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Old 02-24-2012, 12:33 PM   #1
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? about my tow vehicle

I have a 2011 Chevy 2500HD CC SB 4x4 6.0l with 3.73 gears. The tow rating is 9400#. I am looking at a Jay Flight 32bhds which has a GVWR of 10200#. I live in North Central PA which is hilly. I hope to have a trailer weight around the 9400# I can tow but will not find out until I get the trailer. This puts my truck at the max.
I am wondering if anybody else out there has a similar setup and if you can give me some feed back on how the truck handles it. I have researched 4.10 gears and that ups my towing to 13,000#. If need be I can swap out but don't want to hurt my fuel mileage when I am not towing. Any info is appreciated.
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Old 02-24-2012, 01:31 PM   #2
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I have a 32BHDS that weighed 8,300lbs from the factory. I stopped at a Cat scale last summer on one of our trips and it weighed in at 9,600lbs loaded. We have our trailer loaded pretty heavy, so I'm sure that you could shave some of that off and be down to 9,400lbs, which will be right at your tow rating.

Personally, I would hook the truck up and see how she does before making any changes. Re-gearing both diffs in your truck will be $2,000+, so I wouldn't do anything until you've towed a couple of times. If you're itching for more power, then you can think about re-gearing. Does your truck have a 6speed, or 5 speed transmission? Either way, I think the truck will pull it ok... lower gears will definitely help, but may not be worth the trade off when you are not towing.

FYI, I'd be more concerned with tongue weight than the overall weight of the trailer. Just make sure that you don't go over the rear GAWR and you should be good to go. My tongue weight at the scale (with trailer loaded for a 3 day trip) was 1,280lbs and well within my limits and should be within yours as well.
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Old 02-24-2012, 02:40 PM   #3
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Thanks A&M for the response
I planned on towing the trailer at least one season to see how the truck does before I thought about doing anything. I have a 6 speed auto transmission. I plan on getting a Reese Strait-Line HP Dual cam WD hitch in the 1500lb rating to handle the high tongue weight of the 32bhds. My hitch on the truck is rated to 15,000/1500lb so I am okay there.
I had a 2005 2500hd with the 6.0l with 4.10 gears. This new 2011 feels as strong or stronger because of the 6 speed and increased power of the new 6.0l engine. I just want to be sure I am not stressing the truck with the 3.73 since I plan on having this one quite a while.
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Old 02-24-2012, 02:55 PM   #4
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Yeah, you used to not be able to get 3.73 gears in the 2500, but with the new 6 speed auto, I'm betting that your pulling power is at least equal (if not greater) than with the old 4 speed and 4.10s.

Good call on the 1,500lb WD setup. I have a 1,200lb version and will probably be upgrading the bars before the summer starts.

You will love the 32BHDS, by the way. We have not had any complaints at all after the first year. I do wish they offered it with a front A/C (and 50amp service), but I may end up adding a second A/C myself to solve that problem. Being in PA, you shouldn't have an issue with any of that.
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Old 02-24-2012, 03:11 PM   #5
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I just heard from the bank and I am cleared to order a new 32 bhds!
I am sure my family will love it. The last 3 years we have had a 25 foot 5th wheel that was pretty cramped last year with 2 adults, a 6 year old, and a 3 year old. The 5er did not have any air conditioning so one are conditioner will feel like heaven for us.
A&M - is your Ford TV a gas or diesel? If gas 5.4 or V10- how does it haul the 32? How hard is it to get it maneuvered into a site?
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Old 02-24-2012, 04:23 PM   #6
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Eric2500hd,

I concur with TexasA&M's feedback and insight on towing the 32BHDS. I also believe that your 2011 2500HD will have a little more "guts" for towing than my '02' 2500HD, which will come in handy towing the hills of PA..

Yep, the 32BHDS can be a heavy TT depending on your loading habits, and has the capability of exceeding even one or more of the 2500HD's weight limits.

As TexasA&M mentioned, watch your rear GAWR, the TV's GVWR, and payload capacity. Here is a little insight on manufactures published tow ratings: http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthread.php?t=3866

When you get your first opportunity, take your "loaded" TV/TT combination to a CAT scale, the scale weight certificates will provide you with a wealth of information, especially confirming that your WDH is adjusted correctly: http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthread.php?t=3871

Enjoy the new TT!

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Old 02-24-2012, 04:41 PM   #7
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Yowing

You're not going to be towing in 6th gear anyway. Probably manually selecting 5th gear. Direct drive (high gear) is still 4th gear. 5th and 6th gears are both overdrive gears. At speeds less than 55 mph, I tow in 4th gear. It results in more power, higher cooling fan speeds, and faster water pump speed.
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Old 02-24-2012, 05:12 PM   #8
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Quote:
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I have a 2011 Chevy 2500HD CC SB 4x4 6.0l with 3.73 gears. The tow rating is 9400#. I am looking at a Jay Flight 32bhds which has a GVWR of 10200#. ...
You'll be fine.

The dry weight is 7700 lbs. I doubt you'll add 1700 lbs of gear and "stuff" and if you do, it won't exceed it by much.

You'd have to collect boulders to max out the trailers GVWR. It has an impressive 2500 lb CC.
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Old 02-24-2012, 06:17 PM   #9
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A&M - is your Ford TV a gas or diesel? If gas 5.4 or V10- how does it haul the 32? How hard is it to get it maneuvered into a site?
It's a diesel and tows the load well. You definitely know that it is back there, even more so on windy days. We have had a few tight spots, but haven't been anywhere that we couldn't squeeze into yet.
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Old 02-24-2012, 08:19 PM   #10
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snip........The dry weight is 7700 lbs. I doubt you'll add 1700 lbs of gear and "stuff" and if you do, it won't exceed it by much.....snip
drfife,

Your correct on the dry weight of 7,700lbs on the 2012 model, but the "ship weight" may represent another 400lbs on top of the dry weight (UVW) based on TexasA&M's 2011 model's published UVW and ship weight figures.

Bob
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Old 02-24-2012, 09:23 PM   #11
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Thanks for all the information guys. I am really liking this site for all the useful info and pleasant responses. I just ordered the TT and it should be here by April. I am excited to see how well the truck does with it.

Now to find a good price on a 1500lb Strait-Line WD hitch.... any suggestions?
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Old 02-24-2012, 09:29 PM   #12
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Eric,

Congratulations on the purchase, now it's the waiting game

In the past "etrailer" has been very competitive on WDH's and is a good source: http://www.etrailer.com/

Bob
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Old 02-24-2012, 11:35 PM   #13
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...Now to find a good price on a 1500lb Strait-Line WD hitch.... any suggestions?
Have you considered a ProPride or Hensley?

I've towed with a Hensley for 11+ years. Through all the lower 48 states and 5 Canadian provinces. No sway, no problems. Stress free towing.

If you plan to tow any significant distances, you really should consider a ProPride or Hensley. Worth the extra $ IMO.
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Old 02-25-2012, 10:15 AM   #14
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I too have the Hensley... once you get past the sticker shock it is well worth it
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Old 02-25-2012, 12:15 PM   #15
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I have looked at the ProPride system. I watched some videos last night on it in fact. It does look like a very stout system. I will have to look at it some more to see if it warrants the extra $1500 or so it would take to by it over the Reese Straight Line. Thanks for the info.
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Old 02-25-2012, 12:46 PM   #16
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Quote:
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I have a 2011 Chevy 2500HD CC SB 4x4 6.0l with 3.73 gears. The tow rating is 9400#.
Are you sure that tow rating is correct? Seems a little low for that truck. I'd double-check that.
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Old 02-25-2012, 06:01 PM   #17
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2000 dollars for a hitch is crazy if i was gonna spend that id buy a 5th wheel and solve that lol
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Old 02-25-2012, 07:08 PM   #18
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2000 dollars for a hitch is crazy if i was gonna spend that id buy a 5th wheel and solve that lol
It's not crazy if you tow extensively and like stress free towing.

I had 3 kids and took trips from Texas to Canada 3 times and from coast to coast. I've logged in excess of 60,000 miles towing with my Hensley. And yes, I have towed trailers without a Hensley. I would not do that again

You can't put 3 kids on a truck bench seat and someone not get hurt or killed. That meant I needed a Suburban (I had a 2500 with an 8.1ltr) to get everyone their own seat. Towing a 5th wheel with a Suburban is tough. It can be done, but you ought to price that hitch!!

You can spend you money any way you wish. But I take offense to being called crazy for how I spend my money.Mr.T

Just my 2 cents.....

Good luck!
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Old 02-25-2012, 07:20 PM   #19
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If I were to go back to a TT I would forgo some of the options on the TT and put the money towards a ProPride or Hensley. I do think that they are expensive too, but after towing a 34' even with a dual cam it was trying at times.
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Old 02-26-2012, 02:32 PM   #20
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Just noticed that braking power has yet to be mentioned in this thread. As one member of JOF said awhile back, most trucks will pull the weight, but can they stop it as well ? Something to think about if you are close to maxing out your TV's rating.
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