to really wake it up. Back to the diesel stuff...if I was towing a lot each month or needed it for business I would just pay the money and get a diesel. But some of us guys are weekend warriors that don't need to be the first to the top of the pass just to say that you are. So the overall cost savings by picking up a gasser is worth it to some of us. Just food for thought for anyone else who stumbles across this thread.
Pic of the burb?
This. The modern diesels are nice for towing, but you pay significantly more for that feature (both in up-front cost and the inevitable maintenance premiums). For the average weekend warrior, I don't think it's a worthwhile investment. Gassers are cheap, and buying an overpriced rig just so you can say you are the first to the top of the pass on the weekends is a rather ridiculous hobby. Makes much more sense for the guys who tow heavy loads on a regular basis.
YMMV.
Here is the beast.. I agree with the diesel comments and like you guys said weeken Warriors like me don't need all that truck, I'm in the same boat the extended cab doesn't work with kids.. The burb however is designed for it.. And if I get tired of him I'll throw him in the third row way in the back.. Hahaha
Wife had one, hers was a 1996 vortec 454 4l80 4.10 got 11mpg empty. She loved it until she played chicken with a telephone pole. Yes the pole won, now engine and trany is going in my 84 cc and going to be 4wd. It makes a good quick camping rig when far rear seat is pulled.
I have a buddy with one of these, and he loves it for towing and kid hauling. At the same time, even!
3/4-ton with a 14bff and 4WD. His was a 6.5TD, but he decided to throw in a 6BT. Never asked him why, I think he was just bored.
Oh, he also put air bags in the rear. I haven't ridden with him while he's towing, but he says it makes a big difference.
I'd take that sort of rig over an extended cab any day (unless you HAFTA have a bed).
I have a 98 C3500 with that 454/NV4500. It's obviously the best 454 ever produced, good power and torque, and finally broke the old rule of " you could drop a 454 truck out the back of an air plane at 20K ft with nothing but the radio on and still only get 9mpg. " IIRC, mine got low teens. I actually liked that truck for towing in town from light to light. It's pretty peppy and no smoking out Prius's here in CA leaving lights. Out on the open road is where my diesel stuff shows it's strength over that truck though.
Oh and yeah.... that vortec 7400 has WAYYYY more power than the vortec 350.
Oh and yeah.... that vortec 7400 has WAYYYY more power than the vortec 350.
Thanks guys! We'll see what sort of deal I can work out. And as far as mpg he's telling me it gets around 14-16 mpg on long road trips! Not sure how many of those mpg are fibber but still more than 10 is good.
I agree with everyone as far as the weekend warrior stuff goes. Maintenance on my dmax is way more than my dads 8.1. Lots more oil, fuel filters etc etc. I considered selling/ trading my dmax because I just dont drive it enough. I only put a little over 1k on it a year. But when i'm pulling a hill at 75-80 with 7k behind me I remember why I bought it. In the end the only person that knows the correct answer to your question is you. You will be the one driving, fixing, and dealing with it. Everyones tolerances are different. Hell I know some people that wouldn't dare using an old truck like mine(2002) to pull anything.
I went through all of this in 2007 and a bunch of times before and since. In '07 I had an '82 crewcab with a turbo'd 6.2L, owned a 6bt from a '93 dodge and needed a tow rig. At the time we were using my dad's mildly built 7.3L superduty on long trips. When my criteria started including 300+ hp from a diesel and long trip comfort I ended up buying my '03 Dmax dually.
But, this is a different use than a lot of you are talking about. We started racing what became Ultra4 soon after this and were doing some desert racing already and it was inevitible that we would leave on a 9+ hour road trip after working a couple days straight in the evening on a tight timeframe. And tow from our shop in western CO to at least Las Vegas on I70 and I15 which has a lot of relatively high elevations, big hills, high speeds and wind. With 10K# or more on a trailer and sometimes a camper and gear on the truck.
It looked like my best bet for a decent tow rig to build myself was a '95-2000 crewcab with the 6bt and SAS but even at that the '93 6bt would have to be built up somewhat to make the power levels I was looking for. The late 90s cab has become a favorite of mine and would probably hit the nvh, convenience and comfort level I was looking for but those trucks weren't that old then and weren't cheap. Overall I figured I'd be lucky to get this done for $18-20K and have to work on it a lot. The dmax dually was a pretty good deal but.....we've fixed the transmission once (ZF6 so no super expensive like an ally), did injectors once, built the steering once, put a case saver in the T-case and a whole bunch of stuff happened when I broke a piston and it turned into a Diesel Power magazine project. And now I have a truck that has a bit of adventure involved with driving it and I don't like my wife towing with it. But it's sure nice on a long road trip.
For a local truck on low elevation flat roads a gasser sounds attractive since I often say I could throw an 8.1L crankshaft on the ground and fix it cheaper than injectors in my Dmax.
But, this is a different use than a lot of you are talking about. We started racing what became Ultra4 soon after this and were doing some desert racing already and it was inevitible that we would leave on a 9+ hour road trip after working a couple days straight in the evening on a tight timeframe. And tow from our shop in western CO to at least Las Vegas on I70 and I15 which has a lot of relatively high elevations, big hills, high speeds and wind. With 10K# or more on a trailer and sometimes a camper and gear on the truck.
It looked like my best bet for a decent tow rig to build myself was a '95-2000 crewcab with the 6bt and SAS but even at that the '93 6bt would have to be built up somewhat to make the power levels I was looking for. The late 90s cab has become a favorite of mine and would probably hit the nvh, convenience and comfort level I was looking for but those trucks weren't that old then and weren't cheap. Overall I figured I'd be lucky to get this done for $18-20K and have to work on it a lot. The dmax dually was a pretty good deal but.....we've fixed the transmission once (ZF6 so no super expensive like an ally), did injectors once, built the steering once, put a case saver in the T-case and a whole bunch of stuff happened when I broke a piston and it turned into a Diesel Power magazine project. And now I have a truck that has a bit of adventure involved with driving it and I don't like my wife towing with it. But it's sure nice on a long road trip.
For a local truck on low elevation flat roads a gasser sounds attractive since I often say I could throw an 8.1L crankshaft on the ground and fix it cheaper than injectors in my Dmax.
That is my biggest thing. I can buy a new 8.1 for what guys spend on duramax repair. I know I will be hating it on a trip to Moab from Nebraska but I would trust this truck to California even if it did have to go over the divide in first at 4500. I did see someone post that raylar just got a prototype blower intake for a 8.1. Knowing my stock is a little detonation sensitive with the mild tuning I have done would make me concerned but I wouldn't be scared if I built a 540 bottom with dished pistons.
I really think it's all about awareness. If your aware of the short comings and your fine with that. Just about any big block pickup will make a good tow rig.
I know for a fact with a 6.5 and 4.56 gears its gonna be a 60 mph kind of deal for me.
I'm OK with that.
I know for a fact with a 6.5 and 4.56 gears its gonna be a 60 mph kind of deal for me.
I'm OK with that.
I was hoping with my 6.5, nv4500 and 4.10s it would get better mpg, lower rpm crusing(than the current 465), and hopefully trust. I hate a vehicle you are scared to take to the parts store, let along one that you are afraid to take on a 1000 mile trip.
So what y'all thinks is a fair price for this?? I'm thinking 2500$...
