towing 12,000lb boat, with gas pot?
- Thread starter VWT3
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Pineapple Express
Well-Known Member
I used a 2015 GMC 2500 with the 6.0L engine for towing my company work boat. Total dog. I hated that motor. We also had a Duramax which was much much better.
Pineapple Express
Well-Known Member
Boat wasn't terribly heavy, maybe 3500lbs plus trailer. But we often carried an extra 2000lbs of diving gear. The truck got us to the destination, but the engine just felt lethargic and you had to bury your foot to move at a half-decent speed.
sly_karma
Crew Member
Get the GMC or Chevy electric. More torque than any diesel or gas, and all available at zero speed. Plus speed control on descents that is otherworldly good. They have a huge battery, tow range varies according to the shape of what you tow and how fast you go, but they should deliver legit 350 km towing range.
I'm towing 1500-2000 km a year with a Lightning SR, only gets 180-200 km with the boat hitched up. So I stop every hour and a half. Not great, but it's less than 10% of my annual driving, so I dont mind. It translates to one extra stop on the journey between Sunshine Coast and Okanagan. The price you pay for cost savings, about a third to a half of what gas used to cost me on same trips.
The GM products (SilvErado? SiErra?) have double the battery mine does, so you'd make the same stops as most people do with a gasser, every 2.5-3 hours. More of a stop for the occupants than the vehicle, having 800 km of towing range pointless when bladder range is only 250 km. Plus you NEED more coffee.
I'm towing 1500-2000 km a year with a Lightning SR, only gets 180-200 km with the boat hitched up. So I stop every hour and a half. Not great, but it's less than 10% of my annual driving, so I dont mind. It translates to one extra stop on the journey between Sunshine Coast and Okanagan. The price you pay for cost savings, about a third to a half of what gas used to cost me on same trips.
The GM products (SilvErado? SiErra?) have double the battery mine does, so you'd make the same stops as most people do with a gasser, every 2.5-3 hours. More of a stop for the occupants than the vehicle, having 800 km of towing range pointless when bladder range is only 250 km. Plus you NEED more coffee.
23Hourston
Well-Known Member
have both 6 liter Gm with 32.000 km and 6.6 lbz duramax
Towed 8000 plus pound boat over Port Alberni hump with the 6 liter it’s was balls to the wall 4500 rpm and maxed out at 50 km to get to the top and was close to over heating. If not going up mountains 6 is probably ok. With lbz can’t really tell if boat is even there.. the 6 is a total dog but could work.. just saw the part about hills the 6 ain’t going to cut it imo
Towed 8000 plus pound boat over Port Alberni hump with the 6 liter it’s was balls to the wall 4500 rpm and maxed out at 50 km to get to the top and was close to over heating. If not going up mountains 6 is probably ok. With lbz can’t really tell if boat is even there.. the 6 is a total dog but could work.. just saw the part about hills the 6 ain’t going to cut it imo
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kingblazer84
Crew Member
The duramax 6.6L hands down will always out pull and out tow a gasser. Plus why put a gasser through all that rpm and stress just to come to the conclusion of needing a diesel.
kaelc
Crew Member
New engine is the 6.6 gas in a standard bed, looks like it can tow 16,000 if properly equipped. Is the 12,000lb what you weighed the boat on the trailer loaded with gear and wet?
The lack of an engine brake and the extra torque of the diesel would be a little concerning to me on the hills. Not sure how much torque your old 6.6 has by my 10 year old power stroke 6.7 has 870. I wouldn't tow my 7200lb boat and carry my camper with half as much torque, the amount of jackasses that would be passing me on hills wouldn't be worth it. Additionally, I sure like the engine brake over the smell of burning brakes on the Tofino, Alberni and Malahat hills.
AI spec comparison. As much as I had diesel maintenance costs, I'd say go with another diesel if you can swing it.
401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque for the 6.6L compared to around 360 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque for the 6.0L.
6.6L Duramax turbo-diesel engine produces significantly more with 470 horsepower and a massive 975 lb-ft of torque
InterMechanico
Well-Known Member
Isn’t the diesel option like $16k these days?
Eden Island
Well-Known Member
InterMechanico
Well-Known Member
Nice Indeed$16K is what I spent for a used diesel with 115k on it
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
I never owned a diesel so I can’t do much comparing but I’m towing a 15,000 lb boat with a Ford F250 gasser —- it has the 7.3 L Godzilla and the 10 speed. I never felt that I was underpowered or under-torqued on the hills but I have not tried it on the Alberni hump or Malahat —-mostly modest stuff. I read lots from guys who did or do own diesels who say that Godzilla engine is all you need for the heavy tows.
wolf
Well-Known Member
I can tell you this is my first diesel truck and wow there is no comparison, I wished I changed earlier like I said had a gas 6.2 had a 5.3 before that was a dog always had gas trucks for 30 years and slow on hills,
the 6.2 would burn 21 ltr per 100 km with boat or the moose trailer the diesel 16 ltr per 100 km.
Last year coming back from sask just loaded with gear and deer was getting 12.1 per 100 km quite a differnce and when you hit that turbo better hang on
the 6.2 would burn 21 ltr per 100 km with boat or the moose trailer the diesel 16 ltr per 100 km.
Last year coming back from sask just loaded with gear and deer was getting 12.1 per 100 km quite a differnce and when you hit that turbo better hang on
EstevanPoint
Well-Known Member
Can't agree more with the diesel recommendations. Swapped from a gas to a diesel with a boat roughly the same weight, and it didn't feel remotely the same. Almost didn't even notice the boat behind the diesel. The gas was struggling up hills like the Port Alberni summit. Deisel was ripping up the hill and able to pass the larger commercial trucks.
@Sharphooks did you get your heavy hauling certification with the 15,000lbs unit?
@Sharphooks did you get your heavy hauling certification with the 15,000lbs unit?
sudsy
Well-Known Member
Diesel will always out tow a gas truck - the balance between power, upfront cost and annual maintenance needs to be made when purchasing a truck - i opted to go with a 7.3l f350. Tow's my 10k boat great. Would a diesel tow it better absolutely. If I was towing daily I would absolutely have a diesel. The main reason for me is the modern emissions on newer diesel and if you aren't driving a lot you'll have issues. For me the gas is good, i drive to work under 5 kms each way, that would cause problems in a diesel - they wsnt to be ran and get up to temperature to burn off the particulate. For others diesel will ne the best option, it really comes down to how you drive, how often you tow and if you want the added upfront cost and maintenance of a diesel. Oil changes cost more for diesel than a gas.
wolf
Well-Known Member
totally agree depends on how its used I use it for towing boat and towing moose trailer, the 6.2 (gas)last time towing moose trailer with 3 moose and 2 quads and all gear blew the exhaust manifold out so wasnt going to bother with that game again IF we had the same , also drive back to alberta hunting every year so alot of highway fuel saving is unreal compared to the gasser. these new modern diesel is unmatched IMO
kaelc
Crew Member
Some questions are best asked in a PM. Multiple members have advised me about things I post here and in other places! @EstevanPoint
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